HBO’s six-episode limited series The Undoing (2020) starred Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant as Grace and Jonathan Fraser, a wealthy Manhattan couple whose lives unravel after Jonathan is accused of murdering his mistress Elena Alves (Matilda De Angelis).
The series functioned as an elevated whodunit, with each episode ending on a cliffhanger that drove social media speculation. Director Susanne Bier and creator David E. Kelley crafted a psychological thriller that explored privilege, gaslighting, and willful blindness.
Hugh Grant’s performance as the charming pediatric oncologist Jonathan Fraser—possibly innocent, possibly a sociopath—marked a career reinvention. His ambiguous smile and calm denials kept viewers guessing until the penultimate episode revealed his guilt.
The show critiqued Upper East Side wealth and insularity, particularly Grace’s inability to see her husband clearly despite obvious red flags. Her therapist’s refrain “What have you been not seeing?” became the series’ moral question.
The Undoing’s helicopter shots of Manhattan, designer costumes, and Kidman’s wardrobe (particularly her emerald coat) made it fashion-magazine fodder. The trial scenes, while legally questionable, provided satisfying melodrama.
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