15 Best Netflix Originals Of 2020 So Far - Ranked

Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan's Hollywood is a star-studded love letter to a time that never really existed. It relies heavily on the audience being familiar with the ins and outs of the '40s in Tinseltown and this is where both its strengths and weaknesses lie.

The plot follows a group of outsiders trying to make it big in showbiz. These are blacks, gays, women, Asian and, shockingly - old folks. The very point of the series is that none of these folks would ever have made it in the real world.

The series relies heavily on melodrama, something that is not altogether unexpected from the creators of Glee. But, with those criticisms aside, it is actually a thoroughly enjoyable piece of theater. The series offers a view of what could have been, had the industry been a little more open-minded back in the day.

There are tributes and nods to many of the greats of Hollywood at the time. Ace Pictures could be a stand-in for so many production companies, most notably RKO studios, dominated by male viewpoints (until it suddenly isn't.)

Rock Hudson, one of the success stories of Hollywood in real life, is a supporting character in this series, with his homosexuality brought very much to the fore. Beautiful as the stories on show are, there is a bittersweetness to them when once remembers that society would not have allowed this to happen.

This is a series for history buffs, for fans of drama and camp and for those who simply want to have a good time.