Be ‘transformed’ in Nine Perfect Strangers

Wednesday: Nine Perfect Strangers - (Channel 4, 10pm)
Promised total transformation, nine very different people arrive at Tranquillum House, a secluded retreat run by the mysterious wellness guru Masha. Masha (Nicole Kidman)Promised total transformation, nine very different people arrive at Tranquillum House, a secluded retreat run by the mysterious wellness guru Masha. Masha (Nicole Kidman)
Promised total transformation, nine very different people arrive at Tranquillum House, a secluded retreat run by the mysterious wellness guru Masha. Masha (Nicole Kidman)

A TV adaptation of a bestselling novel by Liane Moriarty, created and written by David E Kelley, and starring Nicole Kidman.

Sound familiar? Well, it’s not only the description of hit show Big Little Lies, but also this new cultish thriller from Hulu.

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However, despite the two shows’ similarities, Nine Perfect Strangers actually has more in common with recent winner Emmy winner The White Lotus than comedic drama Big Little Lies.

The action takes place at Tranquillum House, a boutique and secluded health-and-wellness resort in Northern California, that promises healing and transformation, as nine stressed city dwellers look for a path to a better way of living.

Watching over them during this 10-day retreat is the resort’s director Masha Dmitrichenko (played by Kidman). And beyond the placid swimming pool, daily nature hikes and personalised breakfast smoothies, something more sinister appears to be happening involving hallucinogenic drugs and anonymous death threats.

The eight-episode mini-series marks the lead actress’s third collaboration with Kelley, after two seasons of Big Little Lies and The Undoing, both on HBO. And although four-time Oscar-nominee Kidman is also close friend of author Moriarty, she was initially apprehensive about playing Masha.

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She says: “When she was writing the novel, she said, ‘I’m writing a character for you called Masha.’”

“And then I read it and was like, ‘This Masha character, should I be offended or flattered?’”

Nevertheless, Nicole did agree to the part of the vaguely sinister wellness guru, as well as an executive producer role on the show. And the Australian even made the uncompromising artistic choice to stay in character as Masha for the entire shoot, speaking only in her Russian-American accent. “It felt good, felt right,” she says.

In tonight’s opening episode, the group who have been promised “total transformation” arrive at Tranquillum House. They are met by calm, white-uniformed assistants Yao (Manny Jacinto) and Delilah (Tiffany Boone) who relieve them of their phones and anything else that will “interrupt your wellness journey” and link them to the outside world.

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Then they usher the group into the compound that will deliver “metabolically bespoke” meals, therapy and treatments that promise to unite and heal body and soul.

The lucky guests include young lottery winning couple Ben (Melvin Gregg) and Jessica (Samara Weaving), whose relationship is fracturing. Then there’s former American footballer and drug addict Tony (Bobby Cannavale), who is trying to deal with his own demons and not succeeding.

Sweet recent divorcee Carmel (Regina Hall) is at Tranquillum House with the hope of losing weight and feeling better. And joining them are the grieving Marconi family, led by Michael Shannon’s high-school teacher Napoleon and his wife, Asher Keddie’s Heather.

Add into the mix the cynical, jaded Lars (Luke Evans), who clearly has an hidden agenda and, best of all, Frances, played by Bridesmaids’ Melissa McCarthy.

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Moriarty personally requested the actress to play the charismatic, bestselling author who is struggling with her professional and personal life and has checked into the retreat to be pampered and have time to recover. However, she is about to subjected to a lot more than that.

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