Weirdest TV Reboot of 2024 Just Landed on Prime (You'll Either Love It or Hate It)

Summary

• A few days ago, Prime released Mr. & Mrs. Smith, a reboot of the 2005 movie of the same name.
• Created by Donald Glover, the show follows two people hired as spies who pose as a happily married suburban couple.
• The show received generally positive reviews, but many criticized it for Glover's unconventional choices.

Since the release of Alfred Hitchcock's 1941 Mr. & Mrs. Smith, there have been several attempts to reinterpret the relationship between the two Smiths, including the 1996 CBS series and, of course, the cult film starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

The latter, by the way, was not famous for the depth of its plot, and is remembered primarily for its tense but incredibly steamy love-hate dynamic, enlivened by spy action scenes. And now, just a few days ago, another iteration of the same name was released on Prime to generally warm but not always unanimous reviews.

In the new Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Donald Glover not only took on one of the two lead roles, but also co-created the series. We all cherish Glover as an experimentalist in the world of filmmaking, delivering realistic yet sometimes surreal, mundane yet almost philosophical stories. But that's both the advantage and the disadvantage of the new show. Let's find out what the new Mr. & Mrs. Smith is all about and if it's worth watching.

A New Take on the Iconic Couple, Created by Donald Glover

Donald Glover is not only a great actor, but also a talented screenwriter, having created the award-winning surreal (yet, strange as it may sound, sometimes hyper-realistic, given the feelings and experiences of black people in Georgia) comedy Atlanta and the dark comedy-thriller Swarm.

As a result, Glover was able to develop his own distinctive style that emphasized satire and the dynamics between characters far more than the events surrounding them. Did that work for Mr. & Mrs. Smith? Well, yes and no.

While the 2005 film told the story of the murderous (and incredibly kinky) rivalry between two assassins who love each other, the new series, created by Glover with Atlanta co-producer Francesca Sloane, is a marriage story, following people whose new turn in life has brought love to a head.

In the story, Glover's character and the one played by PEN15 star Maya Erskine are two strangers who have traded their former routines for high salaries and new emotions. They are hired by an anonymous corporation that forces them into a fake marriage, which is what it is until a few deadly missions lead to the ignition of real feelings. The espionage element, on the other hand, serves more as a gimmick and artistic framework: although the plot has them trying to find out the identity of their employer, the story focuses almost entirely on the relationship between the title characters.

What Are Audiences and Critics Saying About the Show?

On Rotten Tomatoes, the show has an 87% score from critics and a 70% score from viewers. These are not bad numbers, but they are an indicator that Glover's Mr. & Mrs. Smith is either a hit with viewers or not — with no average.

Fair warning: Don't expect high-octane spy action like James Bond movies or 2005's action-packed Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Although the new series is billed as an action-comedy, it's primarily a romantic drama, which is why some may not find the script interesting.

People have also split into two camps regarding the cast, with some claiming that the pairing of Donald Glover and Maya Erskine doesn't work, while other critics and viewers insist that their chemistry clicks instantly.

The only thing that hasn't proven to be a point of contention is the quality of the direction and cinematography, so if you're a fan of Donald Glover's work, you should definitely give the new series a chance.

All eight episodes of the new Mr. & Mrs. Smith were released on February 2 and are available exclusively to Amazon Prime subscribers.