The L.A. Complex (2012) User Reviews

Much better than you'd expect !

[manocchi-860-622274 · 8/10 · 15 January 2012]

Currently on IMDb, the L.A. Complex holds 3.8/10 stars. Which is absolutely ludicrous.

The only way I can imagine it having this rating is a bunch of people that, without actually watching an episode, saw the premise (which makes you think of Melrose Place) and automatically dismissed it as trash. However the distinction people seem to miss is that the characters here aren't rich and glamorous. They're dreamers (living in a shabby Complex "the Lux") who work hard at their craft and struggle with money. In fact one of the characters has to resort to living in her car.

Also, it's a lot more realistic than Melrose Place (something I was surprised by)

At first, I didn't see much potential. But the pilot was captivating, making the characters likable and not just simple clichés. It was zany and dramatic, with good direction and writing from Martin Gero (Bored to Death, Stargate) and some generally good acting ranging from mediocre to pretty great (i.e. Jewel Staite). Somebody said "the pilot bursts with energy". And I could not agree more. The pace and rhythm was excellent for a first episode and I can't wait to see more.

I can't really say too much about the characters so far. I almost instantly liked Abby, Alicia, Raquel and Connor. Nick is a tad too dumb but not a total waste and Tariq is unfortunately flat (so far).

It's no award winner (Teen Choice, sure .. Prime time Emmy, no). But it is surprisingly refreshing and top shelf for what it is.

Love the show!

[jdtalisman · 8/10 · 18 January 2012]

I loved every minute of the show so far! Can't wait to see next one!

Why are there only 6 episodes? It follows the Adventures of Actors, dancers etc living in a place called the Complex, and all trying to make it in LA. My favorite characters are Abby, Alicia, and of course the cute comedian guy. Love the raw nature of the show.and it helps that everyone is easy on the eyes! I wanna see more dancing!!! ..and singing...it just wasn't enough! Can they do full performance numbers???

It looks very American style the way it has been filmed. I love that for a Canadian show. I hope they keep developing the characters...and add new ones in as well. I'd love to see other dancers...they add so much sex appeal. And it's popular now!

Love these co-pro productions that provide great work for Actors and everyone on both sides of border!

Can't believe the rating is low on here...It's better than a lot of the others soapy drama's!

Amazing and DIFFERENT..Finally.

[erincostello1988 · 8/10 · 11 October 2012]

Like so many shows from Canada the acting is amazing!! The story lines are so different from a lot of other show. When I first read about this I didn't hope for much, 20 somethings trying to become famous??!!! AGAIN! But I was so surprised it was completely different to anything anyone has tried to do with this sort of scenario... The stories were more risqué, and not at all clichéd. It was definitely one of those shows that you can marathon and not get bored with. I am not really sure how the ratings are so low on here, and there are a lot of blogs saying it's not worth a season three, but I definitely disagree. The bottom line is it definitely works. I'm not much for spoilers so all I'll say is watch it, and please give us a season 3. Canadians sure know how to do TV!

Pretty Great So Far!

[oddity94 · 10/10 · 12 January 2012]

The L.A. Complex follows the lives of twenty-somethings living in the same apartment complex in L.A (The Lux, inspired from the real life Highland Gardens). trying to make it as actors, dancers, producers and comedians. Relationships begin and end, the need to succeed is tested and all characters are pushed to their breaking points.

I have to admit, I wasn't expecting much out of the series at first. The premise (and title) seemed similar to the outlandish show Melrose Place. But, I was quite impressed. The Pilot well shot and was successful in creating an ideal mix of wit, drama and scandal with an excellent pace(and a good cliff hanger). And more importantly (to me at least) the characters were likable. Raquel (played by the great Jewel Staite) was probably my favourite character as the street-smart veteran of the Hollywood scene, followed closely by Abby (played by Cassie Steele) who shines as an endearing aspiring actress. The rest of the cast/characters was also quite good (although I wasn't a huge fan of Nick despite the charming Joe Dinicol) What truly surprised me about the show was the great amount of realism infused. Produced by the makers of the Degrassi franchise (hailed as being one the most realistic teenage dramas) it was probably inevitable that the characters career struggles are true and quite representative of those in L.A.

Overall it's a slick project that allows viewers to experience vicariously the economic and emotional decisions of these wonderful characters. I know I'll be tuning in next week.

My only great complaint: 6 episodes? REALLY?

Good so far

[Ysquare · 18 April 2012]

The show basically is what the Melrose Place remake should have been. It takes a less glamorized approach (nobody is wearing fancy dresses and lives in big apartments although they are supposed to be broke) in depicting the life of a group of 20-somethings and how they want to make it big in Hollywood. The drama here is more 'real' and honest, less soapy altogether. It still is, of course, an entertaining, escapist kind of show and does not mean to depict reality. The show is well written and the characters are more than the usual stereotypes like 'mean girl', 'nerdy director' and 'naive, new girl'. The actors range from decent to pretty good. Altogether it takes a less PC approach in regards to certain 'issues' (alcohol, sex, stripping, drugs ...) and thus comes across as more 'natural' and doesn't try so hard to create fake drama.

It has the perfect mix of down and dirty, fun and wild without trying too hard to be scandalous or hip, sexy and cool.

Realistic show about LA life

[flashlightreview · 7/10 · 2 March 2021]

I spent most of my teenage and adult life in Los Angeles and can relate to this show. My friends are either in acting, singing, entertainment, athletes or talent managers and this show reflects their lives in many ways. When I found out this is a Canadian show, I was surprise because the shots make a compelling argument for LA as a location.

I really liked the two seasons. Too bad the show didn't make it any further.

Simply Amazing and Gripping

[adamm9-333-945646 · 10/10 · 1 April 2012]

I am dumb founded at how this was rated below 10/10 ( it really is a 12/10). It was truly captivating and it had so many elements that made me want to watch more. I love it! i really do hope they bring this to the UK, because it is truly something that people can relate to. All the actors are amazing and lovable in there own way. I enjoyed the boldness that director had to address the stigma of homosexuality but the also the stigma of homosexuality in the Afro/Black community. The different emotions that were acted out were simply executed in a highly skilled manner. It showed the different routes that people take to find success, and the different sacrifices that they had to give up in order for them to gain there success. it is clear that a lot of thought went into the different characters and the way they are interrelated extremely entertaining. but yeah keep them coming!

Funny and Well-Done

[jshippel · 10/10 · 16 January 2012]

First of all, the score on here is STUPID. A bunch of trolls have given horrible ratings, most likely without even watching the show. The same thing has happened with another Canadian show, Bomb Girls. It doesn't make sense to me why people, especially Canadians, would sabotage the score of a home-grown show when it's hard enough as it is to find quality Canadian programming.

Anyways, the show itself is quite good, especially considering the limitations of a Canadian budget. The actors are fresh-faced and capable, and the writing is often funny. The dialogue flows well, and is tightly composed overall. While the set-up for the show isn't very original, it's still much less explored than hospital or cop shows. Overall, it's surprisingly good for a Canadian show and is an enjoyable little piece of TV. Hopefully people who actually watch it will start to vote up the score!

Cheap Tacky Knock off

[BrettUK · 1/10 · 6 May 2012]

Well what can I say, I spent a painful few hours watching this show and it is dreadful. I am not one for harsh criticism if it's not warranted but in this case they will be getting it both barrels. OMG!!! this show is bad I have made it a rule never to judge a show based on 1 episode, I feel that's unfair, it would be like going to a restaurant and have 2 nice courses and the 3rd course lets it down and you decided never to eat there again, at least go back and give it a second chance to get it right, well that's what I did with this show. Episode one started a little poor, with what seemed to be soulless characters, they had no depth, flair or colour it was very plain, dull and predictable. That said I decided to try episode two. I accepted that episode one may have just been to try and get the audience to understand characters, and what's going on, setting the scene etc. In episode two I found myself strangely intrigued and more interested with the show, that said it was very predictable but it led me to episode 3 .Oh dear, let's say within the first 15-20 minutes of episode 3 I knew what was coming and how it would arrive. It was very very predicable and I felt cheap and let down. I felt I had been used for about 45 minutes :) OK I decided to push on and watch the remaining 3 episodes to see if I was correct and would you believe it I saw everything coming except one thing, there was only one part to the show that was not predicable but by then it was to late for me the show was over, job done, wham bam no thank you ma'am

WARNING SPOILERS IF YOU READ ON.....

So why have I given this show such a poor rating and a hard time. First of this to me is a cheap and tacky knock off of Entourage, what a fantastic show that was and I was sad to see it go after so many years. OK some may disagree this show is nothing like Entourage as Entourage was based around 1 guy and his crew trying to make it in Hollywood as a movie star, The LA Complex is about lots of people living in a rundown cheap complex trying to make it as TV starts. It had the usual, the good looking guys who has just been picked up for a TV pilot and is just moving out the complete as he can buy a place now (Sorry Jonathan Patrick Moore your acting is bad), it also had the token geek who gets the girl, The blond babe with big breasts who ends up doing porn and finally the token black guy, who turns out to be gay which took me by surprise and was the only part I did not predict in this TV show.

I could go on about how bad the acting is, maybe it's not the actors faults but a badly written show. If they moved it to what I would call a prime time channel in the US like CW or one of the other big networks and throw some money at the show I believe it could be a lot better but needs a lot of work.

I am sure people may disagree with my assessment of the show but this is just my own humble opinion and this type of show should have been my cup of Joe but unfortunately with the bad acting, poor story line and overall cheap and tacky rip off feel from Entourage it is unlikely I would watch a season 2 in its current state.

Amazing!

[milag1990 · 10/10 · 21 February 2012]

SO FREAKING GOOD!!!!!!

I must admit that when I first read about this show, I was afraid it would be a bad combo of Melrose Place and silly teen shows like Gossip Girl, but it is so much more than that. The characters are deep and the story lines are really well developed. It's rare that a show gets me so involved with only 6 episodes, but I'm having anxiety attacks about going without it for so many months...

All the characters are great and, unlike so many other cheesy shows, there aren't good guys and villains. They all have good and bad to them, like real people, and even though my life doesn't resemble theirs at all I can still relate to them. I'm completely in love with Tariq and Kaldrick, best storyline I've seen in a while and the actors are pretty amazing.

The only problem with this show is that it might not get more episodes and we might not find out what becomes of such amazing characters and story lines. I really hope they make more episode or I'll be really frustrated.

Definitely worth watching!!!

Blurgh

[bella_volerbene · 2/10 · 2 June 2012]

The only review I agree with was BrettUK's. This show is awful, and this is coming from a person who LOVES the trashy-soap-set-in-LA genre (90210, both versions, are my current favorites). But the L.A. Complex does nothing but bore me. I don't even connect with any of the characters. Alicia, I suppose, is all right, but all the others are a waste of film, IMO. Abby rubs me the wrong way (something about her naive good girl from Toronto-ness is aggravating, especially since she's obviously not THAT good since she hooked up on a roof with some guy she barely knew when she already had a boyfriend back home), as well as the actress who plays her. It feels as if the production company behind Degrassi and the LA Complex are trying to "make" her happen.

Nick's social awkwardness is less endearing than it is annoying. Connor is billed as the show's token hottie and he isn't that hot. Tariq and Kaldrick are totally unconvincing as a gay couple to the point where I cringe whenever they appear. Straight actors CAN definitely pull off a gay character and vice versa but those actors are so obviously straight their non-chemistry is painful to watch. And Raquel...ugh. I know her character is SUPPOSED to be a bitch with a soft side but...all I see is a bitch. You're 30. Accept it and move on and stop stepping all over everyone trying to prove you're the next Meryl Streep. I find myself rooting against her. What kind of person pitches a script at a freaking AA convention?! I don't recommend this show. I rarely give scathing reviews even when the show calls for it but The LA Complex deeply disappointed me. A strike against Canadian TV.

Great show

[DunkelheitVZ · 10/10 · 14 February 2012]

When I saw the premise of this show, I was ready to dismiss it and never look back. Somehow I watched the first episode and immediately fell in love.

L.A.Complex is not about rich and beautiful people living a meaningless life, it is about young people struggling and finding their place in the world. I have never lived in L.A. so I cannot talk from my experience, but this show feels real.

The characters are quite deep and interesting. Give this a chance, it is one of the better shows, in fact, this is my favorite show at the moment.

Melrose Place 2.5?? But so much more!

[jeremyd525-357-529565 · 9/10 · 30 April 2012]

So I first started out thinking wow this show is going to suck.. It's just CW realizing they messed up by canceling melrose place last year and now they want to make it up. But then after doing some research i realized that it's a Canadian show..but It's is still Melrose place 2.5. From the set that is Slightly altered to look Not like melrose place but yet it still looks just like it. Including the swimming pool right in the middle of the complex.. I actually think it's the same set..just with some added levels to make it look bigger. How ever this has nothing to do with the show.. The show is AWESEOMe , it is one of the best 20-30 something adult show i have seen in a long time. It is actually the most realistic in my opinion then any others out there. I can relate to almost all of the characters in some manor. And I actually know people in my own life living in some of these situations in L.A. THis show also does some ground breaking TV. * shedding light on The DL homosexuality that takes place in the hop/hop and rap world. this has never been down on TV and if so it has never been done in the fashion this show does it. * breaking into the porn industry it was an interesting take that they actually when as far as they did with showing the behind the scenes of the studio instead of just saying the character made a porn video. it actually shed more of a positive light on it. I"m sure the repercussions of this will come but for now i love it.

I'm glad that it has been picked up for more episodes. And i hope CW does right by it and keeps it coming..Because it is an excellent show even if it really is just melrose place with a new title.

The best show ever!!

[jamaalmarshonhamler · 10/10 · 21 February 2012]

I must admit I didn't even know about this show until after the 3rd or 4th episode had already aired. One of my Facebook friends had posted a video. I watched the video and I was instantly hooked. I don't even remember what my initial response was but I knew I had fallen in love. I'm glad that I came across that video. I would, if I could remember who posted it, thank them for turning me onto a really phenomenal show. The cast is amazing and the story lines keep you glued to the screen, afraid to turn the channel for fear that you would miss something. I'm asking all who will read this review to please, Please, Please, check out the show and vote. Also check out the Facebook page and Twitter profile. Just search for The L.A. Complex on either social network. We need more fans and reviews!!!!! For all who watch the show prepare to be amused and never bored!!!!!! :). S/O to all the cast members and production staff for giving the world an awesome show.

Season 1 was Great, Season 2 a mess

[protopod · 3/10 · 6 February 2015]

I think this was one of those shows that told more truth than Hollywood was comfortable with, so they bought it and ruined it.

If you are going to watch, just watch season 1, it was deep, emotional, suspenseful, and just told lots of truths that my friends and I have seen in the L.A. scene.

Season 2 turned into "feel sorry for the pretty white guy who has everything but just can't be happy" … "every girl wants to be a slut"… "let's forget the Black character's importance" … "we're in L.A. without any Latinos, ignore that too" … "oh, add one more story line about a sad, little white boy from the great north who wants to make it in L.A. with his racially ambiguous sister in tow" …

Basically a MESS!

I saw no one like me (Asian) with any meaningful roles (real Hollywood, I guess) … but the 1st season was WONDERFUL … after that, everyone needed to be stopped!

A surprisingly good show

[thekiyote · 10/10 · 8 February 2012]

I will admit, the only reason why I started watching this show was because of Jewel Staite, and wasn't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well it was made.

The show follows the lives of a group of friends as they try to make it in LA. This isn't an entirely new concept, but what sets this show apart is how all of the characters are very believable. It's a hard industry that's hard on the people trying to earn a living off of it, and this show shows that side of the story.

Fair warning, this show seems to be made for people who have made parts of their lives a part of the industry. If you're an actor, improviser, singer, comedian, producer, or ever tried making a career somewhere along that path, you will completely relate with all the characters as they struggle for their "break." If not, it's still a decent watch, but it may not hit as hard.

No Star and No Big Breakout means No Audience

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 18 September 2013]

Various characters come to L.A. to seek fame and stay at the motel complex. Raquel Westbrook (Jewel Staite) is the aging actress. Nick Wagner (Joe Dinicol) is trying to break into comedy. Abby Vargas (Cassie Steele) is the young ingénue. Tariq Muhammad (Benjamin Charles Watson) is trying to break into the music industry, and form a complicated gay relationship with rapper Kaldrick King (Andra Fuller). That's just a few of the characters and stories being followed.

It's soapy, shocking, and one edgy storyline dealing with the gay rapper. The acting is functional. But these isn't anything different. With so many characters and stories, things get diffused. This was shown on CW with horrible ratings. It's low production cost probably allowed them to air 19 episodes over 2 seasons. It never had a chance. And they never had a big star or a big breakout in the show. Without that, there's just isn't an audience.

Don't judge it until you've seen it.

[dollbaby1985 · 10/10 · 24 May 2012]

I'll admit when I saw the preview for this show originally I was like oh goodness another try at Melrose Place but with a different name. But as an avid CW lover I decided to give it a try and I fell in LOVE with it. First off it has my favorite Degrassi alum in it Cassie Steele. All of there characters are a mess but you can't help but hope they find their way. Abby and Nick don't seem to be a likely couple but as you watch them you start to root for them and hope they will find their way together. I will admit I had great hope for Connor at first but so far I haven't really grown to love his character, but I do look forward to next season to see what he will get into. Raquel is a hot mess who doesn't see the amazing guy in front of her because she is to worried about being famous. Sometimes I hope she gets what she deserves (aka a butt kicking) but then other times I hope she finds true love.

Much better than expected

[laurare81 · 10/10 · 25 April 2012]

I thought it was a great start to this show. When I first started watching it, I immediately thought it was another Melrose Place remake. Fortunately, I was wrong. It was edgy, funny and awkward all at once. Cassie Steele does a great Abby. I definitely see bits of Manny from Degrassi in her character. It would have been cool if she had actually been the same person but I guess they would have had a lot of pieces to fill in. I like most of the characters. They try to let you see how they tick, bring you into why they are the way they are. The only person I don't feel a connection with is Nick.. I think their stories are unique and not ones you typically would find in this type of show. Showing you why someone would join the porn industry, what would cause someone to hurt themselves on purpose or how it would be if you were homosexual in an industry like the rap business. They could really push the envelope with this show. I know the ratings aren't great but I don't think they hyped this show very much. I'd never heard of it until right before it came on. I hope they give it a chance before cancelling it!

Refreshing Teen Drama!!

[stupidmajority · 10/10 · 18 April 2012]

When I first heard about this I dreaded the cheesy drama of Degrassi combined with 90210. HOWEVER! I was immediately hooked after the first 5 minutes and was surprised at how well written and put together it was! The characters are REFRESHING and explore story lines that haven't been done before and are approached in great ways. The development through the first 6 episodes is satisfying and still leaves questions to be asked. I'm just amazed at how great the story lines are, totally caught me off guard.

The characters are immediately likable, relateable, and you will fall in love with these "real" personalities. By far, Tariq and Kaldrick are the best characters. Here's to hoping we get to see much more of the L.A Complex and new episodes! Definitely worth watching!!!

Claptrap

[ireland_dwight · 2/10 · 27 February 2014]

This show is a real waste of time and is sadly another example of just a bad Canadian TV show emulating what other shows in the USA are doing except in most cases sadly they are copying crappy shows and doing them even worse.

In this case we have L.A. Complex where they even set the show in the same place as shows they are trying to copy, in L.A. The cast is not very good as far as acting goes and the story lines are all incredibly stupid and badly written.

I have no idea why they made this show or how it lasted on the air but then again it is rated 7 on IMDb so obviously some people out there actually like this kind of pointless tripe television. But where did the good shows go?

Thanks to bringing to the US!!!!

[kacyjgreen · 9/10 · 13 May 2012]

I am so glad that this came to the U.S!!!! This will definitely be my favorite show this summer without a doubt!!!! Although I am not a big fan of the CW, they seem to always get one show that I will be caught onto, haha! First was definitely Smallville, and although this show is different in almost every aspect, the chemistry and acting between the characters is 10/10! Terrific! And I have no doubt that the hardships portrayed in the show, is what many aspiring in the fame industry endure in reality. Great job! Just please make the other 7 episodes! AND DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT CANCELING IT!.... please..... and Thank you, haha :)

Cynical, Unlikeable Look at Show Biz

[jbelkin800 · 3/10 · 10 June 2015]

The problem with this series is it shines on the dark underbelly of showbiz without any glimmer of the joy of it. It's easy to mock the process of TV-film making and or the music biz. As having casted and produced, I know it can be shallow (we need 20 hooker types) so yes, 100 20-25 year old's have to show up in slutty outfits. Yes, auditions are tedious or it's a hard process.

But the problem is a) most people don't really understand or care about the real behind the scenes of showbiz just as we watch cop shows NOT to see a cop sit in a car for 12 hours, we'd rather see a shootout and b) nearly all the characters are idiots/jerks or unlikeable. Again, in a cop show or a medical show - at least they're saving lives or protecting us so we forgive their annoyances or shallowness or just plain being unlikeable - but when it comes to characters who just want to act, dance, make music - it just doesn't work.

So, even if they hired better actors, it just doesn't work on a weekly basis. That's the main problem. The other huge problem is we do NOT really get a glimpse of why they want to do this - other than the dancer, we see no JOY in what they are pursuing this, just the "tedious" annoying aspects of showbiz.

And yes, the acting is uniformly bad. Other than the dancer character, it's believable they are struggling actors and can't go anywhere because they can't act, barely sing but worse, have personalities that no one wants to be near ... and yes, I know people love Jewel Staite in Firefly but she reached her peak there - like Chekov, she's not believable in anything else and really, just awful here. To make it worse, they pile on the soap opera sub-plots that take forever to unfold over seasons that have little payoffs that we just don't care about anymore.

So, if you're planning on doing a behind the scenes of the entertainment biz series, you should watch this to avoid the pitfalls of bad casting, bad writing and poor characters. But otherwise, pretty pointless series.

far better than expected

[jonwkim · 10/10 · 19 January 2012]

Follows young wannabes around as they struggle to "make it". I wasn't expecting much, but found the whole thing oddly engrossing. Only knew of Jewel Staite from her previous work in Firefly and SG Atlantis stuff, but liked her in those, so i gave it a go. All the actors do a good job, inter-relationships are setup quite quickly and draws you into the story very well. But then again, there appears to be a fair amount of cleavage and lithe young bodies in the episodes I've seen so far, which although intergral(ish) to the story, does make me think its appeal may be slightly elevated by the contents of my pants. This is primarily achieved with the use of Chelan Simmons(who was in the V funny "Tucker and Dale vs Evil".....as a dancer who works part-time as lapdancer. LOL. On behalf of hot-blooded males. Dear writers, Thanks for that. But seriously, the stories and characters are good. I hope the they do well, I think it deserves a decent run. So far so good.

A Pleasant Tuesday Evening Viewing Surprise

[grantch · 9/10 · 23 May 2012]

Coming late to review as I came late to "The L.A Complex". Last Tuesday night I was channel surfing and hit upon it at 9 p.m. It caught my fancy with its realistic depiction of likable youths wanting to become entertainment successes. Made a point to watch last night and will be there for the "season ending" next week.

I've enjoyed the depiction of all the relationships. It's a plus that the central characters have good sexual appeal as well as the ability to portray their situations, good or bad. These are people who've earned your interest in what will become of them in their struggle to become stars.

It's a treat to see a genuine show about real people. Talented cast and excellent treatment of Hollywood situations. Hope it continues!