Sirens: entertaining satire on the lives of the ultra-wealthy stars Julianne Moore
This 'blackly comic affair' unfurls at a 'breakneck speed'
Following hot on the heels of "The White Lotus", Netflix's "Sirens" falls into the flourishing genre of satirical "wealth TV", said Anita Singh in The Telegraph.
The five-part series is "a blackly comic affair" that stars Julianne Moore as Michaela Kell, a "preposterously rich" socialite whose passion project is conserving birds of prey. Her life is managed by her young PA Simone (Milly Alcock), who works around the clock to maintain the perfection of her boss's impossibly luxurious clifftop mansion, while catering adoringly to her every whim. We see all this through the eyes of an outsider, Simone's grungy, alcoholic sister Devon (Meghann Fahy), who turns up at the property to insist that Simone come home and help her care for their father, who has dementia.
Simone is horrified by the unexpected arrival at Michaela's compound of her chaotic sister, said Dan Einav in the Financial Times. Devon, for her part, is unimpressed by the Stepford Wives nature of the set-up there, and begins to suspect that Michaela is the leader of a cult from whose clutches she must rescue Simone.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Each episode of the drama, which also stars Kevin Bacon as Kell's financier husband, unfurls "in a burst of chaotic energy", said Katie Rosseinsky in The Independent. The "breakneck speed" of the plotting leads to some absurdities, and the show's attempts to marry scathing class satire with a "more serious" exploration of family dynamics often makes it tonally jarring. Still, as an "unpredictable slice of slightly bonkers summer escapism", "Sirens" is "irresistibly alluring".
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The MAGA civil war takes center stage at the Turning Point USA conferenceIN THE SPOTLIGHT ‘Americafest 2025′ was a who’s who of right-wing heavyweights eager to settle scores and lay claim to the future of MAGA
-
The 8 best drama movies of 2025the week recommends Nuclear war, dictatorship and the summer of 2020 highlight the most important and memorable films of 2025
-
Why, really, is Trump going after Venezuela?Talking Points It might be oil, rare minerals or Putin
-
The 8 best drama movies of 2025the week recommends Nuclear war, dictatorship and the summer of 2020 highlight the most important and memorable films of 2025
-
The best homes of the yearFeature Featuring a former helicopter engine repair workshop in Washington, D.C. and high-rise living in San Francisco
-
Critics’ choice: The year’s top 10 moviesFeature ‘One Battle After Another’ and ‘It Was Just an Accident’ stand out
-
A luxury walking tour in Western AustraliaThe Week Recommends Walk through an ‘ancient forest’ and listen to the ‘gentle hushing’ of the upper canopy
-
Joanna Trollope: novelist who had a No. 1 bestseller with The Rector’s WifeIn the Spotlight Trollope found fame with intelligent novels about the dramas and dilemmas of modern women
-
Appetites now: 2025 in food trendsFeature From dining alone to matcha mania to milk’s comeback
-
Man vs Baby: Rowan Atkinson stars in an accidental adoption comedyTalking Point Sequel to Man vs Bee is ‘nauseatingly schmaltzy’
-
Goodbye June: Kate Winslet’s directorial debut divides criticsTalking Point Helen Mirren stars as the terminally ill English matriarch in this sentimental festive heartwarmer