The murder mystery genre is enjoying a renaissance of sorts. From deeply though provoking shows like A Murder at the End of the World to fun movies like those in the Knives Out franchise, there’s no shortage of options. Some of the paint-by-numbers whodunit-type shows are soapy, sometimes steamy, guilty pleasures, too. Imperfect Women on Apple TV fits right in with the latter.
It’s a worthy entry with a fab cast and a compelling, twisty story with episodic cliffhangers that beg for binge-watching. If you want to curl up for a binge session, you’ll have to wait as the series premieres with its first two episodes on March 18 followed by new episodes weekly for a total of eight through April 29, 2026. But you might appreciate the week-to-week teases that leave you theorizing and guessing before throwing a massive curveball your way.
Imperfect Women is Perfectly Juicy
If you loved shows like The Perfect Couple, All Her Fault, and Apples Never Fall, Imperfect Women will be right up your alley. The psychological thriller is based on the novel of the same name by Araminta Hall about three long-time friends, two of whom are gutted by a tragic crime that leads to the other’s death. Tackling themes of guilt, revenge, love, betrayal, loyalty, and secrets, it has all the makings of a soapy guilty pleasure with a talented cast that takes this typically corny angle to more serious heights.
Kerry Washington (Scandal), Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale), and Kata Mara (House of Cards) star as the three friends, Joel Kinnaman (For All Mankind) and Corey Stoll (Billions) also with main roles along with a stellar supporting cast that includes Sandrine Holt (Homeland), Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty), Keith Carradine (Dexter), and Leslie Odom Jr. (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery).
Without revealing anything about the plot – and you’ll want to go into this show blind without knowing too much – the trailer already confirms that Eleanor (Washington) and Mary (Moss) learn that a body was found, that of their friend Nancy (Mara). But how the plot unfolds from there is where the intrigue lies.
Imperfect Women follows a known formula, so you’re not getting anything groundbreaking. The police investigate, following leads as to who they think are suspects. The friends and family members tell their stories from their perspectives, each of which reveals more truths. And we get to learn more about the victim before their death and the moments and events that led up to it. It’s all pretty cookie cutter, but this is precisely why you might love it.
That’s because cookie cutter in this genre means twists, turns, and plenty of guessing throughout to keep you on your toes. There’s something off about this person: they must be guilty of something. That person seems suspicious. Who is she talking about? These are all thoughts that will be going through your mind as you watch. If you go in expecting this level of predictability and clever not-so-hidden clues, red herrings, and misdirects, you’ll enjoy every moment as the plot thickens.
Imperfect Women delivers shocking moments you won’t see coming, eventually delving into unbelievably ridiculous territory at times. Every actor is perfectly cast, though we wish there was less awkward chemistry between Washington and Odom Jr., who play siblings. Why do they talk so closely to one another? It’s weird! Each actor believably delivers their character, Washington as Eleanor, the strong, independent woman exploring the single life, Mary (Moss) the frantic, exhausted mom, and Nancy the socialite who spent her days throwing parties and dealing with her husband’s wealthy family. They’re all relatable in one way or another, perhaps every woman seeing a piece of herself in each one of them.
There are strong messages behind the show, though cliched ones, like money doesn’t buy happiness or erase past trauma, some friendships are rock solid (others not), repressed feelings don’t just go away, and secrets will always catch up to you, one way or another. Exploring important mental health topics is also part of the plot, from addiction to depression to even narcissism. There are a lot of complexities that suggest the psychological thriller is setting out to do more than just tell a salacious story of murder and betrayal. It aims to open eyes to inauthenticity, rage, and the horrible consequences of unresolved trauma.
A Strong Contender in the Genre
Imperfect Women has strong female leads and not-so-delicately covers the complicated dynamics of friendship, marriage, wealth, and past trauma. While the female actors are standouts, Kinnaman and Stoll do expectedly fine jobs in their roles as well. The situations they face might be heightened and unrelatable, but the underlying message rings true.
If I were to position this series in comparison with others of a similar type, it’s better than The Perfect Couple, on par with All Her Fault, but not quite at The White Lotus level. It’s dark and disturbing at times, introducing you to characters you might absolutely adore one minute only to have you slowly despise or conversely sympathize with them the more you learn. The show gets a little too soapy at times, shifting from the grittier tone in the beginning to something more akin to your garden variety network mystery show. Some of the morals of the story get lost because of this, but you’re left pondering at least a few questions about life, love, friendships, and the cost of dishonesty by the end.
There are many NSFW scenes so don’t plan to watch this around the kids or on your mobile device in public if you’ll feel awkward with others looking over your shoulder. It’s one of those shows where I kept telling myself “just one more episode.” Next thing I knew, I was four episodes deep.
Every episode ends with a massive revelation that will leave you with your jaw on the floor, desperate to learn what it means. Who’s the killer, why did they do it, and what secrets do they hold? The answer will leave you shook in ways you never expected, the moments that unfold profoundly disturbing.
This is a show that will keep you up at night trying to decipher what every crucial cliffhanger, every subtle nuance means, and to take in some of the most bewildering events that come as the plot unfolds. It’s paint-by-numbers delivered on an entertaining canvas with a sea of black splayed all over it by the end, but a sense that it can be wiped away. You can start over, even if that black paint has still left stains.