The Perfect Couple; The Zelensky Story

“The Perfect Couple is trash but it is top-notch trash, a show aiming only for sugar-hit moreishness and hitting the mark in almost every scene. Nantucket looks ludicrously beautiful; the family are ludicrously snobbish and unpleasant, and yet try as you might, you will want to know the who, what, where and why-dunit. As summer gives up trying and the nights close in, The Perfect Couple is the perfect winter warmer: a potboiler for the purists.”
Benji Wilson, The Telegraph

“It was adapted by Jenna Lamia from the book of the same name by Elin Hilderbrand, who is known as the queen of the beach read. Lamia has kept exactly what makes such books great and presented us with a glorious, ridiculous treat. Nothing to do but sit back and enjoy.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“As in the best crime mysteries, the series walks a fine line between tense character development and welcome comic relief. Netflix has previously struck gold in murder mysteries with Rian Johnson’s Knives Out films, and although there’s a more serious and satirical HBO feel to this show, Netflix bosses appear to have combined script, stars and director to deliver a similarly populist, addictive formula across a six-episode series.”
Tim Glanfield, The Times

“For a soapy, sandy tale of high society types trying to keep a lid on their ids, it does make for watchable fun as long as you don’t crave much sophistication or hidden depth. The Perfect Couple has all the soapy twists you could want from an easily digestible binge-fest and it’s graciously short compared to most. But a mansion full of horny, caustic millionaires has been done better elsewhere.”
Julia Raeside, The i

“Don’t let the presence of Academy Award-winning Danish director Susanne Bier mislead you: The Perfect Couple is by-the-numbers Netflix pulp. In its lack of originality, it invites comparison with Big Little Lies, but absent the tension and intrigue of that drama, we’re left with something as superficial and unfulfilled as the family it depicts. Imperfect lives, imperfectly depicted.”
Nick Hilton, The Independent

“Michael Waldman has put together a detailed portrait of an extraordinary man at an extraordinary time in his country’s history (and that of the world, if you think what a Putin victory would mean for western democracy), while unobtrusively filling in any gaps in geopolitical knowledge a viewer might have. This is a gift of a subject, but Waldman manages to sidestep hagiography while still acknowledging the astonishing nature of the man and his time.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“There is always an element of PR with any political documentary that puts the protagonist in the interview chair, and there have been documentaries about Zelensky before. But this excellent series does feel definitive, affording what feels like an authentic insight into Zelensky from friends and experts, as well as from the man himself, in his khaki T-shirt.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The Zelensky Story traced a rise to fame so charming and extraordinary, it ought to be a Hollywood movie — and doubtless will be, one day. But it also featured interviews with both the President and his First Lady, Olena, who were stunningly honest about their marriage and its tensions. Without getting lost in digressions, this superb three-part documentary explains Putin’s obsession with conquering Ukraine, and charts the sequence of events leading up to the 2022 invasion.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail