REVIEW: Witherspoon and Washington Lead “Little Fires Everywhere” But Megan Stott and Lexi Underwood Steal the Show

Based on the best-selling book by Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere follows two mothers, Elena Richardson (Reese Witherspoon) and Mia Warren (Kerry Washington). Elena is a woman who has it all. She has a prominent career, a loving husband and four perfect children. She lives in a nice house and lives by the mantra that if you follow the rules you will succeed. Mia, however, is very different. She is a single mother who has spent the majority of her daughter’s life jumping from home to home. When she finally lands in the same hometown as Elena and her family, Elena and Mia’s lives are about to be turned upside down. However, it is not just Elena and Mia’s lives that are about to change, but their families’ lives as well. Especially the lives of their two daughters, Izzy (Megan Stott) and Pearl (Lexi Underwood).

Little Fires Everywhere has a tendency to play it safe when it comes to a number of the storylines, but Witherspoon and Washington will keep you captivated from start to finish. The actresses’ characters not only have their own secrets, but their drastically different opinions create quite the rollercoaster for not only them but their families as well. The show also does a nice job following the original story. Sure, it has some of its differences, but the series hits all of the big points from the book.

When it comes to the acting, Witherspoon and Washington are fantastic alongside one another. Elena and Mia are complicated characters, but Witherspoon and Washington easily navigate through each scene with confidence. Their performances will leave you caring about their characters even when you don’t want to be. However, the true stars in Hulu’s new series are Stott (Izzy Richardson) and Underwood (Pearl Warren). Both of these young ladies have bright futures in front of them. Their characters go through a variety of different emotions and obstacles over the season, but the ladies never falter. They prove to be perfect casting choices for these characters.

Little Fires Everywhere is a great show to check out especially now that many audience watchers will be spending a lot more time at home. The only negative is that fans won’t have the ability to binge watch the series. Hulu will only be releasing 3 episodes on its premiere date and then one episode every Wednesday after that. I would recommend waiting for the whole series to be released and just binge watching it, but however you chose to watch it, watch it.

Grade: A-

Photo by: Erin Simkin/Hulu