Television

‘Swimming with Sharks’ is sexy, shocking, can’t-miss television

You have never seen Sabrina like this.

April 12, 2022

Swimming With Sharks is a sexy, silly, highly entertaining series coming to The Roku Channel. Lou Simms (Kiernan Shipka) is about to start her internship at Fountain Pictures working under the studio’s notorious CEO Joyce Holt (Diane Kruger). She is awestruck by Hollywood and harbors secrets that will change the lives of everyone she comes in contact with.

Initially, Lou seems naive and overwhelmed (a strong argument can be made that this never changes). However, Swimming With Sharks quickly sees her change from the one being bossed around to the person who is in complete control. While there is nothing subtle about the show, her change is a gradual one that continues over all six episodes.

Swimming With Sharks is a risque throwback to the prime time soap operas that dominated the 1990s. Filled with twists, betrayals, and sex, the audience is constantly being teased. Shipka ably encapsulates the over the top lurid fun. Between her almost comically evil grins and masterful manipulation, Lou is a modern day femme fatale that propels the show forward.

Kruger is also great as the feared Holt. It is surprising how little this side of her is played up, however. While she shows flashes of being a ruthless businesswoman, most of it is word of mouth. Her two assistants are much more vicious and threatening than Joyce. If anything, she comes off as more of a diva than anything else.

Perhaps, this is the message that Swimming with Sharks is trying to get across. Joyce is a woman who has worked her way to the top in a field dominated by men. The stories about her may be based more in water cooler talk than actual truth. Tellingly, all the complaints about her are from men.

Lionsgate

The question becomes whether a show this salacious is putting this much thought into deeper themes. More than anything, Swimming With Sharks seems about escapist fun. Things move at a lighting quick pace that prevents anything from really sinking in. This is not a story that wants its audience to think too hard. It is all about the experience.

The six bite sized episodes are perfect for the sordid tale being told. Nothing overstays its welcome, while everything hits with maximum impact. Things may get too silly at times, but it is a story about Hollywood. Anything less would not feel right.