Sorry, You're Wrong About the New 'Legally Blonde' Prequel

This weekend is the Fourth of July, which makes me want a hot dog Legally Blonde prequel series real bad.

For years, there have been rumors and false starts involving another Legally Blonde sequel film starring the iconic Reese Witherspoon. Then came the surprise reveal that we'd instead be getting a spinoff TV series sans Witherspoon—and it would focus on Elle Woods' high school years. Finally, in one of the most anticipated arrivals of 2026, Elle just dropped on Prime Video in its entirety.

Early reviews of the show are...not the greatest. In fact, the critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes gives Elle a dismal 57 percent score. And while I hate to bring up other specific reviews in my own review, I feel like I must. The Daily Beast says it "makes no sense." TheWrap calls it "dour, boring and tedious." But guys, I'm here to tell you that the haters are totally wrong.

Will Elle, starring Lexi Minetree in the title role, end up on my "Best Shows of the Month" list? It seems very likely. Here, my honest Elle review (and spoiler alert: like exercise-induced endorphins, this new series makes me happy).

The pink-centric series immediately transports us to 1995, complete with Mariah Carey tunes, Days of Our Lives references, beepers and super-hold Nexxus hairspray (how else to keep those fabulous blonde '90s locks stiff as a board?). These nostalgic references are a fun element throughout the first episode—it's like eye-candy (and reference-candy?) for late Gen Xers and early millennials alike. (Honestly, it felt like the props, sets and nostalgia were directly inspired by one of my favorite throwbacks, Clueless, which just so happened to come out in 1995.)

For reasons involving a nose job, the Woods family is forced to relocate from pink and sunny California to grey and rainy Seattle, transforming Elle from belle of the ball to fish out of water in a (bend and) snap.

This setup is super smart and satisfying. Like the original film, where Elle is initially out of her element at Harvard with her pink pens and Playboy Bunny costume, this version puts our blonde hero in the uncomfortable position of trying to fit in at a new school where her favorite color is nowhere to be seen.

As she tries to make a new friend, the stranger (clearly not a fan of bubbly personalities) asks, "Did someone put you up to this?" She gushes in response, "I'm Elle. I like iced coffee, the month of July and when people dress kinda tennis-y even if they don't play tennis." A beat, then the classmate's deadpan response: "Was it Kimberly?"

I love seeing Elle in this complicated (but familiar) situation, forcing her to re-evaluate everything she thinks she knows.

While things aren't all roses and butterflies for Elle as she tries to adjust, this only adds more depth to the show (which easily could have been bubblegum fluff, but thankfully avoids that trap).