Prime Video has released the official trailer for Elle, its highly anticipated Legally Blonde prequel series, dropping all eight episodes on July 1. It’s the franchise’s biggest move in years, and the internet wasted no time reacting.
The trailer introduces Lexi Minetree‘s Elle Woods as L.A.’s It Girl, adjusting to a very different life in Seattle after moving from her posh Bel-Air home. Pink outfits, ’90s plaid hallways, and a whole lot of culture shock. It’s familiar, but also clearly trying to be its own thing.
This marks Minetree’s first leading role. Previously, she had small parts in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and the historical spy drama Serov. That’s a big jump, and a lot riding on a relatively unknown face. Whether she can carry a franchise-level show is the real question.
The series was created by Laura Kittrell, known for High School and Insecure. Kittrell co-showruns and executive produces alongside Caroline Dries, with Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter producing through Hello Sunshine. Witherspoon’s involvement keeps the original DNA intact, but creatively, this belongs to a new team.
Jason Moore, director of Pitch Perfect, helmed the first two episodes and also serves as executive producer. That’s a solid creative signal. Moore knows how to handle ensemble comedy with heart.
Much like Elle’s parents made fleeting appearances in the original films, they get a big turn here. June Diane Raphael is the 26-year-old mother Eva, while Tom Everett Scott is her boyfriend-turned-husband Wyatt. That’s the particular creative decision that sets the show apart.
Season one covers Elle’s pre-Harvard years. We spend it with her in 1995, when relationships, forbidden love, and funky clothing choices become her chief concerns.
But here is the issue. Rumblings on the internet have been significant. For example, one fan response went viral because it pointed out that Elle’s experience in Seattle is redundant in the context of Harvard, where she faces the same experiences in Legally Blonde. Other critics have said the prequel’s premise is obviously a repeat of the first film. I understand the criticism and I suspect the show will have to account for it pretty early on.
These fans won’t have to wait long; Elle is out just in time for Legally Blonde‘s 25th anniversary, which seems to be no accident. Prime Video seems to be riding the wave of the faithful.
The show has been renewed for a second season even before its trailer went up. That in itself is surprising but could either mean that the streamer thinks it knows what it has or that it is going to rely on brand loyalty.
Either way, July 1 will answer very quickly.
