If you've already listened to Liane Moriarty's New York Times best seller Nine Perfect Strangers, then you know you're in for a wild ride with Hulu's new miniseries based on the book. But with a listen as unique, bizarre, and twisty as Moriarty's eighth novel, it's not surprising if you have some questions. Maybe it's been a while and you want a refresher on the story before you watch the show, or maybe you haven't listened to the book yet and want more details before you jump in. Either way, we’re here to help.
We've compiled some of the most commonly asked questions about Nine Perfect Strangers, and we have the answers for you. Here's everything you need to know about Nine Perfect Strangers—the book, the TV series, and all their combined secrets.
Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Nine Perfect Strangers.
What is Nine Perfect Strangers about?
Well, the "nine perfect strangers" of the title is a little deceptive, because some of the characters in this story know each other from the beginning. Nevertheless, this listen follows nine guests who all go on a 10-day retreat to the Tranquillum House, a health and wellness resort that promises to transform everyone who stays there. Every guest has different reasons for wanting to come to the resort. Some are looking to relax. Some want to lose weight. Others are trying to deal with grief, while still others are struggling with addiction. But the longer the guests stay at the Tranquillum House, the more they begin to realize that this place is not at all what it seems.
What's the big twist? The owner of the spa, Masha Dmitrichenko is secretly microdosing all of the guests with LSD. In the book, this all culminates in Masha giving the guests large doses of LSD and ecstasy and then locking them in a room together. When they come down from their highs, the guests realize they're locked in a room and have no means of escaping. Masha watches the guests as they scramble to escape the room, and to further mess with their heads, she plays the sound of a burning fire over the speakers so that they fear they might risk being burned alive if they can't escape. The twist within the twist? By the time help arrives to set the guests free, they realize the door was unlocked the whole time.
The television series, according to insiders, will end differently from the book. So, if you've already listened to Nine Perfect Strangers and are just starting to watch the show, don't be surprised if it doesn't all go down like this in the final episode.
Who are the major players in the Nine Perfect Strangers story?
Masha Dmitrichenko (portrayed by Nicole Kidman in the television adaptation) is the founder of the Tranquillum House wellness resort.
Frances Welty (portrayed by Melissa McCarthy) is a novelist who is at a low point in her personal life and in her career. She recently got out of a "relationship," where it turned out the guy wasn't really in love with her—he was only scamming her. And to top it all off, her latest novel is getting panned.
Napoleon Marconi (portrayed by Michael Shannon) is a high school teacher grieving the death of his son. He comes to this resort with his wife and his daughter. In the book, they saved up to afford the trip. In the TV series, they got a discount (something Napoleon talks about a lot).
Heather Marconi (portrayed by Asher Keddie) is Napoleon's wife. She is much more melancholy in her grief than her husband, and she resents how cheery he always is. The couple has not has sex since the death of their son.
Zoe Marconi (Grace Van Patten) is Heather and Napoleon's daughter, and the twin sister of their son who died. Her family has planned this health retreat for the weekend of her 21st birthday. Though she says she wasn't close to her brother, her actions suggest otherwise.
Lars Lee (portrayed by Luke Evans) comes to the resort to secretly report on what goes on there—at least, on the television show. He's also recently broken up with his long-term boyfriend. In the novel, Lars remains in a committed relationship and isn't at the spa with a hidden agenda.
Ben Chandler (portrayed by Melvin Gregg) recently won the lottery. A newly wealthy man, he comes to the resort with his wife.
Jessica Chandler (portrayed by Samara Weaving) is Ben's wife. She's obsessed with social media and cares a lot about her appearance.
Carmel Schneider (portrayed by Regina Hall) is a single mother whose husband left her for another woman. She seems meek but sometimes has issues with violence and rage.
Tony Hogburn (portrayed by Bobby Cannavale) is a former football player who left the game due to an injury and got hooked on opiates.
Yao (portrayed by Manny Jacinto) is an employee at Tranquillum House who is having an affair with Masha.
Delilah (portrayed by Tiffany Boone) is an employee at Tranquillum House who is in a relationship with Yao.
Glory (Zoe Terakes) is another dedicated employee at Tranquillum House.
How is the Nine Perfect Strangers TV series different from the book?
Let's start with how Tranquillum was started. In both the book and the series, Masha has a near-death experience that makes her rethink her life, leave the corporate world, and reinvent herself as a health and wellness guru. In the book, Masha has a heart attack. But in the TV series, Masha is shot by a mystery assailant in a parking garage. Masha is also getting strange threatening texts in the television show. This is simply not part of her story in the novel.
Other characters in the book are different as well. For instance, Lars in the novel is a family lawyer who loves to go on wellness retreats. So, he's not there as an undercover reporter—he's just really into wellness. In the television series, Carmel is prone to fits of rage; in the book, she simply lacks confidence.
Many of the major events that happen at the retreat are different in the series than in the novel. For one, in the book, all of the visitors are required five days of silence when they first arrive at the retreat. That was cut from the TV show, for reasons that should be fairly obvious: it’s not the most entertaining to watch actors hanging around without uttering a word. There's also feasting on a goat in the novel. In the TV show, Napoleon kills a goat, which is later eaten by everyone at the retreat as part of a big evening celebration. None of that happens in the book.
Before the series even released, it was teased that character arcs would deviate pretty strongly from the book. So, you’ll have to tune in to find out what other surprises are in store. And if you want to check for any other major differences yourself, it might be time to listen (or re-listen) to the novel.
When and where can I watch Nine Perfect Strangers?
The series premiered on Hulu on August 18, 2021. You can now stream episodes exclusively on Hulu. The show is eight episodes in total; the final episode of the series released on September 22, 2021.
Will Nine Perfect Strangers be more than one season?
Nine Perfect Strangers is intended to be a miniseries, which means the eighth episode marks the end of the story. Yet perhaps, maybe there's room for more? Fans are holding out hope! (After all, the miniseries based on Liane Moriarty's novel Big Little Lies was extended to two seasons.) While no plans have yet been made for a second season, it's not completely out of the question.
What's next from Liane Moriarty?
Liane Moriarty's latest novel was released in September 2021. It's an absorbing, totally pause-resistant listen called , and it’s an Audible Editor’s Pick. Could this be the next hit Liane Moriarty TV show? We can only hope.
