While there’s no one project to pinpoint the start of the trend, the past decade has really seen a rise in storytellers exploring the class gap through the lens of humor and drama. HBO’s Big Little Lies was certainly an early example of such success, while the years since have seen everything from Peacock’s The Resort to Mike White’s The White Lotus follow in its footsteps. However, before these all came to be, there was Molly Smith Metzler’s darkly comedic play, Elemeno Pea, which was adapted into the miniseries Sirens and almost feels a bit late to the party.

Developed by Metzler, and primarily co-written by her, Sirens centers on Devon DeWitt (The White Lotus and Drop star Meghann Fahy), a woman struggling to come to terms with caring for her aging father, who was recently diagnosed with on-set dementia, and trying to maintain her sobriety.

With her younger sister, Simone (House of the Dragon‘s Milly Alcock), ignoring her texts and calls for multiple months, Devon heads to the remote island resort where she works for Michaela Kell, a billionaire socialite who has developed a cult-like following around her. Immediately recognizing the creepy relationship between them, Devon tries to pull Simone back home and confront the demons of their past.

Sirens Has Some Intriguing Mysteries & Meaningful Character Moments

Many Of The Payoffs, However, Aren’t All That Great

Sirens (2025) Official Trailer

Play Video

Between the tease of a cult-like group of followers for Michaela and multiple traumatic events in both Devon and Simone’s pasts, Sirens certainly gets off to a great start. Julianne Moore’s semi-antagonist character is immediately established as being a very eccentric figure who’s clearly hiding something under the surface, while Meghann Fahy’s DeWitt sister admittedly had me more intrigued as to why she was sending the titular code word to Simone.

There’s no more evident example of the show’s somewhat imbalanced structure than its series finale, particularly the ending.

However, as Sirens proceeded through its five-episode run, I found myself ultimately mixed on the overall delivery and pacing of its story. The miniseries makes a few key changes to Metzler’s play, many of which are welcome, namely, the removal of the Jos-B character, and changing the DeWitt sisters’ current family from their mother being alive to only their father being alive and living with dementia. This leads to a better focus on the characters of the show. At the same time, it left me feeling like the show could have benefited from a shorter or longer runtime.

There’s no more obvious example of the show’s somewhat imbalanced structure than its series finale, particularly the ending. With harsh truths finally being confronted by the Sirens‘ cast of characters, and life-changing decisions being properly made, it felt like multiple plot points were forgotten until the very last minute, being waved off by a single point of dialogue rather than any kind of meaningful showcase. What’s more, a few of the characters’ decisions go against where the ending was taking us, fulfilling a different kind of theme rather than allowing certain figures to learn and grow.

Sirens’ Dark Sense Of Humor Is Often A Welcome Reprieve

Its Soapy Material Is Far Less Interesting Than Its Comedy

While the overall premise certainly sounds like a setup for a more dramatic thriller, Sirens is just as much of a dark comedy, which is where it truly excels. Much of the bantering between Devon and Simone may be rooted in a tragic past, but it harkens back to an authentic depiction of teenage siblings bickering with one another. Additionally, Devon’s frequent bristling against the upper-class environment she finds herself in is a welcome self-awareness of the world the show is largely set in.

This is also, unfortunately, where I found myself somewhat disappointed by Sirens, as I really would have liked to see more of a focus on this tone in lieu of the melodramatic, soap opera-like atmosphere it keeps coming back to. That’s not to say its drama is poorly executed. Reflections on the DeWitt sisters’ family problems are heartbreaking in moments, and Michaela’s marital problems with Kevin Bacon’s Peter hold some powerful commentary regarding the value of women in upper-class society. But between Devon’s alternative means of remaining sober to the Kell staff’s smack-talking group text chain, the comedy resonates better.

The Cast Is Absolutely Radiant In Their Respective Roles

Bill Camp Frequently Broke My Heart

Beyond the comedy and some intriguing mysteries, where Sirens ultimately shines is the magnetic performances from its star-studded cast. Fahy is captivating as the troubled Devon, Alcock is electric as the fully devoted Simone, and Moore is mesmerizing as the hypnotic Michaela. Fahy and Alcock together, though, had some of my favorite scenes in the show, as their chemistry was some of the most palpable I’ve ever seen between two actors playing siblings onscreen.

One of the biggest standouts for me, though, was Bill Camp as Bruce, the DeWitt sisters’ alcoholic father, with whom Devon lives and cares for. At first, I was admittedly a little uncertain about the Zero Day alum’s depiction of his devolving mental state, but as the show progressed, and Metzler recognized he needed to be a well-rounded person who wanted to push through his mental state to be present in his daughters’ lives, I found myself very moved by his performance, and wishing he had been more involved in Sirens‘ story.a