Mr. & Mrs. Smithis the platonic ideal of a movie - to - TV adaptation . The novel Amazon Prime Video original series is based on the Doug Liman - maneuver , Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie - led 2005 filmof the same name , and it does n’t vary much from the expression established by its source material . It is , like the movie that revolutionise it , a thriller about a couple , John ( Donald Glover ) and Jane Smith ( Maya Erskine ) , who just so happen to be pay bravo . In Liman’sMr . & Mrs. Smith , though , Pitt ’s John and Jolie ’s Jane do n’t realize they ’re both undercover agent . It ’s the breakthrough of their share professing , in fact , that nigh tear their wedding apart .
The newMr . & Mrs. Smith , created by Glover and Francesca Sloane ( Fargo , Atlanta ) , inverts that premiss . Its airplane pilot stick with Glover and Erskine ’s challenging , for - hire mercenaries as they ’re knowingly geminate up to model as a married couple , and it is n’t long before their fake kinship becomes a veridical one . This simple modification allows the serial to take a different attack to the same themes about dearest , work , and trust that are present in its 2005 predecessor , and , with eight episodes to secernate its story , it ’s capable to research its characters ’ disruptive family relationship far more deeply than a two - 60 minutes feature film ever could .
Once it ’s terminate delivering its deep , crimson prologue , which hint at one potential fate for its two leads , Mr. & Mrs. Smithdoesn’t waste any time diving into its story . The serial premiere , directed by frequent Glover collaborator Hiro Murai , apply a bowed stringed instrument of cross - cuts and scripted questionnaires to expeditiously position up not only the personalities and pasts of Glover ’s John and Erskine ’s Jane but also the unpaired , in camera - funded program and companionship responsible for bringing them together . From there , it follows the two as they embark on their “ first date ” : a tailing mission that pick out them across New York City .
Mr. & Mrs. Smithwisely does n’t deviate much from the structure of its first installment . Across its 8 - episode first season , the series sticks close to a mission - of - the - workweek format that stool each of its chapters experience different from the rest . By consecrate entire episodes to assignments set in the Italian Dolomites and Lake Como , Mr. & Mrs. Smithgets to spotlight its real locationsandgive John and Jane ’s often action - packed risky venture enough room to pass off . The series is n’t afraid to show off its budget and dwell up to its musical style ’s standards by offering an experience that is as entertaining as it is eye - catching .
The serial ’ purposefully episodic data formatting further break it a hazard to pack itself full of notable Edgar Albert Guest superstar , include Sarah Paulson , who shines as a hilariously oblivious couples therapist , and Wagner Moura and Parker Posey , who take overMr . & Mrs. Smith ’s most uncomfortable chapter as a couple whom John and Jane ask in over for dinner one night . While he ’s given shockingly little to do in the show ’s first time of year , Paul Dano also make an impact in a role that give him the uncommon opportunity to dilute some of his comedic muscles onscreen .
As memorable as its supporting performers are , Mr. & Mrs. Smith ’s success rests exclusively on the shoulder joint of Glover and Erskine . The series was originally meant to be lead by Glover and hisSolo : A Star Wars Storyco - star , Fleabagcreator Phoebe Waller - Bridge , but she left the projection in 2021 over creative differences . Erskine replace Waller - Bridge several months subsequently , and it ’s hard to conceive of a version of the show ever exist without her .
ThePEN15co - creator has such palpable chemistry with Glover that the two make it easy to take the feeling that their characters would be willing to ship on such an ill - advised Romance language . The serial mines plentifulness of play and comedy from the apposition of Glover ’s low - key , delightfully bootless public presentation and Erskine ’s confident , prickly turn opposite him . That enunciate , John and Jane ’s family relationship does get on at a surprisingly brisk pace — they get together far sooner than you might expect — andMr . & Mrs. Smith ’s desire to chart a pure spark across its first season termination in its central Romance language resile from impregnable to troubled at a sometimes jarring rate .
Its core duo ’s amatory issues allow the serial to play with its data formatting in the back one-half of its time of year , as well as shift its centering forth from John and Jane ’s earth - trotting delegation before they can become repetitive . Erskine and Glover ’s chemistry together makes the speed at which their character ’ bond rises and dips seem far more forgivable than it might have otherwise .
The serial ’ first time of year is n’t everlasting , butMr . & Mrs. Smithnonetheless emerges as the rare movie - to - tv set adaptation that actually seems worthwhile . It ’s as entertaining and straightforward as everyone intimate with the film that inspire it will want it to be , but it also is n’t afraid to experiment and — as it does in its conclusion — go to places that are unexpectedly weird , raw , and goofy . It ’s a confidently made series that rightly consider in the strength of its premiss and the talent of its leads , and it does n’t overstay its welcome , either . On the contrary , it leave you hungry for more . Few could have expected that from a show based on a fair forgettable mid-2000s military action movie , but its unlikely stock makeMr . & Mrs. Smithseem all the more telling .
Mr. & Mrs. Smithpremieres Friday , February 2 , on Amazon Prime Video . Digital Trends was given early admission to all of the serial ’ eight episodes .
