Peacock's New Hit Is a Sci-Fi Rom-Com With a Stellar Cast That Wasted Its Potential

The Miniature Wife is a sci-fi dramedy about a husband who accidentally shrinks his wife that stars Matthew Macfadyen and Elizabeth Banks.

Although the show has a great cast, a couple of witty gags, and a decent premise, its potential remains unfulfilled. It fails to deliver sharp feminist commentary, compelling drama about a marriage in crisis, or absurdist comedy.

What Is 'The Miniature Wife' About?

Lindy is a celebrated, Pulitzer Prize-winning former writer who gave up her creative success to support her husband's academic career. Now a teacher, Lindy accidentally appropriates a short story from a talented student.

Les is also at a crossroads – he has developed technology that shrinks vegetables, enabling him to grow a large harvest in a small space. The problem is that the reverse shrinking technique isn't working yet, and the vegetables are torn to shreds.

During another argument, Les accidentally shrinks Lindy to doll size. Enraged, she breaks out of the Barbie dollhouse where Les placed her for safety and wages a full-blown war against him.

In 'The Miniature Wife', Clever Details Alone Cannot Save the Main Idea

The Miniature Wife boasts its own unique set of successes. The characters aptly mock a love of psychotherapeutic language, and the creators use green screen technology and constructed giant props to enhance the authenticity of the absurdity.

For Banks, the creators built a giant pillbox, a giant toothpaste tube, and an enormous chocolate bar.

However, despite these isolated successes, director Greg Mottola's charming wit, which worked to his advantage in Superbad, falls apart when he enters the realm of power balance in marriage.

The Miniature Wife adheres to the confines of a neat sci-fi comedy and doesn't venture into other genres, such as body horror or abuse drama, that would naturally suggest themselves.

Elizabeth Banks and Matthew Macfadyen Try Hard, but the Characters Are Nothing to Love

The writers fail to delve into the characters' souls – Les and Lindy remain unsympathetic to each other and to the viewer. They're a married couple on the verge of a nervous breakdown who constantly exaggerate their problems and never truly care for each other.

By the finale, viewers have seen the worst of these two, but they've never seen anything lovable about them.

Lulu, their daughter, turns out to be the most multilayered character. She takes the blame for the Zoomers (in a good way), forcing her mother to endure online bullying. Lulu has long since dealt with her own problems and is attempting to symbolically adopt her parents.

A brilliant acting duo and reasonably funny jokes make The Miniature Wife a decent way to pass a few summer evenings, but nothing more.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'The Miniature Wife'?

• The Miniature Wife has 71% from critics and 58% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the series has a score of 6.1/10.