LESSONS in CHEMISTRY-Apple Series Earns an A-Stars Brie Larson/Lewis Pullman

The first two episodes LESSONS in CHEMISTRY ensure the viewers they won't want to drop out over the course of its eight chapters.  Based on the best selling novel by Bonnie Gamus, fans of the book (myself included) will find the series true to Gamus' clever and surprising novel.  However, any variables in the TV series that deviate cause some contamination to its purity.  For example, Calvin (a pitch perfect Lewis Pullman) now lives in a mostly black neighborhood that the city of LA wants to dissolve and erect a highway.  This inorganic plot line is construed to parallel the prejudices that are working against our heroine, Elizabeth Zott (played by an incomparable Brie Larson).  This dilutes rather than adds drama that would've sufficed with the original neighbor who befriends Elizabeth and provides a sensible voice of reason.  The other element sorely missing is the voice of the dog named 6:30PM for the time he came into Elizabeth's life.  The dog is written as a fascinating character with an incredible understanding of language and social situations that add a comical and sensitive seasoning in the book.  These fallibilities noted, the depiction of Southern CA in the 1960s is captured to a Tee beautifully.  Moreover, the struggles of Elizabeth as she tries to achieve her goals in a misogynistic, scientific field are evident.  And, the brewing romance between Elizabeth and Calvin has chemistry and heart.  Fans of "Mad Men" or "Mrs. Maisel" will observe similarities in the shows' attractive aesthetics of the era and a very likable woman who consistently demonstrates integrity, intelligence and resilience.  The flashbacks of the first episode portend Elizabeth as a cooking show host.  How this transcends is uncertain but her penchant for culinary skills mirror her experimental mindset.  The formula for LESSONS in CHEMISTRY spill over from Elizabeth's unflappability and logical planning.  Gamus must have had hypothesized Larson in the lead role when writing her character.  Knowing some of the outcomes from "LESSONS" doesn't deter me from watching.  On the contrary, I will measure my expectations of outcomes against pleasurable results to be discovered.  LESSONS in CHEMISTRY goes to the head of the class and receive a solid A rating.