‘The Perfect Couple’ review: Netflix channels ‘Big Little Lies’ with a murder mystery, an upscale coastal setting and Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman at top of her game in ‘Perfect Couple’ mystery

“The Perfect Couple” on Netflix is the television equivalent of a beach read. That’s not derogatory. The six-episode series may be trash, but it’s high-toned trash, which provides all kinds of terrific pleasures when done well. As a prestige corker, it exists in an adjacent thematic neighborhood to HBO’s “Big Little Lies” with many of the same selling points: A murder mystery, an upscale coastal setting, Nicole Kidman. Adapted from the 2018 nove…

‘The Perfect Couple’ review: Netflix channels ‘Big Little Lies’ with a murder mystery, an upscale coastal setting and Nicole Kidman

This series is the equivalent of a beach read — it has “general audience” written all over it. It’s trash but high-toned trash, which is wonderfully pleasurable when done well.

Nicole Kidman Netflix series changed key detail to avoid Big Little Lies confusion

Eve Hewson’s character in ‘The Perfect Couple’ shares the same name as Kidman’s character in ‘Big Little Lies’

'The Perfect Couple' review: Nicole Kidman delights in Netflix murder mystery

Should you be in need of a satisfying Rich People Show, the sort where you get happily distracted from the plot due to swooning over the wallpaper, look no further than “The Perfect Couple,” newly arriving on Netflix this week. This limited ...