---
title: "Alice and Steve"
year: 2026
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/alice-and-steve"
fi1m_id: "alice-and-steve"
imdb_id: "tt35728748"
tmdb_id: 318203
wikidata_id: "Q134563255"
fi1m_score: 72
critics_score: 65
critics_reviews: 10
published: "2026-09-11"
updated: "2026-09-11T20:22:22.374066+00:00"
region: "EC"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Alice and Steve (2026)

Created by Sophie Goodhart · Comedy, Drama

## Identity

Alice and Steve

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/alice-and-steve
- **Type:** Series
- **Fi1m ID:** alice-and-steve
- **IMDb ID:** tt35728748
- **TMDB ID:** 318203
- **Wikidata ID:** Q134563255
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35728748/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/318203, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q134563255

**Fi1m score: 72** · Critics 65 from 10 reviews

*In a sentence:* Nicola Walker makes terrible behaviour look like a perfectly reasonable use of an afternoon

> Nicola Walker and Jemaine Clement make this friendship feud worth following, even when the revenge grows busy. The writing gives Walker’s anger more attention than the younger woman whose relationship has set it off.

## Synopsis

Alice (Nicola Walker) and Steve (Jemaine Clement) are longtime best friends in their fifties. When Steve begins a relationship with Alice’s 26-year-old daughter, Izzy (Yali Topol Margalith), Alice sets out to stop it. The dispute becomes a feud, with their shared history giving each plenty to work with as retaliation takes over. Written by Sophie Goodhart and directed by Tom Kingsley, the six-episode comedy-drama follows a friendship coming apart over a romance and a mother prepared to disrupt her own life to end her daughter’s relationship.

## Review

*Alice and Steve* is worth an evening if watching adults behave badly is your sort of comedy. Sophie Goodhart starts with a friendship wrecked by Steve’s relationship with Alice’s daughter, then lets the resulting feud become a problem of its own. The premise is contrived, and the programme never quite makes it feel otherwise. But it does persuade us that these two people have had years of knowing each other, and that their falling-out costs them something.

Nicola Walker and Jemaine Clement supply most of that conviction. Their exchanges have the impatient familiarity of friends who no longer need to be careful, which makes the switch to deliberate cruelty believable. Goodhart’s sharper lines work because the actors make them sound like things said to someone specific, rather than jokes waiting for an audience. We can understand why Alice and Steve would once have enjoyed each other’s company, an essential piece of work for a series about them making each other miserable.

Walker is especially good at keeping Alice’s anger funny without making it harmless. We laughed at the sheer disproportion of her fury, then felt for her because the retaliation exposes how much she misses her friend. There is enough jealousy in the performance to complicate Alice’s claim to be acting simply as a concerned mother. Walker lets us see the selfishness without asking us to dismiss the hurt, and the writing gives her plenty of both.

Clement has the harder job of making Steve worth all this bother. He has to remain recognisable as the friend Alice valued while also giving her reason to be furious, and he sometimes seems underused beside the attention given to her rage. Tom Kingsley’s direction serves their exchanges well; the comedy is strongest when the performers establish just how personally every grievance is taken. As the revenge accumulates, there is a tendency to crowd out the ordinary pleasure of watching these two work, and some of the antics feel unnecessary.

The larger weakness is Izzy, played by Yali Topol Margalith. The daughter whose relationship starts the trouble gets less attention than the people arguing over it, leaving her too thinly written for the weight Goodhart puts on her choices. That matters particularly in an age-gap story where Alice’s concern and her possessiveness need to be distinguished. We want a clearer sense of what Izzy wants from Steve, since without it the series keeps asking us to judge a relationship it has only partly established.

Across six episodes, the mixture of revenge and wounded affection sometimes feels crowded. The tender passages are welcome, but they need breathing room that the escalating feud does not always allow. A comedy this interested in the damage friends can do ought to spend a little longer with the consequences before finding another opportunity for misbehaviour. Goodhart is more persuasive about the pain of being displaced than about the romance that does the displacing.

The friendship is convincing enough to carry those weaknesses for much of the series. As a revenge comedy, it offers the useful discomfort of understanding someone’s hurt while wishing they would stop acting on it, and Walker makes that feeling particularly strong. Expect more pleasure from the performances and the sharp exchanges than from the romantic complication. Try it for the feud, with the warning that the romance takes considerably more believing

*Fi1m score 72, published 11 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics find something to enjoy in Alice and Steve, but the spread is wide, from warm praise for its revenge comedy to outright rejection of its premise. Praise clusters around Nicola Walker’s furious, emotionally layered performance, with several reviews also finding convincing friendship and comic chemistry between her and Jemaine Clement. Supporters value the dry dialogue and the hurt beneath the escalating feud after Steve starts dating Alice’s daughter.

Reservations centre on the contrived set-up, the daughter’s thin characterisation and an uneven balance between uncomfortable comedy and sentiment; even some favourable reviews find the episodes overstuffed. The Guardian is the sharpest dissenter, disputing the leads’ chemistry and finding that the series fails to examine its central relationship meaningfully. Collider also finds the premise insufficiently developed, arguing that strong acting and sharp lines cannot compensate for a stagnant feud and confused tone.

## Straight answers

**Is Alice and Steve worth watching?**

*Alice and Steve* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys comedies about adults behaving badly, and we scored it 72. Nicola Walker and Jemaine Clement make the wrecked friendship convincing, and the sharper lines land because they sound aimed at someone specific. Expect less from the romance that starts the feud, since the daughter, Izzy, is too thinly written to carry the weight put on her choices.

**Where can I watch Alice and Steve in Ecuador?**

*Alice and Steve* is streaming on Disney+ in Ecuador. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How does Alice and Steve compare to Toni Erdmann?**

*Alice and Steve* and [*Toni Erdmann*](https://film.one/film/toni-erdmann) both follow a parent who oversteps into a grown daughter's life, but the German film is the better of the two. Maren Ade takes the daughter's separate world seriously, where Sophie Goodhart's series gives Alice's anger far more attention than Izzy. Choose the series for a brisker, busier revenge comedy; choose the film for a patient, more uncomfortable family portrait.

**What should I watch after Alice and Steve?**

After *Alice and Steve*, try [*The War of the Roses*](https://film.one/film/the-war-of-the-roses) (1989, Fi1m 75): For domestic retaliation pursued with the commitment usually reserved for a vocation. Then [*Toni Erdmann*](https://film.one/film/toni-erdmann) (2016, Fi1m 86): Another parent oversteps, with more patience for the daughter’s separate life; and [*The Banshees of Inisherin*](https://film.one/film/the-banshees-of-inisherin) (2022, Fi1m 84): A broken friendship becomes everyone’s problem, with room for hurt beneath the absurdity.

### Reviews we read (10)

- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Angie Han (85/100, inferred): The critic calls it a sharply funny and unexpectedly touching comedy, praising Walker's ferocious barnburner performance that layers complex emotions and the poignant fallout from the central friendship's destruction amid the vengeance cycle. It notes the contrived inciting incident but finds the emotions real. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/alice-and-steve-review-nicola-walker-jemaine-clement-hulu-1236608138/)
- **Radio Times**, Huw Fullerton (4/5): The critic highlights the impressively wrong-footing premise of the escalating feud between longtime friends Alice and Steve after he dates her daughter, praising the chemistry, dry one-liners, and poignant moments amid the revenge antics. It notes some overstuffing in the half-hour episodes and easier resolutions in the finale. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/alice-and-steve-review/)
- **Variety**, Alison Herman (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the lived-in platonic chemistry between Walker and Clement as the show's highlight and foundation amid the friends' rift and petty revenge, noting the hilarious central performances and how the feud transcends the initial transgression. It criticizes the underdeveloped Izzy character. [Read](https://variety.com/2026/tv/reviews/alice-and-steve-review-jemaine-clement-nicola-walker-hulu-1236768947/)
- **IndieWire**, Ben Travers (75/100, inferred): The critic calls it a solid sitcom about a mother willing to burn down her own life to stop her daughter's relationship with her best friend. They single out Nicola Walker's magnetic, rage-filled performance as the jilted friend. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/alice-and-steve-review-jemaine-clement-nicola-walker-hulu-1235198328/)
- **The AV Club**, Saloni Gajjar (B-): The critic finds the series mildly amusing but unable to fully deliver on its darkly funny premise as an anti-rom-com. They single out Nicola Walker's exceptional, force-of-nature performance as the standout element. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/alice-and-steve-review-jemaine-clement-nicola-walker-hulu)
- **The Telegraph**, Anita Singh (50/100, inferred): The review describes the show as a 'wrong-com' that entertains but leaves viewers queasy due to its age-gap premise. The critic praises the performances of Nicola Walker and Jemaine Clement while noting the fundamental conceit remains too icky to ignore. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/alice-and-steve-disney-review/)
- **The Guardian** (20/100, inferred): The critic finds the series interminable and unconvincing, with a premise that feels dated and wrong in its handling of the central relationship. They single out the lack of chemistry between the leads and the failure to interrogate the premise meaningfully as major flaws. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/jun/08/alice-and-steve-review-jemaine-clement-and-nicola-walkers-icky-comedy-is-dated-and-wrong)
- **Digital Spy**, Janet A Leigh (85/100, inferred): The critic hails it as a must-see delicious black comedy that is bingeable and addictive while digging into relationship questions. They single out Nicola Walker's magnetic, multifaceted rage as the highlight of her best drama performance. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a71460597/alice-and-steve-review/)
- **NME**, Nick Levine (65/100, inferred): The critic finds the series a wry and stylish but not particularly funny dramedy about two bickering best friends in their fifties whose bond is upended by Steve's romance with Alice's 26-year-old daughter. It praises some witty moments and the short episode length that makes for an easy binge, while noting the flimsy central relationship. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/alice-and-steve-review-nicola-walker-jemaine-clement-disney-3949745)
- **Collider**, Greer Riddell (4/10): The critic calls the series a tonally confused revenge comedy that awkwardly tries to be a sentimental love story, with a provocative premise that goes nowhere and leaves viewers trapped in an uncomfortable, stagnant dynamic. Strong performances from Nicola Walker and sharp dialogue are highlights, but Jemaine Clement is underutilized and the show fails to deliver on its comedic or emotional promises. [Read](https://collider.com/alice-and-steve-hulu-review-jemaine-clement-nicola-walker/)

## Details

- **Created by:** Sophie Goodhart
- **Creator:** Sophie Goodhart
- **Director:** Tom Kingsley
- **Writer:** Sophie Goodhart
- **Producer:** Frances du Pille, Petra Fried
- **Cast:** Nicola Walker as Alice; Jemaine Clement as Steve; Joel Fry as Daniel; Yali Topol Margalith as Izzy; Tyrese Eaton-Dyce as Dom; Eilidh Fisher as Rome; Lydia Wilson as Marni; Marcia Warren as Val
- **Release (Ecuador):** 8 June 2026
- **Genres:** Comedy, Drama
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_7EEeSvssQ

## Where to watch in Ecuador

- Disney+: streaming, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-11.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Beef* (2023): A petty grievance becomes an absorbing study of people making themselves worse.
- *Catastrophe* (2015): Sharp domestic comedy with adults who understand one another and still misbehave.
- *The War of the Roses* (1989), Fi1m 75: For domestic retaliation pursued with the commitment usually reserved for a vocation. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-war-of-the-roses.md)
- *Toni Erdmann* (2016), Fi1m 86: Another parent oversteps, with more patience for the daughter’s separate life. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/toni-erdmann.md)
- *The Banshees of Inisherin* (2022), Fi1m 84: A broken friendship becomes everyone’s problem, with room for hurt beneath the absurdity. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-banshees-of-inisherin.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/alice-and-steve