Critics and Audiences Are Divided on 'The Pentaverate' — Here's Why

Why are reactions mixed to the new Netflix comedy series The Pentaverate? Iconic comedian Mike Myers plays a whopping nine roles in the series, including The Pentaverate's hero, Ken Scarborough, a curious Canadian journalist eager for a scoop to get his job back.

What happens when Ken investigates a career-changing story that could simultaneously make his entire career while also potentially destroying the whole world?

Ken wants to uncover the truth about The Pentaverate, a secret society that has been influencing world decisions since the 1300s. The premise sounds interesting, and the show seems to be in good hands with Mike as the star. The show is based on the 1993 movie So I Married An Axe Murderer, which Mike also starred in.

So, why are critics and audiences mixed on The Pentaverate?

So far, The Pentaverate has a low critics score of 29 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Caroline Framke of Variety likened watching The Pentaverate to "[A] mission that felt doomed from the start." She compared the venture to Wile E. Coyote's countless attempts to catch the Roadrunner before getting his head flattened with an anvil.

Caroline said, "Toward the end of the series, Myers tries to make some point about the internet, truth, and the death of journalism, but it all just gets lost in the 'technicolor yawn' of a vomit joke."

Nick Schager of The Daily Beast also wasn't a fan. He wrote, "The man behind Wayne’s World and Austin Powers is capable of so much more than this splashy Netflix dud."

He also thought that much of the show's humor felt outdated. He wrote, "There’s a cornball moment in which Myers rehashes his performance of (and simultaneously reunites with) Shrek. There’s even a joke at the expense of Donald Rumsfeld, and a later one revolving around a Bush-Cheney ’04 t-shirt. Throw in a steady stream of mirthless wordplay gags that pivot around sexual innuendo or foreign enunciation, and you’ve got a slog that wildly overstays its welcome."

The audience score for The Pentaverate fared a bit better on Rotten Tomatoes with a 55 percent overall rating. One Rotten Tomatoes user gave the series five stars and wrote, "If you enjoyed any Mike Myers movies you'll like this. It's silly and fun. Grab your favorite mind-altering substance and go watch this show!"

Another Rotten Tomatoes user wasn't so favorable to The Pentaverate, giving the series one star, even though they were excited for it initially. The user wrote, "I waited so long for this show and was so (SO) excited. I couldn't get past the first three episodes without a major cringe. Man, Netflix really needs to step up its game."

You can decide for yourself what rating you would give The Pentaverate. All six episodes are available to stream now on Netflix.