Elisabeth Moss’ Divisive Apple TV Show Imperfect Women Continues An Unfortunate Thriller Trend

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As a big fan of Elisabeth Moss, I was really looking forward to her new show, Imperfect Women. She’s fantastic, as always! I mean, after The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s clear she’s one of the most talented actresses working today. That show was incredibly tough to watch – so emotionally draining – and she just completely lived that pain. She deserved all the awards she got, including the Emmy. While The Handmaid’s Tale is now behind her, I’ve been excited to see what she does next, and Imperfect Women on Apple TV is one of those newer projects. It’s a shame the reviews haven’t been great, though – the Rotten Tomatoes scores are a bit of a letdown.

I was so excited for Imperfect Women! It’s a really gripping psychological thriller, a bit like a ‘who done it?’ focusing on the complicated friendship between three women. When one of them turns up murdered, the other two get tangled up in a mess of secrets and lies as they try to figure out what happened. With Kerry Washington, Kate Mara, and the incredibly talented Mass starring, everyone expected it to be fantastic – and honestly, I was right there with them!

The first two episodes of the limited series premiered on Apple TV on March 18, 2026, with new episodes released weekly. The final episode will air on April 29, 2026, so it’s too early to know how audiences will react overall. However, early reviews are in: critics have given Imperfect Women a 47% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, meaning just under half gave the show a positive review. This is similar to the reception of Moss’ previous TV thriller, The Veil.

Elisabeth Moss’ Last Thriller TV Show Before Imperfect Women Was Just As Divisive

Image via FX/Hulu

Rotten Tomatoes collects reviews from critics and uses a “Tomatometer” score to show the percentage who liked a film or show. In the case of Imperfect Women, about half of the critics gave it positive reviews, and half didn’t. This puts the series in a gray area – it’s not clearly good or bad, and opinions are really split.

Just a few years back, Moss starred in another show that critics couldn’t agree on. Her Hulu series, The Veil, currently has a 57% rating from critics and a slightly more divided 52% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. This spy thriller, set in Europe, is very different from Imperfect Women and focuses on two women involved in dangerous deception. Viewers who enjoyed The Veil praised its fast-paced action and suspenseful plot, along with its exaggerated and somewhat satirical style. However, those who disliked it found those same elements to be overbearing and distracting.

It’s a shame that Elisabeth Moss’s recent TV series haven’t been huge hits with critics. It’s also surprising, given her talent for portraying intense emotions like desperation, fear, and anger, that she hasn’t found success in the thriller genre. The mixed reaction to Imperfect Women makes the problems with The Veil seem like a pattern, but it’s definitely too early to say her TV career is struggling.

Elisabeth Moss Can Afford Some Low Rotten Tomatoes Scores In Her TV Career

Credit: Apple TV

Just because a show sparks a lot of debate doesn’t mean it’s poorly made. In fact, shows like Imperfect Women and The Veil have a fairly even split of positive and negative reviews. They both fit into specific thriller categories that naturally attract smaller, dedicated audiences. So, complete universal praise isn’t realistic. These shows are meant to be fun, a little over-the-top, and predictably enjoyable—if that’s what you’re looking for.

Naomi Moss is at a point in her career where she can take chances with projects like mystery dramas such as Imperfect Women and thrillers like The Veil. She’s already proven her talent, so these roles allow her to explore different characters and have some fun. If anyone questions her abilities, they can look at her work on Apple TV+’s Shining Girls (2022), which has a solid 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While opinions on her recent miniseries might be mixed, most people can agree that Moss herself is a talented actress.

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2026-03-19 03:06