--- title: "Conversations with Friends" year: 2022 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/conversations-with-friends" fi1m_score: 55 critics_score: 59 critics_reviews: 17 published: "2026-09-17T16:10:31.894508+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T16:10:32.535997+00:00" region: "US" 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." --- # Conversations with Friends (2022) Created by Lenny Abrahamson, Leanne Welham · 30m · MPA TV-MA · Drama **Fi1m score: 55** · Critics 59 from 17 reviews *In a sentence:* Twelve episodes is a long time to wait for someone to finish hesitating > Fine work from Sasha Lane and Jemima Kirke gives *Conversations with Friends* some needed life. Its central romance remains too muted to justify twelve episodes of such carefully observed hesitation. ## Synopsis Frances Flynn (Alison Oliver) is drawn to Nick Conway (Joe Alwyn), and the two share a first kiss. Her friendship with Bobbi Connolly (Sasha Lane) has its own emotional demands, while Melissa Baines (Jemima Kirke) is part of the same complicated circle. Frances wants to get close without saying everything she feels. The people around her also keep their vulnerabilities to themselves, making it difficult to know where friendship ends and romantic commitment begins. As the four negotiate what they want from one another, Frances has to decide how much she is willing to share. ## Review Lenny Abrahamson and Leanne Welham approach *Conversations with Friends* as a drama in which saying little can expose a great deal. Adapted from Sally Rooney’s novel, the series watches people conceal needs they struggle to acknowledge even to themselves. There is something worth examining here: the way an apparently undemanding person can make closeness difficult for everyone else. But this is a mixed, overextended adaptation, with good supporting performances and a central romance that rarely persuades us to care. Alison Oliver gives Frances Flynn a reserve that can look painfully defensive, rather than merely shy. We can sense the effort involved in showing so little, and the performance deserves more than a dismissal of the character as remote. Joe Alwyn’s Nick Conway is similarly contained, but together they spend too long hesitating without revealing much about why they want each other. We grew impatient with their held looks and strained silences, because those pauses so rarely changed our understanding of the attraction. Sasha Lane gives Bobbi Connolly a welcome directness, and the friendship offers a more persuasive reason to stay with the programme than the romance. We understand why this friendship matters, which makes its awkwardness easier to sit through. Jemima Kirke is just as valuable as Melissa Baines, bringing a firmness that makes the scenes around her feel more focused. Neither supporting performance needs a change of style to make the drama more engaging. Suzie Lavelle’s cinematography gives the guarded performances a soft, dreamlike setting, encouraging us to study faces rather than expect much movement. That is a sensible approach for this material, and the images remain appealing through some inert exchanges. Anna Rackard’s production design contributes to the carefully controlled appearance, though the attractive finish makes differences of circumstance feel less pressing. The muted treatment of class is a loss: it leaves personal reticence carrying more of the drama than it can sustain. Nathan Nugent’s editing allows the hesitations to run, giving the actors time without always giving the scene a further purpose. The half-hour episodes are manageable individually, but twelve of them give this material a great deal of room. The problem is repetition within the encounters: another held look needs to tell us something the previous one did not. Cutting these exchanges shorter would have helped the actors; their reserve is apparent well before the scenes move on. Writers Alice Birch, Mark O’Halloran, Susan Soon He Stanton and Meadhbh McHugh face the familiar difficulty of putting private thought on screen. Some of the physical intimacy is handled with a tenderness missing from the conversations, and the writing catches the embarrassment of wanting something without being able to ask. Yet the adaptation too often leaves the actors to imply thoughts that the dialogue has not made sufficiently particular. The resulting uncertainty gives us too little reason to revise our first impressions. Quiet relationship dramas have every right to avoid raised voices and regular crises. What they need is a sense that each encounter alters our understanding of the people involved, however slightly. This series sometimes achieves that, especially when friendship becomes its chief concern, but the romance repeatedly holds us at a distance. Try an episode before making room for twelve. *Fi1m score 55, published 17 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews lean mixed on Conversations with Friends, with praise clustering around its supporting performances and attention to unspoken feelings. Sasha Lane and Jemima Kirke earn repeated approval, including from critics who find the central romance unconvincing. More favourable accounts value the series’ emotional intelligence, its exploration of friendship and commitment, and the care with which it observes characters concealing their vulnerabilities. The main divide is over whether that restraint sustains interest across twelve episodes: admirers find emotional complexity in the silences, while detractors find coldness, weak chemistry and sluggish pacing. Several reviews also argue that the adaptation loses too much of the novel’s inner life, with comparisons to Normal People frequently unfavourable. The spread is wide: Paste praises the ensemble and sensitive treatment of sex and chronic pain, while Variety finds the series miscast and meandering, with its stronger moments coming from supporting characters. ### Reviews we read (17) - **IndieWire**, Ben Travers (B+): The critic finds it an admirable but bumpier follow-up to Normal People, praising its emotional intelligence and distinct take on love. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/2022/05/conversations-with-friends-review-hulu-series-joe-alwyn-1234723316/) - **Radio Times** (4/5): The adaptation excels at exploring the unspoken emotions and central friendship between Frances and Bobbi, with magnetic performances especially from Sasha Lane and Jemima Kirke. It maintains a dreamlike quality while highlighting the characters' inner hurts and complexities. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/conversations-with-friends-bbc-review/) - **Vulture** (80/100, inferred): The series thrives on what goes unsaid in its exploration of commitment, friendship, and romantic love, with strong chemistry between the leads. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/conversations-with-friends-hulu-series-review.html) - **The Times**, Ben Dowell (70/100, inferred): The adaptation is earnest and extremely slow but exquisitely done, capturing the source material's tone through careful direction and performances. It stands out for its deliberate pacing and visual style despite the deliberate lack of overt drama. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/conversations-with-friends-review-earnest-extremely-slow-and-exquisitely-done-k9jd0q75r) - **The AV Club**, Manuel Betancourt (C+): It can't capture the book's interiority and narration, resulting in mixed results compared to Normal People. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/tv-review-conversations-with-friends-hulu-alison-olive-1848906856) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Angie Han (55/100, inferred): The restrained adaptation elegantly captures fine details of interactions and character reserve but often feels too cool and detached, lacking sufficient warmth or heat from the leads. It has perceptive moments of vulnerability toward the end but remains largely bloodless. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/conversations-with-friends-tv-review-1235135019/) - **The Telegraph**, Anita Singh (55/100, inferred): The series is watchable in half-hour episodes but lacks the wow factor and universal appeal of Normal People, with chemistry issues and a niche story. Strong supporting turns from Jemima Kirke and Sasha Lane help pep things up. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/anita-singhs-verdict-conversations-friends-watchable-without/) - **Evening Standard** (45/100, inferred): This is a watered-down version of the exhilarating novel, with the central romance lacking convincing chemistry and the twelve episodes feeling baggy. The direction and aesthetic echo Normal People but miss its bright, thrilling complexity. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/conversations-with-friends-tv-review-bbc-three-sally-rooney-frances-oliver-joe-alwyn-b998841.html) - **Empire**, Ella Kemp (40/100, inferred): The series offers a fraught, often upsetting look at how the strongest feelings of love can break people apart, with tender moments and strong supporting performances from Jemima Kirke and Sasha Lane. The adaptation struggles to fully capture the book's inner lives on screen and may work better on the page. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/conversations-with-friends-2/) - **The Guardian** (35/100, inferred): The adaptation is an aggressively uneventful affair full of meaningful looks and strained silences that tests viewer patience across twelve episodes. The fine performances, especially by newcomer Alison Oliver, are undermined by the lack of dialogue and action. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/may/15/conversations-with-friends-review-sally-rooney-tv-adaptation) - **Variety**, Caroline Framke (30/100, inferred): The series is miscast and meandering, failing to recapture the chemistry and insight of Normal People due to weak lead chemistry and a lack of nuance in the central romance. Stronger moments come from the supporting characters Bobbi and Melissa. [Read](https://variety.com/2022/tv/reviews/conversations-with-friends-review-hulu-1235266666/) - **Paste**, Ellen Johnson (8.7): The critic praises how the genius of Sally Rooney shines through in the Hulu series, noting it captures the emotional highs and lows and challenges perceptions of relationships and sexuality. They single out the strong ensemble performances and sensitive handling of sex scenes and chronic pain for praise. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/conversations-with-friends/conversations-with-friends-review) - **Consequence**, Mary Siroky (75/100, inferred): The review finds the series intimate and messy, anchored by strong performances from the core cast, but notes it lacks the warmth of Normal People, recommending it for those fascinated by the messiness of modern love stories. [Read](https://consequence.net/2022/05/conversations-with-friends-review/) - **NME**, El Hunt (3/5): The critic describes the series as a cold yet compelling adaptation of Sally Rooney’s debut that ultimately falls short of 'Normal People'. They single out the deliberate colder tone and the exploration of characters hiding their vulnerabilities for praise, while noting toned-down class differences as a complaint. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/conversations-with-friends-review-sally-rooney-normal-people-bbc-3222304) - **The Ringer**, Alison Herman (55/100, inferred): The series is a harder sell than Normal People and more flawed in concept than execution, resulting in a show that is admirable in its convictions but often aimless. It singles out the effective performances by Alison Oliver and Joe Alwyn for praise amid the uneven adaptation. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2022/05/16/tv/sally-rooney-conversations-with-friends-hulu-show) - **Collider**, Emma Kiely (C-): The critic argues that the book is better than the series, calling it stale, uninspired, and cold without the charm of 'Normal People'. They praise Jemima Kirke’s standout performance as Melissa while complaining about the uninspired central performance and directionless script. [Read](https://collider.com/conversations-with-friends-tv-show-review-sally-rooney-hulu/) - **Den of Geek**, Delia Harrington (40/100, inferred): The adaptation is lukewarm and uneven, stripping much from the book, though the queer disabled love story between Frances and Bobbi emerges as a highlight in the finale. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/conversations-with-friends-ending-lukewarm-adaptation/) ## Details - **Created by:** Lenny Abrahamson, Leanne Welham - **Director:** Lenny Abrahamson, Leanne Welham - **Writer:** Meadhbh McHugh, Alice Birch, Mark O'Halloran, Susan Soon He Stanton - **Novel:** Sally Rooney - **Cinematography:** Suzie Lavelle - **Editor:** Nathan Nugent - **Production design:** Anna Rackard - **Costume design:** Lorna Marie Mugan - **Producer:** Jeanie Igoe, Catherine Magee - **Cast:** Alison Oliver as Frances Flynn; Sasha Lane as Bobbi Connolly; Joe Alwyn as Nick Conway; Alex Murphy as Philip; Jemima Kirke as Melissa Baines; Simone Collins as Maggie; Isobel O'Regan as Megan; Abril Keinrath as Waitress - **Runtime:** 30m - **Certificate (MPA):** TV-MA - **Release (the US):** 15 May 2022 - **Genres:** Drama - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nxek6Z3WlIk ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: buy, hd *Checked 2026-09-17.* Also available in: AU, CA, GB, IE, NZ, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Weekend* (2011): Two people talking and hesitating, with the attraction this series struggles to establish - *The Green Ray* (1986): For emotional uncertainty made absorbing through close attention to an awkward woman - *Scenes from a Marriage* (1973): A more searching account of the things couples struggle to tell each other - *In the Mood for Love* (2000), Fi1m 91: Restrained desire expressed through precise images, where silence never feels like filler — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/in-the-mood-for-love.md) - *Past Lives* (2023), Fi1m 85: Another quiet relationship drama, with clearer stakes beneath the careful social exchanges — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/past-lives.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/conversations-with-friends