Despite thematic and locational similarities, Netflix’s new limited series The Perfect Couple is not on the same level as HBO’s celebrated series The White Lotus. Released on Netflix on September 5, 2024, The Perfect Couple has a great cast led by stars Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Eve Hewson, Jack Reynor, and Dakota Fanning. Created by Jenna Lamia (Good Girls, Resident Alien, My Best Friend’s Exorcism), the 6-part series was directed by Susanne Bier, best known for directing Bird Box, The Undoing, and The First Lady.

The White Lotus season 3 has finished filming in Thailand and is expected to be released in 2025. The White Lotus season 3’s cast features an exceptional ensemble that includes Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Scott Glenn, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey, Natasha Rothwell, and Patrick Schwarzenegger. The Perfect Couple showrunner recently revealed that there is a possibility that Netflix will make The Perfect Couple season 2, but nothing has been confirmed at the time of writing.

The Perfect Couple Has Similarities To The White Lotus

Both Take Place In Luxurious Locations And Have Elements Of Murder Mystery And Satire

The Perfect Couple takes place in an idyllic coastal town on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket, which matches the idyllic vacation vibe of The White Lotus that has taken place in Hawaii, Italy, and now Thailand. The Perfect Couple debuted with a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 54% which has slightly increased to 59% along with an audience score of 56%.

On the other hand, The White Lotus season 1 has an RT critic score of 90% while season 2 earned an RT critic score of 94%. The series has also been compared to HBO’s Big Little Lies due to Kidman’s leading role in a murder mystery series based on a popular novel. The Perfect Couple and The White Lotus essentially both follow wealthy people residing in luxurious beachfront locations with elements of murder mystery, humor, and satire.

It could appear that Netflix was trying to create a sort of White Lotus and Big Little Lies hybrid with The Perfect Couple

What’s more, Meghann Fahy is in both The Perfect Couple as Merritt Monaco and The White Lotus as Daphne. It could appear that Netflix was trying to create a sort of White Lotus and Big Little Lies hybrid with The Perfect Couple and potentially spur a fun summer franchise series for their platform. This could still be a possibility, as the critics who gave good reviews to The Perfect Couple enjoyed its pulpy entertainment value.

The Perfect Couple Doesn’t Match The White Lotus’ Greatness

The White Lotus’ Characters And Narratives Are Constructed Better

The Perfect Couple is not overtly bad but it definitely isn’t as sharp and doesn’t have the same bite as The White Lotus. It simply isn’t as wild or gloriously entertaining as HBO’s celebrated series but that doesn’t mean that it’s not worth a quick and easy viewing.

IMDB’s Highest Rated Episodes of The Perfect Couple

Episode Number
TItle
IMDB Score

S1.E3
The Perfect Family
7.3

S1.E1
Happy Wedding Eve
7.0

S1.E2
She Would Never Do That
7.0

The series is highly bingeable and pulpy” making it a breeze to fly through in a few or even one sitting, whereas The White Lotus is famously released weekly on Sunday nights. While The Perfect Couple can be seen as hollow, misleading, and derivative of other whodunnit mysteries, the strength of the ensemble cast and the immersion of the setting make it worth checking out.

“While the series occasionally dips, especially as it zigs and zags its way through the whodunit mystery, it never loses its sense of engagement and fun.” – Mae Abdulbaki – Screen Rant’s The Perfect Couple Review