They say that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. If people are talking about a project, that means it’s doing something right even if the majority are saying otherwise. At one point, you could argue that this is what happened with Netflix’s latest docudrama, Queen Cleopatra. But, now, it’s hard to find anything good about the series after it earned the dubious honor of posting the lowest audience score in TV history.
Several films and TV shows have featured the ancient Egyptian queen as her beauty and lineage continue to captivate audiences around the globe.
Unfortunately, Netflix’s latest portrayal has failed to strike a chord with audiences despite its initial success.
After hoping to be an exciting addition to its lineup of original shows, Queen Cleopatra is now the worst-reviewed show in history. Review aggregator site, Rotten Tomatoes, renowned for its audience and critic ratings, has given the show a record-low score of 2% from audiences and 10% from critics. This reveals the wide chasm of disconnect between the creators of the show and its viewers, which highlights the critical importance of audience feedback in creating successful TV content.
There are several reasons behind the poor reception of the show, chief among which is the historical accuracy of the series or the lack thereof.
For some reason, the show portrays Cleopatra as a black “African Queen”, thrusting Adele James into the titular role. But, a lot of people will tell you that this isn’t accurate at all. On the contrary, historical texts claim Cleopatra was of Macedonian Green descent. Specifically, Queen Cleopatra VII was part of the Ptolemaic dynasty that stemmed from Ptolemy I Soter, who ruled Egypt as its Pharoah following the death of Alexander the Great.
This egregious offense is so severe that Egypt has taken steps to disassociate itself from the show that it believes is fictional when it’s meant to be a documentary.
Queen Cleopatra’s failure is another reminder that big names and high production values don’t guarantee a hit. The art of storytelling, particularly in historical dramas, requires a delicate balance of authenticity, creativity, and cultural sensitivity. Mistakes in these areas can result in a negative reception. In this case, Queen Cleopatra checks out all of the wrong boxes.
Netflix will undoubtedly recover from this massive setback but it’s a huge loss as it will likely mean that its plans to do more shows with similar content will have to be put on the shelf going forward.
Speaking of Netflix, the streaming platform won big at the BAFTA TV Awards thanks to the controversial series, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
