'The Baldwins' Bombs With 13% Rotten Tomatoes® Rating
Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Thomas at the Tony Bennet Birthday Gala, 2011. Photo courtesy of Joella Marano under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Alec Baldwin's new reality show, "The Baldwins," might be the riskiest career move Hollywood has seen in years. After accidentally killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the movie set of "Rust" in 2021, Baldwin could have quietly slipped away from the spotlight. Instead, he and his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, opened their doors to TLC cameras, letting the world watch them juggle seven kids, legal drama, and the fallout from one of Hollywood's most tragic on-set accidents. The result? A media firestorm and some of the harshest reviews in recent memory.
From Courtroom to Camera
In October 2021, Alec rehearsed a scene on the New Mexico set of the movie "Rust" when the prop gun he was holding discharged, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. Alec insisted he never pulled the trigger and didn't know the gun contained live ammunition. Prosecutors disagreed. Alec stood trial for involuntary manslaughter in July 2024, facing the possibility of 18 months in prison.
The trial didn't last long. After Alec's legal team argued that the prosecution withheld key evidence, the judge tossed the case with prejudice, ending Alec's criminal liability. But the damage to his reputation stuck.
But instead of retreating from public life, Alec leaned in — hard. He and Hilaria signed on to film "The Baldwins" just one month before his trial began. The show premiered on TLC in February 2025, blending chaotic family life with courtroom drama. Alec defended the decision, telling PEOPLE, "When we were doing it, it was a bit of a unique time for us, but afterward when we did it, I realized that that's who we are."
Why Do This to Yourself?
Hollywood loves a comeback story — but this? Critics have called the reality show "a new low for TV" from The Guardian and "grimmer than you imagined" from Vulture. The show sits at a dismal 13% on Rotten Tomatoes, according to Geo News, and social media hasn't held back either.
One viewer posted on Google, "Horrible how they are using a woman's death to make money with a reality show ... If you have any common sense you stop and try to think about the feelings of the family and son that lost his mom," Geo News reporst.
So why did Alec put himself in this position? Some think Hilaria pushed the idea. Reality TV fits her brand better than Alec's. She previously worked as a lifestyle correspondent for "Extra," and some argue this new show gives Hilaria a chance to reshape her image after her own scandal — a 2021 social media storm over claims she pretended to be Spanish. Critics have pointed out that "The Baldwins" positions Hilaria as the supportive wife helping Alec navigate a dark chapter, a convenient narrative for someone trying to clean up her own public image.
A Bad Bet?
Still, the timing alone feels off. Michael Massee, the actor who accidentally shot and killed Brandon Lee on the set of "The Crow" in 1993, took a year off from acting and said in 2005, "I don't think you ever get over something like that," according to The Free Press. Similarly, actress Rebecca Gayheart disappeared from Hollywood for almost two decades after hitting and killing a 9-year-old boy with her car in 2001. Even Matthew Broderick, whose 1987 car accident killed two people, saw his career take a hit.
Alec, by contrast, didn't just stay in the public eye — he invited cameras in. According to PEOPLE, Baldwin acknowledged the emotional toll of the accident, saying, "I had to stuff (feelings) down because I had seven kids. I couldn't really go in the other room and cry or whatever." Hilaria told PEOPLE that Alec "has survivor's guilt" and that "he wishes it were him" who was shot.
The Reality TV Trap
"The Baldwins" doesn't dwell on the shooting. Most of the show focuses on the family's day-to-day chaos — kids' birthday parties, haircuts, and summer trips. But that's part of the problem. Critics argue that mixing light family moments with a tragedy involving real-life death makes the show feel exploitative.
The backlash has already started to hit Alec professionally. He's still facing civil lawsuits over the shooting, and while "The Baldwins" might offer a temporary paycheck, it's hard to see how it helps him rebuild his career. An insider told Radar Online that the project feels "doomed for so many reasons," as reported by Geo News.
Alec Baldwin claims the show reflects his family's real life, but the timing and the tone have made it a tough sell. Some tragedies just don't make good television — and the fallout from "The Baldwins" suggests this might be one of them.
References: Alec Baldwin Killed Someone, Then Made a Show About It | Alec Baldwin Says Filming Reality Show During Rust Trial Was 'Unique,' Says They're Not 'Staging Anything' (Exclusive) | 6 Takeaways From Alec and Hilaria Baldwin's TLC Reality Show | Alec, Hilaria Baldwin's reality show given brutal one word verdict | The Baldwins review – Alec's dreadful reality show is a new low for TV | The Baldwins Is Grimmer Than You Imagined
