In “Anatomy of a Scandal,” which premiered Friday on Netflix, writer David E. Kelley — and his viewers — return to familiar terrain: the case of a handsome, wealthy man (Rupert Friend), his beautiful blond wife (Sienna Miller), his beautiful brown-haired mistress (Naomi Scott) and the dogged investigator who hopes to unravel their story (Michelle Dockery). Co-created and co-written with Melissa James Gibson, and directed by S.J. Clarkson, the six-episode series hits all the marks you might expect. There will be twists! There will be tropes! There will be multiple timelines!
But the real question is: Does “Anatomy of a Scandal” work as a guilty-pleasure potboiler or is it yet further evidence that Kelley’s trash-TV rampage must be stopped? Los Angeles Times television editor Matt Brennan and staff writer Meredith Blake hash it out:
Matt Brennan: Honestly, the first episode of “Anatomy of a Scandal” wasn’t terrible. And then the second episode happened.
