Tessa Thompson leads "His & Hers" as Anna Andrews, starring opposite Jon Bernthal as Detective Jack in the six-episode limited series. The thriller revolves around two estranged spouses — a detective (Bernthal) and a TV news star (Thompson) — who reunite when the haunting murder of Anna's high-school friend Rachel (Jamie Tisdale) disturbs their hometown of Dahlonega, Georgia.
After taking time away from her family and friends following the death of her and Jack's daughter, Anna returns to work to resume her career as a news anchor, only to find she's been replaced by another reporter, Lexy Jones (Rebecca Rittenhouse). However, when Anna learns about the stabbing in Dahlonega, she jumps on the case in search of answers — but also sees an opportunity to reclaim her anchor seat.
Reporting from the small town, Anna crosses paths with her husband Jack, whom she's basically abandoned in her grief, and who's been assigned to the case — both believe the other is a prime suspect. As they feverishly work to find the culprit, past secrets are revealed as new murder victims pop up, sending shockwaves throughout the town.
Anna and Jack think the mystery is solved after Anna is lured by her cameraman Richard (Pablo Schreiber) to his wife Lexy's family lake house where Anna discovers that Lexy isn't who she said she was — Jack's detective partner shoots and kills Lexy, and Richard is arrested for the murders. But despite all the misdirects, at the end of "His & Hers," one unassuming figure turns out to be the murderer: Anna's mother, Alice (Fox).
In a letter, Alice confesses her crimes to Anna, who's reunited with Jack, and is pregnant while she and Jack also take care of his niece, Meg (Ellie Rose Sawyer). "It was clever that it was her, and I thought the motive was strong that it wasn't about deceit or blackmail or all of the usual motives in a murder mystery," says showrunner William Oldroyd. "It was about a mother's love, and seeing how far a mother would go to defend her daughter."
The series was based on Alice Feeney's novel of the same name, which was the first book by the author that the team read in 2020. They felt it had enough twists and turns to make for a compelling TV series, and that fans would be surprised by the ending.
Feeney's input was invaluable during production, as she allowed the showrunners to take creative liberties while staying true to her original story. The twist that Alice is the killer came as no surprise to Oldroyd, who had always thought it would be a strong motive for her character.
The casting of Anna and Lexy Jones was also influenced by conversations around race in Dahlonega, Georgia, where the show is set. "Tessa had clear thoughts," says Oldroyd, and the team made sure that both actresses brought their own unique perspectives to their roles.
While the series follows the novel closely, there were some changes made for TV, including adding a romantic subplot between Anna and Jack that was not in the book. This allowed for a more nuanced exploration of the couple's relationship and added tension to the mystery.
The decision to make Catherine Catherine Alexis Kelly and Lexy Jones, rather than just Lexy Jones, provided an additional layer of complexity to her character. Her dark past as the killer added depth to her personality and made her a more interesting and multifaceted character.
Anna learns the truth about her mother's crime through a letter, which is different from the book. The twist allows for a fresh perspective on the story and adds emotional weight to the ending.
The series was challenging to adapt from page to screen, particularly when it came to depicting the sexual assault that motivated Alice's actions. However, the team felt that they needed to balance darkness with levity in order to keep the audience engaged.
If the series were to continue, showrunner Oldroyd thinks that exploring Richard's character further would be a great next step. The character of Jack, Anna, and Meg, who is now pregnant, also holds a lot of potential for future storylines.
After taking time away from her family and friends following the death of her and Jack's daughter, Anna returns to work to resume her career as a news anchor, only to find she's been replaced by another reporter, Lexy Jones (Rebecca Rittenhouse). However, when Anna learns about the stabbing in Dahlonega, she jumps on the case in search of answers — but also sees an opportunity to reclaim her anchor seat.
Reporting from the small town, Anna crosses paths with her husband Jack, whom she's basically abandoned in her grief, and who's been assigned to the case — both believe the other is a prime suspect. As they feverishly work to find the culprit, past secrets are revealed as new murder victims pop up, sending shockwaves throughout the town.
Anna and Jack think the mystery is solved after Anna is lured by her cameraman Richard (Pablo Schreiber) to his wife Lexy's family lake house where Anna discovers that Lexy isn't who she said she was — Jack's detective partner shoots and kills Lexy, and Richard is arrested for the murders. But despite all the misdirects, at the end of "His & Hers," one unassuming figure turns out to be the murderer: Anna's mother, Alice (Fox).
In a letter, Alice confesses her crimes to Anna, who's reunited with Jack, and is pregnant while she and Jack also take care of his niece, Meg (Ellie Rose Sawyer). "It was clever that it was her, and I thought the motive was strong that it wasn't about deceit or blackmail or all of the usual motives in a murder mystery," says showrunner William Oldroyd. "It was about a mother's love, and seeing how far a mother would go to defend her daughter."
The series was based on Alice Feeney's novel of the same name, which was the first book by the author that the team read in 2020. They felt it had enough twists and turns to make for a compelling TV series, and that fans would be surprised by the ending.
Feeney's input was invaluable during production, as she allowed the showrunners to take creative liberties while staying true to her original story. The twist that Alice is the killer came as no surprise to Oldroyd, who had always thought it would be a strong motive for her character.
The casting of Anna and Lexy Jones was also influenced by conversations around race in Dahlonega, Georgia, where the show is set. "Tessa had clear thoughts," says Oldroyd, and the team made sure that both actresses brought their own unique perspectives to their roles.
While the series follows the novel closely, there were some changes made for TV, including adding a romantic subplot between Anna and Jack that was not in the book. This allowed for a more nuanced exploration of the couple's relationship and added tension to the mystery.
The decision to make Catherine Catherine Alexis Kelly and Lexy Jones, rather than just Lexy Jones, provided an additional layer of complexity to her character. Her dark past as the killer added depth to her personality and made her a more interesting and multifaceted character.
Anna learns the truth about her mother's crime through a letter, which is different from the book. The twist allows for a fresh perspective on the story and adds emotional weight to the ending.
The series was challenging to adapt from page to screen, particularly when it came to depicting the sexual assault that motivated Alice's actions. However, the team felt that they needed to balance darkness with levity in order to keep the audience engaged.
If the series were to continue, showrunner Oldroyd thinks that exploring Richard's character further would be a great next step. The character of Jack, Anna, and Meg, who is now pregnant, also holds a lot of potential for future storylines.
I'm telling ya, this whole "His & Hers" thing has some major red flags. Like, what's really going on with that pregnancy twist? It feels too convenient, you know? And don't even get me started on the fact that Anna and Jack just happen to reunite at exactly the right moment after all these years... it smells like a setup to me 
And have you noticed how Alice's motive for killing her daughter doesn't quite add up? It feels like they're trying to make us believe in some twisted motherly love, but really it's just a bunch of manipulation and deceit 
! i loved how it didn't follow all the usual motives in a murder mystery - like showrunner William Oldroyd said, it was really about a mother's love and how far she'd go to protect her daughter 
. and tessa thompson and jon bernthal had amazing chemistry as the leads 
! i also loved the way they explored the themes of grief, family, and trauma in the series - so timely and relevant 
! I mean, I saw it coming but still, Mother's love taking over? 
It's just so twisted and complex! The twist was perfect, no need for any extra hints 
. And can we talk about Tessa Thompson's performance? She slayed her role as Anna Andrews! 
. It's like, you get this hint of a dark past and then BAM! 
. And I'm so glad they kept the mystery going until the very end 
.
. It's not easy to do that in a thriller, but the team did it seamlessly 
.
. I mean, Alice's character is complex, multi-layered... a true masterpiece of psychological manipulation 
. And the way the showrunners handled the twist at the end? Genius 
.
. How can we separate fact from fiction when it comes to our own emotions and experiences? And how do we deal with the weight of those secrets and lies that we keep hidden for so long? 
It's like the series is saying that sometimes, the truth is what hurts the most