'Your Friends & Neighbors' Review: Brings Suburbia to a Slow, Smouldering Boil
- Romey Norton
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Romey Norton - April 20, 2025
TV - Premium TV
AppleTV+’s new original seven-part series Your Friends & Neighbors is not here to make you feel good about your group chats — or your cul-de-sac.
Created with surgical precision and a strong sense of simmering tension, this suburban drama-comedy leans into the idea that sometimes the people closest to you are the ones you should fear the most. Your Friends & Neighbors is a sleek, slow-burn mystery that sneaks up on you, and by the time it pounces, it’s too late to look away.
Set in an affluent but vaguely uneasy neighbourhood (think: yoga-wine moms with secrets and dads who jog too much), the series begins innocuously enough. Barbecues, book clubs, PTA meetings — all the usual ingredients for an American suburban life. But it quickly becomes clear that beneath the polished front doors and professionally landscaped lawns, something’s off. And when a seemingly minor incident at a neighbourhood gathering spirals into a full-blown chain of manipulation, betrayal, and long-buried resentments, the gloves come off — and the masks do, too.
The first episode introduces audiences to our lead protagonist, and whilst it’s not the most gripping episode, it’s intriguing, and John Hamm has a charm and charisma on screen which makes him hard not to watch. He plays Andrew, a head fund manager who, after being fired in disgrace, resorts to stealing from his neighbours in their affluent, gossipy town. Through his antics he discovers many secrets, but can he keep them? Hamm is excellent playing a man frustrated with himself, with a large ego navigating his mid-life crisis.
The ensemble cast is rock solid, with career-best performances from a few unexpected faces. Amanda Peet as Cooper’s ex-wife, Mel, and the outstanding Olivia Munn as Mel’s friend and Coop’s secret booty call, Samantha, are just as strong. All help drive the story, with each chapter building on the last with a creeping sense of dread. Each actor has great chemistry, with realistic dialogue, keeping the drama and intensity sparky and fresh.
As the story develops, the show trusts the viewer to connect the dots, leaning into sharp writing and a muted colour palette that mirrors the emotional temperature of its characters: cold, composed, but ready to combust. Think Big Little Lies meets The Affair, but with less glitz and more grounded paranoia. This might be its downfall as it does take too long between secrets and drama, creating a desire for more conflict and chaos.
Overall, Your Friends & Neighbors is fun, funny, and funnier than expected. It’s a series where there’s always something bubbling beneath the surface, but we never reach the boiling point. However, with strong performances and a moody palette, it’s a decent watch.
Your Friends & Neighbors is streaming weekly on Apple TV+
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