Wedding Season

The half-hour episodes zip along with such speed and bombastic energy that it’s often hard to keep up with the endless surprises (it would have certainly benefited from hour-long episodes). But as I reached the halfway point of the eight-episode series, I realised I was rooting for Katie and Stefan as if they were my close friends. That is a sign of a good TV show.

There are multiple reasons why Wedding Season works so well. The first are the two leads. ... It feels like an adventure that’ll be fun to watch. Lyttelton has also done a good job sketching out the supporting characters.

The crisp dialogue defines characters in short order; the parts are uniformly well cast and played, and even the minor roles feel full-bodied. As portrayed by Drea and Salazar, Stefan and Katie are easy to like, even at their most exasperating.

The “wedding season” structure of the past and constant motion of the present (as directed by George Kane) generally makes for a smart combination for this series, even when the turns are more predictable than truly twisty. ... Even as Katie can be an undeniably frustrating character (usually on purpose, but not always), Salazar always makes her as compelling as Stefan finds her, keeping “Wedding Season” afloat whenever it threatens to sink under its own weight.

Drea and Salazar have a strong chemistry and, even when you think Katie must be the killer, you may find yourself rooting for them to stay together. “Wedding Season” will toy with you ruthlessly, and you will love every minute of it.

While Salazar and Drea are very good, “Wedding Season” is really an exercise in storytelling, jumping back and forth between two incredibly densely plotted timelines without losing its grip on its tone. ... It’s like that wedding everyone has been to between two people that maybe weren’t obviously meant for each other—the uncertainty is what makes it fun.

In the current TV climate, in which episodes can top out at more than an hour (or two, if you’re Stranger Things), it’s refreshing to see a TV show that knows how to keep things moving. It’s just a shame that it does so at the expense of a truly compelling story and well-developed characters

The Hulu comedy doesn’t take storytelling risks like its genre counterparts, offering predictable plot twists instead. But Wedding Season succeeds as an escapist binge-watch (all eight episodes drop on the same day) and a breezy rom-com.

Wedding Season is an ambitious undertaking that might fail at what it’s trying to do but remains entertaining enough. Those who like their fun fast and furious and don’t want to decree nisi Katie as soon as she appears will no doubt have a better time still.

It’s just the imbalance between that sweetness and the mayhem that throws “Wedding Season” into more chaos than it can control. The season’s last few episodes draw out the last few remaining reveals before an ending that almost feels like it’s from another third, disconnected show.

Offering a twisty, often fun take on some well-trod tropes, but rarely enough real affection. After seven episodes, I’d run out of interest in the mystery/thriller elements accompanying the show’s love story, but the likable central pairing of Rosa Salazar and Gavin Drea offered enough enjoyment to see the story through