Trailer:
The lives of the privileged and elite have been capturing the fascination of viewers for several years now. However, it makes you wonder if the genre of high-class society will ever reach its max. While the spin offs have been treated on almost every streaming service, it seems that audiences still haven't lost their appetite. The latest rendition of “rich, white people in crisis” comes to us in the form of novel turned Limited Series, “Nine Perfect Strangers,” which aired on Hulu over the weekend.
The novel of the same name is written by our very favorite author Liane Moriarty, responsible for the massive HBO success “Big Little Lies” which premiered in 2017. Since then, collaborators have been thirsty for new installments, eager for audiences to absorb as much regurgitated content while they still capture their attention. It’s not just Liane Moriarty’s works that have broached the trope, we have seen it in countless other places like with HBO’s 2020 Drama “The Undoing,” in Hulu’s 20219 Limited Series “Little Fires Everywhere,” or most recently through HBO’s wacky and bizarre social satire “The White Lotus.” Each of these Limited Series installments covers rich people in crisis and we should expect to see even more of this content endure as audiences are tuning in now, more than ever.
Like most successful Limited Series as of late, “Nine Perfect Strangers” is based on the book by the same name. Liane Moriarty, author and producer of “Big Little Lies” released the book in 2018 and the options were quickly snatched up to create a limited series, this time, showing up on Hulu. The book and series follows the lives of strangers coming together to meet at a wellness retreat called “Tranquillum.” Each member of the 10-day program is looking escape different demons and all relinquish control to Masha (Nicole Kidman), the elusive owner and operator of the remote resort. But Masha might have a hidden, sinister agenda that she is not sharing with the fellow attendees.
The nine different attendees come from a variety of backgrounds. We have Frances (Melissa McCarthy), a single romance novelist suffering from a near-nervous break-down. Lars (Luke Evans), a un-committed recently single man looking for a retreat who is constantly at odds with another guest, Carmel, (Regina Hall), a single mom looking to lose weight. An influencer couple, looking to re-kindle their romance (Samara Weaver and Melvin Gregg) set up a stark juxtaposition with the Marconi Family including Napoleon (Michael Shannon), Heather (Asher Kedder) and their daughter Zoe (Grace Van Patten) still grappling with a tragic loss. The final guest includes a former football player that has become a recovering addict seeking solace and reprieve (Bobby Cannavale).
While at first it seems that none of these strangers have anything in common, after a few days of controversial therapy session and practices, their differences begin to slowly disappear as they find common ground through sessions with Masha and the rest of the staff. During the premiere, Hulu released the first three episode which covered the first three days of therapy at “Tranquilium,” but questions and concerns are beginning to raise whether or not Masha’s therapeutic practices are actually legal.
While Nicole Kidman is portrayed as the lead character in the series, it's Melissa McCarthy's role that blows me away. Already considering my Emmy Campaign for her role in 2022.
Hulu is planning to release one-episode a week following their first 3-episode release. Check back in and stay up to date on the latest rendition of rich, white people in crisis.
And that’s the sitch.
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