Parents' Guide to The Better Sister

TV Prime Video Drama 2025
The Better Sister TV show poster: Blonde, white actors Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks sit at the edge of a swimming pool.

Common Sense Media Review

Polly Conway By Polly Conway , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 15+

Language, sex in compelling, complex book-based thriller.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 16+

Based on 1 parent review

age 10+

Based on 1 kid review

What's the Story?

Magazine editor Chloe Taylor (Jessica Biel) seems to have it all: great career, ambitious lawyer husband Adam (Corey Stoll), sweet but awkward teen son Ethan, and a gorgeous NYC apartment. But when Adam is found brutally murdered at their Hamptons getaway, her world begins to unravel. Her estranged, drug-addicted sister Nicky (Elizabeth Banks), who's Ethan's biological mother as well as Adam's ex-wife, returns at the request of the police, she wreaks havoc on Chloe's life and complicates the murder case. Detectives Guidry (Kim Dickens) and Bowen (Bobby Naderi) begin to investigate, finding even more twists than they expected from this non-traditional family.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 1 ):
Kids say ( 1 ):

Though it doesn't introduce any new elements to the mystery/thriller genre, this series is hard to stop watching. With solid performances from Biel, Banks, and a strong supporting cast, The Better Sister draws out its many reveals to keep audiences guessing. There are some contrivances, such as Nicky's occasional visions of her father, and Matthew Modine camps it up a little too much in his role as Adam's boss and supportive (or is he?) friend to Chloe. Murder mystery fans will likely find this book-based series compelling enough to find out whodunit.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the relationship between the show's sisters. How strong should family bonds be? Do you think forgiveness is always the right thing?

  • How are the differences between the sisters portrayed? Their lifestyles? Economic situations?

TV Details

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The Better Sister TV show poster: Blonde, white actors Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks sit at the edge of a swimming pool.

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