'The Perfect Couple' Reviews: "With a great ensemble cast, the series does a great job of twisting and turning these relationships in and around each other"

         On September 5, 2024, Netflix released 'The Perfect Couple', which has received a mixed reception  from critics, currently holding at 62% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the miniseries, "When a lavish wedding ends in disaster before it can even begin - with a body discovered just hours before the ceremony - everyone in the wedding party is a suspect." The ensemble cast includes Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Dakota Fanning, Meghann Fahy, Eve Hewson, Billy Howie, and Jack Reynor. But what did the critics say?

        Lucy Mangan of Guardian praises the series, stating, "If there is anyone who can resist bingeing all six episodes once they have started, I will eat a fruit basket." Concluding, "Once the police investigation starts, it becomes clear who the star of the show is – neither Kidman nor the mansion, nor even the knits, but Donna Lynne Champlin as Det Nikki Henry. What a performance. Every thought the detective is having about these awful people plays fleetingly across her face, although never for long enough to jeopardise the case, however much she hauls the local police chief, Dan (Michael Beach), over the coals for cosying up to the family that funds so much activity in the community."

Photo by Viktor Hanacek on picjumbo

        Elijah Gonzalez of Paste Magazine was less impressed, stating, "As The Perfect Couple reaches its lukewarm conclusion, it’s hard not to draw a comparison between this show and that line of thinking. Because, while this miniseries has great performances from its A-listers and a few deliciously dysfunctional family moments, it ultimately feels like the streaming equivalent of an airport novel, just entertaining enough to keep your divided attention but already fading out of memory as airplane wheels hit the tarmac. It’s another imperfect addition to Netflix’s catalog that’s neither bad nor good enough to stand out. Perhaps that’s its greatest crime."

        Archi Sengupta of LeisureByte.com says, "This Netflix series is neither ingenious nor is it particularly new but it’s the characters that are really fun and entertaining. You might be able to figure out who the killer is but the path to the end is engaging in a very dramatic way." Adding, "With a great ensemble cast, the series does a great job of twisting and turning these relationships in and around each other. Of course, there are a ton of overlapping “relationships” that give everyone the motive, but it’s always the ones that we least expect who end up subverting our expectations. The 6 episodes explore these relationships thoroughly, both with each other and with our victim, giving us an in-depth look at familial relationships and how even those who look the cleanest from the outside can be dirty and complicated."

       Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly notes, "Based on Elin Hilderbrand’s bestseller and adapted for the screen by Jenna Lamia, this arch and at times outlandish miniseries delivers the cheap and tasty thrills of a beach read on a lavish, prestige-streamer budget." Continuing, "In her recent TV roles, Kidman has been tormented, aggrieved, angry, sure — but just plain mean? Never. It’s a hoot to watch her embrace Greer’s underlying nastiness, which naturally stems from a Deep Dark Secret not even her family knows. Fanning has a ball as the snooty and condescending Abby, who cloaks all her insults with a sing-song lilt and a sunny smile. Reynor brings the tragicomic relief as Benji’s bullying, insecure brother Tom, and Champlin strikes just the right tone of unflappable bemusement as Detective Henry."