The six biggest changes between Netflix’s The Perfect Couple TV show and book

What do you mean Merritt’s death was meant to be an accident?!

3 months ago

The Perfect Couple is one of the craziest shows to hit Netflix since Behind Her Eyes came out, in my opinion. It’s a crazy murder mystery with some plot twists I couldn’t have ever predicted: I thought every single character was the killer at some point. However, there are some serious discrepancies and changes between the novel and the Netflix show, and it seems like The Perfect Couple wasn’t the perfect copy. There are some loved characters and plot lines that mysteriously disappear on screen. So, here’s a rundown of all the biggest changes between The Perfect Couple book and TV show.

1. Nick Diamantopoulos literally doesn’t exist in the show

via Netflix

One of the biggest characters from the book isn’t in the show at all and I’m actually so upset by it. Nick Diamantopoulos is one of the detectives on the case, and is nicknamed the Greek. He’s described as “a notorious ladies’ man”, often getting information with his natural born charm. In the show, he’s replaced with no-nonsense Detective Henry. Oh, what could have been.

2. Merritt and Amelia’s backstory is very different

In the book, Amelia is actually called Celeste, and her and Merritt had a different backstory. When they lived in New York, Merritt had another affair with a married boss which led her to meet Celeste in a zoo. In the show, there’s no delving into their time in New York, or even Merritt’s affair with Tag. We briefly see Amelia and Shooter’s relationship, but if you want the juicy deets, you need to get reading!

3. Bruce makes an insane confession that isn’t in the TV show

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In the book, there’s actually a crazy plot twist involving Celeste’s (or Amelia) parents that the show completely brushed over. While listening in to Tag’s office on Tag and Bruce’s conversation, Karen overhears Bruce admitting to having a crush on his ex co-worker Robin Swain. He tells Tag that Robin is a woman, but it’s actually a lie: He’s a man, and Karen is thrown by the information. All of Bruce’s sexual orientation side plot is completely ignored in the series.

4. The Winbury wealth actually comes from Greer’s family, and she was never an escort

via Netflix

We all know how wealthy the Winbury family really is, although I don’t think many of us are wishing we could have been born as one of them. They are truly rolling in it, with Tag’s money supporting them all. Greer’s career as an author did help supplement their income, but the penultimate episode of the show reveals that Green was working as an escort when she met Tag.

In the book, none of this is true. Greer’s family owns the mills that produce half the gin in the UK, and that’s why they’re so rich. There’s no mention of her ever being an escort, which makes me wonder why they even added that detail in the first place.

5. The third Winbury brother who didn’t exist in the book

via Netflix

Will Winbury actually didn’t exist in Hilderbrand’s original novel. There are three brothers in the show, Thomas, Benji and Will, but the book proves no sight of Will. He definitely brings more of Chloe into the show, so maybe this was the producer’s way of getting her some more screen time.

6. Merritt’s death was supposed to be an accident?!

via Netflix

This is probably one of the wildest changes in The Perfect Couple. In the book, Abigail accidentally drugs Merritt: She wanted to put the sleeping pills in Isabel’s glass to knock her out for the night to prevent her from sleeping with Thomas, however Merritt is the one who drinks from the glass instead. Greer finds out what she did but swears to keep it a secret to protect the family.

Merritt then cuts her foot on broken glass, but instead of being drowned by Abby, the whole thing is an accident. Merritt threw Tag’s ring in the ocean, then spots it when washing her bloody foot. When she goes to grab it, she falls over and drowns due to the drugs in her system. A LOT different from her fateful ending in the TV show.

The Perfect Couple is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.