Published Mar 18, 2026, 7:30 PM EDT
Angel Shaw is a Lead Writer and Critic on ScreenRant's TV team, covering new-release and classic TV shows across all major streaming platforms. She has been a writer with ScreenRant since 2022 and specializes in Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and fantasy.
Angel holds a bachelor's degree in language interpreting and is passionate about all things culture and communication—especially in how it relates to popular media throughout history (from Shakespeare to Friends to Game of Thrones).
Elisabeth Moss gives another great performance in her newest TV show, Imperfect Women, but the thriller's Rotten Tomatoes scores reveal a disappointing trend. After her work in The Handmaid's Tale, there can be no doubt that Moss is the real deal. It was a painfully emotional show, and its star conveyed every bit of that agony to her viewers. Moss won a slew of awards for The Handmaid's Tale, including a Primetime Emmy. Now, the show is in her past, and among Moss' newer projects is Apple TV's Imperfect Women.
Imperfect Women is a whodunit-style psychological thriller revolving around the friendship between three women. When one of them is found murdered, the other two fall into webs of secrets and lies as they desperately reach out for answers. These three characters are played by Kerry Washington, Kate Mara, and, of course, Mass. So, it's no surprise that the general expectation was that Imperfect Women would be amazing.
Apple TV released the first two episodes of this limited series on March 18, 2026, and a new episode will follow every week until the finale on April 29, 2026. So, it will still be a while before we get the full picture regarding audience reception. However, more than a dozen critics have already had their say. Imperfect Women has debuted with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 47%, indicating that slightly less than half of critics gave positive reviews. Interestingly, Moss' last TV thriller, The Veil, holds a similarly split score.
Elisabeth Moss' Last Thriller TV Show Before Imperfect Women Was Just As Divisive
Image via FX/HuluRotten Tomatoes aggregates reviews and presents its "Tomatometer" as the percentage of critics who give positive scores. This ultimately means that half of Imperfect Women's reviewers were mostly happy with the show, while the other half weren't. Divisive series like this sit right on the fence, leaving the door open as to whether it is good or bad.
Just a couple of years ago, Moss had yet another critically divisive limited series. Hulu's The Veil holds a 57% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, followed up by an even more split audience score of 52%. This international spy thriller is of an entirely different tone from Imperfect Women, revolving around two dangerous women who deal in deadly lies during a trip across Europe. Those who loved The Veil enjoyed the intense action and suspense paired with its parody-like, over-the-top tropes. Those who left bad reviews cited those exact traits as miserable hindrances they couldn't overlook.
It's unfortunate that Moss' last two TV shows have failed to claim overwhelming critical success. It's also interesting to consider why the thriller genre isn't panning out for an actor so skilled at conveying desperation, fear, and rage. Imperfect Women's divisive reception turns The Veil's shortcomings into a trend. Still, that by no means suggests that Moss' TV career is tipping into a downward spiral.
Elisabeth Moss Can Afford Some Low Rotten Tomatoes Scores In Her TV Career
Credit: Apple TVIt's important to remember that a divisive series isn't automatically bad. Approximately the same number of critics who hate Imperfect Women love it, and the same can be said for The Veil. These two shows belong to two distinct thriller subgenres that are bound to appeal to more niche audiences. The expectation here wouldn't be complete and total critical acclaim. These are guilty-pleasure shows full of campy tropes and delicious predictability—if you're into that sort of thing.
Shows of this kind are a risk Moss can afford to take. She really doesn't have to prove herself, so whodunits like Imperfect Women and spy thrillers like The Veil offer versatility and a bit of fun. If there's any doubt that she is a great actor worthy of more agreed-to-be-spectacular shows, we can refer back to another of her thriller TV projects. Apple TV's ongoing Shining Girls (2022) holds an 84% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, balancing out the divisiveness of the two miniseries Moss has done since. Not everyone maybe able to come together and call Imperfect Women great, but they should at least be able to reach a consensus about Moss herself.
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