Apple TV is slowly covering its bases in the way of television, and its new Imperfect Women is yet another check off the list. The streaming platform has always conveyed a sense of exclusivity, emphasizing quality over quantity and striving to meet the high expectations that come with the territory. We’ve seen exceptional dramas like The Morning Show and comedies such as Shrinking. Science fiction has been especially successful for Apple TV, with Severance, For All Mankind, Pluribus, and Foundation standing out as the gold standard across TV. Now, something new.
Among Apple TV’s latest shows is Imperfect Women, created by Annie Weisman and starring the very talented Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington, and Kate Mara. The story revolves around a trio of women torn apart when one of them is found brutally murdered. The surviving two must not only mourn the loss of their friend but dig for answers regarding why she died, all while sorting through one another’s secrets—and concealing their own. It’s a classic whodunit packed full of messy drama, making Imperfect Women precisely what Apple TV needed.
Imperfect Women Gives Apple TV A Messy Guilty-Pleasure Mystery Thriller
Imperfect Women is significantly different than other shows put out by Apple TV. This platform’s emphasis on quality has led to near-unanimous approval, but its new psychological thriller just isn’t that kind of show. It’s messy by design, revolving around the extravagant friendships and secrets of society’s most elite. The dramatic or sexy twists and turns aren’t meant to be refined or unpredictable. Rather, Imperfect Women is meant to perfectly capture that wine-mom aesthetic.
In essence, Imperfect Women is Apple TV’s answer to shows like The Hunting Wives, Beauty in Black, and several other Netflix projects, as well as offerings from HBO (Big Little Lies) and Peacock (All Her Fault). It’s an avenue the platform had yet to really explore before Imperfect Women. Now, it has done so with the compromise of truly exceptional cinematography—an Apple TV staple—and a cast that would be tough for any other series to keep up with.
It’s difficult to say that Imperfect Women stacks up to other Apple TV series in the way we are used to. However, the wine-mom whodunit delivers in precisely the way shows of this genre are supposed to. If you’re someone who wants a messy, so-bad-it’s-good guilty-pleasure TV thriller that screams high-quality television in every other way, Imperfect Women won’t disappoint.
Imperfect Women’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Proves It Serves A Niche Audience
Apple TV hasn’t achieved the same level of positive reception for this psychological thriller as it has with its other recent TV shows. Imperfect Women‘s critics and viewers alike were split right down the middle, with 43% of the former providing positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, while only 31% of general audiences did the same. It’s not a great start for a new TV show. However, it’s important to remember that messy dramas like Imperfect Women aren’t designed to resonate with all types of viewers. These shows have a niche audience, so 31% positivity is actually rather fair.
The platform has now opened its arms to a brand new category of viewers.
Critics who enjoyed Imperfect Women acknowledge that this isn’t a show for everyone. It’s repeatedly credited as being excellent for what it is, though very little beyond that. It’s predictable, but that delicious messiness makes Imperfect Women addictive nonetheless. This same sentiment is shared by general viewers. Those who criticize Imperfect Women call it cheesy escapism that’s difficult to swallow, while those who love it cite all the same reasons as positives.
Overall, Imperfect Women was unlikely ever to claim the coveted 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, or anything close to what Apple TV’s very best have achieved. However, the platform has now opened its arms to a brand new category of viewers. It’s perfectly possible that as this slow-burning mystery carries on, more viewers will get on board. Even if only a minority enjoys Imperfect Women, Apple TV will have found the project’s niche.
- Release Date
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March 17, 2026
- Network
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Apple TV
- Directors
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Lesli Linka Glatter
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
