Playing Nice viewers make same complaint about James Norton thriller
ITV's new thriller Playing Nice arrived on our screens on Sunday night and while the compelling series had viewers glued to their screens, some couldn't help but comment on "far-fetched" and "unrealistic" elements of the plot.
Starring James Norton and Niamh Algar, the four-parter follows couple Pete and Maddie whose lives are turned upside down when they discover that their little boy Theo was swapped at birth in a hospital mix-up. The pair are soon thrust into the lives of the other couple, Miles (James McArdle) and Lucy (Jessica Brown Findlay), and while all four initially agree on a solution, it soon becomes clear that hidden motives are at play.
In the first episode, viewers watched as Miles turned up on Pete and Maddie's doorstep to introduce himself as "the other dad" before later inviting the pair to join him and his wife Lucy for a drink at their house to meet each other's children.
Taking to social media, viewers complained about the "unrealistic" aspect of the story, which is based on the book of the same name by J.P. Delaney.
One person asked: "Playing Nice on ITV. Surely the two couples wouldn't be introduced or their details shared, for legal reasons. Would they?" while another penned: "I work in the legal sector (family), so I know exactly how this situation would work from the beginning, the ridiculousness of it so far has put me off taking it seriously. If I knew NOTHING about the law it might be quite compelling."
A third viewer remarked: "The storyline is a bit far fetched you wouldn't just turn up at the parents house would you?? But I'm going to have and watch & see what happens," while another added: "I will stick with it but not a promising start, too unrealistic. First Miles turning up at their house then them popping round for a drink!"
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Despite the "far-fetched" elements of the show, viewers were compelled by the first episode, with many praising the show and its cast. One fan wrote: "As far-fetched as it is, I really enjoyed #PlayingNice and it's got me hooked. And putting both my beloved Cornwall and James Norton on my screen at the same time is a winner," while another added: "Already loving the first episode of #PlayingNice @NiamhAlgar is absolutely brilliant. Think this will be a great series."
Another fan, who binged all four episodes in one-sitting, also praised the twisty drama. "After watching the whole series thanks to @ITVX it was great to see James Norton play a softer character," they penned, adding: "It certainly had its twists and turns but thought it was a great series."
Telling HELLO! about what sets the series apart from other thrillers, James Norton explained that the premise hadn't been explored on-screen before. "There are so many stories about grief, bereavement, heartbreak. This is a form of grief, a form of heartbreak but the premise hasn't really ever been explored," he said. "I'm sure parents have that nightmare but it's something which does happen. It happens a weird amount. If you look it up, there are quite a lot of cases that are never discovered, some are sorted out quickly.
"There are very few stories, books and dramas which use this premise as a jumping off point for that type of pain and trauma," he continued. "But that's what we hope is that the audience is going to be watching Pete and Maddie, watching Miles and Lucy and their instinctive reaction to how to process this, and then turning to their partner, and going, 'How would we process it? What would we do?'"
Playing Nice is available to stream on ITVX.
