The Perfect Couple Series Has Some Big Differences from the Book

Netflix’s latest murder mystery, The Perfect Couple, joins the streamer’s fast-growing list of book-to-screen adaptations. The six-episode series made its debut on September 5, 2024, and has since then gone on to prove itself a massive success. The show’s talented cast, including noteworthy names such as Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Dakota Fanning, and Eve Hewson, coupled with its compelling, twisted narrative, has been able to keep viewers hooked on the series.

While The Perfect Couple is not a true story, the series does find its roots in author Elin Hilderbrand’s novel of the same name. As with any adaptation, Netflix’s The Perfect Couple has exercised its creative freedom, making the series unique in its own right. The author herself supported the changes in the series, stating that she wanted the best possible TV show to be created, and was not worried regarding the changes that would be made to the book. With the blessings of Hilderbrand, Netflix’s show, despite staying true to the overall plot of the novel, has made a few significant changes to the original story.

Key Details of the Characters are Changed

Although the series is an adaptation of Hilderbrand’s novel, the first change that anyone familiar with the book will notice is that the series has changed the names of its key characters. While many adaptations choose to keep the names of their characters faithful to their source text, The Perfect Couple has chosen to do otherwise. The most likely explanation for the showrunners of the series choosing to do so is perhaps to allow the show its own identity, allowing those already familiar with the book to experience something different.

Accordingly, while readers are familiar with Celeste Otis, viewers of the series meet Amelia Sacks, the bride. Along with her name, Netflix has also varied its protagonist’s traits and appearance. While readers might be familiar with a blond who stutters when stressed, the series’ Amelia is a brunette and appears to be entirely stutter-free. Even in stressful situations, the show’s protagonist appears more confident and sure of herself than nervous and lost. The Perfect Couple showrunner, Jenna Lamia, has expressed that the name change of the protagonist was partly done to avoid confusion with a character that Kidman, the intended mother-in-law in the series, had previously played.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Lamia said:

“…this wonderful director Susanne Bier came on and her influence shifted some things, and when we had cast attached that shifted some things — things as small as Nicole’s character is Greer but then there’s the character that Eve plays, who in the book was named Celeste. But Nicole plays a Celeste in
Big Little Lies
— that’s the Celeste, so just to avoid any potential confusion, a very small reason, that is actually why…”

Together with Celeste’s name, the series has also changed Shooter’s name. While in the book, Shooter Dival is Michael Oscar “Shooter” Uxley, the show has chosen to retain just “Shooter”. The name of Isabel Nallet will also be unfamiliar to readers, as the book’s character is named Featherleigh Dale. The Perfect Couple has also changed the names of other minor characters, including that of Chief Ed Kapenash, who is known as Chief Dan Carter in the series. However, while the names may differ, the core storylines and portrayals of the characters in the series remain quite similar to those in the source text.

New Characters Are Introduced

In addition to changing key details of its characters, The Perfect Couple also brings in new characters. The third Winbury brother is not a part of the original text. Bringing in the character of Will Winbury has allowed the series’ showrunners to add more depth to the show, incorporating more of Chloe Carter, the police officer’s daughter, and better depicting the Winbury family’s dynamic. Similarly to Will, Greer’s brother is also a new addition to the series. Broderick Graham, at first, is a mere stranger, repeatedly calling Greer, but later becomes a suspect in Merritt’s death. The authorities believe him to be Greer’s hitman. However, he is later established as Greer’s brother.

Similarly to the introduction of characters, the series has also cut out some of the novel’s characters in crafting its storyline. A noteworthy absence is Nick “the Greek” Diamantopoulos. Nick teams up with Chief Ed Kapenash (Chief Dan Carter in the series) to solve the mystery surrounding Merritt’s death. Nick is replaced by Detective Nikki Henry in the series, who, with her no-nonsense, cut-to-the-chase attitude, is a seeming counter-foil to the original Nick’s ladies’ man ways.

The Series Makes Changes to Multiple Relationships

The Netflix show also has a different take on the relationships between the characters, at times diving deep and giving viewers details and, at others, simply brushing over. Those familiar with the book will know that the relationship between Tag and Merritt was only a few weeks old when Merritt’s death took place. However, the series includes flashbacks, providing insight regarding how the relationship between the duo first blossomed. In doing so, the series establishes that Tag and Merritt’s relationship was long and somewhat serious, rather than a mere fling.

While the series delves into Tag’s extramarital affair, it glosses over Amelia’s unfaithfulness to her fiancé. Amelia and Shooter’s relationship in the series is just beginning, with the pair being attracted to each other and sharing a single kiss that Benji walks in on. In contrast, the book’s Amelia and Shooter are ready to run away together and get married. In fact, the novel’s protagonist finds her friend’s body while she is on her way to meet Shooter so that they can elope on the morning of her wedding.

Merritt’s Death Is Not a Murder in the Book

The biggest difference that the series makes to the novel is that it makes Merritt’s death a murder. In the novel, Merritt’s death is only an accident. It is not Amelia’s mother’s pills that are stolen but Greer’s. Abby, upon learning of her husband’s affair with Featherleigh (Isabel in the series), steals sleeping pills from Greer in an attempt to knock out Featherleigh and stop her from sleeping with Thomas.

However, due to a mistake that proves fatal, Merritt ends up consuming the barbiturate-laced drink that Abby had meant for Featherleigh. Merritt, having had a fight with Tag, cuts her foot on a broken glass while on the beach, and goes into the water to wash the blood off. She then sees the ring she previously threw into the water and reaches out to grab it. However, the pill she had consumed makes her faint, and falling into the water, she accidentally drowns. Unlike in the series, where Abby is itching to get her hands on Thomas’ trust fund and therefore decides to murder Merritt and her unborn child, Merritt’s death in the novel is completely accidental.

Netflix has quite skillfully taken the best parts of Hilderbrand’s novel and crafted its own series, which, many readers themselves agree, gives depth to the original story. The fact that the changes were made with the author’s blessing also bodes well for the series. One does not need to read the novel to understand Netflix’s The Perfect Couple. The series, in itself, offers a complex story with enough high-society drama, wealth-motivated tension, and relationships shrouded in façade to keep viewers hooked.