The Cutprice Guignol

The Perfect Couple is a crown jewel of trash television.

And trust me, I would know. I’ve been hungry for this late-summer murder mystery fare since I first heard Nicole Kidman was going to be in it – a juicy airport read of a TV show, it follows Amelia (Eve Hewson) as she goes to stay with the wealthy family of her fiance Benji (Billy Howle, eternally playing unfortunate people on their wedding night, apparently), only for her maid of honour to die under mysterious circumstances, leading the whole family and community to turn against each other.

Now, I think the thing that makes The Perfect Couple so outstanding to me is the rare but piquant blend of prestige and shameless trash. Tonally, and on paper, The Perfect Couple is pure luxury – that brilliant cast, those stunning locations, that stylish direction from Susan Bier. But, in truth, what it embraces is a sense of hare-brained silliness that blends with the snooty prestige in a way that’s damn near impossible to pull off, but so phenomenally entertaining when it happens. I’ve written about my love for trash TV this year already, but even rarer than a so-bad-it’s-good TV show is a TV that’s has the potential to be so sensationally good and choosing to be bad.

Well, at least in the silly, overblown whodunnit aspect that makes up the enormously fun script. In terms of performances, there isn’t a weak link in the cast. I don’t think I’ve ever loved Jack Reynor more than in this near-unbearably slimy role as the family’s eldest son, especially matched with Dakota Fanning as his equally-repugnant wife. Isabelle Adjani is a perma-MVP, just coming in and languidly waving her glass of wine about all over the place, and Liev Schrieber fully embraces Hot Dad mode as the charming family patriarch. Obviously, I’m not going to let this review go by without talking at least a little about Nicole Kidman, who truly is one of the best of the best in the industry right now – with so many phenomenal dramatic performances under her belt, this is a great reminder of how sharp she is with comedy, too, bringing a screwball sensibility to her plucked, pinched Greer.

And, while I don’t think the show is blowing the doors off the genre in terms of what it does with its characters, but I also really liked how it handled romantic relationships, too. The central one between Benji and Amelia plays out in a really interesting and satisfying way, as they slowly come to realize that, despite their feelings for each other and the mistakes they’ve both made, they’re happier parting ways than staying together. So many of these stories treat the romantic plot as something that has to end with the couple together, even when it doesn’t really match the plot, but The Perfect Couple twists that a little to provide a genuinely satisfying close to their relationship.

Sumptuous and silly in equal measure, The Perfect Couple is a glorious piece of trash TV, a rare treat that I’m already craving more of. Have you seen The Perfect Couple? Do you have any recommendations for shows that blend trash and treasure as well as this does? Let me know in the comments!

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(header image via Variety)