ITV’s latest mini series dives into the lives of two couples whose babies have been swapped at birth. Here’s our spoiler-free review of Playing Nice episode 1.
It feels like we’ve been spoiled rotten with excellent TV lately. We’ve got Silo, Rivals, Squid Game and a new Doctor Who episode in the last couple months and we’re starting 2025 with a bang too.
Playing Nice is ITV’s latest high profile miniseries. The 4-part show stars James Norton and Niamh Algar as Pete and Madeline, a couple who are informed that their son Theo isn’t biologically theirs. Instead, Theo had been swapped at birth with the baby of another baby. They are Miles and Lucy Lambert (James McArdle and Jessica Brown Findlay) and they insist they want to work out the situation in an amicable way.
If Miles and Lucy had any intention of keeping their promise of keeping things civil, Playing Nice would be a very short and boring TV show, wouldn’t it? In fact, the first episode gets to a banging start as we find Pete, in a complete state of panic, running to the sea where a yellow raincoat is ominously floating before the action goes back to when this all began.
Episode 1 of Playing Nice takes its time in introducing us to Pete and Maddie and the Lamberts. Immediately, the Lamberts are a little too friendly, constantly showing up at Pete and Maddie’s door, inviting them on a trip to Norfolk, but there are shades of something darker going on here.
Miles in particular seems intriguing. He’s casually dismissive of his wife Lucy, telling her casually her cooking needs more salt in front of their guests. Miles is also constantly slightly domineering, but never outrightly aggressive. It’s a troubling quality in someone claiming to act in the best interest of not just one, but two small kids.
The first episode also builds the relationship between Maddie and Pete really well. Maddie works as a chef at a fancy seaside restaurant while Pete has largely given up his writing career to take care of Theo. Will Playing Nice delve into traditional gender roles within the family unit? We certainly hope so.
Filmed in Cornwall, Playing Nice makes the most of its handsome setting. There are plenty of majestic shots of the sea, beach and the cliffs. It’s lovely to see something not set in London for a change, but it’s really the performances that are the biggest draw here.
James Norton has proved himself to be an actor with an impressive amount of range and he has believable chemistry with Niamh Algar. McArdle is the standout here for me, with his unwavering and slightly suspicious performance that crafts Miles into an uncomfortable presence.
All episodes of Playing Nice are now streaming on ITVX. The series also premiered on ITV on 5th January at 9pm.
