The 10 best shows to watch if you loved ‘The Perfect Couple,’ ranked
The Netflix mystery drama The Perfect Couple has been one of the streamer’s most-watched series since it premiered on September 5, 2024.
The show is based on a novel by Elin Hilderbrand and created by Jenna Lamia. Like most of Hilderbrand’s work, the story takes place on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts and features moneyed members of society showing off their very worst behavior. If you gobbled up all six episodes of The Perfect Couple and want more shows like it, read on for ten series that scratch the same sort of itch. We’ve ranked them below, with our favorite in the number one spot.
10. The Undoing
Nicole Kidman stars in this psychological mystery thriller based on the 2014 novel You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz. The series was adapted, written, and produced by David E. Kelley. It premiered on HBO on October 25, 2020.
The Undoing is about a wealthy New York City couple, Grace (Kidman) and Jonathan Fraser (Hugh Grant), whose comfortable life is thrown into turmoil when a young woman (Matilda De Angelis) is murdered and Jonathan is accused of the crime. The show explores all of the suspects in turn, muddying the water so much that by the time we reach the conclusion, we too feel like we “should have known.”
9. Sharp Objects
Before Gillian Flynn wrote the bestseller Gone Girl, she released her debut novel, Sharp Objects, in 2006. This psychological thriller series is based on Flynn’s first book and was created by Marti Noxon. The show premiered on HBO on July 8, 2018, featuring Amy Adams as Camille Preaker, an alcoholic and self-harming journalist who returns to her small Missouri hometown to investigate the murders of two young girls. Once there, Camille must face off with her controlling mother Adora (Patricia Clarkson, who won a Golden Globe for her performance) to uncover the grisly truth.
8. Revenge
From 2011 until 2015, the ABC drama Revenge dominated the airwaves every Wednesday night. The series was created by Mike Kelley and inspired by the 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Emily VanCamp plays Emily Thorne, a young woman who returns to the ritzy town in the Hamptons she used to call home before a scandal destroyed her family’s reputation. Emily is back now to take revenge against all who harmed her, especially Victoria Grayson (Madeleine Stowe).
7. Nine Perfect Strangers
David E. Kelley (with John-Henry Butterworth) also developed Nine Perfect Strangers, a drama based on the novel by Liane Moriarty. The show premiered on Hulu on August 18, 2021, and was picked up for a second season in June 2023.
The story revolves around a group of rich people who go to a 10-day retreat at Tranquillum House, a fictional spa retreat run by the mysterious Masha (Nicole Kidman, yet again). The guests discover that there’s more to this California retreat than meets the eye, especially when Masha secretly doses their food with Psilocybin and all hell breaks loose. Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, and Regina Hall shine in a stellar ensemble cast.
6. Bad Sisters
This is one of the few shows on this list that wasn’t adapted from a novel. Instead, Bad Sisters was developed by Sharon Horgan (who also stars), Dave Finkel, and Brett Baer based on the Belgian series Clan. Bad Sisters premiered on Apple TV+ on August 19, 2022; a second season premieres on November 13, 2024.
The plot follows five sisters living in Dublin, Ireland. Eva (Horgan), Grace (Anne-Marie Duff), Ursula (Eva Birthistle), Bibi (Sarah Greene), and Becka (Eve Hewson) secretly plot to murder Grace’s abusive husband, but when he dies unexpectedly, they become the prime suspects for an insurance agent (Brian Gleeson) hellbent on discovering fraud to save his business.
5. The Staircase
This miniseries was created by Antonio Campos based on a 2004 true crime docuseries by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade. In it, Colin Firth plays a rich and famous crime writer named Michael Peterson. When his wife (Toni Collette) is found dead at the bottom of the stairs inside their family home, everyone is a suspect. The Staircase is a bloody, brilliant, and often heartbreaking glimpse into a real-life murder that leaves us with more questions than answers.
4. Little Fires Everywhere
Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon both starred in and produced this Hulu series, which is based on the novel by Celeste Ng. Witherspoon plays the picture-perfect Elena, whose family orbit is thrown off kilter when artist and single mom Mia (Washington) shows up with her daughter, Pearl (Lexi Underwood). Eight taut episodes explore just how far a mother will go to be with her child.
3. Ripley
Author Patricia Highsmith wrote five novels based on the character of Tom Ripley between 1955 and 1991. This Netflix show, based on her first novel The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955), is the first to ever be turned into a TV series.
The psychological neo-noir thriller stars Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley, a con man who weasels his way into the lives of affluent ne’er-do-well Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) and his girlfriend, Marge Sherwood (Dakota Fanning). Over eight episodes, Ripley goes to increasing lengths to remove Dickie from the equation and claim the man’s luxurious lifestyle as his own.
2. The White Lotus
The White Lotus is the only show on this list that is 100 percent original, not based on a book or prior series. Written by Mike White for HBO, the show explores the dynamic between the rich visitors at luxury resorts and the regular people who work at the hotel. The dark comedy was intended to be a limited series, but it was such a success it was expanded to an anthology. Two seasons (set in Maui and Sicily, respectively) have aired so far, and a third, set in Thailand, will premiere in 2025.
The series is a who’s who of incredible actors, including Murray Bartlett, Connie Britton, F. Murray Abraham, Michael Imperioli, and Jennifer Coolidge, who is the only cast member to return for season 2.
1. Big Little Lies
Finally, Big Little Lies is another series that explores the effects of wealth and privilege on those who either have it or covet it. Like Nine Perfect Strangers, it’s based on a book by Liane Moriarty and adapted by David E. Kelley. This HBO show was also intended to be a limited series but was expanded when it became a critical hit and fan-favorite show.
Big Little Lies follows the “Monterey Five,” a group of California women who band together to cover up a crime in the first season. Nicole Kidman plays Celeste, a rich woman trapped in a gilded cage by her abusive husband (Alexander Skarsgard). She’s joined by Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, and Zoë Kravitz, who all have their own troubles to contend with. Meryl Streep joins the cast in season two.
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