Review Roundup: Critics’ Take on Forest Whitaker’s ‘Emperor Of Ocean Park’

Where To Watch: MGM+ ($6.99 Per Month)

Starring: Grantham Coleman, Forest Whitaker, Tiffany Mack

Description: Emperor Of Ocean Park centers on Talcott Garland, whose peaceful life is thrown into disarray after his father’s death. Mariah Denton, a former journalist and dedicated conspiracy theorist, suspects foul play in the father’s demise.

Critics’ Chatter

“While Emperor of Ocean Park starts on a rocky road, with Whitaker as the lead and Coleman, Mack, and Simmons carrying the story in the present, the show unfolds like a chess game. As the series opens, none of the characters or storylines are distinct. Yet, as the show rumbles toward its conclusion, the privileged but chaotic world around the Garland family reveals itself, showing the viewer how vital each cryptic hint and clue was from the very beginning.”

-Aramide Tinubu, Variety

“The main conspiracy sprawls out in so many directions that it becomes confusing to keep track of which questions have been resolved, which ones we’re still pursuing, and which ones have quietly been dropped because they’re no longer relevant. There are times when one suspects characters continue to withhold crucial information from one another solely because the series has an episode count to fill; I lost track of how many times Tal was told ‘It’s not what it looks like’ or ‘I’m trying to protect you.’ It’s no wonder that after a while, he gets tired of waiting for answers and just starts throwing punches at the people he suspects of hiding things from him. The poor guy is in over his head. His show is too.”

-Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter

“At the end of the day, much like Succession, the Emperor of Ocean Park feels most like a rumination on empire and dynasty within the realms of America’s wealthiest, and how that looks from a Black lens. Too bad, then, that those interesting ideas get lost in a soup of petty personal dramas, cheap conspiracy-thriller antics, and a time-hopping structure that messes mightily with the show’s pacing. And when stretched across an agonizing ten-episode The Emperor, I’m afraid to admit, has no clothes.”

-Clint Worthington, RogerEbert.com

Timeline Talk

The Emperor of Ocean Park – a good start ?

— Omo (@mipemi_o) July 14, 2024

Emperor of Ocean Park look good.

— Jet Screamer (@KlNGRAPH) July 14, 2024

The first episode of Emperor of Ocean Park was damn good.

— Brother to the Night (@FinishYourShit) July 14, 2024

Source: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, RogerEbert.com