Skylar Savarin

“Mr. & Mrs. Smith” is a Prime Video spy comedy-drama from creators Donald Glover (“Atlanta”) and Francesca Sloane. Loosely based on the 2005 film of the same name, the show follows the titular “Smiths,” “John” (Glover) and “Jane” (Maya Erskine, “PEN15”), two bored strangers who join a spy agency in which they pose as a married couple while completing dangerous missions. However, things get complicated when the fake couple develops real feelings for one another.

The show also boasts a stacked supporting and guest cast, including Paul Dano (“There Will Be Blood”), John Turturro (“The Big Lebowski”), Ron Perlman (“Hellboy”) and Sarah Paulson (“American Horror Story”). As a fan of the fantastic cast and crew, I’m happy to say that “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” is a great television series I can recommend to pretty much anyone, thanks to its understated performances, clever writing and unique score.

One of the most important aspects of the series is the chemistry between Glover and Erskine. Their performances bounce off each other in a very natural way, making them almost seem like a real couple. Not only that, but both of them are able to quickly bounce between the script’s comedic and dramatic beats. The supporting and guest cast, particularly Perlman and Turturro, are also pretty great, but the two leads really carry the series.

Another fantastic element of the show is the score from composer David Fleming, who previously co-composed the score for HBO’s “The Last of Us.” His music for the series feels simultaneously familiar and unique. Whenever we see the Smiths in a new, exotic locale, the sweeping score takes on the dramatic vibe of a “James Bond” film. However, it also mixes in the synth-sounding music heard in shows like “Mr. Robot” and “Stranger Things,” and these elements come together in one of my favorite television scores in recent years.

The show is also well written overall, as can be expected with Glover and Sloane as creators and showrunners. They have previously worked together on the Emmy-winning series “Atlanta,” so their excellent balance of comedy and drama carried over here effectively. The show is primarily a comedy with spy drama and action sprinkled in for good measure, and the writing team does an excellent job of keeping the tone consistent throughout. I also really love the show’s structure, with almost every episode revolving around a single mission and how the Smiths’ relationship is affected by it.

It’s also important to note that this show takes a completely different approach to the titular characters than the original film. While the original film was based on the sex appeal of lead actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the show takes a different approach. Glover and Erskine aren’t exactly Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood, and their characters are a lot less competent than their film counterparts. In fact, Glover refers to the characters as “C students in an AP class” in a behind the scenes featurette. The story’s intent is clearly very different, and it works perfectly with the story that Sloane and Glover have created..

However, if there was anything I were to critique about the writing, it would be the overall pacing of the season, specifically in the final few episodes. The penultimate seventh episode “Infidelity” is the worst of the season, and a large part of that is just because it feels less like an episode and more like a setup for the season finale.

All in all, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” is a consistently entertaining and well-crafted show with terrific lead performances and characters. While it doesn’t quite hit the highs of Glover’s work on “Atlanta,” it does exactly what it sets out to do: take an action-comedy movie reliant on sex appeal and turn it into a story of emotional intimacy.

RATING: 7.8/10