New ‘darkly addictive’ thriller series streaming now has 100% Rotten Tomatoes score

It features one of Hollywood's most popular rising stars in the lead role.

Available to watch through NOW and Sky, the show is titled Sweetpea and is produced by and stars Ella Purnell (star of Prime Video's beloved Fallout) as "a quiet wallflower who develops a vengeful and liberating taste for murder".

The plot synopsis reads:

"Rhiannon Lewis (Purnell) doesn’t make much of an impression - people walk past her in the street without a second glance. She’s continually overlooked for a promotion at work, the guy she likes won’t commit, and her dad is really, really sick.

"Then everything in her life is turned upside down, and Rhiannon is pushed over the edge. She snaps. Suddenly the wallflower is gone, and in its place is a young woman capable of anything.

"Rhiannon’s life transforms as she steps into a new, intoxicating power, but can she keep her killer secret?"

Based on the book series of the same name by CJ Skuse, Sweetpea's cast also includes Dustin Demri-Burns (Slow Horses) and Jeremy Swift (Ted Lasso).

And, as can be gathered by its Rotten Tomatoes score, the series has been very acclaimed - with its blend of genres, its portrait of modern life frustrations and Purnell's likeable lead turn despite her character's actions being singled out for praise.

You can read some of these glowing write-ups from critics below:

Flicks: "It’s scarily easy in the modern world for someone’s default emotion to be murderous rage. People seem to be growing crueller and more callous by the day. Kirstie Swain’s Sweetpea, adapted from CJ Skuse’s book of the same name, is a darkly addictive take on that frustration, of life lived under the rule of bullies."

London Evening Standard: "The small screen version serves as a prequel or origin story of sorts to the book series, of which there are six in total. It is part thriller, part rom-com, part fantasy -- undefinable in genre, but simply brilliant TV."

Loud and Clear Reviews: "Sweetpea is a deliciously addictive series. Ella Purnell’s sensational performance as Rhiannon Lewis gives such heart to a twisted protagonist. She will make you want to follow a fantastic, unnerving, and comedic narrative through to the very end."

RogerEbert.com: "Sweetpea feels fresh from beginning to end, offering us a gripping story right down to the final episode’s shocking cliffhanger."

Sydney Morning Herald: "It’s not easy to make an endearing serial killer, but you will find yourself wanting this wide-eyed anti-hero (to put it mildly) to succeed."

All six episodes of Sweetpea are available to stream in Ireland and the UK via NOW and Sky.

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