Girl POWER

How a glossy legal drama is rewriting the rulebook

- VICTORIA WILSON

NEW FROM TUESDAY 4 NOVEMBER DISNEY+ DRAMA (THREE EPISODES FROM TUESDAY 4 NOV, THEN WEEKLY)

Step into a high-stakes world of scandals, secrets and skyscraper heels as stylish new legal saga All's Fair makes its much-anticipated debut on Disney+ this week. Co-created by Glee's Ryan Murphy with Jon Robin Baitz and Joe Baken, the nine-episode drama whisks us to LA to explore the lives of a team of gutsy female divorce lawyers after they set up their own practice dedicated to helping women secure suitable settlements in messy breakups. After a standout performance in Ryan's anthology series American Horror Story in 2023, US reality star Kim Kardashian leads the starry cast, which includes Niecy Nash-Betts, Glenn Close, Teyana Taylor, Naomi Watts and Sarah Paulson. Here, the six actors tell TV Times why they are relishing their roles...

EMERALD GREENE

PLAYED BY NIECY NASH-BETTS

No-nonsense former cop Emerald is skilled at navigating personal and professional battles.

'A divorce lawyer has to go to bat for their clients,' notes Niecy, 55, who also starred in Ryan Murphy's dark comedy Scream Queens between 2015 and 2016. 'As a two-time divorcee, I know that, in the moment, it can feel like the worst thing that's ever happened but, then you realise, it is for the better.'

For Niecy, Emerald has proved a gem of a role.

'When I was five, I saw the most gorgeous Black woman I'd ever seen on TV, with a long red dress and eyelashes that looked like butterflies: it was singer Lola Falana. I said, "Grandma, I want to be Black, fabulous and on TV, just like that lady." And now here I am!'