Right off the bat, The Miniature Wife felt like something that would either be very good or very bad with no in-between. The star power and clever hook of taking how women are often made to feel small within relationships to its logical extreme were certainly promising, but also something that could easily feel trite or even sexist if put into the wrong hands or taken in the wrong direction. Luckily, the hands of showrunners Jennifer Ames and Steve Turner were clearly the right ones.

While I wouldn’t describe The Miniature Wife as perfect, it also does exactly what it needs to do and does so quite well. It’s consistently funny, the central relationship feels very messy in an authentic and compelling way, and it uses the central premise of “tiny person having to communicate with regular-sized person” in increasingly creative ways.

What is The Miniature Wife about?

Matthew Macfadyen as Les in The Miniature Wife

(l-r) Zoe Lister-Jones as Vivienne, Matthew Macfadyen as Les, Rong Fu as Janet and O-T Fagbenle as RPW in The Miniature Wife

Elizabeth Banks as Lindy in The Miniature Wife

Sofia Rosinsky as Lulu in The Miniature Wife

Lindy Littlejohn, an author struggling to follow up her Pulitzer Prize-winning debut after almost two decades played by Elizabeth Banks, and Les Littlejohn, a scientist working on experimental agricultural technology played by Matthew Macfadyen, find themselves at a tipping point in their marriage exacerbated further by a technological accident that shrinks Lindy to six inches tall.

With seemingly no way to change back, Lindy must contend with navigating an entirely new world, both literally and figuratively. Meanwhile, Les struggles to find an answer to restoring Lindy while dealing with increased pressure and scrutiny from his superiors at work. And both of them must learn to take responsibility for what they did wrong within their relationship.

The Miniature Wife Review

(l-r) O-T Fagbenle as RPW, Ronny Chieng as Hilton, Zoe Lister-Jones as Vivienne and Matthew Macfadyen as Les in The Miniature Wife

Elizabeth Banks as Lindy in The Miniature Wife

(l-r) O-T Fagbenle as RPW, Zoe Lister-Jones as Vivienne, Matthew Macfadyen as Les and Ronny Chieng as Hilton in The Miniature Wife

(l-r) Matthew Macfadyen as Les and Elizabeth Banks as Lindy in The Miniature Wife

The thing that will likely be immediately striking to people about The Miniature Wife is its visuals. It’s rare to see non-franchise media with this kind of elaborate VFX work these days, but they definitely went all out in terms of general scaling and even a handful of standout action sequences. Admittedly, some shots feel a little too CGI/green screen-heavy, but these usually don’t last very long. And they’re more than made up for by the clever camera work used to shift perspective and the always delightful, oversized props representing real-world objects a la Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

But what most immediately struck me, oddly enough, was the use of sound in terms of scaling. Most shrinking stories tend to entirely focus on the changed scaling and interaction with physical objects, since that’s where the most obvious fun is to be had while glossing over any changes to the way we would hear or speak. But here, they actually acknowledge that a yell from a six-inch Lindy is a tiny squeak to a full-size Les, while a relatively normal-volume Les will knock the six-inch Lindy to the ground. It’s an insightful use of real-world science to both add to the comedy and the relationship angle, since their adjusted volumes require greater emotional regulation.

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Speaking of the relationship angle, that is of course where the series is at its best. Most “rocky marriage” stories of this type aim for complexity but rarely achieve it, usually landing on “one person clearly did most, if not all, of the wrongdoing, even if we keep trying to say otherwise.” That is thankfully not the case here, though it might not look that way at first glance.

Throughout the ten episodes, Les and Lindy are given space to be three-dimensional and fleshed-out characters both by themselves and within the context of their marriage. They have clear wants and needs, layered personalities, and deep emotional hang-ups that result in a pair of ultimately good but very much flawed people. And the more we learn about them, the easier it becomes to see why they fell in love, why their relationship has started to fall apart, and how it can come back together again.

Related: Charlie’s Angels Director Elizabeth Banks Says She Made What Fans Called ‘Feminist Manifesto’ Movie Because “Women aren’t directing ‘Mission: Impossible.’”

This is thanks in no small part to Elizabeth Banks and Matthew Macfadyen’s brilliant lead performances. Banks sells the raw, frustrated, and terrified reactions to everything Lindy deals with very effectively while also letting the character be petty and vindictive when needed. Whereas Macfadyen pulls off the “lacking in self-awareness to the point of exhaustion” bit perfectly while still giving pathos, depth, and sympathy to what could otherwise be a very unlikable character.

But a great comedy is made by its ensemble and luckily, The Miniature Wife has a great one of those too. O-T Fagbenle as Richie ends up being the surprise heart of the series. Zoe Lister-Jones as the no-nonsense brains of the operation is great, and Ronny Chieng brings the funny like always as the idiot billionaire. Plus, there are a few minor characters that pop up throughout the story that I won’t spoil here but are always delightful.

Is The Miniature Wife worth watching?

Sian Clifford as Terry in The Miniature Wife

(l-r) Elizabeth Banks as Lindy and Matthew Macfadyen as Les in The Miniature Wife

(l-r) Matthew Macfadyen as Les and Elizabeth Banks as Lindy in The Miniature Wife

I went into The Miniature Wife with no expectations and came out of it thoroughly entertained. The relationship drama is compelling, the comedy works, and the shrinking conceit feels like a natural part of the storytelling rather than a tacked-on gimmick. It’s smart, it’s funny, it’s paced well, it’s about the best possible version of its premise that you could ask for. The TV season is admittedly a crowded field right now, but I’d strongly recommend giving this a look.

The Miniature Wife premieres April 9 on Peacock. All ten episodes reviewed.

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