Netflix's latest series, Sirens, is the kind of TV seduction that starts with a sunset view and ends with a look into your soul—if you're lucky enough to survive it at all. If you watched The White Lotus with your mouth open (in admiration or amazement), you'll devour Sirens with the same eagerness—and perhaps a little guilt. But hey, no one said yacht vacations were spiritually cleansing.
When Netflix they smell success, grab it like a dog a bone – and Sirens, a five-part mini-series by screenwriter Molly Smith Metzler (Maid), is their latest trophy. The series, which debuted on May 22, 2025, quickly became the number one TV show in the United States. Why? With a dazzling cast, a Mediterranean aesthetic, and a script that's sharper than a martini at a five-star hotel.
The main protagonist Devon DeWitt (Meghann Fahy, still with a slight touch of The White Lotus cynicism) lands on the private island of Port Haven - so exclusive that even Richard Branson would feel like a backpacker. There he finds his younger sister Simone (Milly Alcock from House of the Dragon), who lives in the shadow of the island's mysterious queen – Michaela "Kiki" Kell, played by Julianne Moore with such cool sophistication that one wonders if the iced tea is in the hand or in the veins.
Looks can be deceiving, especially when he's wearing a white linen shirt.
The series is based on Metzler's play Elemental Pea and has an almost theatrical composition: few locations, lots of words and even more tension. Visually, it works like a Ralph Lauren catalog, if it were designed with two too many glasses of rosé. But beneath the shiny surface, there is a seething class contempt, an identity crisis and more manipulation than in the cryptocurrency market.
The sisterly dynamic between Devon and Simone is almost too real: one cynical, the other naively devoted; both orbiting Michaela, who is not just a socialite but a matriarchal mentor in the style of Gwyneth Paltrow on the Dark Side of the Moon. Julianne Moore is not only great in this role—she’s a little intimidating. If she were selling crystals, you’d buy them. With your soul.
A psychological brunch where more than just emotions are revealed
In addition to Moore and Fahy, Kevin Bacon shines as her mysterious husband Peter, Glenn Howerton as the neighbor who knows more than he lets on, and a whole series of passive-aggressive breakfasts that are as tense as the suspense of a Hitchcock thriller. The location – Cliff House – is more than a backdrop. It is a character. With a better wardrobe than most of the Met Gala attendees.
A series that doesn't give you an answer in the end, but asks you why you were looking for it in the first place
The series has a solid score of 73 % on Rotten Tomatoes, and a slightly more reserved 65 on Metacritic – but this is one of those productions where the ratings don't tell the whole story. The chemistry between the actresses is almost electric, the plot twists like a silk sheet after a night of too-cheap wine, and there are more masks than at the Venetian Carnival. And when they fall – ouch.
If you enjoyed the The White Lotus, it is Sirens The next stop on your emotional wellness getaway. Less views, more introspection. Less exotic places, more familiar pain. More creepy than enjoyable – but so watchable that you might be a little ashamed of how much you like it.
There's always a monster hiding in the mirror of glamour
In a world where elites wipe their tears with monogrammed napkins and where “brunch” means three-course psychological warfare, Sirens Netflix's latest mirror is so dazzling and seductive that we almost forget what it's actually reflecting. But that's exactly why it's worth watching: because we too need a reminder every now and then that glamour rarely comes without a price. And it often has Julianne Moore's face.
