Tom Holland’s New Series Gets A Hilariously Low Critical Score
Tom Holland's new Apple TV+ series The Crowded Room is beginning to receive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and most are unfavorable.
While he’s tried to break away in films like Uncharted, Chaos Walking, and The Devil All the Time, many fans will forever link Tom Holland’s name to his long-running role as the MCU’s current Peter Parker aka Spider-Man. One of the most talented actors in his age grouping, the British actor was eyeing up a genre-hop when he added his name to the call sheet for Apple TV+’s drama, The Crowded Room. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone quite according to plan, with the title landing on Rotten Tomatoes with an abysmal 13 percent.
It’s worth noting that the abysmal rating comes from just a few first critics from the review aggregator. One person slammed the series for being drawn out. Another said the show spoils details up front but then acts as if those details remain a mystery.
The limited series’ low rating confirms that just because you have an all-star cast, that doesn’t necessarily confirm that you’ll hit a home run with your project. Along with Tom Holland, the lineup also includes Amanda Seyfried, Emmy Rossum, Jason Isaacs, Christopher Abbott, Will Chase, Sasha Lane, Lior Raz, Emma Laird, and Thomas Sadoski. Despite its star power with some of the biggest names in the biz, including Seyfried, who’s just coming off her Golden Globe and Emmy Award wins for her role in The Dropout, The Crowded Room still missed the mark with fans.
Billed as a psychological thriller, The Crowded Room is loosely based on Daniel Keyes’ 1981 non-fiction novel, The Minds of Billy Milligan. In the series, Tom Holland stars as Danny Sullivan, a young New Yorker who is arrested for his participation in a shooting in 1979. Throughout the series, Danny works with Rya Goodwin (Seyfried), an interrogator who helps the young man pick apart his life and the events that led him up to committing the act of violence.
Along with proving that a stacked cast doesn’t necessarily make a hit, the series also drives home the idea that just because something is based on a true story, that isn’t necessarily a recipe for success. Created by Akiva Goldsman (Constantine, I Am Legend), the series borrows little from Keyes’ original book which uncovered the real life of Billy Milligan, who became known as the first person to be acquitted of a crime by taking up the defense of dissociative identity disorder.
While other shows based on true stories like HBO’s The Staircase and the more recent Love & Death, have been hits with audiences, this sadly just isn’t the case for The Crowded Room.
As for the next step in Tom Holland’s career, the actor currently doesn’t have any major projects lined up but is slated to appear in his younger brother’s short film – Last Call. Taking full advantage of his older brother’s famous name, Harry Holland’s feature centers around a mother who is trying to reconnect with her son. Preparing for its worldwide premiere at Tribeca, it’s unclear when or if the movie will receive a wider release.
With fans clamoring for Tom Holland to return to his role as Spider-Man and the recent announcement that he will return for Spider-Man 4, it’s only a matter of time until we hear updates on the upcoming film. In the meantime, episodes of The Crowded Room are dropping weekly until July 28, meaning there’s plenty of time for the series to salvage its Rotten Tomatoes score.
