User Reviews

Sigh. I almost turned this off after about the first 20 minutes of the first episode, but I stuck with it, and although based on this first episode it's a complete train wreck of a script/plot, there is some potential. Sometimes it takes a few episodes for a show to find its groove, for the writers to organize their thoughts, and develop characters and plot lines into something the audience finds interesting and entertaining. I hope this is the case here, because again, the show has some potential.

I am a giant fan of Carla Gugino, and she's criminally underutilized thus far with dumb material to act within. Regardless, as of the end of episode one, there's not a character in the show that I care anything about yet.

I'm going to give one more episode a chance, and if I keep watching I'll come back and adjust my score, but a six right now is generous.

Watch the first episode for yourself. At first glance an overall rating of 5.3 at the time of this writing would suggest one of the worst shows of all time. Click on the rating number and you see a huge number of 1s. How can this be? Simple. Certain people don't want you to watch. And then you will miss something worth watching.

I've only watched the first episode but I plan on watching the rest of the season. If you like shows that involve the political process then you should find this interesting. But if you are triggered by seeing one sort of character or issue you don't agree with then maybe you only watch one episode.

However you feel, it would be nice to give an honest rating. Almost nothing ever produced has deserved a 1 (or a 10). The people who hand out 1s likely do so often and somehow thinking their opinion reigns supreme.

"Girls on the Bus" sets out with an intriguing premise: following a group of female journalists navigating the cutthroat world of a presidential campaign. But the execution falls flat, leaving us with a show that's neither insightful political drama nor engaging dramedy.

The biggest culprit? Uneven pacing and tone. One moment the girls are cracking jokes in a hotel bar, the next they're grappling with the weight of journalistic integrity. These emotional gearshifts feel clunky, leaving the viewer unsure whether to laugh or cry.

What's more, the characters themselves fall into tired tropes. We've got the idealistic rookie, the jaded veteran, the career-obsessed workaholic - you can practically fill in the blanks yourself. Their personal struggles, meant to add depth, feel predictable and melodramatic.

The show also misses the mark when it tries to tackle serious issues. Heavy-handed dialogue and forced emotional moments feel inauthentic, like a network drama's attempt to appear profound.

Don't get me wrong, the cast is talented. But even Melissa Benoist's charm and Carla Gugino's gravitas can't salvage a script that feels derivative and superficial.

Off course, it depends on what you were expecting, but as someone who did not have any expectations at the beginning, I actually enjoyed frist 3 episodes. They picked a subject that is enought serious and important, but not too heavy, and treated it with a dose of fun and colors which I really like. There is a need, in my opinion, for such shows for many reasons. First and foremost, because they can reach more people and make them hear different views without even realizing that, without breaking a sweat while maybe even having fun. Second, because it is much harder to make interesting content about serious maters that is not overly dramatic, pursuasive and/or pervasive. Most of them make you feel like somebody is pushing their point of view on you all the time.

I also like characters.

Well, So far😁

This could be any fill in the setting sex in the city rip off the the pop pretty girl problem of the moment. Griffin Dunn sadly continues to standing for any other wizened mild mannered corporate boss because he hasn't had a good role since After Hours. Eric Stolz again, is completely wasted. And the lead actors really don't have much to work with script wise. I wish I could tell you which pretty modern women with problems show it reminds me of, they all run together, all equally vaccuous, glib, barely scratching the surface of what they attempt to portray. Best guess is Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce. The ghostly presence of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson isn't helping. First two episodes I thought there might be hope but this is just ripped from the headlines nonsense for people who can't read good. By episode three, I'm bored.

There once was a book - The Boys On The Bus by Timothy Crouse - about the wild road trip on the 1972 election. So now it's time for the girls to get on that bus, this one based on, Chasing Hillary by Amy Chozick, who also co-wrote and created the series.

This political satire (of some sort) gathers four women from diverse journalistic backgrounds for a bus tour on the democratic trail, where dirty silly games of getting that story at all costs will have one amused.

Don't fret, it takes a swipe at both sides of politics and journalism, with even the darlings of social media getting in the firing line. Enough to amuse one and all. It's no Aaron Sorkin or Julian Fellowes, but it has enough wit and snappy dialogue to carry the story along, revealing the true nature of political gaming and journalistic barbarism.

Most importantly, it has the ghost of Hunter S. Thompson who pops in for some words of wisdom, so it has my undivided attention!

Seems I'm not the demographic for this....

I'm not a politically-driven individual. Not big on the "us v them" mentality. This show is full of pointless, uninteresting, storylines related to fictitious political candidates - candidates that are so far from being based in reality they are laughable. And THAT is saying quite a bit with today's pool of political figures.

I've seen the first three episodes and, quite honestly, I've found NOTHING compelling or even that interesting.. other than just how far they'll go to "man-bash" or make it seem as if all men are a problem. Certainly EVERY man can't be a misogynistic a-hole... I mean EVERY man??? Come on. Some portrayals of "bad men" are less obvious and fall more into the "mansplaining" type... but still.. every man???

It really lost me when a news editor claims their reporting has been "too UNBIASED" and they need "more opinion-based reporting". Really? You mean unbiased reporting exists in 2024? Because I sure can't find any - especially where political matters are concerned.

After 3 episodes I honestly couldn't tell anyone what the actual "story" or overall plot is here. It's just female reporters dealing with their job and all the "problematic" men.

This is so far from reality and so women-centric that it looses any creditability in my eyes. Female leads, or a primarily female cast is great.. generally love Gugino's work and Benoist has had some shining moments in some past work... the problem is in the writing. Writing seems to focus on "down the patriarchy".. not on what the women are actually supposed to be doing.. you know.. their jobs... as in WHY they are "on the bus".

To me, it's like a show about river rafting.. and rather than focusing on the river and the thrill of rafting.... every episode focuses on each and every boulder in the river.. and there's no such thing as a favorable boulder.

.. just not for me I guess.

First, let's acknowledge that all of the actors on "Girls on the Bus" are incredibly talented. What has me hooked is the show is the ghost of Hunter S. Thompson. It's such a new twist in a political dramedy. The character gives context to the time frame and is a great vehicle into the mind of Sadie. It's also almost scary how the actor playing Hunter Thompson looks and acts like the real Hunter S. Thompson.

This show is definitely worth a watch. It's rare to find shows that have complexity with superb acting and a the ghost of a journalist who was himself a very complex person. I agree that it's not for everybody (what show is?). However, the 1 ratings don't even acknowledge the excellent talent or the ingenious Hunter S. Thompson character. Maybe some people don't know who he was or his defining contribution to journalism.

In the past, I used to enjoy TV series and movies about elections and presidencies, not just the obvious "West Wing," but almost all of them (by the way, "Dave" with Kevin Kline is one of my favorite movies of all time). However, I don't feel the same anymore, especially considering the current candidates for POTUS and world leaders in other countries.

So, I was initially reluctant to watch "The Girls on the Bus," but I gave it a chance when I saw that Carla Gugino and Melissa Benoist were the two leads. So far, I've watched one and a half episodes and have decided to continue following the show.

I'm not entirely sure if I enjoy the plot that much, but I do appreciate the performances, especially Melissa Benoist's portrayal of an ambitious young journalist who can't catch a break. It's not an easy role, and another actor could have easily overdone it or created a caricature of the character, but she managed to keep it in control.

As I mentioned, I'm unsure if the plot will make sense in the end, but the script has managed so far to portray the personalities of the main characters with adequate complexity.

Overall: It is somehow interesting. Not deep as other well known series. Characters not paper thin. Good performances.

I didn't know what to expect from this show, but it was a welcome surprise. It felt a lot more like Grey's or Sex Lives of College Girls than it did a heavy political or journalism show. I'm three episodes in now and I really want more. It's one of those shows that I don't look at my phone when I'm watching... It goes by so fast and has all these funny things (Scott Foley did a full Magic Mike striptease in the last episode) that you aren't expecting. But mostly, I just love the characters. Lola, the Gen Z influencer is the best. But Carla Gugino is so sarcastic and funny and I am living for Kimberlyn's take downs of her Megyn Kelly like nemesis at a Fox News-like network. I didn't watch Supergirl so I didn't know of Melissa Benoist but she is so adorable and hilarious. Anyway, give this one a chance and I think you will be very pleasantly surprised!

This series has it all! It's fun and smart and I can't wait to watch episode 4! I love the characters and the relationships they are forming.

The female lead journaiists are such great actors. I like that it's fiction but believable too. It is intelligent and captivating. I think there is a broad audience of people who will enjoy this series. The writing, directing, production, acting, set designs, etc., are all so amazing. As a viewer, if you are interested in journalism, politics, or just friendships and you want to laugh out loud too, this is a series you should not miss. I highly recommend it!

It's been a while since MAX (formerly HBO Max) released an original show that I've actually liked.

That's finally changed though. The Girls on the Bus is incredibly enjoyable to watch. The talent and chemistry amongst the cast is magic. Melissa Benoist shines in every scene she's in.

MAX's marketing for the show is pretty much non-existent which makes me believe this is the only season we will get. I feel like if this was in any other streaming platform or network it would have gotten a press junket. I don't think MAX was the right distributor for this series but I hope this series leads to more future easy-to-watch content to their platform.

Political dramas can be very hit and miss. The West Wing and Scandal are the only two I have ever really enjoyed.

Seeing that this was starring and produced by Melissa Benoist I decided to give this series a shot.

The show is well acted and produced, with some interesting plot twists and a look into the flaws of candidates, bringing their more bright-eyed supporters back down to earth.

There are a few very obviously parallels to certain real life politicians, though thankfully there are no signs yet of a character like T**mp.

So far I have enjoyed the writing, but having just watched episode 2, there still seems to be something missing to really give it the kick it needs. Hopefully this will change in future episodes.

Timely, smart, sexy, and hilarious as hell. This is a show that everybody should be watching. If you loved Sex and the City, The Newsroom, or The West Wing - or all three, if you're like me - then you're going to love this. It's a thoroughly fresh and necessary look at the way we cover campaigns and the bonds that keep us going. Each character is so well realized, especially the TikToker - she's a heck of a lot more relatable than a lot of real people on TikTok! And it's amazing to see women of different political beliefs find common ground. I would say more but I really don't want to spoil it for those who haven't watched. 10 STARS!

It's easy to be enchanted by the series because the main cast gives us charisma. The 4 main ones have a perfect dynamic that fits together. Melissa Benoist always doing her best. I highly recommend it. Despite being a series that involves political issues, it does not become boring. So it's easy to watch and not get bored. Some series are very good but become difficult to watch. This doesn't happen with The Girl's on The bus. I believe the next chapters will be better yet. We had an introduction to the 4 journalists and their particular characteristics. A recommended MAX original series . Perfect.

Not only is it a great show but also there are great actors. Once I watched the first episode I couldn't wait to see the next episode. I know that this show is not for everyone. Carla and Melissa characters are so funny together I love they both are snarky with each other.

I hope there is a next season! This might offend some people but there are so many great shows that are being cut because of same sex relationships it feels like. This is my opinion so please don't judge me.

Other than that I would recommend watching it past the first episode and then seeing if you like it and if not cool.

The show is labled a political drama, which isn't, what it actually is is a comedy and satire with a bit of drama set in political setting. It has great acting and a story that keeps you watching, even though it is about politics. Didn't have any expectations but was hooked after two episodes and suddenly realized that it was only a few episodes left since they go by so quickly. I'm very surprised by many of the reviews since there seems to be no relation to what the show actually is. Do hope more people discover this show as it deserves a lot more attention than it is getting. Only a few hundred ratings when it is almost at the end says a lot about how it has been overlooked.

The actors are incredible! Natasha Behnam is phenomenal, and the rest of the ensemble is a tour de force. I both believe them and empathize with their stories. Remembering the sacrifice our best journalists offer in service of building a semblance of truth is admirable. Our compassion and respect need to match our demands for daily content, and these stories invite all of us to reconsider the critical role of journalists.

This show tackles the fences we all feel in any situation with friends or family. We all repeat the pundit's talking points and over- indulge on self-righteous pie.

This story has a main theme, where every journalist we disregard or story with a sharp blade of certainty are real people, often sacrificing their own well being in service of ensuring we are well informed about the people, organizations, or corporations that seek to be in power in our country.

Watching characters manage their dignity in a world of cynicism and narcissistic branding is compelling television while not being preachy or simple. The storytelling reflects the pressure our journalists feel to provide us our steady diet of narratives to reinforce our certainty as they operate in a world of complexity. This is no small task, and I'm personally grateful to be reminded the change I hope for must begin with me. Do I see the humanity in the day to day destruction and judgment placed at others' feet, or do I recognize we are all complex, deeply flawed, and still trying to become the union we all imagine ourselves to be as we salute our flag.