Nicole Kidman’s 6-Hour Netflix Thriller Series With One Of Its Best Casts Keeps Getting Better

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Elin Hilderbrand is a popular author to watch out for this summer. She’s known for her 30 bestselling novels, all set on Nantucket, and her book The Five-Star Weekend is being adapted into a TV series on Peacock, expected to debut on July 9, 2026.

I’m really excited about this new movie! Jennifer Garner plays Hollis Shaw, a popular online cook who’s dealing with a lot after losing her husband. She decides to host a weekend getaway for four friends, each representing a different chapter of her life, at her place in Nantucket. Of course, things don’t go smoothly – old rivalries and secrets start coming out. And to top it all off, she runs into Jack, her high school crush, played by the always-great Timothy Olyphant, who I’ll also be watching in ‘Lucky’ on Apple TV soon!

Besides Keri Russell and Kurtwood Smith, The Five-Star Weekend features an impressive cast including Chloë Sevigny, Regina Hall, Gemma Chan, D’Arcy Carden, and Judy Greer, who previously starred with Keri Russell in 13 Going on 30. The first trailer for The Five-Star Weekend has just been released, and it suggests this new show, packed with stars, is definitely worth watching.

While The Five-Star Weekend isn’t the first Elin Hilderbrand novel adapted by Netflix, it follows 2021’s The Perfect Couple. The Perfect Couple featured a fantastic cast and was a dramatic, suspenseful murder mystery centered around a rich Nantucket family, while The Five-Star Weekend is being presented as a more sincere and emotional story.

Led by Nicole Kidman, a familiar face on television, The Perfect Couple centers around Greer Winbury, a strong-willed and accomplished author who isn’t thrilled with her son’s choice of bride. Despite hosting both the engagement party and the wedding, she actively tries to prevent the marriage. While the show received some mixed reactions, it’s a knowingly over-the-top and enjoyable watch, particularly when considering what else is on TV in 2026 – and it gets even better with repeat viewings.

The Perfect Couple Has Started A Trend Of Frothy, Beachy Summer Shows

While critics weren’t raving about Nicole Kidman’s 2024 Netflix series, The Perfect Couple proved to be a hit with viewers. It stayed in the top 10 most-watched English-language shows on the platform for six weeks, according to Variety. Now, even though The Five-Star Weekend is heading to Peacock, the popularity of the Netflix adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand’s work likely played a big role in getting this new show greenlit.

If the new show The Five-Star Weekend does well, we can expect to see more adaptations of Elin Hilderbrand’s books. Considering how many books she’s written, that could mean a lot of beach-themed shows! This would make The Perfect Couple even more memorable as the first one.

Watching The Perfect Couple is incredibly enjoyable, and it’s a testament to the show’s quality that it holds up to repeat viewings. Even knowing who the killer is, it’s still fun to rewatch and spot the clues. Aside from the mystery, and with respect for the late Merritt Monaco, the show feels like a luxurious beach party you can enjoy right at home.

It’s possible critics won’t love The Five-Star Weekend, not because it’s bad, but because dramas centered on women and set on the beach often don’t get taken seriously – they’re frequently dismissed as lightweight or even worthless. But, as The Perfect Couple showed, critics can be wrong and miss out on genuinely enjoyable shows. So, let’s enjoy both this summer – there are probably plenty more like them on the way.

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2026-05-10 18:19