Kate Winslet is a blast in 'The Regime' — but critics say it's not the next 'Succession'

• "The Regime" is a political satire on HBO starring Kate Winslet as an eccentric dictator.
• The series is written and executive produced by "Succession" alum Will Tracy.

"The Regime'" is HBO's latest bet on Kate Winslet, who helped carry miniseries like "Mare of Easttown" to critical acclaim. But according to critics, the series doesn't entirely live up to Winslet's excellent performance.

The six-episode series, which premieres on March 3, stars Winslet as Elena Vernham, the authoritarian leader of an unnamed central European country known for its cobalt and sugar beet exports. Ensconced in a palace of her own — in reality, a luxury hotel that she's commandeered — Vernham becomes increasingly paranoid. Soldier Herbert Zubak (Matthias Schoenaerts), who is known for his involvement in a worker massacre at the cobalt mine, becomes her close confidant.

Fans of satirical takes on the rich and out-of-touch will find plenty to like in "The Regime," which was written and executive produced by Will Tracy, a "Succession" alum who penned the season four episode "Tailgate Party" as well as the 2022 film "The Menu."

But while critics praised Winslet's acting, many noted that if you're looking for more "Succession," this isn't quite it. Here's what else they're saying about "The Regime."

Winslet's performance is both nuanced and 'jaw-dropping'

"I wasn't always sure what 'The Regime' was doing, or why, but Winslet's work, a complex blending of physical and psychological choices, kept the series somewhere between watchable and fascinating," The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg wrote.

The Daily Beast's Coleman Spilde wrote that "in her three decades as an actor, Winslet has never had such a caustically funny role to chew on, and 'The Regime's' bold, bizarre satire is the perfect avenue for her to prove that even a flourishing career can benefit from a daring left turn."

The Wrap's Gregory Lawrence described Winslet's performance as more untethered, writing that she "allows a bit of an animalistic 'freak flag' to fly, jumping at some unflatteringly raw material in unprecedented, jaw-dropping ways."

But the series' commentary didn't fully connect with some critics

While "The Regime" is a comedic take on an authoritarian nation, critics said that the series's critique — which Time's Judy Berman called "thematically undercooked" — doesn't always land.

"Like the gaudy decor of Vernham's palace (shot in part at a real palace in Austria), it's hard to know where to direct one's attention and how to determine which of the show's dizzying array of overstuffed spectacles actually mean something," wrote HuffPost's Marina Fang.

"To a point, it does seem to be offering a commentary on the creeping insidiousness of unchecked power and how even the most inane political figures can possess a more sinister underbelly," Collider's Carly Lane wrote. "The problem is that there's not enough runtime for the series to satisfactorily spool out that narrative thread."

Lawrence at The Wrap agreed, "Many of the geopolitically-minded elucidations offered by 'The Regime' are pitched too broadly to elicit anything other than recognition."

Alexandre Desplat's score sets the tone

You'll recognize Desplat's work in films like "The Imitation Game," "Asteroid City," and "The French Dispatch."

The Hollywood Reporter's Fienberg wrote that "unlike 'Succession, I don't think 'The Regime ' will be miscategorized as a drama, with directors Stephen Frears and Jessica Hobbs steering into the quirky lightness as they follow bickering characters through the opulence of the palace, accompanied by an aggressively whimsical score from Alexandre Desplat."

The BBC's Caryn James said that "Herbert Zubak (Matthias Schoenaerts) is brought to the palace to work for the Chancellor. The jaunty music, by the Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel and many other films) suggests he is a buffoon and sets the comic tone."

'The Regime' just isn't on the same level as 'Succession'

"Those looking for 'Succession'-style density here will have to keep searching," Spilde wrote at The Daily Beast. "But that doesn't mean that 'The Regime' isn't clever."

HuffPost's Fang agrees that "The Regime" doesn't quite deliver in packing the satirical punch of a "Succession" or "Veep," writing, "'The Regime' lacks both the biting wit and the surgical precision of its predecessors."

The show's ensemble cast is underused

In addition to Winslet and Schoenaerts, "The Regime" has an ensemble cast with several acclaimed actors. Andrea Riseborough plays palace manager Agnes, while Hugh Grant appears as the leader of the opposition party. Martha Plimpton plays Judith Holt, the fictional U.S. Secretary of State. Guillaume Gallienne, Danny Webb, David Bamber, and Henry Goodman also star.

Paste's Elijah Gonzalez wrote that the show's ensemble is more "one-dimensional" than its leads and that even standouts like Andrea Riseborough's palace manager Agnes are eventually "sidelined."

"A series this enterprising can't succeed on every front," wrote The Daily Beast's Spilde. "Andrea Riseborough is criminally underutilized, especially given that this is her first role after her Oscar nomination upset last year."

And The Hollywood Reporter's Fienberg wrote that "one can imagine a more substantive version of 'The Regime' that takes greater advantage of an ensemble that is both quite brilliant and quite underused."

"The Regime" premieres on HBO on March 3.