In Lessons in Chemistry, a small pan of lasagna sparks a revolution. Baked with love and an astute detail to the tiny chemical explosions that melt the cheese, soften the long noodles, and combine the ingredients, that lasagna gives Elizabeth Zott (Brie Larson) a full-time gig at her local news network as their resident Ina Garten.
Or rather, their Julia Child—because we’re in the 1960s, when a woman’s job is to raise her children, clean the house, and stay stationed in the kitchen while her husband is away. Lessons in Chemistry, a new Apple TV+ series based on Bonnie Garmus’ NYT bestseller of the same name follows a fierce woman chemist who dares to challenge those norms while also, oddly enough, embracing them. Elizabeth Zott’s place is in the kitchen—not because she’s a woman but, rather, because she simply loves to cook.
As soon as we meet Elizabeth, who has become host of fictional ’60s cooking show Supper at Six, we’re transported back in time to the 1950s. Lessons in Chemistry will get back to Elizabeth’s days as a TV host, but for the first four episodes, the series focuses on her career as an assistant chemist at the Hastings laboratory in Los Angeles. Elizabeth is one of the best chemists in the lab—not the best chemist; that title belongs to the closed-off Calvin Evans (Lewis Pullman)—but no one trusts any woman enough to give her the opportunities she deserves. Women are secretaries, not scientists.
Elizabeth does what she can to succeed at Hastings, despite the roadblocks. She makes some progress on her own research after hours. No one cares enough about her to actually pay attention to her, but because no one is giving her the time of day, they don’t stop her, either. That is, until she steals a few beakers from golden boy Calvin’s lab, resulting in tensions between the two. He accidentally calls her a secretary—she’s a woman, after all—and Elizabeth assumes Calvin is another misogynistic creep to avoid around the office. But then, something strange happens: Calvin finds out Elizabeth is a lab assistant, and he actually apologizes.
Soon enough, their feud becomes an enemies-to-lovers storyline. Calvin and Elizabeth’s romance is quick, charming, and entrancing. Lessons in Chemistry TV show recreates the book’s captivating love story with a bit more sparkle, thanks to Larson and Pullman’s connection. But the romance is over almost as quickly as it began—no spoilers as to why—leaving Elizabeth an uphill battle to continue her research and sort out her personal life. While the romance is the most exciting part of the story, Lessons in Chemistry doesn’t slump when Calvin is out of the picture.
Eventually, Elizabeth is fired from Hastings and given the opportunity of a lifetime when offered a job at Supper at Six, where she’s asked to host a cooking show for mothers around the nation. This part of the story, where we watch Elizabeth empower 1960s housewives into getting degrees and following their dreams while still having nightly dinner ready for the family, is the powerhouse of Lessons in Chemistry.
The marvelous show-within-a-show allows Elizabeth to express her feminist beliefs—that women should have their own lives, and although Elizabeth loves to prepare dinner, that doesn’t make it every woman’s dream—while also being a gorgeous ’60s spectacle. Elizabeth sports a lab coat with a collar embroidered in glimmering green sequins; she designs a special kitchen for herself; and although we don’t get to see too much of the food, hearing her talk about bubbling chicken pot pies is satisfying enough. It’s like watching Julia Child’s show, while also seeing another, more dramatic story play out in the background.
While the love story and the cooking scenes are delightful to watch (because who doesn’t adore a good romance and some delectable dishes), the rest of Lessons in Chemistry droops. Garmus wrote her novel so cinematically that, when actually adapted, there’s no room for creative liberty. Elizabeth’s neighbor Harriet (Aja Naomi King) gets a new storyline, and a handful of chapters are cut from the overall plot, but if you’ve already read the book, you know everything to expect from Lessons in Chemistry. It’s almost as if the show is too afraid to deviate from the beloved source material, at the expense of expanding on these brilliant characters.
Because of that, Lessons in Chemistry may be a show that’s better fit for people who haven’t read the book, rather than avid fans who have been waiting to watch an adaptation. Larson tries to find new ways to invigorate the source material, and she perfectly embodies Elizabeth. But with nothing new to learn or love about Elizabeth, the series falls short of the book’s greatness and originality.
That said, folks who didn’t pick up the zeitgeisty novel can now take in the story in a new, quicker format. Lessons in Chemistry is such a thrilling tale that, even though it doesn’t triumph over the book—and adaptations rarely do—there’s still an endearing mix of mystery, romance, comedy, and drama worth watching. Lessons in Chemistry is no lesson in adaptation, but that doesn’t stop the series from being a mildly good time.
