"She-Hulk: Attorney at Law" is the best Disney+ MCU show so far. It may not be the most impressive when it comes to spectacle or effects, but it's easily the most consistently watchable and entertaining. It's also a nice break from the relentless formula of quippy action and rushed story arcs that have plagued so many of the other Disney+ MCU shows.
Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), is a cousin of Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), who accidentally gets Hulk powers when the two of them are involved in an accident together. Unlike Bruce, she doesn't want to be a superhero, but to just have a normal life and legal career. With her paralegal best friend Nikki (Ginger Gonzaga), Jen takes a job at a firm with a new "superhuman law" practice, and tries to balance her new status as She-Hulk with just trying to be normal Jen - a single woman in her 30s. Yes, it's "Ally McBeal" set in the MCU, and that's a good thing. This is a show that isn't afraid of low stakes, more adult humor, and an almost totally episodic structure. Jen drinks. Jen has casual sex. Jen indulges in a lot of fourth wall breaking, and makes fun of other Marvel properties. I understand many MCU fanboys are aghast, but think the show is exactly what the franchise needs right now.
Frankly, "She-Hulk" is the MCU series that works best as a series. You can literally watch any episode independent of the others. You don't have to know who any of the characters are for it to work, though this is the most interconnected MCU installment in a while, with appearances by Hulk, Wong (Benedict Wong), the Abomination (Tim Roth), some Asgardians, a smattering of low level villains, and a much less angsty version of Daredevil, still played by Charlie Cox. It's a nice reminder that all of these disparate characters exist in the same universe. What's even better is that they exist in a universe that also includes a lot of normal people, like Jen's icy colleague Mallory (Renee Elise Goldsberry), and fashion designer Luke (Griffin Matthews), and a creep named Todd (Jon Bass) who Jen briefly dates. One episode involves a perpetually sloshed party girl named Madisynn (Patty Guggenheim) being accidentally sent dimension hopping, and dumped on an exasperated Wong.
As for Jen, she's a treasure. Maslany is great in the role, bringing so much great humor and energy. Any technical issues with the CGI on She-Hulk are pretty minor and easy to adjust to. The first season gives Jen a loose character arc of learning to reconcile her normal life and her Hulk life. Sometimes this means tense encounters with bad guys. Mostly, this means added complications when trying to navigate situations in her personal life, like dating and trying to find professional clothes that fit. There's a whole installment that follows Jen attending a wedding and doing her best not to be the center of attention. This means that there's a good hangout vibe to most of the episodes, and plenty of space for character moments and humor. And despite all the MCU elements, "She-Hulk" often feels closest to taking place in the real world, where sometimes the worst villains are your garden variety online misogynists.
I think you could have done "She-Hulk" as a theatrical film, but I like this format for her better. I like the looseness and the lightness of the premise, where you're seeing the universe from Jen's irreverent POV, and nothing too bad can really happen because she won't allow it to. It's a great opportunity for the MCU to poke fun at itself and quietly test out and tease things, like the new Daredevil outfit and the more enlightened Abomination. I know Deadpool's going to come along and do much of the same schtick eventually, but I like Jen better for this role, because she's a better fit for the MCU. She also pushes boundaries, twerking with Megan Thee Stallion, and theorizing about Captain America's sex life, but in a gentler way than the Merc with the Mouth.
Here's hoping for a Season Two sooner rather than later.
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