Why you need to watch Nine Perfect Strangers, the latest adaptation from Big Little Lies writer Liane Moriarty

Hulu's Nine Perfect Strangers, which centres on nine down-and-out strangers in search of enlightenment at an eerie wellness resort, will star Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy.

If you devoured series two of Big Little Lies as hungrily as us (particularly Meryl Streep’s withering looks and iconic one-liners), you’ll be more than ready for another Liane Moriarty adaptation, filled with mystery, intrigue, and, of course, some killer outfits.

Hulu has just released the Nine Perfect Strangers trailer for the book-to-TV - and it looks better than we could have expected. 

So what can we expect from this new drama, that's set to fill a Big Little Lies-shaped hole in our TV schedule (at least until series three hits screens)?

This is everything you need to know about Liana Moriarty’s bestselling drama and its Hulu adaptation.

It shows spa retreats in a whole new light

Tranquillum House, a remote health retreat a few hours north of Sydney, has all the hallmarks of a classic Agatha Christie location. With its winding, gothic staircase, remote grounds and far-too-attentive staff, we’re surprised the nine strangers who gather for a 10-day-long retreat there don’t twig that their path to enlightenment may not run so smoothly.

Promising its stressed-out residents a transformative journey to complete Zen - billed as an ‘exclusive 10-Day Mind and Body Total Transformation Retreat’ - Tranquillum House’s façade soon slips to reveal something far more sinister, with almost-otherworldly spa manager Masha playing puppet master to her motley crew of oblivious guests.

MORE:Why hit TV show 'Big Little Lies' is unlikely to return for a third series

Nine Perfect Strangers is set to star some big names

Nicole Kidman is at the helm again, playing the central character Masha and as executive producer.

Melissa McCarthy plays Frances Welty, a former author, who wants to reinvent herself after falling victim to an online cat fishing scam.

The central character, Masha, was written specifically for Nicole Kidman

Nicole certainly fits the physical description of beautiful 6-foot Russian leader Masha, but we’ll be interested to see how she portrays this creepy – and rather unhinged – character.

Talks with Nicole reportedly started before Nine Perfect Strangers was even written. Liane approached the Big Little Lies star and producing partner Per Saari with the idea before starting the book and the three women agreed to work on the adaptation together.

“Although we knew what the concept was, [Nine Perfect Strangers] was acquired more or less sight unseen,” Saari said of the novel in an October 2019 interview with ELLE.

“Liane was talking to Nicole about the seeds of a character and she embraced it instantly, so Liane ended up writing this extraordinary character for her.”

MORE:The best books of 2019 to add to your reading list for 2020

Is there a trailer for Nine Perfect Strangers?

There absolutely is, and it's just as eerie as we imagined. The Nine Perfect Strangers trailer, which was released on April 26, gives fans a 30-second preview into the bizarre rituals, creepy characters, and blatant chaos that's expected in the highly-anticipated eight-part series. 

When will Nine Perfect Strangers air in the UK?

While the US release date for Nine Perfect Strangers has been confirmed as Wednesday, August 18, 2021, full details of its UK debut still remain unknown. It's been scheduled for release in Britain on Amazon Prime at some point later this year, but an actual date has yet to be revealed.