Apple TV’s Imperfect Women Becomes an Instant Streaming Hit Despite Mixed Reviews

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Apple TV+’s latest series is already proving to be a popular choice for viewers. It premiered on March 18th.

Starring Elisabeth Moss (known from The Handmaid’s Tale), Kerry Washington (Scandal), and Kate Mara (House of Cards), this series follows three close friends. While critics had a mixed reaction to the show’s release, it’s quickly become popular. According to FlixPatrol, Imperfect Women landed at number four in the Top 10 on its very first day.

The latest series is currently performing lower than Shrinking and Jennifer Garner’s The Last Thing He Told Me. While Imperfect Women hasn’t yet reached the global Top 10, it’s gaining international recognition, debuting at number three in the Bahamas.

What Happens in Imperfect Women?

Based on Araminta Hall’s novel, Imperfect Women tells the story of a lifelong friendship between Mary, Eleanor, and Nancy. When Nancy unexpectedly passes away, Mary and Eleanor realize there were many secrets their friend kept hidden.

Annie Weisman reworked the series, and Joel Kinnaman and Corey Stoll play leading roles. The ensemble cast also features Sandrine Holt, Rome Flynn, Ana Ortiz, Sherri Saum, Wilson Bethel, Keith Carradine, Jackson Kelly, and Leslie Odom Jr.

Imperfect Women Has an Imperfect Score

Despite quickly gaining attention on Apple TV, the show Imperfect Women didn’t receive rave reviews from critics. It currently has a 47% rating, which earns it a “rotten” score based on 15 reviews. As Sherin Nicole from RogerEbert.com put it, the show isn’t bad, but it doesn’t particularly stand out either – it’s simply okay.

Ben Travers of IndieWire criticized the adaptation, saying it lacked a strong message and struggled to effectively combine its popular source material, ultimately feeling like a superficial attempt to satisfy viewers. Karina Adelgaard from Heaven of Horror acknowledged the series’ technical quality and style, but found the plot unengaging and felt that too much focus was placed on overly sensual scenes.

Doll praises the show’s title, noting it accurately reflects the characters and their relationships, while also acknowledging its honest depiction of adult friendships. However, the review points out a slow start, with the story taking a few episodes to gain momentum. Additionally, the show’s handling of Eleanor’s race feels underdeveloped; it’s initially presented as important, but the theme is only explored through her romantic relationship and is largely ignored otherwise.

Imperfect Women releases new episodes every Wednesday until its season finale on Apr. 29.

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2026-03-18 22:06