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The second season of Nine Perfect Strangers has been slammed by critics as ‘hollow’ and ‘self-indulgent’ after premiering.
The first season of the creepy drama was released in 2021, following Nicole Kidman’s Masha Dmitrichenko, the mysterious founder of wellness resort Tranquillum House.
She reprised her role as the health guru for the new series, with the first two episodes dropping on Hulu in the US and Amazon Prime Video in the UK.
Christine Baranski, Henry Golding, Annie Murphy, Mark Strong and Murray Bartlett were among the star-studded cast looking for ‘betterment and happiness’ in an alpine resort, looking to Masha for guidance.
However, the latest series left many unimpressed and currently claims an average Rotten Tomatoes score of 50% from critics.
Pat Stacey of the Irish Independent penned: ‘Frequently almost comedically bad, but without the saving grace of anything resembling humor, it’s the answer to a question nobody asked.’
Entertainment Weekly’s Kristen Baldwin commented: ‘Though the eight episodes are peppered with twists – including one late reveal that feels recycled from season 1 – Nine Perfect Strangers forgot a key ingredient for its storytelling smoothie: Fun.’
‘It looks glamorous and talks the prestige TV talk, but it’s a hollow, self-indulgent emotional vacuum,’ Keith Watson from the Daily Telegraph agreed.
As TheWrap’s Kayleigh Donaldson added: ‘There are thrills to be mined in a show that’s as deep as a puddle of champagne, but, like a microdosed drink, the aftereffects are minimal.’
Nine Perfect Strangers first hit our screens four years ago, and is based on the novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty.
Nicole stole the show in the first batch of episodes when she opened the doors of Tranquillum to wellness seekers, including Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans, Samara Weaving, Regina Hall and Bobby Cannavale.
The fitness guru swapped California for the Alps in the new season, fleeing the multiple US lawsuits she faced over the unorthodox methods at her infamous retreats.
The official synopsis reads: ‘Nicole Kidman returns as the enigmatic healing guru Masha in the second season of Nine Perfect Strangers based on Liane Moriarty’s bestselling novel.
‘A new batch of wellness-seekers arrives at a mysterious Alpine resort looking for transformative paths to betterment and happiness.
‘During their stay, the guests partake in unconventional methods to reach their goals, while Masha is forced to confront some past demons … threatening to destroy both her own personal wellness and that of her guests.’
Nine Perfect Strangers is available to stream on Hulu in the US and Amazon Prime Video in the UK now, with new episodes dropping on Wednesdays.
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