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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsNine Perfect Strangers returns with Nicole Kidman’s Masha, a new group of wellness-seekers and an Alpine retreat. But its drug-driven plotting makes cause and effect feel slippery, while thin character work and a blunted satirical edge leave too little to justify the journey. The cast offers flashes of promise; the season as a whole does not make enough of them.
What changes in Season 2
Masha has moved her retreat to the Austrian Alps, where a fresh set of guests arrive seeking transformation. Hulu Press lists the season premiere as May 21, 2025, with two episodes released at launch and one episode weekly afterward. Rotten Tomatoes lists eight episodes, ending with “Never Change” on July 2, 2025.
The official cast includes Henry Golding, Lena Olin, Annie Murphy, Christine Baranski, Lucas Englander, King Princess, Murray Bartlett, Dolly de Leon, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Mark Strong and Aras Aydin, alongside Kidman as Masha. A new location and ensemble give the show room to start over, but the central premise—Masha guiding guests through intense, altered-state experiences—remains familiar.
Why the trip loses its way
The mystery gives way to uncertainty
In Lucy Mangan’s Guardian review, the season’s drug-induced experiences are the biggest obstacle to suspense. When almost anything can be attributed to an altered state, events feel less like consequences of character choices and more like arbitrary turns. That weakens the mystery: surprise matters less when the viewer cannot tell what rules the story is following.
#1 Best Overall
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The guests do not build enough investment
The new ensemble has intriguing starting points, but Mangan finds too little character development to make the guests’ troubles carry the season. She identifies Christine Baranski’s Victoria and Murray Bartlett’s troubled children’s-TV star as among the more promising elements. Those hooks help the story along, but do not give the whole group enough emotional momentum.
The satire has lost its bite
The first season sometimes used its wealthy guests and wellness culture as targets as well as subjects. Mangan argues that Season 2 offers too little of that critique, leaving the retreat’s excesses without a sharp enough point of view. Without stronger satire or deeper character investment to balance the surreal plotting, the season’s strangeness has little to say beyond being strange.
Rank #2
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How Season 2 compares with Season 1
| What to look for | Season 1 | Season 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Mystery and altered states | The first season’s suspense was more grounded in a defined setup. | Mangan finds that drug-driven events blur cause and effect, making twists feel less earned. |
| Guest stories | The original group’s personal histories gave the retreat’s drama a clearer emotional frame. | Some setups have promise, but Mangan finds too little sustained character investment. |
| Wellness satire | The series sometimes questioned wealthy self-indulgence and the wellness industry. | Mangan finds that critical edge diminished. |
This is a critical comparison, not a claim that every viewer will prefer Season 1. The counterpoint in the reception is that some critics found Season 2 an entertaining, if uneven, ride: RogerEbert.com’s review headline describes it as “Less Insightful, Still Somewhat Fun.”
What critics and viewers are saying
The overall response is mixed rather than unanimous, though the balance leans negative. Rotten Tomatoes’ page displayed a 44% Tomatometer from 27 reviews and a 37% Popcornmeter from 100+ ratings when consulted; both are page-snapshot figures that can change as ratings are added. The site’s Critics Consensus calls the season a “definitive sophomore slump.” Individual reactions differ: NPR’s Eric Deggans describes an interesting ride balancing the dramatic and bizarre, while another excerpt on the page dismisses it as nonsense.
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Rank #3
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Mangan’s sharpest shorthand is: “The wig is better. Everything else is worse.” Her fuller case is less about one performance or production choice than about a season that cannot turn its premise into coherent suspense, sustained empathy or pointed satire. She concludes that it feels too insubstantial to merit eight hours.
Can you watch Season 2 without Season 1?
Season 2 introduces a new retreat and a new group, so its guest stories begin afresh. Masha and the show’s premise carry over, however, and the season is a continuation rather than a wholly separate series. Watching Season 1 first gives you the original context and a clearer basis for comparison, but the new setting means Season 2 is not simply a continuation of the first group’s story.
Rank #4
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Is the book a better alternative?
Nine Perfect Strangers began as Liane Moriarty’s bestselling novel. The Guardian notes that the Season 2 writers no longer had the novel as a guide, so the book is not a novelization of this Alpine storyline. It is an alternative for readers interested in the original premise and its first retreat, not a way to fill in Season 2’s events. The official Hulu Press series listing describes the series’ relationship to the novel.
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