You can tell that a movie like Reese Witherspoon’s Legally Blonde is a classic when we’re still quoting Elle Wood’s iconic lines and talking about the “bend and snap” a quarter-century after its release. Now we’re getting the chance to know the unlikely law student before Harvard, as the prequel Elle is set to hit the 2026 TV schedule. Reviews are here, and many critics have objections.
Elle, which will be available to stream with a Prime Video subscription starting July 1, takes place six years before the events of Legally Blonde. Newcomer Lexi Minetree is taking over Elle Woods duties from Reese Witherspoon, and the comparison pics between the two are pretty spot-on. So where do the critics’ issues lie? In his review of Elle, IndieWire’s Ben Travers says the prequel series doesn’t attempt any of the humor or charm that made us love the 2001 movie. Instead, he says, it’s a tired teen drama with a lazy (and inexplicable) mystery. He gives it a D+, writing:
