Prime Video’s new series, Étoile, which premiered April 24, 2025, dives into the cutthroat world of professional ballet. Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino, the duo behind The Marvelous mrs. Maisel and Gilmore Girls, the show follows two struggling ballet companies, one in new York City and the other in Paris [[2]]. To save their storied institutions, they embark on an enterprising plan: swapping their most talented stars [[3]].

The series opens with the Paris director proposing an unconventional solution to revive dwindling audiences: We trade our top talent. Yours for ours. This sets off a chain reaction of drama, as many dancers are unwilling to uproot their lives. Luke Kirby, known for his role as Lenny Bruce in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, stars as Jack, the director of the New York Ballet Company. He finds himself constantly at odds with Genevieve, his Parisian counterpart, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg.

I mean, Jack is pretty oppositional, I think partly by nature, especially with Genevieve, who is his, you know, parisian counterpart. And though they have affection for each other, they also bristle if drawn too closely together. So I think he’s a little bit reluctant at any idea that she has, even more so as it happens to be an excellent idea, and so I think he’s a little bit envious that she came up with it first.

Luke Kirby

The initial reluctance to swap cities fuels much of the early conflict.As Cheyenne Toussant, played by Lou de Laâge, exclaims:

all of these years, I am here. I gave up everything – family, children.

Lou de Laâge as Cheyenne Toussant

To which Gainsbourg’s character retorts, Oh, you hate children. De Laâge’s character humorously replies, Because they are a drain on the world and are boring to talk to, but that doesn’t mean I did not give them up.

Kirby admits his dance experience is limited: I only have dance experience after midnight. He credits the professional dancers on set for bringing a kinetic energy and inspiring dedication to the production. He also notes Sherman-Palladino’s unique directing style:

Her direction is very choreographic, if that’s even a word. She composes shots that involve a lot of movement and demand the whole company, including the crew – that they be present and awake to the moment.

Luke Kirby

Étoile tackles the challenges of funding and sustaining the arts, particularly in a post-COVID world. Kirby emphasizes the importance of the show’s message:

Right now, it feels doubly crucial, given that everything, everything feels tenuous. Everyone who works in it certainly knows how nigh on impractical it is indeed to get anything made. And, you know, we’re in an even more scary place now where it feels like the idea of patronage seems to be moving away from the arts. I don’t know what it looks like from the precipice but feels like it’s important to address it.

Luke Kirby

He also shared that the Palladinos created the role of Jack specifically for him, an offer he found flattering. He recalls being invited to dinner and discussing dance, leading to the presentation of a story that felt ripe for the inventiveness, ripe for possibilities and relatable in its need to keep the art form alive.

frequently asked Questions

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  Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino, the creators of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Gilmore girls.
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  The show is available on Prime Video.
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  Season 1 consists of eight episodes [[1]].