Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Perfect Couple.
For those who enjoyed Netflix’sThe Perfect Couple, there are many similar shows to check out next. An adaptation of the Elin Hilderbrand novel of the same name,The Perfect Coupleis set in the idyllic Massachusetts islandof Nantucket. There, characters Benji and Amelia are due to be wed, but the perfect couple’s wedding is disrupted when the maid of honor washes up dead on the beach the night before the ceremony.The Perfect Couple’s castincludes Nicole Kidman, Eve Hewson, Liev Schreiber, Billy Howle, Meghann Fahy, and Donna Lynne Champlin.
The Perfect Couplehas gotten mixed reviewsso far, but its mystery, family drama, and intrigue are still capable of gripping Netflix audiences.The Perfect Coupleincludes multiple key ingredients to become a recipe for success for Netflix. The show also highlights themes such as the challenges that can arise when the two parties in a couple are from vastly different backgrounds. WhileThe Perfect Couplemay be over after six episodes, there are plenty of series with similar premises.
Big Little Lies
Cast
Big Little Lies is a television drama from 2017 based on Liane Moriarty’s novel. It features three mothers of first-graders in Monterey, California, whose seemingly idyllic lives begin to deteriorate amid secrets, lies, and a mysterious murder investigation intertwining their personal narratives.
Also starring Nicole Kidman in a key role,Big Little Liesis an HBO series that has had 14 episodes released thus far across two seasons. In a similar vein asThe Perfect Couple,Big Little Liesstarts by showing a group of upper-class people whose lives seem ostensibly perfect, but slowly begin to unravel. The Emmy-nominatedcast ofBig Little Liesfeatures a female-led superstar cast including Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz, Laura Dern, and Meryl Streep.
The bonds andfeuds between women inBig Little Liesmay appeal to those sucked in by the tensions between Greer and AmeliainThe Perfect Couple. Kidman fans specifically will enjoyBig Little Lies, as it sees the actress deliver a performance with even more range than her calculating role inThe Perfect Couple.Big Little Liesalso takes place in an upper-class environment rife with marital tension, making it a worthy companion toThe Perfect Couple.
The White Lotus
The White Lotus is a television series that explores the interactions of guests and staff at an upscale tropical resort. Premiering in 2021, the narrative unfolds over a week, revealing underlying complexities and tensions among the resort’s seemingly ideal travelers and employees.
The White Lotusis one of themost iconic rich-people-focused series.The satirical series arguably showcases some even more uber-wealthy people than the Winbury family inThe Perfect Couple. WhileThe White Lotusis an ongoing series, it is an anthology, so would also have a miniseries-esque feel to it thatThe Perfect Couplefans may enjoy.
The White Lotushas won six Primetime Emmy Awards.
The White Lotusseason 3 is set for release in 2025, giving audiences another chance to catch an installment of the Mike White series. The show’s two seasons thus far have featured notable cast members, including Jennifer Coolidge, Jon Gries, F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco, Theo James, Sabrina Impacciatore, Tom Hollander, Sydney Sweeney, Aubrey Plaza, and Haley Lu Richardson.The Perfect Couple’s Meghann Fahy also appears inThe White Lotusseason 2, so those who liked her as Merritt may want to check out the HBO show.
Death and Other Details
Death and Other Details is a mystery series created for Hulu by Mike Weiss and Heidi Cole McAdams. Aboard a luxury cruise liner, Imogene Scott accidentally finds herself at the center of a murder mystery and ends up as the prime suspect. To clear her name, she must team up with the man she hates the most, Detective Rufus Cotesworth.
Death & Other Detailsis a great series forThe Perfect Couplefans who are really looking to delve into the mystery side of things. Released on Hulu earlier in 2024,Death & Other Detailsunwinds the mystery of who killed Keith Trubitsky, a man murdered on a luxury cruise ship.Death & Other Detailsis much more of a typical whodunnit mystery thanThe Perfect Couple, whose family tension is just as important as its mystery element.
Another connection betweenDeath & Other DetailsandThe Perfect Coupleis the setting. Those interested in the nautical setting ofThe Perfect Couple’s Nantucket surroundings may jive withDeath & Other Details. In addition to the boat setting,Death & Other Detailstakes place in several seaside towns.
Behind Her Eyes
Director Erik Richter Strand presents Behind Her Eyes, a supernatural thriller Netflix series that follows Louise, a single mother who has an affair with her psychiatrist boss, David. Her life takes a strange turn when she later befriends his wife, Adele, but soon she finds herself caught in a never-ending web of secrets and lies where nothing is what it seems.
While something likeBig Little Liesmay be the go-to for Kidman fans,Behind Her Eyesis a great starting point for those wanting to delve even deeper into the Hewson oeuvre. Though her first credited role came in 2008, 2021’sBehind Her Eyeswas one of the actor’s breakthrough roles. The Netflix miniseries sees Hewson play Adele, a woman whose psychiatrist husband is having an affair with a single mother named Louise, who Adele ends up striking a friendship with.
WhereasThe Perfect Coupleis more of an ensemble piece,Behind Her Eyesis a much more intimate story that focuses heavily on Adele, Louise, and their mutual lover, David. This gives Hewson a chance to shine in the role, as she questions the sanctity of her relationship with David, much like Amelia questions Benji inThe Perfect Couple.Behind Her Eyesis a six-episode miniseries, so it is perfect for those who enjoy Hewson as well as the six-episode format.
Bad Sisters
Bad Sisters is an Apple TV+ exclusive series based on the Flemish TV original Clan. The Garvey sisters are a group of five blood-related siblings bonded closely after the untimely death of their parents. Tragedy strikes once again when the husband of Grace Williams (Anne-Marie Duff) dies. The other four sisters, however, haven’t hidden their disapproval of Grace’s husband, John Paul Williams, due to his poor treatment of her on an abusive level. His life insurer notes this and launches an investigation into John’s death. Bad Sisters will take viewers back and forth into the past and present as they unveil the truth about what happened around John’s death.
Delving even further into Hewson’s body of work isBad Sisters. In the Apple TV+ dark comedy,Hewson is one of the Garvey sisters, a group of women who are bound together by the death of their parents. In addition to Hewson,Bad Sistersfeatures Sharon Horgan, Sarah Greene, Anne-Marie Duff, Saise Quinn, and Eva Birthistle.
Bad Sistersseason 2releases on Wednesday, November 13. This makes now a perfect time for those just coming off ofThe Perfect Coupleto catchBad Sistersseason 1 on Apple TV+. The first season was nominated for four Emmys, and press about the show has been heating up. Fans of Hewson should not miss what is arguably her best role to date.
The Undoing
The Undoing is a 2018 film exploring themes of infidelity, misfortune, and death. The narrative focuses on the unraveling lives of those affected by a tragic sequence of events triggered by an affair, delving into the complexities of betrayal and its far-reaching consequences.
Behind Her EyesandBad Sistersmay set audiences on the Hewson track, butKidman’s television career also features many notable credits worth exploring.One such credit isThe Undoing, a six-episode legal drama wherein a New York City therapist’s life is turned upside down when her family gets involved in a murder case. As with herThe Perfect Couplecharacter, Greer, Kidman’s lead role is a member of wealthy society.
As such, Kidman’s Grace Fraser worries about her reputation and future when the murder case is revealed.These overlapping themes and acting makeThe Undoinga good follow-up watch toThe Perfect Couple, but it is not even the only similarity. Susanne Bier, who directed all the episodes ofThe Perfect Couple, also directedThe Undoing.
Succession
Succession is a Black Comedy and Satire television show created by Jesse Armstrong. It stars Hiam Abbass, Nicholas Braun, Brian Cox, and Kieran Culkin and follows the story of an aging conglomerate owner as he deals with his declining health and the sudden realization that one of his children will soon inherit his position and run his company.
The lengths that the uber-wealthy will go to to protect their self-image is a key facet of a majorly decorated series:Succession. Throughout its four-season run,Successionwon 19 Emmys, including awards for its acting. The Roy family at the heart ofSuccessionreaches levels of wealth far above that of the Winburys but still captures a similar world.
Successionwon 19 Primetime Emmy Awards during its four-season run.
Despite their similar themes,The Perfect CoupleandSuccessionare very different shows. For one, their duration highly affects their storytelling.Succession’s four-seasonunfolding makes it such that the story unveils almost like a multi-chaptered epic.The Perfect Couple’s six-episode run is far more concise. Audiences interested in the rich society and ensemble cast aspect ofThe Perfect Couple, however, may take a liking toSuccession.
Little Fires Everywhere
Based on the best-selling novel by Celeste Ng, Little Fires everywhere stars Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon as Mia Warren and Elena Richardson, two mothers on very different life paths who become inexorably linked when Elena rents her family’s guest house to Mia and her daughter Pearl. As Pearl becomes closer to the Richardson children, secrets and past ghosts for both families as well as local scandal begin to come to light, leading to incendiary consequences. Lexi Underwood, Joshua Jackson, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Jade Pettyjohn also star.
In addition to its genre, cast, setting, and themes, another key aspect ofThe Perfect Coupleis the fact that it was based on a book. So too is the case of the 2020 Hulu miniseriesLittle Fires Everywhere, which isan adaptation of Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestselling novelof the same name.Little FiresEverywherespanned eight episodes and featured a leading cast including Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lexi Underwood, and Joshua Jackson.
Little Fires Everywhereis not a murder mystery, but it does create intense interpersonal suspense. Those who are drawn to this aspect ofThe Perfect Couplewill enjoy the drama inLittle Fires Everywhere. Furthermore, its basis in a book is great for literature lovers who are looking to have some more book-to-movie content.
Apples Never Fall
Based on the novel by Liane Moriarty (author of Big Little Lies), Apples Never Fall is a mystery-drama series created by Melanie Marnich for Peacock in 2024. The Delaney family seemingly has it all from an outsider’s perspective. Still, when Stan and Joy sell their sports academy to spend more time with their older children, their plans are disrupted when a young woman arrives at their door, leading to Joy’s disappearance soon after.
Kidman may be a powerhouse actress to lead any TV series, but Annette Bening is not one to be missed either.Apples Never Fallis a Peacock whodunnit mystery starring Bening as Joy Delaney, a woman who disappears from a seemingly happy family. In addition to Bening,Apples Never Fallfeatures a leading cast including Sam Neill, Jake Lacy, Conor Merrigan Turner, Essie Randles, and Georgia Flood.
As in the case ofLittle Fires Everywhere,Apples Never Fallis not ostensibly a murder mystery. Its biggest similarity withThe Perfect Couplecomes from the fact that it explores a family dynamic through the lens of multiple of its children. Comparisons can be made between the Delaney and Winbury crew, who both at first seem happy and well off, but something deeper is lurking below the surface.
Love & Death
Based on the true story and the book that chronicled it titled Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs by Jim Atkinson and John Bloom, Love & Death is a crime drama created for HBO Max. Elizabeth Olsen stars as Candy Montgomery, a Wylie, Texas housewife accused of the murder of her friend, Betty Gore, in 1980.
For those wanting to get into even more brutal murder mysteries, HBO’sLove & Deathis a great miniseries to turn to. One of the bloodier and more intense stories on this list,Love & Deathis a miniseries that isbased on the true story of Candace Montgomery’s alleged murder of Betty Gore. The series features outstanding performances from Elizabeth Olsen, Jesse Plemmons, Lily Rabe, and Patrick Fugit.
LikeThe Perfect Couple,Love & Deathexplores adultery as a key theme. The leads of the series have very different socioeconomic statuses than those ofThe Perfect Couple, but adultery still rattles the families at the heart of the series.Love & Deathis a miniseries that is great forThe Perfect Couplefans in search of another murder mystery.
The Perfect Couple
In the idyllic setting of Nantucket, a lavish wedding turns sinister when a body is discovered in the harbor just before the ceremony. As the investigation unfolds, every member of the wedding party becomes a suspect, unraveling secrets and lies. Starring Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, and Dakota Fanning, the series promises intense drama and mystery.
