‘Carême’ (2025) Apple TV+ Series Review - A Delicious Tale of Power, Pastries, and Politics

“Careme” on Apple TV+ feels like sitting down to a twelve-course French meal where every dish looks like a masterpiece, but somewhere around the sixth plate, you start wondering if you really needed that extra mousse. It's gorgeous, ambitious, and at times a little full of itself — but honestly, that's part of the charm.

The show introduces us to young Antonin Carême, abandoned at a tavern as a child, who discovers that kneading dough and whipping cream can be his ticket out of poverty. Before long, he’s baking architectural wonders, working in royal kitchens, and somehow getting entangled in the slow-burn drama of European politics. It’s a rags-to-riches story where the rags are dirty aprons and the riches are ridiculously elaborate sugar sculptures.

Benjamin Voisin plays Carême with the right blend of boyish wonder and simmering ambition. His version of Carême isn’t just a culinary prodigy; he’s a scrappy survivor who realizes that in post-revolution France, talent alone won’t get you very far unless you know how to play the game. And play it he does — especially after catching the attention of Talleyrand, the slick diplomat who sees the value of a man who can not only serve exquisite dinners but also slip messages between courses.

One of the best parts of “Careme” is how seriously it takes the food without making it precious. There’s a lot of hands-in-dough, sweat-on-the-forehead kind of cooking. The series shows kitchens the way they probably were back then: loud, grimy, hot, and full of people trying not to get fired — or worse. It’s not all dreamy soufflés and twinkling music; it's back-breaking labor that occasionally results in something beautiful enough to make a room of hardened aristocrats gasp.

The show also looks like a million bucks. The sets are lush without feeling fake, the costumes are fancy without looking like everyone’s on their way to a costume party, and the lighting has that slightly candle-smudged glow that makes you believe everyone smells faintly of woodsmoke and pastries. There's a clear effort to ground the story in reality without losing the grandeur of the setting.

That being said, the series sometimes bites off more than it can chew. Some episodes wander into long side quests about political conspiracies that seem designed mainly to show off a few more gilded drawing rooms. It’s not that the intrigue is bad — it's just that it sometimes feels like the show forgets that what we signed up for was pastry drama, not another dusty argument about treaties. By the third secret meeting behind velvet curtains, you might find yourself wishing someone would just bring out a cake and get on with it.

Also, while the main storyline keeps a steady hand on the whisk, the secondary characters are a bit undercooked. You get glimpses of interesting subplots — a bitter rival chef here, a conflicted noblewoman there — but they never fully rise. It's a little disappointing when you realize some of the side stories could have been just as tasty if they’d been given a little more time in the oven.

Still, it's hard not to admire how "Careme" leans into its slightly absurd premise with a straight face. There's no winking at the audience, no smugness. The show believes in its hero — a guy who thinks sugar can change the world — and somehow, by the end of the season, you believe it too. It’s refreshing to watch a historical drama that isn’t trying to be dark just for the sake of being dark, or clever just to show off. It's a straightforward, beautifully filmed story about passion, survival, and the weird places life can take you if you know how to make a good pastry.

And speaking of pastries, the food shots are glorious. Every now and then, the camera lingers just a little longer than necessary on a gleaming tart or a towering pièce montée, and honestly, that's fine. If this show didn’t make you Google “easy French dessert recipes” at least once, you might want to check if you still have a soul.

At the end of the day, “Careme” is a feast: mostly satisfying, occasionally a little heavy, but filled with enough heart and humor to make you forgive the moments when it stumbles. It's the kind of show where you learn something, feel something, and maybe get a little hungry in the process.

It may not be the tightest or fastest-moving series out there, but it has a kind of messy brilliance that matches its hero perfectly. Like a great meal made with a little too much butter and a lot of love, “Careme” might just leave you smiling — and maybe a little inspired to dream big, even if your dreams involve less sugar and espionage.

Final Score- [7/10]
Reviewed by - Anjali Sharma
Follow @AnjaliS54769166 on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times
Note: All 8 episodes are screened for this review.
Premiere Date: April 30, 2025, on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes followed by a new episode every Wednesday.