Fails to deliver on potential; often feels hollow beneath glossy surface; leaves viewer disengaged before mid-season.
The plot and storyline – It attempt a contemporary fairy tale mixing royalty and modern culture, offering some fresh moments. But the plot is highly predictable and clichéd; narrative wanders without clear direction; riddled with loose ends.
Mismatched casting; Bhumi Pednekar’s role lacks youthful charm and chemistry; some characters feel shallow and unlikeable. Ishaan Khatter’s performance is commendable; some lead chemistry and moments have emotional depth.
| Feature | The Royals (2025) |
|---|---|
| Platform | Netflix |
| Genre | Romantic Comedy Drama / Contemporary Royalty Tale |
| IMDb User Rating | ~4.5/10 (mixed/low) |
| Rotten Tomatoes Score | 2/5 (critics) |
| Main Criticism | Predictable plot, lack of depth, clichéd dialogue. |
What Makes The Royals Stand Out — An Interesting Angle
- Visual Grandeur and Style: Unlike more grounded shows that focus on social realism (Made in Heaven) or niche subcultures (Bandish Bandits), The Royals offers a glossy, high-budget soap-opera aesthetic highlighting opulence, exotic locations, and royal pageantry. Its strength lies in escapism through lavish production design.
- Cultural Juxtaposition: The narrative contrasts India’s fading royal legacy with fast-paced modern startup culture — a trope rarely explored with such scale in Hindi series, giving it a unique contemporary fairy-tale flavor.
- Star Power: Casting well-known actors like Ishaan Khatter and Bhumi Pednekar adds appeal among youth seeking familiarity blended with grandeur.
- Audience Demand: Despite mixed reviews, it holds very high demand metrics (2.5x average TV series demand in the US), indicating strong curiosity and binge potential, perhaps fueled by the aspirational and glamorous depiction of royalty versus entrepreneurial grit[1].
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