User reviews

There are many problems with this series, and there are a few plus points. Thankfully at 4 episodes long, it doesn't suffer an overblown run the way many of them do. It finishes just at the right time.

The biggest issue is the mis-cast of Tom. Jack Farthing may be a fine actor, and he has that dormant psycho air about him. But a successful multi-millionaire Doctor who owns and runs his own GP practice? No, not believable.

Beth as a character is OK and I get the trade off of wanting to continue to live a life of luxury when her love life is falling apart, but she seems to wander from one strained expression to the next. Again Scholey has been a great actor but the development of her character is weak and even when she pulls a clever stunt at the end, it's difficult to side with her. Not helped by anyone with half a brain seeing the ending coming a mile off.

This needs to be filed under 'Could've been so much better'.

Not sure about the low ratings, people must've watched a different series. This has a good cast and an intriguing enough plot. It has a Broadchurch feel about it (possibly because it's on the coast!).

Not obvious who the killer is throughout, so it keeps you engaged. It's not easy creating something original these days but this series manages it.

Good cliffhangers at the end of each episode and in my view it's compelling watching and worse case will take up 3 hours of your time. So not a lot to lose.

Worth a watch and it's only 4 episodes, so easily bingeable. Give it a go. I hope you enjoy it.

How well can you truly know someone you love? That is the question that you will need to ask yourself as you watch this 4-part mini-series.

The story follows Beth, a wife and mother, who finds out in the first few moments of episode one that her husband is accused of murder. From there, she starts to look more closer at her husband who has, to this point, been considered an upstanding member of the community through his elite family lineage of the Fairchilds.

Also a doctor who saves lives, Beth can't help but question if he also takes them when she starts to find clues to suggest that her adoring husband is not who she thinks he is. As the evidence mounts up, she starts to take note that he has a sinister side. Or does he?

This mini series will keep making you question what the answer is until the story gives a solid ending to wrap everything up.

Suffering from a flare up of sciatica I thought I'd watch something I don't normally watch - plus it's a Saturday and a long weekend with the bank holiday. Anyway, my partner out for the afternoon I thought I'd give this a go.

First impressions are it has potential so keeps one interested just (about). Although the acting seems wooden I thought it actually worked. The storyline is not one that many people wouldn't know about being about a murder-mystery. But the way it's executed, I think ok editing, loads of unexplained plots , but overall it just seemed to work for me on this occasion.

I'd recommend this to anyone having a lazy day/evening and needs something non-taxing that keeps the interest going. Oh, given some scenes I'd recommend over 13 years and above.

Beth is shocked when her husband Tom, is arrested at his 40th birthday party, on suspicion of murder, Beth starts her own enquiries.

We've all seen some shockers from Channel Five, end you could be forgiven for thinking that this is another, but take it from me, this is one of the Channel's best ever dramas, signs that they're moving in the right direction.

It's a straightforward watch, after being utterly puzzled and perplexed by Strike, Ink Black heart, it was nice to watch something so coherent and straightforward, but it is full of twists, turns and suspense.

Pacing is good, at no time does it lull, there are definitely no dips, the intrigue continues the whole way, until the shocking finale.

Excellent performances, the whole cast were on point, Annabel Scholey, Jack Farthing, Luke Treadaway and Angela Griffin all stood out.

Well worth seeing.

8/10.

I really loved it! It kept my attention fairly easily and we watched all 4 episodes in one sitting when we couldn't sleep one night. I watch so many shows and am always, always disappointed with their endings and feel somewhat robbed of the time I have easy d getting to that end point........most definitely not the case with this one and it kept me guessing right up to the very very end.

Like I said don't understand the bad reviews so I am glad I ignored them and made my own opinion.

Not read the book but think it's appeared in my kindle suggestions list on occasion and I liked the idea of the storyline. Now I've watched the TV version I doubt I'd bother with the book now however.

This stark but still cunningly-named four-part modern-day thriller, based on a recent novel, sees Annabel Scholey's Beth character in the title role, only of course she doesn't know it at first. When we're introduced to her at the beginning, we see her as the apparently happy, comfortable wife of Jack Farthing's inappropriately named Tom Fairchild, because in truth he's anything but. On the face of it he's got it made, living as he does in a fabulous country house, as a respected doctor who with his family name and money is a pillar of the community, about to be elected president of the school board. In truth though, he's a narcissist and fetishist, with a taste for rough sex and domination of women which sees him take his wife to a travelling sex-club where all sorts of sexual peccadilloes (I'm being polite) are apparently indulged. More than that, he's a serial womaniser with a particular bent for the asphyxiation of whichever female he's with. Although they have a child, Beth is becoming increasingly unhappy in their marriage, living in growing fear of his coercive behaviour towards her.

Then, a young woman's dead body is found on the local beach and we gradually learn that she was lately an employee of Dr Tom and indeed was one of his many extra-marital flings. Beth's suspicions are raised and she seeks comfort in the company of Tom's best friend, Luke Treadaway's Adam, who nevertheless has always been in Tom's shadow. A recent widower, his own wife Marnie having only recently died of a seizure, it seems that Tom was having a fling with Marnie too before she died. There's also another young female murder victim from years before with an apparent connection to Tom, so is Beth really married to a serial-killer or not? With Adam's apparent help, she takes on the task of resolving the mysterious deaths, apparently doing a better job of it than Angela Bassett's one-step-behind police detective.

As usual in mini-series like this, the plot has more contrivances than a political manifesto and more coincidences than a loaded dice with various sub-plots, red-herrings and literally cliffhangers strewn the viewer's way, but just when you think the story has twisted its last turn, there's a final episode which delivers a few more rotations before the end.

As far-fetched as these dramas tend to be, it was nevertheless easy-to-watch entertainment. Scholey impresses as the unlucky wife who we see grow from frightened victim to empowered revenger who gets her due reward in the end, even if by then she only does so by practicing the old if you can't beat 'em, join 'em maxim. Don't try to join up too many of the loose ends in this one as you'll end up with some left over with the satisfying ending going a fair way towards excusing if not quite resolving some of the foregoing sketchiness.

Channel 5 have come up with some really poor dramas in recent years, and this has surely got to be, in my humble opinion, the very worst of them.

It is so poorly executed, I had guessed the outcome after about 15 minutes, Every scene was so contrived, it became very embarrassing to watch.

I dont know why I stuck with it after the first episode, possibly to see if it improved any, but it just got worse.

Every character in this was so miserable, there was no one with any redeeming qualities that would make you want to show an interest in them. The female lead character was so glum and obnoxious, I couldn't care less what happened to her. The whole story was ridiculous, definitely the worst "drama" I have seen in recent years.

This was a nice little show (emphasis on little because it's super short) and I enjoyed it. Nothing groundbreaking or mind blowing but definitely interesting and engaging. The last two episodes are especially great and really make the show as the first two were quite dull and boring.

My main gripe with the show was the acting of the protagonist. Scholey had some scenes, especially with the last episodes that really made an impact; however during the first two episodes her acting was... dull. One thing that threw me off was how when she finds out about her husbands infidelity (and it was really bad since he had videos and was in contact with a lot of other women) Scholey kinda just acts blank. A bit later she lies to her husband and acts all normal but she just doesn't seem shaken up at all over this discovery. Or at least not shaken up enough. She even just goes on with her life and then confronts him later on. This just felt so off especially for the character established so far. There's other little instances where she acts a bit blankly in response to her crumbling life.

Also I found the police officer woman exceedingly dull and just wanted to throw that in.

Even with the flip flopping acting quality, and the dragging pacing during the first episodes, this show has a lot to offer and is a good watch, especially considering how short it is.

The build up in the intensity of the situation, along with watching the downfall of Beth's life is a spectacle. Slowly watching everyone piece together the mystery is also interesting. The final twist and ending is particularly great.

I love the final twist because during the show I found that "oh we know who the killer is so this is kinda boring" but the twist really flips your preconceived notions on their head. The ending as-well is honestly perfect for what it aims to achieve. The ending shot itself is great. I also love the character of Adam and found he really stole the show every time he was on screen. Another thing I enjoyed was the commentary on gossiping, spreading rumours and hating on people just on what you've heard. Always a nice theme to explore since it's very prevalent in real life

All in all, I had a couple problems, notably with the first two episodes which are a little bit of a slog to get through, but the ending and build up are fantastic and I highly recommend you give this a shot.

My Review - The Serial Killer's Wife My rating 6.5 /10 Streaming on Paramount

I must say I enjoyed the performances especially from Julie Graham as Clover the Serial Killers wife and Jack Farthing as her problematic husband Tom.

Mercifully 4 episodes were enough for me as the plot began to unravel into unexpected improbable scenarios.

The conclusion leaves room for a second series but I doubt it will be forthcoming because it's just not good enough to warrant one in my view.

Especially when excellent original series like the recent Étoile don't get a second series I can't see this just average melodrama achieving an encore?

I admit the first episode of The Serial Killer's Wife won me over as I thought it an interesting perspective to concentrate on the innocent victim married to a monster .

However as the story developed, no spoilers from me it became a little tedious as the serial killer aspect got blurred with an improbable plot twist that concentrated on the dysfunctional characters that certainly included The Serial Killer's Wife.

I have a theory that mini crime series don't benefit from multiple screenwriters in this case three screenwriters contributed to the story but I felt in this case to many cooks spoilt this pot boiler.

Loved it and not sure why the negativity in some of the reviews so far. Watched the four episodes over a couple of nights and thoroughly enjoyed it. Good casting and excellent acting by the main characters (love Annabel Scholey from The Split and again fantastic in this). No doubt if you want to dissect it minute by minute you'll find a couple of. Flaws but for most it'll be 4 hrs of good tv entertainment. Nice amount of twists and turns leading up to the final episode that left me intrigued to see if there's a series 2 after Jules's appearance mid credits so don't switch off as soon as they start to roll..

Had this on in the background while I put up the xmas decorations. Big mistake as i couldn't take my eyes off it.

Twist a minute thriller and looks amazing from beginning to end with some great acting (especially Jack Farthing. Never saw him before but gonna check out what else he is in).

Watched the four episodes in one sitting. Really didn't feel like four hours. Almost impossible to predict.

You do have to suspend your disbelief a little but totally worth it.

Would be interested to see what happens to beth if there is a second season. She is oddly sympathetic yet unsympathetic at the same time.

Some good actors wasted on a preposterous script with paper thin characterisations.

If you want an ounce of authenticity you will not find it here. It's incredibly cringeworthy to watch.

Plot is predictably predictable. No need for plot spoilers, you'll guess them as soon as you meet the characters.

If I wasn't a crime junkie who has probably seen the best stuff already & a free Paramount trial, I would never have had it streaming in the background. Perhaps that's the problem - we live in a content hungry world resulting in quantity over quality.

Your time may be better spent rewatching the sprinkling of quality productions out there or lesser known shows like The Sinner on Netflix.

Blackbox Multimedia and Clapperboard Studios are to be congratulated on raising the cash to make this unbelievable rubbish. I hope that it was safely stashed away off shore before the investors demanded their money back!

The casting sessions must have been hilarious, with agents charged with finding the 'Don't call us...!' actors for the auditions - it's OK to be 'wooden', but at least get the flat pack assembled before shooting! Worst was Annabel Scholey, who has probably created a new acting technique, Not Method but Metod, after the IKEA kitchen range. To be fair, her expression throughout, of total uninvolvement with the plot, was quite probably a subtle indication, a cry for help, of her desire to be anywhere but in this production. But, as Larry Olivier said to similarly 'gifted' Dustin Hoffman, "Try acting, dear boy!"

Then there's Doctor Tom. I know quite a few young doctors, and none of them could afford that house, and knowing Kent coastal property prices, that house would certainly have been beyond his income. The BDSM scenes had the erotic stimulation of a revivalist meeting.

SPOILER ALERT! If there is a spoiler alert, it is simply not to spoil four hours of your time watching this crap!

Fun thriller with some seriously great chemistry between the two main leads (anabel scholey and Jack Farthing). Beth is a great main character. A character who grew up poor and is terrified of inflicting this on her own children. So when her husband is accused of murder she tries her best to prove his innocence. But does she really believe it?. And what will she do if she discovers his guilt.

Listened to the audiobook afterwards. Very good but not as gripping as the series. Best show of this genre that I've seen for a long time. Ends on a eerie cliffhanger. Looks great, definitely needs a season two to discover what happens to Beth et al.

I just wanted to warn so I could save some people's 4 hours will not be wasted. I respect everyone's taste but the people who give good reviews to this thing must be from the production team. Whole script & whole cast is seriously lacking talent and not sure how those platforms are paying money to these projects and not lose money.

British TV turned into full of crap reality TV and ready made tv series are not better than emmerdale or any soap opera.

From start to finish it is just dragging a story which could be told in 60 minutes.

Full of meaningless pauses and scenery shots so this pathetic story takes 4 episodes.

Well, here's another one. A female lead that doesn't show any emotions at all, whatever she discovers about her husband. She just plows along, looking a little bit confused, when the director tell her to do that.

Otherwise it's the usual story line with questions upon questions, upon question. None of them being answered off course. So the viewer just sits there wondering what's going on. And to be honest, it's not that interesting. It's hard to connect to any of the characters, and you start thinking about other things. Like why you're wasting your time watching this.

So... well; nothing new here.

Not sure actually what I think of this serie, its a story thin as a paper, lots of stupid fillers cause they want so many episodes as possible and worst of all its boring

Also very good acting and quality production

Its just that,, this is not good enough, the head character is annoying, hard to like her or sympathy with her and the story needed something more , its just not that interesting, and the idea behind the story are a bit pointless and dull

But you want to follow it all the way, and since its well done you keep watching, its not sparkle but it works , british film use to be much better than this.