This article contains spoilers for Imperfect Women.
Television loves a series about female friendships, even if they feel rarer than they once were. My Brilliant Friend, Girls5eva, Harlem, and How to Get to Heaven from Belfast are among the best examples in recent years that networks and streaming services offer. Sex and the City remains culturally relevant, while Big Little Lies continues to dominate the conversation. HBO confirmed that Big Little Lies would return for a fourth season last year, proving that audiences still cannot get enough of messy dramas about women whose lives intertwine around a dangerous secret. The formula works so well that it feels inevitable that another streamer would take a swing at it. Apple TV does exactly that with Imperfect Women.
Created for television by Annie Weisman and based on the novel by Araminta Hall, the series centres on three lifelong friends whose bond fractures after a shocking tragedy. Eleanor (Kerry Washington), Mary (Elisabeth Moss), and Nancy (Kate Mara) have been friends since college and believe they will grow old together. That certainty is destroyed almost immediately in the first episode when Nancy is found dead, and the ripple effects spread through everyone connected to her.
What unfolds across the season is less a straightforward whodunnit and more an exploration of friendship, loyalty, and the secrets people keep from even those closest to them. Its first two episodes debut on Apple TV on March 18, followed by weekly instalments thereafter until April 29. Each episode shifts focus between the women and reveals how differently they see the world. Nancy is a housewife from Bakersfield who socially climbed through her marriage to Robert (Joel Kinnaman).
Eleanor met Robert at 18 and has carried a complicated attachment to him ever since, even though he chose Nancy. The dynamic hangs over her choices – some you will want to scream at the television over – creating a tension that never quite dissipates. It becomes one of the show’s most frustrating dynamics. Mary’s situation feels equally fraught. Her marriage to Howard (Corey Stoll) began through an affair, a decision that has lowered her confidence and pushed her towards unhealthy coping mechanisms.
If the women are imperfect, messy to a rich degree that has you equal parts rooting for them and admonishing them at every turn, the men are straight-up villains. Often, it becomes clear that the trio are products of their environments and the people surrounding them. For Nancy, that truth stretches back to her childhood, as she grew up with an alcoholic mother and a stepfather who sexually abused her. For Eleanor and Mary, the shaping forces appear later in life.
The entirety of Imperfect Women ultimately becomes a showcase for Kerry Washington. Washington leads the show with a performance that reiterates why she is the go-to star of so many thrillers. Eleanor presents herself as someone who has everything under control, yet the show gradually reveals cracks beneath that confidence. It makes Eleanor all the more compelling, even when her decisions veer firmly into questionable territory.
Elisabeth Moss proves just as mesmerising. She plays Mary as a woman whose imagination often offers an escape from a reality she struggles to confront. Moss leans into that fragility while still allowing Mary moments of determination, particularly when it comes to uncovering the truth about her best friend’s death. As the story unfolds, Mary grows into one of the show’s most fascinating characters, culminating in later episodes where Moss delivers work that rivals her award-winning performance in The Handmaid’s Tale. It also serves as a reminder not to underestimate her, even when those around her do.
Kate Mara, meanwhile, becomes increasingly central as the season progresses. Although Nancy’s death sets the narrative in motion, the series gradually shifts focus to her perspective through flashbacks and episodes dedicated to her point of view. Mara makes every appearance count, creating a layered portrait of a woman trying to maintain control over a life that unravels faster than she can keep up with.
The supporting cast proves equally as strong. Leslie Odom Jr. brings an entertaining presence as Donovan, Eleanor’s brother. His blunt honesty provides some welcome perspective on Eleanor’s choices; he wastes no time making it clear that he does not share Eleanor’s enthusiasm for Robert, adding another layer of tension to her storyline. Few actors command the screen as Washington does.
Perhaps the most chilling performance, however, comes from Corey Stoll. He delivers an unsettling turn that grows more disturbing as the series progresses. Similarly, Joel Kinnaman plays Robert in a way that constantly unnerves. Reliant on alcohol, avoidant of emotions, and increasingly distant from Nancy, his anger often gets the better of him, portraying a man who treats those around him cruelly.
The weekly release schedule should also work in the show’s favour. Imperfect Women is a story designed to spark conversation, with each episode dropping hints and complications that invite speculation. Watching it week by week allows audiences to theorise, debate, and dissect every twist – and there are plenty of them.
Its writing thrives on ambiguity. Imperfect Women deliberately plays with viewers’ expectations about who might be responsible, and no one feels entirely trustworthy. Just as you count a character out, new information is revealed that puts them back into question. The tension builds well, especially when Eleanor and Mary begin digging into Nancy’s life. Each discovery creates the sense that Nancy had been carrying burdens her closest friends barely understood.
The result is a messy, emotionally charged drama that thrives on the imperfections of its women. Washington may sit firmly at the centre, but Moss and Mara match her every step of the way, creating an ensemble that ranks among Apple TV’s strongest to date. This makes the platform’s relatively muted marketing campaign even more puzzling.
Still, strong word of mouth and social media discussion may yet give the show the momentum it needs. With its sharp scripts and powerhouse performances, Imperfect Women stands as one of television’s most engrossing series in years. If audiences give it the chance, it might also become one of the most talked-about.
