High Desert (2023) User Reviews

Patricia Arquette kinda kills it in this role.

[zkiko · 7/10 · 17 May 2023]

It is a very nice watch and very fast paced not stuck in supergeneric dialogues and plottwists yada yada. It just has a nice offbeat'ish flow and it flows well.

Patricia Arqueutte really nails this role, which surpsided me. I was a but skeptical at first, but when you catch your depressed semi-cynical self laughing about her ways of personifying the character than you just have to give it up.

Sadly they chose to go a bit less offbeat/weird as it could be, with some safe commercial mainstream ingredients in it, and some generic acting from others. If that was different it could have been even great. But I dig it.

This and White House Plumbers kind of share some of the same quirkiness, and I'm down for it.

Also, I'm a sucker for the desert town scenery.

Disappointing, but I'm watching.

[mesaxi · 5/10 · 21 June 2023]

When I first heard about this show I was excited, it had a good premise and cast. So what went wrong? Ultimately, I think the problem is Jay Roach. Who I often like, don't get me wrong, but his direction is too silly. I'd have rather watched this premise taken seriously, at least to SOME extent, but it's just an outright farce. (e.g. I'm currently watching a man dance to Brittney Spears while his accomplice, a heavyset woman, beats up a cop off camera.) I was rooting for Patricia Arquette, Matt Dillon, Brad Garrett, and Bernadette Peters, I really wanted to like it, but it's just not very good. I'll keep watching, maybe it'll surprise me, but I doubt it.

Location and music fantastic

[valerieAhecht · 7/10 · 17 June 2023]

This quirky detective/dysfunctional family comedy/drama had so much potential. I know the actors are all really good, especially Arquette. I don't know why she's playing her character in this overblown way. Sure, she's supposed to be crass, but the yelly, whiny delivery is really hard to watch. It is extremely hard to empathize with Peggy when she seems to keep making bad decisions over and over again. She could be so much cooler, but maybe the addiction issue is what they wanted to showcase. But overall, it's clever, cute, and the story's compelling enough to keep me watching.

The Palm Springs area scenery, though, is often front and center and so beautiful to see. And the soundtrack slaps!

Watched for a bit

[MK_Ultra_ · 4/10 · 21 June 2023]

Read some reviews and had caught the tail end of an Arquette interview making the rounds promoting this, so gave it a go.

Myself and the lady liked it some, abd make the point of at least doing 5 or 6 before jumping off, or we wouldn't have finished Ozark or even Better Call Saul...so we stick to that streaming mantra.

We just got bored with it, we were all caught up into week 6 and just felt like it was spinning it's tires. Looked at each other with the week 7 epi ready to fire and decided we just were into it. Very well cast, but disjointed writing just weighs it down and couldn't see ourselves watching another season (if it went that route), let alone another episode. It's just drags...and not sure any of the characters matter.

A "9" even if it ended today !

[JaneU2143 · 9/10 · 27 May 2023]

I don't know why the lowish reviews!! I don't care where this story is going. I could watch Patricia Arquette in her role as Peggy forever. She is CRASS (WITH CLASS according to her) with absolutely no filter. She absolutely makes this Series. Arquette is so perfect as this wanna be P. I. looking to make the Big Score catching the Bad Guy....

You need a Very Dry and Twisted Sense of Humour to appreciate this HILARIOUS Show. If you are expecting a Network TV Comedy, this is NOT IT.

High Desert is a DARK COMEDY that has Quick Wit and Brilliant Writing. I wonder how someone can dream up these crazy ideas. I just love this Show.

Not in one million years would I put this Cast together but they are PERFECT. Brad Garrett as Peggy's Boss is hilarious. I couldn't even RECOGNIZE Rupert Friend as Guru Bob with that Hair !! Bernadette Peters on TV ? I love her as MOMMY/Ginger. Matt Dillon is Peggy's SMARMY Husband who has been in and out of Prison/Jail. He's the one who got the family in their VERY DYSFUNCTIONAL WAY to begin with.

Ben Stiller is the Executive Producer and is owning Apple lately ! I love that he has his Wife Christine Taylor as Peggy's "Normal-ish" Sister.

Highly recommended if you like dark humour.

Maybe the stupidest show of the year.

[bigdgun · 2/10 · 9 July 2023]

High Desert is terrible! A terrible script. No funny lines, not even one. I just want Peggy to die ASAP. Couldn't watch past the second episode. Possibly the worst trash that Apple has produced so far. It is truly dark, but "comedy"? I don't think so. Ted Lasso is intelligent comedy.

Patricia Arquette and Rupert Friend are absolutely wasted in their roles. The terrible overacting in comedy TV went out with 80's sitcom canned laughter. Maybe this is supposed to be a 70's clone, but there are reasons why nobody watches The 6 Million Dollar Man or Gilligan's Island anymore. Really bad scripts and bad, over-emoting acting!

This is fricking brilliant - and funny - and shiny

[thejdrage · 9/10 · 18 May 2023]

First off - how nice to see a real sized woman carrying a series. Arquette is nothing short of brilliant AND beyond funny. Her comic timing is impeccable.

Add a dash of Bernadette Peters - the one with the straight hair, so you might not recognize her until she speaks - along with Brad Garrett, add a host of incredible actors and you are in for a treat.

This is a fast paced, smart show. I found myself rewinding several times just to make sure I didn't miss anything - and I usually did.

The setting is another character in itself, for those of us who are not desert people and only know it from Breaking Bad.

This is a great way to escape our follies and join Patricia Arquette in hers. It's so nice to know someone has it worse off than we do.

Bad writing. Bad plot. Bad dialog.

[woody1950 · 3/10 · 16 June 2023]

I watched the first episode with mixed feelings, but decided to give it a shot. About 15 minutes into episode 2, I said 'nope'. The dialog is very bad, and the acting, other than Arquette, is not inspiring. I felt that Patricia Arquette was working frenetically to carry this bomb, but couldn't quite pull it off.

The plotting is unbelievably contrived. I mean, Arquette appears as a dance hall girl swinging from a chandelier in a tacky "Old West" show. Really?? Not remotely believable.

Arquette's character seems to have knowledge about all kinds of dodgy stuff that she has no reason to have. In the 2nd episode, she starts spouting out detailed info about safe-cracking. Not convincing.

I think the people who are giving this high ratings are enthralled with Patricia Arquette. I get that, but one person can't carry a TV series like this.

Bailed After Episode 3

[arfdawg-1 · 1/10 · 8 July 2023]

Was looking forward to this given the 6+ revews.

Unfortunately it doesnt live up to the phoney hype.

Arquette's character is annoying at best.

She's just a rendition of horrible acting. And it brings the rest of the show down.

Plus the direction sucks. Often you have no idea where you are in the show.

Most of the time I found myself spacing out with boredom.

Also the basic premise makes ZERO sense. Arquette is arrested with lots of weed, but somehow he's taking methodone for a drug addition that was never mentioned.

Poor writing.

Just pass on this one. It really sucks like you could not imagine.

Sheer brilliance

[redmondgarmony · 9/10 · 17 May 2023]

Sight gags galore.

Would not normally have picked it because the description is inadequate, but so glad I tuned in.

Original writing, original concept, it's as black as a HEART can be, so funny. Brilliant acting, Patricia Arquette is superlative, haven't seen her in years, but wow, she is just amazing, her face is untouched by Botox or fillers, it is so expressive. Just beautiful, she is dead pan when required, emotive when required.

Do yourself a favour, just watch it.

God, I hate this new minimum characters requirement by IMDB; I already said everything that needed to be said, the rest is just wasting time.

Great Actors - Bad Choice

[kq999 · 1/10 · 2 June 2023]

This review is not a slight against the actors but the show itself. It is really bad. It is all over the place, difficult to capture ones interest and stay focused on the story. I can't understand how with a group of such talented actors, most of them are on my favourite list, how can it be so bad. Are they all supposed to come across as untalented idiots because that is how they look in this flop called High Desert. What an insult to Patricia Arquette, Matt Dillion, Rupert Friend, Bernadette Peters and Carmine Giovinazzo. Such talent wasted. They should have grabbed a group of random people, put them in front of a camera and said act stupid. The result would be the same.

Great show

[siand-63927 · 8/10 · 26 July 2023]

High Desert is awesomely witty, packed with dry dark humor, a complex and unique story line. Its fast paced and chaotic.... Moments of Breaking Bad chaos. And Patricia Arquette is phenomenal!!!! Brad Garret is hilarious!! The rest of the cast is amazing.

There was times where it felt like the story lingered but the last few episodes were filled with the action that lacked in the beginning and it was finally all coming together. Unfortunately I was totally bummed about the major cliff hanger.

It's sucks that there's not another season coming, would've been nice to see how it all played out, felt like it was just getting started.

Not my cup of mud

[wds0007 · 3/10 · 19 May 2023]

Well, tried to give it a chance with two episodes. But Arquette so completely dominates the screen that it's all about her and her only. I get the character she's trying to do but it's so over the top and the jokes fall flat. Her attempt to browbeat a landlord is so formulaic I just cringed. She does seem to be constantly out of breath and you cannot help wondering if it's all that weight she's carrying.

The strange jump from the opening scene to present day was jarring. And you wondered "Did she not get arrested and serve time"? Who knows, they didn't explain.

It's just not funny. And this show is supposed to be funny.

Not going anywhere in a hurry

[horst69 · 1/10 · 19 May 2023]

Not going anywhere at all, actually.

What we have here is a dolled up sitcom with outdoor shots.

It's also slow, or rather glacial, in telling a story that's not worth telling.

The lead actress - who appears to either have a few vocal fans or a generous social media budget - couldn't carry one moment of a scene, much less an entire TV show.

The entire effort appears to revolve around the main character.

Which - apart from the lack of skills of the actress hired for the job - is nothing but a pretentious has-been without a credible personality.

What little of a story there is, it's - well, it's written and executed sitcom style; thoroughly sanitized 'humor' combined with clichéd characters and situations.

At no point is this production involving or convincing, or even entertaining on a basic level.

15 Mins Into Episode One and Arquette is Evidently Brilliant!

[info-90701 · 10/10 · 18 May 2023]

A lot of American actors just phone in their performances while they are busy being themselves, it just so happens that people like them. Often the British actresses are more focused and clear, like Kate Blanchett. Patricia Arquette really is in that group, which is amazing because she transcends her own, clearly defined look, when many can't. I really don't see her enough, so I'm so glad that she is in this, and she is thus far, delightfully perfect as a brilliant, unhinged mess.

While I can't watch Ben Stiller on screen, he really is doing well as executive director of this! Incredibly talented Rupert Friend is as usual, absolutely brilliant. His acting is so diverse that it is difficult to know him from one role to the next because he can transform himself so thoroughly, as proven in Lullaby for Pi and Hitman: Agent 47! His American accent is flawless and he is appropriately vapid with his hair flipping, etc. Funny for such a serious actor.

Her sidekick Weruche Opia is perfect as a balancing, stabilizing, unbalanced entity. In fact the entire cast is perfect, every one of them, and they are all strong enough to support Arquette's brilliance.

The writing is sharp, the editing is quick and the direction is on target. I look forward to more, and hope they maintain the same quality.

Absolutely Awful, Idealizes Narcissism

[solomon1121 · 1/10 · 14 June 2023]

Another horrible American show that idealizes and normalizes narcissism, profound selfishness, a complete absence of empathy and no compassion. The main character is 100% self-involved and this is supposed to be funny. Ha ha ha. Used to think well of Patricia Arquette, but my opinion of her has tanked after seeing her choose this disastrous vehicle to return to series TV. America sure loves its narcissists. What's even sadder than having writers who produce such societally destructive cringe is that people actually find this funny and worth watching. A show for the lowest common denominator, to be sure.

Patricia Arquette is The Goddess of Talent

[mwandersondazz · 10/10 · 21 May 2023]

Wow. Just wow. We have never seen Patricia Arquette like this. Giving 3 dimensional characters since the late 80s, Arquette is always reliable and full of conviction. Watching her performances over the years, you can see how she learns from project to project.

In the last several years she has completely transformed with every role, disappearing. Peggy of "High Desert" continues that trend, and throws it upside down. Arquette's movements, speech pattern, and expressions are different than ever before. Never has she had so much FUN, completely letting loose. The audience is rewarded. Her Peggy is a wild hot mess with a heart of gold.

Give her the Emmy, SAG, and Golden Glode.

"High Desert" has no shortage of talent. Bernadette Peters, Matt Dillion, Brad Garrett and Christine Taylor are also giving solid work and having fun.

The story is as messy as Peggy. It jumps between her bar maid work to PI to her mother and family issues. It kept me engaged and laughing. Hysterically.

We all have a Peggy in our lives; the loved one who drives us crazy making terrible choices, yet is so fun and bright we can't help but love the person.

I challenge you to not fall in love with Patricia Arquette's limitless talent and charms all over again.

I'm embarrassed for every actor in this train wreck.

[paul-2148 · 1/10 · 19 May 2023]

This is unwatchable. It's a cringe train wreck. I don't mean to be mean, but Patricia A 's performance is disturbing. She has gained so much weight that she can't deliver her lines without heavy breathing. I feel like every actor in this show just got out of rehab.

I watched the first 15 minutes and I have no idea what is happening. Is this a comedy or a drama? I have no idea. The story is convoluted I'm not sure who all these characters are, or how they are related. The writing is horrible. The dialogue is sophomoric. It's seems like the director was on acid while filming this. Characters are thrown into scenes without any setup or explanation.

I feel like watching True Romance, but I'm afraid I may cry.

Made it to 4....

[NullUnit · 3/10 · 3 March 2024]

The opening of episode one was a great hook. Pulled me in and had me interested...

But...

After that point, there wasn't any real "storytelling". There were a bunch of scenes strung together to hopefully make some sort of story.. but no ACTUAL storyline or overall plot.

No clue where it was going.. often bored by how it was getting there.

Sure some moments were humorous and Arquette does a great job with the role.. but.. it's meandering.. wandering.. seeking to find a reason. There is not clear plot.. no expectation for anything that's been foreshadowed.. no mystery to solve... no outcome to hope for... no future.

With about 5 minutes left in episode 4 I bailed.. bored to tears.. never to look back.

Why doesn't anyone focus on good storytelling any more??? It would appear most newer productions either want to make a puzzle out of any overall plot.. or just avoid any overall plot altogether. This series was the latter.

If I can't see any light at the end of the tunnel... it's a trap... not a tunnel. This.. this is a trap.

Embrace the big!

[bowieec · 9/10 · 24 May 2023]

The performances and storylines are huge and over the top at times. It's clearly by design and it's simply brilliant. I laughed so much, and so consistently, throughout episodes 3 and 4 that I had to keep replaying scenes so I didn't miss anything. Patricia Arquette is genius (yet again) here. She is fully invested in this high camp, voracious for a new life, wannabe gumshoe character. And the scenes between her and Brad Garrett are absolute comedy gold. Looking forward to the final few episodes to see where this wacky and winding road takes us! I suggest viewers just go with it and enjoy the ride.

Caddy. Ridiculous. Painful to watch

[ykmxncnjb · 1/10 · 27 June 2023]

Just finished it after taking several breaks.

It's caddy and irreverent. Honestly just dumb.

The characters all suck. It's so far from real life.

I honestly can't think of a single moment in it that I actually found humorous or enjoyed. Terrible unbelievable acting.

It's very unclear who is doing what at any given time. The main character just promises money to anyone and everyone. People die right and left and there's no hint of concern or remorse from anyone in the show.

It actually gave me bad vibes and I had to take breaks between episodes. I kept watching hoping something of value would take place.

All in all, not remotely worth the time investment.

I hope it's canceled.

Fresh, sparkling funny and magnificently acted

[miromoman · 9/10 · 29 May 2023]

I approached this show with poor expectations. Just to let myself be entertained for twenty minutes. Indeed, at first sight this looked like one of those low-budget internet TV series for a young generation suffering from low attention spam.

What I actually encountered is absolutely brilliant and delightful. Fresh, provocative, sparkling, funny and very original.

Quite obviously, something like this could only work with a very solid cast and I must confess I have always appreciated Arquette's talent, but this is another dimension all together. The entire thread, in its minimalism, rests on her shoulder and she leads wonderfully with a consistent support from her fellow colleagues.

The cherry on the cake for an irregular but very interesting career. I expect she should receive some sort of award for this. She deserves it.

Another show with too many F bombs

[ninjafoofighter · 2/10 · 15 June 2023]

What is this fad to place an f bomb in every sentence by almost every character. Since when did adults swear in front of children like this? It's just garbage, crass and boring to watch . Are the writers so lacking in the use of the English language that they have to resort to excessive swearing to get their point across. I think it's just being lazy. Maybe all the swearing seems funny or cool to some but oh my god most people don't talk like that in real life. Sure some do but not everyone and what parents swear in front of their young children? I watched 10 mins of this rubbish and then binned it. No more thanks.

Excited for more

[crukasin · 9/10 · 17 May 2023]

First off, this show feels like it already knows what it wants to be, so taking the slow route to lay the story out might turn some viewers off in the beginning.

That said, it felt like my kinda show from the get go. It's a sweet blend of dark offbeat comedy, encroaching dramatic moments, and an incredible performance (even just episode 1 alone) from Patricia Arquette.

Without spoiling the first episode, there are a few moments where Arquette's character shines as something truly unique. It feels like a lot of other shows try to get there, but idk maybe the mix of writing (letting the show breathe a bit) and Arquette just being Arquette truly moves this show towards something special.

I'm excited to see more from Opia, Garrett, and Dillon (among others), I think as time goes on these characters will grow into their own. I'm noticing a pattern w/ Apple TV originals where they build a strong premise with a single character to hook you, and then slowly allow the entire ensemble to shine. Looking forward to watching more!

pretty kerrap really in the end ....

[anxiousgayhorseonketamine · 3/10 · 3 November 2023]

Genuinely tried to stay with this since it has Matt Dillon but in the end and he is not a big part of this it was simply too repetitious one-tracked one-actress to keep me past E04 ; i simply voted with my delete button

The main character here is too much on screen relentlessly so; overacts in almost every scene and frankly not charismatic enuff to carry the entire piece

Really the fault is not with her but with whomsoever thought it would be a good idea to do this; if it had been shared it might be a trifle better .... maybe

The story is vague all over the place in any case ... some folks clearly love it if you read the reviews but for me too low-brow too single-tracked and in the end too boring; could not care less about what happened next since nothing had happened yet

Watch something else my best advice.