‘Elle’ review: Your next guilty pleasure watch

Elle Woods returns in Prime Video’s prequel series, with all 8 episodes dropping July 1.

Nobody asked for a prequel to Legally Blonde, and when Elle was first announced, the concept felt like another attempt to capitalize on an established IP rather than tell a story worth telling. Surprisingly, though, once the series settles into its rhythm, it becomes an entertaining teen drama that is far more charming than its premise suggests. Whether that is enough to win you over will come down to the individual, but it’s an entertaining ride, nonetheless.

The series opens with 16-year-old Elle Woods (Lexi Minetree) living the life you would expect. She’s popular, has her senior year mapped out despite still being a junior, and thinks the biggest challenge ahead of her is orchestrating the perfect first kiss. That all changes when her parents, Eva (June Diane Raphael) and Wyatt (Tom Everett Scott), reveal they must leave Los Angeles for Seattle after one of her father’s cosmetic surgeries goes disastrously wrong.

This move quickly establishes the show as a fish-out-of-water story. Seattle could not be more different from Los Angeles, and neither could its students. Where LA is sunshine, Seattle is dreary.

Ell becomes “LA Barbie” when thrust into a new school.

All color fades beyond the bright outfits Elle and her mom wear. While Elle arrives determined to recreate the life she left behind, she soon realizes the rules she has always relied on no longer apply.

On her first day, Elle is ignored and ridiculed, dismissed as “LA Barbie” despite her bubbly personality. The only person willing to give her a chance is school secretary Donna (Amy Pietz), with the pair bonding over Cosmopolitan and first day nerves. That kindness soon becomes the catalyst for the season’s central storyline when Donna is later dismissed from her position.

While the season juggles several subplots, its strongest storyline revolves around Donna’s dismissal, even if it means Pietz spends less time on screen than she deserves. Her warmth puts her firmly in Miss Honey territory, leaving you wanting far more of Donna by the season’s end. What begins as Elle trying to help the one person who welcomed her soon develops into a larger story involving missing student funds and corruption within the school’s administration.

An entertaining ensemble.

The biggest reason Elle works is its lead. Minetree steps naturally into the shoes Reese Witherspoon made memorable, balancing recognizable traits with a performance that feels entirely her own.

She captures Elle’s optimism, warmth, and determination, ensuring this younger version feels authentic without crossing into parody or imitation. Minetree is a delight to watch, making it difficult to believe this is her first major role as she commands the screen like someone with years of leading role experience.

That is not to say that the supporting cast does not give the show its charm, too. Zac Looker is immediately likable as Dustin, whose passion for social justice and determination to uncover the truth behind the school’s finances make him a natural ally for Elle. Jacob Moskovitz is awkwardly charming as Miles, making it understandable why Elle finds herself caught between the two, even if the series’ endgame feels obvious.

Moving beyond the “mean girl.”

Gabrielle Policano shines as Liz, whose refusal to conform – she even starts her own “Lizbian” rumor – makes her one of the season’s most entertaining characters, particularly as her unlikely dynamic with Kimberly (Chandler Kinney) develops. Kinney has the difficult task of making Kimberly more than a stereotypical mean girl. Although the character often leans into familiar teen drama tropes, glimpses of her home life add depth to explore further down the line, making her more sympathetic than she first appears.

Raphael is excellent as Eva. Unsurprisingly, she delivers some of the show’s funniest lines, particularly as she tries to solve every problem with Hollywood logic.

However, her reluctance to embrace Seattle becomes repetitive, especially as Elle settles in and Wyatt starts building a life that never would have been possible in LA, even if the show does not spend much time exploring it. Regardless, she’s an entertaining presence, and Raphael does more than justice to the role, even when Eva goes against Elle’s wishes and selfishly sabotages her daughter’s future.

Meet your next summer watch.

In an era of television that lacks what The CW once brought to teenagers and young adults, Prime Video looks set to bridge the gap between children’s programming and prestige television that has been sorely missing, particularly if you have seen the online discourse surrounding shows such as The Pitt and Severance. The streamer has become the home of the contemporary romance adaptation, though Elle broadens that identity slightly. Romance is still a key part of the series, but it’s equally invested in friendship, finding yourself, and growing up.

Elle is cliché, predictable, and cringeworthy, all in the best ways. It’s a fun summer show, perfect to watch when you want to switch your brain off, though that’s hardly a criticism.

Naturally, fans of Legally Blonde will get the most out of the callbacks. Between Bruiser, Elle proudly reminding us that she’s a Gemini, and the optimism that makes her impossible not to root for, the DNA of the movies is all there.

Keep an eye out for the many references.

It’s also full of cultural references, though not all of them fit neatly within the ‘90s setting. In one scene, a line about supporting women’s rights and women’s wrongs takes you out of the era, placing you in a series set in the 2020s. That said, references to Days of Our Lives, Christina Aguilera, and Elle’s outrage over Anjelica Huston missing out on an Oscar nomination for Addams Family Values are exactly what the series excels at.

Episode 8’s homage to The Breakfast Club is one of the season’s highlights, bringing Elle, Dustin, Liz, Kimberly, and Miles together in a way that strengthens the show for future seasons. Prime Video renewed the series months ahead of the show’s premiere in January 2026 for a second outing, and the chemistry between the core ensemble makes it easy to see why. Their dynamic is consistently entertaining, though Elle’s gaydar almost steals the entire episode.

The bottom line.

Elle will not win over everyone, particularly those unconvinced by the idea of a Legally Blonde prequel. However, if you are willing to embrace its earnestness and familiar teen drama formula regardless of your age, you will find an entertaining coming-of-age story that is difficult not to enjoy.

If anything, Elle serves as a reminder of how important shows like this are for younger audiences, filling a gap in television that has largely been left behind. It joins Prime originals such as The Summer I Turned Pretty, Every Year After, and Off Campus as another guilty pleasure watch.

Elle premieres July 1 on Prime Video. Watch the trailer below. 

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Images courtesy of Amazon Prime Video.