Nicole Kidman's latest glossy series just landed on Netflix, and it's rocketed straight to the No. 1 spot in the Netflix Top 10 shows list since it premiered on September 5.
The new show transports us to picturesque Nantucket for a sunkissed, soapy drama based on Elin Hilderbrand's novel of the same name. In it, we're thrown in with a super-rich family who are orchestrating the wedding of the season... though the big event is ruined when a body is discovered on a nearby beach just hours before the ceremony.
Even if "The Perfect Couple" is very popular with subscribers, it might not be joining our list of the best Netflix shows anytime soon, judging by what some of the series' critics have written about it. Here's what people are saying about the show... and why I think "The Perfect Couple" is actually a pretty successful miniseries.
What are people saying about 'The Perfect Couple'?
In order to debate a take, you need to establish exactly what's been said. At present, the series holds a 54% critics' rating and a 57% audience rating on the review aggregate site, Rotten Tomatoes.
And while "The Perfect Couple" has landed some very positive reactions, we'll concentrate more on the negative responses to Netflix's new hit for this piece. The chief criticism seems to be that it cribs too hard from other genre pieces; The Independent's 2/5 review blasts it as "by-the-numbers Netflix pulp", as "something as superficial and unfulfilled as the family it depicts."
Writing for RogerEbert.com, Cristina Escobar said the show was "far from an ideal watch" because it was "derivative", even with the caveat that there's nothing wrong with genre shows hitting their beats."
The polarized audience reactions show similar criticisms. While some viewers offered glowing takes, others didn't hold back. Look through the audience reviews and you'll see criticisms of the "unlikely plot", a lack of innovation, that "The Perfect Couple" boasts "ludicrous plot elements" over the book, or that it possesses a script "written with a sledgehammer."
So what's my problem? Well, I think the series purposefully leaned into being a more particular, kind of trashy, genre project than some of the negative reactions would have us believe. This is a kind of disposable, beach read come to life, and I really think it's going to serve fans of the soapy, murder mystery genre very well indeed.
'The Perfect Couple' is a bingeable getaway
To me, John Anderson was on the money when he described "The Perfect Couple" as "a beach-read come to life" for the Wall Street Journal. This is a series designed from the get-go to be binged in this modern era of letting six episodes wash over you.
Now, to be clear, "beach read" shouldn't be seen as a disparaging term. Like every other catch-all, summer reads totally have their purpose, and frequently serve their audiences very well; that's why they're so popular, after all.
Frequently, they do so by serving up a thrill ride that's usually some mix of soapy, pulpy drama that's designed to be devoured while you're lounging around on holiday somewhere. Frankly, I think the team behind "The Perfect Couple" has done a solid job of turning Hilderbrand's novel into a compelling limited series that's a perfect lazy weekend watch. That's surely why it's shot straight to the top spot.
"The Perfect Couple" throws us in with all the excesses of this uber-rich Nantucket family. It's successful because it wastes practically no time in enveloping us in the case. The body is discovered within minutes of pressing play, there are hints that the Winburys' lives aren't as perfect as they're made out to be, and tensions aren't so much as hinted at as spelled out loud.
Sure, it's not a subtle watch, and the writing feels somewhat clumsy. You're being battered over the head with characteristics and attitudes as various characters are interrogated, but all this set-up feels purposeful.
I don't necessarily think the series was trying to be a biting satire on the upper classes (if it was... it doesn't have anything too smart to say). Rather, the set-ups are all there as dangling threads designed to suck us in as much as possible. And seeing as everything's at least put together with enough flair, I'm confident that plenty of viewers will quickly be drawn in if they give it a go.
I'd sum "The Perfect Couple" up as a kind of B-tier, trashier "White Lotus". You've got your cast of unloveable characters, all embroiled in a drama (in this case, a murder mystery set in a beautiful corner of the world). And in the age of binge-watching, I think that's a perfectly acceptable pitch for a summery new show worth streaming as the season changes.
Intrigued? You can stream "The Perfect Couple" on Netflix right now if you haven't checked it out yet.
