How much can a smile conceal, especially from someone who is forced to constantly uphold appearances? Behind luxurious villas and social events, there are often unconfessable secrets, legal battles, and even marital infidelities, particularly when it comes to TV series that cannot help but delve into secrets, wealth, and compromised marriages. A bit like what happens in All’s Fair, which consistently tackles scandals and divorces among billionaires, other TV series have likewise offered stories that delve beneath the glamorous veneer of high society, exposing the rot beneath. Money cannot buy everything, but it often ends up funding the most petty battles, even more so between spouses. Here are three TV series that reflect this combative spirit.
The Best TV Series About Wealth, Secrets, and Divorces in High Society
The Undoing – The Untold Truths
Speaking of lies and a marriage on the brink, The Undoing – The Untold Truths comes with a remarkable cast led by Hugh Grant and Nicole Kidman who play a husband and wife pair. Jonathan Fraser and his wife Grace are both established professionals in New York. Their relationship seems solid, they lead a privileged lifestyle in Manhattan, and they have a son, Henry, who attends a prestigious private school. Their bubble of perfection bursts when Elena, the mother of one of Henry’s classmates, is found murdered in Jonathan’s study, and he suddenly disappears, becoming the prime suspect. Their house of cards collapses, revealing a web of lies and a dangerous parallel double life. In this case, wealth becomes a shield for a marriage in trouble. The Frasers rally together and wield all their power to face the trial and public opinion, but the illusion of the perfect marriage crumbles quickly. The miniseries is adapted from Jean Hanff Korelitz’s novel A Happy Family, and is available for streaming on HBO Max.
Big Little Lies: Small Big Lies
Awaiting a third season that fans hope will come to fruition, Big Little Lies: Small Big Lies is adapted from the eponymous novel by Liane Moriarty and tells the story of three mothers living in Monterey dealing with the daily problems. Three women who seem different but are united in their difficulties: Celeste, Madeline and Jane find themselves having to manage the scandal of a mysterious murder that occurred during a school party. At the center of the first season is Celeste’s turbulent marriage, a seemingly solid and enviable relationship that actually conceals physical and psychological abuse. In this case, marital despair is not tied to luxury goods, but to true survival. The plot tackles bourgeois hypocrisy that leaks between the involved parties, but also emphasizes the strength of female solidarity. The first two seasons are available for streaming on HBO Max.
Feud
An anthology TV series currently comprising two seasons and conceived by Ryan Murphy, Feud, as the title suggests, focuses on history’s most ruthless feuds. If the first season recounts the rivalry between actresses Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, the second season is titled Feud: Capote vs. The Swans and tells how author Truman Capote stabbed many of his friends in the back with the short story La Côte Basque, 1965. A literary work that exposed the skeletons in the high-society closet, specifically recounting the lives of the Swans, the wealthiest women in New York. Capote, a confidant of these salon queens, publishes a story that unveils their most scandalous secrets, generating scandal, speaking of serial cheating husbands, ruthless divorces in order not to lose social status, right down to suffering soothed with martinis. Once the betrayal is discovered, the Swans distance themselves from Capote, banishing him from their empire. The TV series is available for streaming on Disney+.
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