Ella Purnell’s latest series is far cry from her role as bright and enthusiastic Lucy in Fallout. New serial killer drama Sweetpea sees her star as a wallflower with a killer secret.
She plays Rhiannon, who we meet at a low point. Overlooked for a promotion at work, love life in tatters, and a deteriorating family situation, she starts a running kill list in her head, and it’s not long before her dreams turn into reality.
The new show has debuted to a perfect score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, sitting at 100% based on eight reviews. Collider’s Carly Lane writes: "While other shows in this vein have had difficulty sticking the landing, Sweetpea does more than enough to inspire confidence that, no matter what happens, it remains an addictive watch through to the very end."
Hayley Spencer of the Standard says: "The small screen version serves as a prequel or origin story of sorts to the book series, of which there are six in total. It is part thriller, part rom-com, part fantasy – undefinable in genre, but simply brilliant TV."
"It’s not easy to make an endearing serial killer, but you will find yourself wanting this wide-eyed anti-hero (to put it mildly) to succeed," adds Kylie Northover at the Sydney Morning Herald.
Tilly Pearce at the Radio Times also calls it "one of the most fun dark comedy thrillers in recent years" meanwhile Kaiya Shunyata of RogerEbert.com says it "feels fresh from beginning to end".
Sweetpea airs on Sky and NOW in the UK and on Starz in the US. For more on what to stream, check out our guides to the best shows on HBO Max, the best Disney Plus shows, and the best Netflix shows.
