This year is set to be a big one for Jon Bernthal, with The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day both hitting the 2026 movie calendar — not to mention the Punisher special coming to Disney+. Tessa Thompson isn’t doing too bad herself, possibly looking at some awards love for her performance in 2025’s Hedda. First, however, the two are starring in the new Netflix limited series His & Hers, which several critics are calling “frustrating,” despite many of them really digging the show.
His & Hers consists of six episodes and is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Alice Feeney. In the thriller, Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal play an estranged couple (a journalist and detective, respectively) investigating a murder while also suspecting each other. Michael Peyton of IGN rates it an “Amazing” 9 out of 10 for the chemistry between the leads that elevates the story into quite the bingeable treat. Peyton writes:
Bolstered by crackling chemistry between series leads Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal, His & Hers starts off as a typical murder mystery but eventually evolves into an examination of grief, marriage, and parenthood. While it doesn’t reinvent the genre, the show ends up being more than the sum of its parts and keeps you hooked from beginning to end.
Joel Keller of Decider, meanwhile, is one of the critics frustrated by the upcoming Netflix series. While Keller agrees His & Hers is worth streaming due to the lead actors and the potential for fun twists, the episodes can be “slow-moving to a fault and frustrating as hell.” The critic continues:
There really is a fine line between keeping viewers on their toes and withholding too much information, and His & Hers seems to start out on the bad side of that line. But with the performances of Thompson and Bernthal, especially when they’re on screen together and show the dynamic that brought them together and eventually broke them apart, plus the idea that each of them suspects the other, there is certainly enough to the story to keep us curious.
Aramide Tinubu of Variety says Tessa Thompson turns in a “fascinating” performance, and the “bonkers” story has a way of seeping into your psyche to shift everything you thought you knew. More from the review:
At its core, His & Hers has all the delicious elements of a stellar thriller. Thompson and Bernthal are formidable in their roles, and there are enough twists and turns to keep even the most eagle-eyed viewer on their toes. The pacing is fantastic, and at just six zippy episodes, the show is crammed with detail from Anna’s past into her present. Still, this is not the show you think it is, and that’s why it’s masterful.
However, other critics like Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert can’t get past the series’ disappointments. He rates the show 1.5 stars out of 4, saying Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson do so much to try to elevate the product, which makes it “so much more frustrating” that their efforts are wasted. Tallerico writes:
This is a show that doesn’t think much of your intelligence. It spirals through so many twists and turns in the final episodes that I actually went to check the book summary to see if this ludicrous plot is a product of Feeney’s or showrunner Dee Johnson. Apparently, it’s loyal to the source, which is wacky as hell. It’s one of those stories that makes so little sense when it’s done that it makes you angry, wondering why you wasted so much time on what’s ultimately a pretty gross piece of storytelling, one that uses serious issues like sexual assault, bullying, and dementia in deeply unserious ways.
Saloni Gajjar of AV Club gives it a D+, calling it “one of the most frustrating shows of the year” and saying that not even the talented lead actors can salvage the numerous, ridiculous plot holes. Gajjar continues:
We’re only eight days into 2026, but Netflix has nevertheless managed to serve up a strong contender for one of the most irksome series of the year. Despite being anchored by a couple of knockout actors, His & Hers transforms a promising setting and decent source material into a melodramatic thriller that begs audiences to fling logic out of window as it progresses. … It’s pulled in too many directions in a way that the show, and its protagonists, cannot sustain. By the end, His & Hers is nothing but a massive letdown, especially considering all of the talent involved.
The critics all seem to agree that Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal bring their A-game to His & Hers; it’s just a question of whether or not the series overall is worth the apparent frustrations. If you want to check out the mystery thriller, all six episodes have hit the 2026 TV schedule and are available to stream now with a Netflix subscription.
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