The Perfect Couple is an uneven show. Some parts of it work, particularly the dramatic exchanges between members of the rich but strained Winbury family and the performances of its great actors. But most of it falls apart. The scenes where characters in the interrogation room provide information on the main characters aren’t just unhelpful, they’re deeply unfunny. Among the running jokes are that the feminine wedding planner may or may not be gay and that the French girl speaks funny. Oh, also, the maid hates poor people for some reason. The mystery and the writing of it are borderline soapy. Dakota Fanning and Meghann Fahy are always great, but multiple characters mean we don’t get to see a lot of them. Even Kidman and Schreiber, despite what the trailers suggest, are barely in it. The Perfect Couple is perfectly pleasant if you don’t mind your murder mysteries thin, but don’t expect it to be like The White Lotus, Big Little Lies, or Bad Sisters. Put those on instead if you want to see the actors here perform in much better shows.

The “skip intro” button cannot arrive fast enough, because what is up with the show’s opening credits? Who okayed this?