In a television landscape that deals almost exclusively with nostalgia, a reality show that harkens back to MTV’s heavy rotation of shows about rich people should feel right at home. Is Freeform’s latest enough to scratch that nostalgic itch?
ROYAL OHIO RULES: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Initial shot: The royal family poses for photographs and shows off their playful personalities with each other. Brenda, the show’s narrator and POV character, provides insight into the family dynamics and the reasons that brought the family to the United States from Ghana in a voiceover.
The essence: The Agyekum sisters (Brenda, Nana and Thelma) are descendants of Ghanaian royalty. With his parents, the family has settled in Columbus, Ohio, and is pursuing the American dream while living their best lives as attractive, young, and successful twenty-somethings. But along the way, they are expected to conform to the rules of their royal lineage and cultural expectations, forcing an internal culture shock for the sisters.
What shows will it remind you of? shining empire is the first series that comes to mind that follows a group of wealthy Asians in Los Angeles. However, Ohio Royal Rules coasts more in the idea of royalty rather than showing it, while the Netflix series drips in its depiction of wealth.
Our opinion: Just before COVID, my father casually mentioned that there is royal blood a few generations ago on his side of the family. Her great-great-grandfather (perhaps another “great-great-grandfather”) had been the Maharaja of Travancore (modern-day Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala) and you better believe that I took every opportunity to spread the word about my new princess status, even though my royal life in the United States United was far from glamorous.
I mention this because I am as real as the Agyekum family that appears on the Freeform show. Ohio Royal Rules. (I even have roots in the Midwest.) It’s not immediately clear how “real” this family is, only that they are descendants of royalty in their homeland, and this lack of specificity was the show’s first disappointment. We have grown up watching the rich live their lives on television, which has primed us to want to see opulence, sometimes offensive displays of wealth, and lavish parties. Ohio Royal Rules Try to do this by hosting a party where everyone is dressed to the nines, but it doesn’t necessarily bring “realness” to the venue or the wardrobe.
Where the series excels is in shedding light on specific African culture, which is largely done in the first episode through Brenda’s voiceovers explaining the dos and don’ts of her tight-knit Ghanaian community. . Details like not drinking alcohol, calling elders “aunt” and “uncle,” and aunts trying to connect you with their children are reminiscent of other Eastern cultures and add authenticity to the entire endeavor. Brenda’s narration is fun and she and her sisters seem like fun hosts of the show, even if we only get to know Brenda a little on the first outing.
But along with the more subdued depiction of the lifestyle, the series also fails in editing. In the first episode there are quite a few cuts between locations and confessionals that do not create a coherent story. With that and the obviously made-up drama (an aunt shows up at the club the girls snuck to after a family party and blackmails Nana into going on a date with her son), the series doesn’t provide the bright, over-the-top vibes. which we have become accustomed to in programs like this.
Sex and skin: There’s no sex or skin in the first episode, and given the rules outlined here (and its location on Freeform), there likely won’t be anything explicit in the rest of the series.
Parting Shot: After the girls arrive late for the naming ceremony, their parents are ready to tell them about their punctuality (or lack thereof).
Sleeping star: We don’t really get to know anyone well in the first episode, but our main character and narrator, Brenda, has spunk and personality, and feels like the right guide during this first season.
Most pilot line:: “As royals, we are supposed to be perfect. But that’s not always what my sisters and I give,” says Brenda’s opening narrative, explaining that she and her sisters are torn between two cultures. “We’re just trying to understand life.”
Our call: SKIP IT. With royalty in the name, the series doesn’t live up to what we would expect from similar reality shows.
Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a television-obsessed writer living in Los Angeles. His work has appeared in Vulture, Teen Vogue, ELLE.com and more. At any given moment, he can reflect long and hard on Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You can call her Rad.
