Netflix's What/If Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Out

Netflix's new anthology series What/If explores what it describes as "the ripple effects of what happens when acceptable people start doing unacceptable things", a premise that sets the Renee Zellweger-starring show up to dig how one decision can alter the trajectory of a life. The thriller takes viewers into dark morality tale territory as it explores what happens when the founder of a biotech startup makes an Indecent Proposal style bargain with a venture capitalist. However, while the premise is intriguing, the critics haven't been kind -- as the series' Rotten Tomatoes score indicates.

The Rotten Tomatoes score for What/If is officially out and, at the time of this article's writing, it's coming in with a "rotten" score of 47% on the Tomatometer. That number is based on the current count of 17 critical reviews, 9 of which are negative. General consensus among those reviews seems to be that Zellweger, in her television format debut, is a standout. But her being a standout with an excellent, if not scenery-chewing, performance is also part of what critics have noted is a problem with the series -- she's the strongest thing in the series with everything else falling flat. Allison Shoemaker from RogerEbert.com, whose review is considered one of the positive ones, notes this specifically.

"When Zellweger's not on screen, What/If is a mostly empty, broad strokes neo-noir soap, frothy and forgettable," Shoemaker writes. "When she appears, it's still all of those things -- but dear lord, please pass the popcorn."

The 10-episode series follows biotech startup Lisa Donovan (Jane Levy) who, in addition to dealing with a variety of personal drama, is struggling to find funding for her company. As things begin to look bleak, venture capitalist Anne Montgomery (Zellweger) arrives with a bargain: $80 million for one night with Sean. The catch? They are never allowed talk about the one night or else the money is taken away. While the premise sounds quite a bit like the 1993 film Indecent Proposal, series creator Mike Kelly told TVLine that it's not just that film who inspired the series.

"Renee is a huge fan, as am I, of all those late '80s/early '90s social thrillers -- Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct and, of course, Indecent Proposal," Kelly said. "I really wanted to bring back that tone and have a lot of fun, while also subverting the notion of morality and where we are right now as people. When it comes to getting what you want in life, either personal, professional, or political, where's the line? Does it even exist anymore?"

What/If is now streaming on Netflix.