Playing Nice (2025) Review

Yesterday, all four episodes for ITV's new dramatic show Playing Nice was released and I found the time to watch all of the episodes and here is my review for it. The premise of the show sees two couples discover that their toddlers were switched at birth and now both couples attempt to get the most out of the situation. 

Main Character

James Norton plays Pete Riley and he is okay in the show. It is clear that Norton is a good actor and we have seen that in previous projects and he really is trying and committed here. But this show makes his character pretty unlikeable and irresponsible. The things that his character does makes little sense and even though we are meant to be rooting for him, I really struggled to do so. 

Supporting Characters

Niamh Alger plays Maddie Wilson and she is good in the show. It feels like she should have been the main character and towards the end of the show they kind of start pivoting towards this. Don't get me wrong, the writing isn't the best for the character but Alger does good enough to rise above it. 

James McArdle plays Miles Lambert and he is a fun part of the show. He is really over the top but the fact that he realises it makes him entertaining. But the writing for his character falls off a cliff towards the end and I think the show missed the shot in making him an interesting character. 

Jessica Brown Findlay plays Lucy Lambert and I really didn't care about her character as the show didn't do enough to make me care. She is very quiet and underdeveloped until it is rushed to give her a character towards the end of the show. 

Story

The story is somewhat interesting. Seeing these people dealing with this situation is interesting and the way that both couples try and manipulate each other to get custody of the two children. However, there are no likeable characters here and to be honest both couples are bad parents and it really makes me not root for anybody. It ends up heading into soap opera territory and certain things really don't matter and the ending is too clean and generic for my liking. 

Script  

The script isn't great, in fact I think the writing for the show is easily the biggest let down here. The story is rushed and none of the characters are written well with a lacklustre ending. 

Style

The style of the show does a good job of setting the backdrop in Cornwall and kind of tries to use the setting as a bit of a character and that does work. But the pacing of the show is all over the place, so much is thrown at you that very little of it actually sticks. It could have done with more episodes or cutting some elements of the story to make it a better experience. 

Overall

Overall, Playing Nice is a below average show that is pretty disappointing. It's only 4 episodes so is a pretty quick watch but I think there are better shows then this that you can spend your time on. 

Rating - 4/10