New York Timesbestselling novelist Liane Moriarty knows how to capture complex characters pushed to the edge. It’s one of the reasonsBig Little Liesfound its way to television, and we all know the buzz that generated with its exceptional cast, featuring Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, and Shailene Woodley. Then came the author’sNine Perfect Strangers,a brooding retreat-centered drama that also starred Kidman yet divided critics.
WithApples Never Fall,premiering Mar. 14 on Peacock, showrunner Melanie Marnich (The Affair, A Murder at the End of the World) tweaks several aspects of Moriarty’s propulsive tale, reportedly with the author’s blessing, to present a gripping and—this is good news—addictive family dramadriven by a central mystery and the gradual unraveling of a seemingly picture-perfect family.
Meet The Delaneys. At first glance, they are the epitome of success. For years, Stan and Joy (Sam Neill and Annette Bening) ran a successful tennis academy, became iconic tennis coaches, and raised four dynamic children—Troy, Amy, Logan, and Brooke (Jake Lacy, Alison Brie, Conor Merrigan-Turner, and Essie Randles). Surely, now that the couple have sold the academy, they can enjoy retirement.
Not so fast. When a troubled young woman named Savannah (Wentworth’sGeorgia Flood) shows up on their doorstep, she brings a newfound excitement into the house, but something feels off there. Then Joy suddenly disappears, fueling the series’ central mystery and forcing the entire family to confront their darkest secrets.
As intriguing as it is absorbing,Apples Never Fallis one of those rare family dramas you don’t want to miss. It recalls the kind of giddy fervor many of us had every week going intoBrothers and Sisters,orThis Is Us.You may have to forgive some of its misgivings (more on that later), but thanks to knock-out performances by the entire cast, particularly Bening,Apples Never Fallstays afloat.
A Family on the Verge
Apples Never Fall
Liane Moriarty also serves as one of the executive producers alongside Annette Bening in this seven-episode limited series. It’s a bold offering from Peacock that was mindful of character development. We haven’t experienced afamily quite like this lately on TVor a family dynamic so downright compelling. Maybe it’s the tennis component featured here or just the level of mastery Annette Bening and Sam Neill bring to the screen.
Either way, everything from the care that went into how each episode was executed to the commitment the actors made to their characters stands out. Aside from the first outing, each episode tracks one family member’s “story,” rotating from past to present (“Then” to “Now”) to offer context and, in turn, raise more questions.
15 Best Annette Bening Movies, Ranked
Annette Bening’s career has many gems, whether it’s a historical or crime drama. Here are her best movies.
Joy is delighted to welcome Savannah into her home, and while Stan isn’t opposed to the idea, over time, tensions mount. Especially from some of the couple’s adult children who wonder why their mother would take in a stranger. Savannah’s backstory is nebulous, purposely so, but we’re told she’s come from an abusive relationship.Time jumps aboundin this series, and at times, you’ll have to remind yourself what timeline you’re watching: the past or the present. Joy’s disappearance happens early, setting up an episode-by-episode “reveal.”
Buoyed by a Stellar Cast
Episode 1 introduces us to The Delaneys. Adult children—Troy, Amy, Logan, and Brooke—are fully into their lives, but unspoken resentments linger. Several children were groomed to be tennis stars, for instance, a pressure nobody has managed to truly shake, andother sibling dynamicswere formed to offset other emotional imbalances.
Sam Neill on Finally Working with Annette Bening for Apples Never Fall
Sam Neill diagnosis his suspicious character in Apples Never Fall and praises his Oscar-nominated co-star Annette Bening.
Troy is a tightly wound, career-driven married man making questionable choices. As played by Jake Lacy, a scene stealer inThe White Lotus,the actor brings just the right level of alpha male angst to the role. Essie Randles’s Brooke is planning a wedding with her girlfriend Gina (Paula Andrea Placido), but she’s a bit shaky inside. Why? Watch and see, but Randles captures a woman at odds with herself and, as things play out, certain family members. Conor Merrigan Turner gives a nice turn as brother Logan, who lives and works on a boat and has never questioned his father’s authority—until now. Alison is the sensitive sibling few fully understand. She’s perfectly revealed byCommunity’sAlison Brie, always a reliable actress.
These sibling dynamics play out in all the right messy ways, and the more we learn about the Delaney children, well… apples never fall… right? Throughout the series, the children also begin to question just how “great” their parents’ marriage was. Naturally, Joy’s disappearance puts everybody on edge, and suspicions mount about whether she could have been murdered. That threat grows with each episode, elevating the suspense and creating an outing that is all the more interesting to follow.
Things That Raise Eyebrows
Meanwhile, other aspects of this limited series spark more questions than answers. Giorgia Flood comes across as purposely aloof as Savannah. Required, sure, but it’s hard to believe that The Delaneys would actually take in a stranger who knocked on their door, especially considering their status in the community. The family is famous, and if they’ve been in the public eye for years, wouldn’t they at least be cautious of potentially crazed fans and wannabes? Why not probe deeper into Savannah’s past?
We’re led to believe that all that falls upon Joy, who must have needed something new to focus on, but Joy is not a pushover. She’s a smart woman who buoyed her husband’s career. But hey, these are the creative cards we’ve been dealt, and truthfully, the series winds up becoming sucha guilty pleasurethat even when the adult Delaney children raise such issues, you simply have to sit back and see how things play out.
They play out pretty well, in fact—detectives emerge, other characters flush out various storylines in each of the children’s lives—but it’s when the series attempts to wrap up everything that it nearly loses its command of the story. (Must remain tight-lipped on some of the big twists, of course.) Fortunately, it recovers, and you’re bound to want to spend more time with these characters. On that note, will somebody hand Annette Bening an award already? She deserved the Oscar forNyad.Watching the actress here reminds you that this is one of the industry’s finest actors. In this series, the woman gives us a character to care for, root for, and want to understand. An admirable feat indeed.
The rest of the cast, Neill, for sure, shines. Showrunner Melanie Marnich, having sharpened her focus on shows likeThe Affair,yet another complex drama, has a keen sense of her actors and how to structure lines and scenes they can fully live in. Aside from a few headscratchers—note: this is not asinfuriating asNine Perfect Strangers—Apples Never Fallis a rare kind of performance-driven family drama, passionately told and worthy of our attention. Take a bite. Enjoy the flavor.WatchApples Never Fallon Peacock beginning Mar. 14. Dive into the trailer below.
