Star power is less important than ever when it comes to theatrical releases, with brands and IP much more pivotal when it comes to marketing and selling high profile projects to the masses than the names on the poster. However, A-listers are still a major draw on the small screen, so it’s no surprise that Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers has smashed viewership records to become the platform’s most-watched original series ever.
The premise follows the titular band of characters as they gather for a ten-day retreat at Tranquillum House, a health and wellness resort that promises to deliver a transformative and healing experience. Naturally, things aren’t what they seem, and there’s something unnervingly sinister about host Masha Dmitrichenko.
To say that Nine Perfect Strangers is stacked on either side of the camera would be an understatement, with modern television legend David E. Kelly creating and co-writing the project alongside Ford v Ferrari and Indiana Jones 5 scribe John-Henry Butterworth, adapting the novel of the same name by Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty.
Nicole Kidman headlines the ensemble as Masha, with support coming from a phenomenal mix of established stars, esteemed character actors and rising stars including Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, Luke Evans, Samara Weaving, Tiffany Boone, Regina Hall, Bobby Cannavale, Ben Falcone and more.
As per Hulu’s data, Nine Perfect Strangers has handily outstripped the Season 4 finale of The Handmaid’s Tale to become the streamer’s number one episodic original on launch day, even if the reviews have painted a picture of a muddled mystery that’s saved almost entirely from mediocrity by the strength of the performances.