The Perfect Couple: glossy Netflix murder-mystery starring Nicole Kidman
However hard you try to resist it, 'you will want to know the who, what, where and why-dunit'

"Pitched somewhere between 'The White Lotus', 'Glass Onion' and the latest Harlan Coben series", Netflix's six-part drama "The Perfect Couple" is "a glossy spin on the rich-people-are-awful sub-genre of murder-mystery," said Sophie Butcher in Empire.
Nicole Kidman stars as Greer, a fabulously rich novelist whose son's wedding on Nantucket is ruined when a body turns up on the beach. Suddenly, everyone staying at the family's huge beach house for the weekend is a suspect. The dialogue is often a bit cheesy, and the whole thing is "schmaltzy, silly and very soapy"; but it's elevated by an impressive supporting cast that includes Meghann Fahy and Dakota Fanning; and the compelling plotting and well-established characters "will have you hooked".
The series ticks off "every cliché of the megabucks mystery thriller", said Benji Wilson in The Daily Telegraph, from its title to the fact that none of the couples are perfect; in fact, they all hate each other. Still, though it is all predictable and trashy, this is "top-notch trash", a show that aims only for "sugar-hit moreishness" and hits the mark time and again.
Subscribe to 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.
"Nantucket looks ludicrously beautiful; the family are ludicrously snobbish and unpleasant", and however hard you try to resist it, "you will want to know the who, what, where and why-dunit".
I found it "awful: ugly, slow, boring", said Camilla Long in The Sunday Times. The cast are horribly dunked in fake tan, and it's deeply unfunny. You'd do much better watching the new season of "Slow Horses", which is "utterly brilliant".
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
August 9 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include snake oil salesmen, Ghislaine Maxwell's new residence, and more
-
5 hastily redrawn cartoons about redistricting
Cartoons Artists take on Donald Trump's draughtsmanship, the White House ballroom, and more
-
Bonnie Blue: taking clickbait to extremes
Talking Point Channel 4 claims documentary on the adult performer's attention-grabbing sex stunts is opening up a debate
-
Bonnie Blue: taking clickbait to extremes
Talking Point Channel 4 claims documentary on the adult performer's attention-grabbing sex stunts is opening up a debate
-
Broccoli and lentil salad with curried tahini and dates recipe
The Week Recommends Flavoursome and healthy, this creamy salad is perfect as part of a mezze
-
The return of 'Wednesday,' an 'Alien' prequel and a dramatic retelling of the Amanda Knox trial all happening in August TV
the week recommends This month's new television releases include 'Alien: Earth,' 'The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox' and a new season of 'Wednesday'
-
Savages: a tragi-comedy set in a 'quirky handcrafted world'
The Week Recommends This new animated film by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Claude Barras is undeniably political, but it has a hopeful message
-
Merryn Somerset Webb chooses five books on how the world works
The Week Recommends The financial columnist picks works by Peter Turchin, Adam Smith and Christopher Clark
-
6 sturdy post-and-beam homes
Feature Featuring a wood stove in New York and hand-hewn beams in New Hampshire
-
The Naked Gun: 'a dumb comedy of the expert kind'
The Week Recommends Liam Neeson shows off his comedy chops in this reboot of Leslie Nielsen's crime spoof
-
King of Kings: 'excellent' book examines Iran's 1979 revolution and its global impacts
The Week Recommends Scott Anderson 'easily and elegantly' paints a picture of a century of Iran's history