Most critics come away lukewarm. The praise gathers almost entirely around the two leads: Michelle Williams is singled out again and again for her Verdon, and several reviews find the pairing with Sam Rockwell, and the dance sequences they share, the best reason to keep watching. The period detail and the exact recreations of Fosse’s choreography are widely admired, even by those who admire little else.
The reservations cluster in two places. Several critics find the story jumbled, hopping between timelines in a way that asks for a good deal of prior knowledge; The Times thinks it near impossible to follow without it. Others feel the series gives Fosse’s decline far more room than Verdon’s career, with Collider arguing hers is the more compelling story. The spread is wide: Den of Geek finds it a strong case even for newcomers to the choreography, while Vulture judges it made only for devoted students of showbiz history.