May 17, 2023, 4:58 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Even before the Netflix series “Queen Cleopatra” premiered, the project was hotly debated. Now, the series is being panned by critics and viewers alike.
Netflix is known for producing highly attention-grabbing content–both positively and negatively. Sometimes the hype around a series is unexpected, such as with “Squid Game” or “Wednesday.” Other times, attention is anticipated due to the involvement of well-known stars or extensive social media discussion. “Queen Cleopatra” fits both categories. The series has been available on Netflix since May 10. However, it has since received poor reviews from all sides.
Discussion Around “Queen Cleopatra”
Even before its debut on the streaming platform, “Queen Cleopatra” attracted attention. The series, featuring Jada Pinkett-Smith, Craig Russell, and Adele James, focuses on the famous Egyptian ruler. Netflix labels the series as a documentary, claiming a degree of historical accuracy. This has been a point of contention from the start.
With Adele James in the title role, the series features a Black actress as Cleopatra. This casting choice sparked an outcry, especially in Egypt–the realm of Queen Cleopatra during her lifetime. The accusation of “Blackwashing” has been raised, meaning casting a Black person in a role traditionally portrayed as white (as opposed to “Whitewashing”). Among others, Zahi Hawass, former Minister of Antiquities, and Egyptologist called the portrayal “completely inaccurate.” The ministry itself points out that Cleopatra was of Greek descent, highlighting her fair complexion and Hellenistic features.
The director of “Queen Cleopatra,” Tina Gharavi, explained her decision by noting that Cleopatra’s family had lived in Egypt for 300 years by the time she was born. Therefore, the likelihood of her being white was low, as Gharavi emphasized in a detailed statement to Variety.
“Queen Cleopatra” Is the Lowest-Rated Netflix Series
It’s hard to say exactly how this heated debate has affected the series’ ratings. However, the fact is that the reviews for “Queen Cleopatra” are scathing. On IMDb, the series currently has a rating of 1.0 out of 10 based on nearly 60,000 reviews (as of May 17, 2023). On Rotten Tomatoes, the situation is no better: Only one out of 10 critics gave a positive review, and the so-called “Audience Score” is just 2 out of 100 percent. This means that, on average, only 2 out of 100 viewers rated the series at least 3.5/10.
According to industry portal Insider, this is the worst rating for a Netflix series ever. The score might improve in the coming weeks as the initial uproar subsides. In the past, this has been observed with productions like Amazon’s “Rings of Power”–although, as noted here, the cases are not entirely comparable.