There are so many good book-to-screen adaptations to check out, from Nicole Kidman’s Scarpetta to the upcoming Ryan Gosling space adventure Project Hail Mary, and the upcoming Apple TV series Imperfect Women may be another you want to add to your watchlist. Critics have seen the eight-episode miniseries, which is based on the Araminta Hall novel of the same name. While opinions of the series are varied, they all seem to agree the performances are the best part.
Imperfect Women (streaming with an Apple TV subscription) features an impressive cast, with Elisabeth Moss and Kerry Washington starring as longtime friends Mary and Eleanor, who become suspects when Kate Mara’s Nancy — the third member of their trio — is murdered. Leila Latif of AV Club gives the movie a B+, writing that it’s refreshing to see the relationship of these complicated women explored with little concern for making them more “likeable.” Latif says:
What ultimately makes Imperfect Women stand out, though, is the balance between its three protagonists. Eleanor, Nancy, and Mary inhabit vastly different worlds (economically, emotionally, and morally), but the show gives each of them equal narrative gravity. Their perspectives overlap, contradict, and illuminate one another in ways that make the series feel less like a traditional whodunit and more like a study on the fragility of long friendships.
Dave Nemetz of TVLine gives it a B, writing that while it doesn’t break any new narrative ground, Imperfect Women does spend as much time examining the grief brought on by Nancy’s death as it does trying to solve the mystery. Nemetz’s review continues:
Yes, it gets a little soapy at times, but it's still a satisfying watch because there's an emotional authenticity at its core. The three women seem to have a genuine bond — the actresses make them feel like old friends — so when things get complicated for them, we actually care about what happens next. We may have seen a dozen Wine Mom Mysteries like Imperfect Women over the past decade... but there's nothing wrong with uncorking another bottle, right?
Sherin Nicole of RogerEbert rates it 2 out of 4 stars, saying it hits all the notes of a “salacious confessional,” like hidden desires, envy and guilt, mostly with tepid results. It’s the performances that save the series, though, Nicole says:
Listen, you can watch Imperfect Women, and it will be fine. You know when you ask someone how you look, and they say ‘fine,’ and you feel less than complimented? It’s fine like that, like the absence of an opinion either way. Except for one thing: These women are acting their faces off. Because that’s what they do. They’re great, no denying it. The plot twists are also specific to the characters; there’s growth and, ultimately, reasons to root for Elle and Mary.
Daniel Fienberg of THR calls the series “maddeningly generic,” and struggles to call it a “new” Apple series because of how little about it is actually “new.” It’s not the worst in the overextended genre of wealthy woman murder mysteries, though, Fienberg says, explaining:
I didn’t hate Imperfect Women. But the fact that I’ve seen a dozen similar-but-worse shows and a dozen similar-but-better shows in the past couple of years somehow makes this one feel more egregious. I get Hollywood’s point that rich people live hollow but aspirational lives and people from Bakersfield live trashy but fundamentally decent lives, and that murder is fun, but I’ve reached a breaking point.
Carly Lane of Collider is similarly nonplussed, awarding the series 5 out of 10. All credit goes to Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington and Kate Mara for keeping the series afloat, Lane says, writing:
Within the overall scope of Apple TV's thriller offerings, Imperfect Women falls squarely in the middle. Its performances are strong enough to hook you, but the narrative isn't as consistently propulsive as it could be, and the show's individual character spotlight robs the viewer of more development for the female friendship at the center of the story. If there's one more point that can be awarded in the series' favor, it's that it spins a complete murder mystery yarn rather than falling into the trap of trying to keep things too open-ended. For the sake of these messy, complicated women, whose lives only become messier before the conclusion, that's likely for the best.
Whether the critics loved Imperfect Women or thought it was just OK, every review I read gave credit to the leading trio. If this is a genre you’re a fan of, or you just appreciate the work of these actresses, the first two episodes of this Apple TV series premiere on the 2026 TV schedule on Wednesday, March 18, with episodes dropping weekly thereafter.
