Two weeks since its release, Netflix’s “The Perfect Couple” continues to dominate ratings. The limited series, based on the novel by Elin Hilderbrand, is in Netflix’s Global Top 10 with over 20M views, as of September 8.
The Nantucket murder mystery, directed by Susanne Bier, features a star-studded cast, which includes Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Dakota Fanning, Eve Hewson among others. However the biggest star is the choreographed opening sequence set to Nantucket native, Meghan Trainor’s song “Criminals.” The scene has taken the internet by storm with TikTok users recreating Charm La’Donna’s choreography by the beach. However, this iconic scene almost didn’t make the final cut.
Eve Hewson, who plays Amelia Sacks, told Jimmy Fallon, “It was like this surprise email that we got as we were nearing the end of the shoot from our director, who we love, who we would probably do anything for, but this was really pushing it. And it was like “hey learn this dance.. see you next time.” And basically the entire WhatsApp group blew up. Everyone was like “ I’m not doing it, I’m not doing it. I’m calling my manager. I’m calling my agent. They’d have to pay me. They’d have to pay me.”
For the actors, their hesitation wasn’t unjustified. The scene was filmed on the last day and could feel misplaced in a show about a murder. However, when cut together with the episodes, it is brilliant. Not only does it add levity to the show, but it highlights the blissful ignorance of the Winbury family. Viewers soon learn that this murder is clearly not their first cover-up and the thoughtfully placed sequence cut alongside the lyrics “anything that feels this good, well, it must be illegal” is a reminder that the family has no trouble dancing right along as if nothing happened, especially with a little money and a signed NDA.
In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Indian cinema actor Ishaan Khatter, who played Shooter in the series, also noted the parallels between the opening sequence and the big Bollywood numbers that are his “bread and butter.”
Bier also got in on the action and joined in on the dance for the final take, which reminded Khatter of “being back home.”
He continued, “I had the same experience with Shashank Katan on “Tarak” as well. I know a lot of directors do that in a lighter vein and I really appreciate that it’s just just a nod and a hat tip of saying like you know we’re all having fun here.”
Not only can the show’s success be attributed to the fun dance, but “Criminals” is also climbing the charts. The song, which was originally released as a track on Trainor’s 2024 album “Timeless-Deluxe” is currently sitting at over 1.7M streams on Spotify, and made its debut on Trainor’s tour setlist at her September 13 show in Georgia.
You can dance along to “The Perfect Couple” now streaming on Netflix.
Featured photo credit: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/Netflix