Critics Have Seen His & Hers, And One Word Keeps Coming Up In Reviews Of The Netflix Thriller

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2026 promises to be a busy year for Jon Bernthal, with roles in the upcoming films The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, plus a Punisher special on Disney+. Tessa Thompson is also gaining recognition, with potential award nominations for her 2025 film, Hedda. Before those projects, both actors are starring in the new Netflix limited series His & Hers, which critics seem to have mixed feelings about – many enjoy it, but some find it frustrating.

The six-episode thriller series, His & Hers, is based on the novel of the same name by Alice Feeney. It stars Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal as a couple – a journalist and a detective – who are separated and find themselves investigating a murder while also becoming suspects in each other’s eyes. IGN’s Michael Peyton gave the series a 9/10, calling it “Amazing” and praising the strong chemistry between the lead actors, which makes it highly engaging to watch.

His & Hers begins as a standard murder mystery, but quickly becomes a moving exploration of loss, marriage, and raising a family. The strong connection between stars Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal really elevates the show. While it doesn’t break new ground, it’s surprisingly compelling and keeps you engaged throughout.

Joel Keller from Decider is among the critics disappointed with the new Netflix series. He acknowledges that His & Hers is still worth watching because of its stars and intriguing possibilities, but finds the episodes can be excessively slow and incredibly frustrating. He went on to elaborate:

It’s a delicate balance to create suspense without frustrating the audience, and the show His & Hers initially leans towards doing too much withholding. However, the strong performances from Thompson and Bernthal—particularly their chemistry and portrayal of a relationship’s rise and fall—and the mutual suspicion between their characters, create enough intrigue to keep viewers engaged.

Tessa Thompson delivers a captivating performance, according to Variety’s Aramide Tinubu. The film’s wildly unpredictable story is also remarkably effective, staying with you and challenging your initial assumptions. Here’s more from the review:

His & Hers has all the ingredients of a great thriller, with strong performances from Thompson and Bernthal and plenty of surprising twists. The show moves at a perfect pace, packing a lot of Anna’s life story into its six fast-paced episodes. What makes it truly special, though, is that it’s not what you expect – and that’s what makes it so well done.

But not all reviewers were impressed. Brian Tallerico from RogerEbert.com gave the series only 1.5 out of 4 stars, noting that while Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson worked hard to make the show better, their efforts ultimately felt wasted, which he found particularly disappointing.

This show doesn’t seem to respect the viewer’s intelligence. The plot becomes incredibly convoluted in the last few episodes, and I even had to look up a summary of the original book to see if the bizarre storyline came from the author or the show’s creators. It turns out the show stays true to the book, which is just as strange. It’s a frustrating story that doesn’t really make sense in the end, leaving you wondering why you invested so much time in something so poorly constructed. It also handles sensitive topics like sexual assault, bullying, and dementia with a troubling lack of seriousness.

Saloni Gajjar from AV Club gave the show a D+, describing it as incredibly frustrating and stating that even strong performances from the actors couldn’t fix the many illogical plot issues. She further explained…

Okay, it’s only the first week of 2026, but I’m already adding ‘His & Hers’ to the list of most frustrating shows of the year. Honestly, it’s a real shame. The show has some incredibly talented actors, and the initial premise seemed really interesting. But somewhere along the way, it just devolves into a really over-the-top thriller that asks you to completely ignore everything that makes sense. It feels like the writers were trying to do too much, and the characters – and the show itself – just couldn’t handle it. By the finale, it’s a major disappointment, especially knowing how much talent was involved. I had such high hopes!

Reviewers are praising the performances of Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal in His & Hers, but opinions are mixed on whether the show as a whole lives up to its potential. If you’re interested in watching this mystery thriller, all six episodes are now available on Netflix.

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2026-01-09 17:41