
There’s a lot to be excited about with Apple TV+’s new anthology series Roar. It’s based on Cecelia Ahern’s 2018 short story collection, and was created by Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, who also helmed Netflix’s canceled-too-soon GLOW. What’s more, the cast boasts big names like Nicole Kidman, Issa Rae, and Cynthia Erivo, as well as GLOW alums Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin. At best, though, the show is an amusing idea for an anthology. At worst, it’s a mixed bag of eight whimsical female-centric stories, not all of which pay off.
Each distinctive episode centers on its protagonists’ very relatable issues, but those problems aren’t explored in a straightforward narrative. There are larger-than-life twists, from romancing a duck and eating photographs to living on a shelf and discovering suspicious bite marks. The surreal nature of the show is meant to elevate each half-hour, and that’s accomplished to a highly varying degree. Some installments are hard-hitting, while others offer nothing substantial beyond immediate quirkiness.
Now that Roar is out (the whole season dropped on April 15), The A.V. Club is ranking every episode in terms of just how bizarre things get, and we’re counting down from the least to most absurd installments.
Enjoy—and beware of mild spoilers.