Apple TV+’s newest comedy series High Desert has a lot of star power going for it. It’s led by Patricia Arquette and supported by big names like Brad Garrett, Weruche Opia, Bernadette Peters, Matt Dillon, and Christine Taylor. And somehow, the series written by Nancy Fichman, Katie Ford, and Jennifer Hoppe-House and produced by Ben Stiller (who hit gold last year on the platform with Severance) fails at being funny.
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Where can you watch High Desert in the UAE?
High Desert is streaming on Apple TV Plus in the UAE. There is no free trial currently available for Apple TV in the UAE but if you buy an Apple device such as an Apple TV or an iPhone, you also get access to the platform.
High Desert review
- All-star cast
- Over-the-top humour
- Unlikable characters
- Boring plot
What is High Desert about?
Arquette stars as Peggy, a middle-aged theme park worker who’s spent the past decade living with her beloved “mommy” after her husband was arrested on drug charges. After her mother’s passing, Peggy’s two siblings, who are tired of financially supporting their older sister, threaten to stop paying her mortgage.
Faced with the prospect of having to finally stand on her own two feet, Peggy decides to become a private investigator. She has no interest in actually taking the classes or getting a license for her new career, so she just strong-arms a struggling local PI (Brad Garrett) into hiring her. And she convinces her alcoholic best friend to attend the detective class on her behalf.
This isn’t a mystery of the week type show. Instead, we get to watch Peggy bulldoze her way into a bizarre case about a former news anchor turned guru (Rupert Friend), a stolen Picasso, and her dead mother’s doppelganger (played by Bernadette Peters). No, it doesn’t make much sense.
It’s hard to fault the cast performances in High Desert. Arquette is a brilliant Oscar-winning actress. She deserved a better-written series to lead. Many will probably watch it for the star power it brings, but, unfortunately, everything else falls flat and the cast alone can’t elevate this mess of a show.
Is High Desert worth streaming?
As a character, Peggy is not very likable. She’s a pretty despicable individual who claims to be a “former” drug addict, but her drug use and drinking are very much a present part of the narrative. Nothing is redeeming about Peggy, not even her love for her mother. She’s an entitled drug-addicted freeloader who habitually breaks into people’s homes to steal from them.
The issue with the series isn’t the lead’s antihero status, but the distinct lack of anyone to root for. Not one character introduced in the first three episodes is relatable in the slightest. They’re all written like two-dimensional caricatures, while the plot is overly-complicated and boring. This is a sitcom dressed up as a comedy. And it lacks any amusing moments.
Overall, High Desert is an over-the-top mess about awful people being awful to each other. While it has an intriguing premise and an impressive cast ensemble, the overarching mystery is not interesting enough to keep watching every week.
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A Small Light – FAQs
Where can I watch High Desert?
The first three episodes of High Desert are streaming now on Apple TV+. New episodes drop weekly on a Wednesday.
How many episodes of High Desert are there?
The series is eight episodes long.
