---
title: "Fleishman Is in Trouble"
year: 2022
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/fleishman-is-in-trouble"
fi1m_id: "fleishman-is-in-trouble"
imdb_id: "tt11527058"
tmdb_id: 156401
wikidata_id: "Q111950685"
fi1m_score: 74
critics_score: 77
critics_reviews: 14
published: "2026-09-30T22:55:18.462855+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-30T22:55:19.349813+00:00"
region: "SA"
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."
---

# Fleishman Is in Trouble (2022)

Created by Taffy Brodesser-Akner · Drama

## Identity

Fleishman Is in Trouble

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/fleishman-is-in-trouble
- **Type:** Series
- **Fi1m ID:** fleishman-is-in-trouble
- **IMDb ID:** tt11527058
- **TMDB ID:** 156401
- **Wikidata ID:** Q111950685
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11527058/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/156401, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q111950685

**Fi1m score: 74** · Critics 77 from 14 reviews

*In a sentence:* A man tells his divorce story for six hours before anyone thinks to ask the wife

> Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s adaptation of her own novel asks a good deal of patience in its first half and repays most of it. The narration explains too much and the finale goes soft, but Claire Danes and Lizzy Caplan make it worth your week.

## Synopsis

New York, one hot summer. Toby Fleishman (Jesse Eisenberg) is a few months separated from his wife Rachel (Claire Danes) and discovering, to his surprise, that women on dating apps want to meet him. He has a new flat, a phone he cannot stop checking and two children, Hannah (Meara Mahoney Gross) and Solly (Maxim Swinton), who are spending more of the summer with him than anyone planned. Rachel, as ever, is running late. Around Toby are the friends who have known him since university: Libby Epstein (Lizzy Caplan), who has a husband and children in the suburbs and a career she has let go quiet, and Seth Morris (Adam Brody), who has never settled on anything or anyone for long.

## Review

Toby Fleishman is a few months out of his marriage when the series finds him. His phone is full of women who want to meet him and his new flat is full of not much. Then his estranged wife Rachel hands him their two children for the summer and becomes hard to reach. Taffy Brodesser-Akner, adapting her own novel over eight episodes, tells all of this in the voice of Toby’s old friend Libby Epstein (Lizzy Caplan), and that choice is what the series turns out to be about. It is good, and worth your week. It asks a good deal of patience before it says why.

For six of the eight episodes we are inside Toby’s account, and Jesse Eisenberg plays him as a man sure he is the reasonable one. He is short, and every room has been arranged to remind him. Sharon Lomofsky gives the family flat tall windows and a view, and Toby’s new place low ceilings and a sofa that looks hired. Leah Katznelson dresses Claire Danes’s Rachel in tailoring with edges and Toby in the soft shirts he wore at twenty. Corey Walter and Tim Orr shoot Toby’s summer in hard, bright daylight, which suits a man who believes he can see everything clearly.

By the fourth episode we were bored of Toby’s phone. The dating montages, which Josh Beal, Jacquelyn Le and Jeffrey M. Werner cut into short, bright, interchangeable bedrooms, make the same point three or four times over. We now think Brodesser-Akner wanted us to tire of him, and we did. Not everyone will stay for the sixth hour to find out why the first five felt as they did.

Caplan narrates almost without pause, and most of the critics who dislike the series dislike this. The voice-over tells us what Toby is thinking, then what Libby makes of that, then how it bears on her own life in the suburbs, where she has stopped writing and started counting the years. Half the time it is too much; there are scenes where Eisenberg’s face has done the work and the voice comes in anyway. But Caplan’s delivery, quick and flat and a little frightened, is the best thing in the first half, and her scenes with Adam Brody’s Seth Morris, the friend who never married and is now, alarmingly, about to, have the ease of people who have known each other since they were nineteen. Brody is given less than he deserves.

For most of the run Rachel appears as Toby remembers her: jaw set, phone in hand, late. Danes plays these fragments with a tightness that only pays out later. Late on, the series changes whose story it is telling, and we will not describe what it shows. We will say that the episode which belongs to Danes is the one that got at us, and that we watched a good deal of it with a hand over our mouth. The reason is easy to name. Danes is left alone on screen for long stretches, the directors hold on her well past where most television would cut, and Caroline Shaw’s score, spare strings for most of the series, all but disappears.

The finale then explains what we have just seen. Libby lays it out in narration, a character lays it out again in dialogue, and the last scenes reach for a warmth the previous seven hours were right to refuse. Most critics have found the ending soft, and so did we. Having spent seven hours teaching us to doubt a narrator, the series ends by asking us to take her word for it.

Divorce stories usually let both parties speak; Bergman’s *Scenes from a Marriage* gives husband and wife the first hour between them. Brodesser-Akner withholds one of them for six. The gamble mostly comes off, but the first half is meant to grate, and it does. Five directors share the episodes, and we could not tell where one hand ended and the next began, which is to the script’s credit.

Watch it two episodes a night rather than one a week. Taken weekly, Toby’s summer would feel like a sentence; taken in pairs it is a set-up, and the pay-off is worth the wait.

*Fi1m score 74, published 30 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like Fleishman Is in Trouble, and the praise gathers around the cast. Claire Danes’s Rachel is singled out repeatedly, particularly in the late episode that turns the story over to her, and Lizzy Caplan’s Libby draws almost as much admiration for her wit and warmth. The dialogue is called sharp and natural, the ensemble strong, and several critics find the series funnier, sadder and more affecting than the novel it adapts.

The reservations are about the telling rather than the acting. Several critics find the voice-over overextended, the nonlinear structure disorienting and the long stretch inside Toby’s head only partly repaid by the later episodes; a few think the finale turns corny after what precedes it. Twelve reviews are positive, none mixed and two firmly negative. Variety argues the narration keeps Rachel from emerging on her own terms, and The Ringer finds the adaptation too faithful, its perspective shift blunted on television.

## Straight answers

**Is Fleishman Is in Trouble worth watching?**

*Fleishman Is in Trouble* is worth watching for anyone with the patience for a divorce drama that spends six of its eight hours inside the husband's version of events, and we scored it 74. The first half is meant to grate and does, the narration over-explains and the finale goes soft, but Claire Danes and Lizzy Caplan repay the wait. Watch it two episodes a night.

**Where can I watch Fleishman Is in Trouble in Saudi Arabia?**

*Fleishman Is in Trouble* is not on any streaming or rental service in Saudi Arabia at the moment. It is available in 44 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Fleishman Is in Trouble, and is it suitable for children?**

*Fleishman Is in Trouble* is an adult drama about a marriage ending, with no violence or horror to speak of, and it carries a US TV-MA rating with no UK certificate. Its dating-app montages and frank talk about sex and separation make it unsuitable for children, and teenagers would find little in it aimed at them. The distress it causes is emotional, and late on it is considerable.

**How does Fleishman Is in Trouble compare to A Separation?**

*Fleishman Is in Trouble* and [*A Separation*](https://film.one/film/a-separation) are both divorce stories in which the accounts of what happened do not agree, but Farhadi's film lets everyone speak from the start and is the tighter, more gripping work. Brodesser-Akner's series withholds the wife's side for six hours and asks far more patience, though Claire Danes's late episode is the equal of anything in the film. Choose the film for a single evening; the series rewards a week.

**Is Fleishman Is in Trouble based on a true story or a book?**

*Fleishman Is in Trouble* is based on Taffy Brodesser-Akner's novel of the same name, and she adapted it herself over eight episodes, keeping the book's device of telling a man's divorce through the voice of his old friend Libby. It is not a true story. You need not have read the novel; the series explains itself fully, and in the finale rather more than it should.

**What should I watch after Fleishman Is in Trouble?**

After *Fleishman Is in Trouble*, try [*A Separation*](https://film.one/film/a-separation) (2011, Fi1m 93): A Tehran divorce where every account of what happened is honest and none agree. Then [*An Unmarried Woman*](https://film.one/film/an-unmarried-woman) (1978, Fi1m 82): Jill Clayburgh’s Manhattan wife, left without warning, rebuilds a life on her own terms; and [*The Squid and the Whale*](https://film.one/film/the-squid-and-the-whale) (2005, Fi1m 83): Baumbach’s Brooklyn divorce, seen from the children’s side, funny and hard to forgive.

### Reviews we read (14)

- **Evening Standard**, Harriet Addison (5/5): Addison finds the series painful and brilliant, and praises its pacy, acerbic storytelling. She singles out its sharp dialogue and its willingness to turn Toby’s flawed perspective into a mirror for the audience. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/fleishman-is-in-trouble-on-disney-jesse-eisenburg-superb-taffy-brodesser-akner-b1060883.html)
- **The AV Club**, Annie Berke (A-): Berke calls the series a sharp, fierce, funny adaptation, though its final episodes become too expository and earnest. She especially praises Lizzy Caplan’s performance as Libby, which brings wit and vulnerability to the role. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/fleishman-is-in-trouble-tv-show-review-fx-hulu-1849740280)
- **Vulture**, Jen Chaney (90/100, inferred): Chaney finds “Me-Time” more emotionally affecting than the novel and praises how the episode’s visual choices and writing make Rachel’s breakdown vivid. Claire Danes’s vulnerable performance is singled out as especially powerful. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/fleishman-is-in-trouble-episode-7-me-time-book-adaptation-choices.html)
- **Empire**, Sophie Butcher (85/100, inferred): The critic calls the series a compelling, confronting examination of aging and life’s big choices. She praises its strong performances and faithful adaptation, while noting that its nonlinear structure can be disorienting. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/fleishman-is-in-trouble/)
- **The i Paper**, Marianne Levy (85/100, inferred): Levy finds the series illuminating, destabilising, funny, and an easy watch that raises difficult questions. She especially praises its narrative turns and Clare Danes’s astonishing performance as Rachel. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/fleishman-is-in-trouble-disney-review-an-easy-watch-that-asks-difficult-questions-2155835)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Daniel Fienberg (78/100, inferred): Fienberg finds the series funny, sad, relatable, and more satisfying than the novel in some ways. He especially praises the superb ensemble, singling out Lizzy Caplan’s comic timing and emotional range. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/fleishman-is-in-trouble-jesse-eisenberg-claire-danes-lizzy-caplan-1235259953/)
- **IndieWire**, Ben Travers (B-): Travers finds the series perceptive but ultimately weighed down by its lopsided focus on Toby. He praises the later episode centered on Elizabeth as enthralling, while arguing that the series gets to its other characters too late. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/fleishman-is-in-trouble-review-hulu-1234782828/)
- **The Guardian**, Adrian Horton (70/100, inferred): Horton finds the series smart and worthwhile, though hit-and-miss and ultimately less moving than it is intellectually engaging. She singles out Claire Danes’s performance for praise, while finding the finale too corny for the complications that precede it. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/nov/17/fleishman-is-in-trouble-review-hulu-comedy-series)
- **Variety**, Daniel D'Addario (35/100, inferred): The review finds the series insightful about middle age but ultimately unable to overcome its unsettled storytelling. It praises Claire Danes’s performance while faulting the narration for keeping Rachel from emerging on her own terms. [Read](https://variety.com/2022/tv/reviews/fleishman-is-in-trouble-review-1235420145/)
- **Collider**, Ross Bonaime (A-): Bonaime finds the series fascinating and contemplative, with hard truths about starting over in middle age. He especially praises the cast, singling out Lizzy Caplan’s nuanced performance. [Read](https://collider.com/fleishman-is-in-trouble-review/)
- **Paste**, Whitney Friedlander (9.0/10): Friedlander finds the adaptation resonant but somewhat unresolved, with its shifting perspectives complicating who is actually in trouble. She especially praises the four leads’ chemistry and the natural, overlapping dialogue between Claire Danes and Jesse Eisenberg. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/fleishman-is-in-trouble/fleishman-is-in-trouble-review)
- **Consequence**, Jonah Krueger (80/100, inferred): Krueger finds the series empathetic, intensely literary, and deeply moving. He particularly praises how its narration and recurring motifs preserve the novel’s richness and emotional breadth. [Read](https://consequence.net/2022/11/fleishman-is-in-trouble-review-fx-hulu/)
- **/Film**, Jeff Ewing (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the series thoughtful and worthwhile despite structural unevenness and overextended narration. They single out Lizzy Caplan’s warm, nuanced performance and the cast’s strong character work for praise. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1095055/fleishman-is-in-trouble-review-jesse-eisenberg-searches-for-claire-danes-in-this-emotionally-complex-mystery/)
- **The Ringer**, Alison Herman (35/100, inferred): Herman finds the adaptation too faithful to the novel, leaving its central perspective shift less effective on television. She praises the lead performances but faults the frequent voice-over for intruding and telling viewers what to feel. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2022/11/17/tv/fleishman-is-in-trouble-review-fx-tv-show-novel-adaptation)

## Details

- **Created by:** Taffy Brodesser-Akner
- **Creator:** Taffy Brodesser-Akner
- **Director:** Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini, Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton, Alice Wu
- **Writer:** Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Michael Goldbach
- **Novel:** Taffy Brodesser-Akner
- **Cinematography:** Corey Walter, Tim Orr
- **Editor:** Jeffrey M. Werner, Josh Beal, Jacquelyn Le
- **Music:** Caroline Shaw
- **Production design:** Sharon Lomofsky
- **Costume design:** Leah Katznelson
- **Producer:** Anne M. Uemura
- **Cast:** Jesse Eisenberg as Toby Fleishman; Claire Danes as Rachel Fleishman; Lizzy Caplan as Libby Epstein; Adam Brody as Seth Morris; Meara Mahoney Gross as Hannah Fleishman; Maxim Swinton as Solly Fleishman; Josh Stamberg as Sam Rothberg; Juani Feliz as Alejandra Lopez
- **Release (Saudi Arabia):** 17 November 2022
- **Genres:** Drama
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPV0EKeiX9A

## Where to watch in Saudi Arabia

Not streaming, renting or buying in Saudi Arabia at the last check.

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, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Scenes from a Marriage* (1973): Bergman gives both halves of the couple the floor from the start, and it burns.
- *A Separation* (2011), Fi1m 93: A Tehran divorce where every account of what happened is honest and none agree. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-separation.md)
- *An Unmarried Woman* (1978), Fi1m 82: Jill Clayburgh’s Manhattan wife, left without warning, rebuilds a life on her own terms. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/an-unmarried-woman.md)
- *The Squid and the Whale* (2005), Fi1m 83: Baumbach’s Brooklyn divorce, seen from the children’s side, funny and hard to forgive. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-squid-and-the-whale.md)
- *Gone Girl* (2014), Fi1m 84: The other great mid-story handover to the wife, with a colder heart and sharper knives. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/gone-girl.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/fleishman-is-in-trouble