The Better Sister – Series Review | Prime Video

THE BETTER SISTER on Prime Video is a new thriller series starring Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks as sisters. It works amazingly, and the murder mystery keeps you guessing. Read our The Better Sister series review here!

THE BETTER SISTER is a new Prime Video thriller series based on a novel. With 8 episodes, this series isn’t dragged out for too long. Instead, the very character-driven story with absolutely brilliant casting made me wish it would last even longer.

We have Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks as sisters, but which one of them is the title character? That will probably change for you or even differ for each viewer. The murder mystery at the heart of the plot is interesting, but the characters are what make it all work.

Continue reading our The Better Sister series review below. Find it on Prime Video from May 29, 2025.

The sisters are doing it for themselves

In The Better Sister, we follow Chloe (Jessica Biel), who seems to have everything going her way: She’s a high-profile media executive, living an Instagram-worthy life with her lawyer husband, Adam (Corey Stoll), and teenage son Ethan (Maxwell Acee Donovan).

Not really in her life these years is her estranged sister Nicky (Elizabeth Banks). Nicky is struggling with everything from finances to staying clean. The two sisters will come crashing into one another’s lives again due to a murder.

Chloe’s husband, Adam, is brutally murdered in their second home – they usually live in a penthouse in the city, and this is their Hamptons house. Very early on, someone is named as the prime suspect.

This is what sends shockwaves through both the press and the family. However, it’s also what helps reunite the two sisters. As they struggle to find their way back to one another, they have to deal with their complicated family history.

In the end, it will all connect to discovering who killed Adam.

The most amazing casting

Despite The Better Sister being a thriller series with a crime element of a murder mystery, it’s also quite funny. This is thanks to the casting of the two sisters and one of the detectives, especially.

Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks as sisters was not something I had thought about before watching The Better Sister. And yet, from their first scene together, it seemed like a no-brainer.

Seeing these adults acting like kids or teens in a typical sibling way was brilliant. And yes, also very funny. Adding to the dark humor with brilliant comedic timing is Kim Dickens (Fear the Walking Dead, The Good Nurse) as Detective Guidry, who distrusts everyone.

The character of Detective Guidry is very reminiscent of Kim Dickens’ role in Gone Girl. She was also brilliant in that movie, so it obviously works really well. Plus, she does get to delve more into the darker comedy area with The Better Sister.

While the entire cast of The Better Sister is amazing, these three made it come together perfectly for me. Still, I also want to highlight a few other familiar names in the cast.

From Matthew Modine (Stranger Things), Frederick Weller (Mosaic), and Michael Harney (Them, Orange is the New Black) to Gloria Ruben (Mr. Robot) and Lorraine Toussaint (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark).

Watch The Better Sister series on Prime Video

The Better Sister series on Prime Video is based on the novel by bestselling author Alafair Burke. Olivia Milch (Ocean’s 8) and Regina Corrado (The Strain, Cabinet of Curiosities) are executive producers and showrunners on this truly wonderful adaptation.

The episodes of the limited series are directed by Craig Gillespie (Fright Night), Leslie Hope (Devil in Ohio), Azazel Jacobs (His Three Daughters), Dawn Wilkinson (All American), and Stephanie Laing (Palm Royale).

Producers include the two stars, Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks, who have extensive experience behind the camera. Biel as a producer on successful productions such as Cruel Summer and The Sinner. Banks as a director on movies, including Cocaine Bear.

With eight episodes, all released for the premiere, you can binge-watch this Prime Video miniseries as fast as you desire to avoid spoilers. Also, you’ll probably want to keep watching because these characters get under your skin quickly.

The Better Sister is on Prime Video on May 29, 2025.

Details

Directors: Craig Gillespie (101), Leslie Hope (102/103), Azazel Jacobs (104), Dawn Wilkinson (105/106), Stephanie Laing (107/108)
Cast: Jessica Biel, Elizabeth Banks, Lorraine Toussaint, Corey Stroll, Kim Dickens, Bobby Naderi, Matthew Modine, Gabriel Sloyer, Maxwell Donovan, Gloria Reuben, Paul Sparks