'The Five-Star Weekend' Review: Grief Drama With Laughs
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- "The Five-Star Weekend" premieres Thursday, July 9 on Peacock, with all eight episodes releasing simultaneously, adapted by creator Bekah Brunstetter from Erin Hilderbrand's 2023 novel of the same name.
- Jennifer Garner plays Hollis, a Nantucket-based cooking influencer whose husband dies in the opening scenes, prompting her assistant to suggest a girls' weekend with one friend from each phase of her life.
- The ensemble includes Chloë Sevigny as Tatum (awaiting cancer screening results), Regina Hall as Dru-Ann (a sports agent facing professional cancellation), D'Arcy Carden as Brooke (a mom friend whose husband faces a sexual harassment deposition), and Gemma Chan as Gigi (a fan-turned-friend with hidden secrets).
- Timothy Olyphant plays Jack, Hollis' high school sweetheart who keeps conveniently appearing all weekend; the review credits his 'roguish Prince Charming' energy with single-handedly lifting the show's heavier scenes.
- Each character carries a heavy burden — cancer, cancellation, harassment, secrets — but the reviewer finds the show diffuses them with humor and quick Monday-morning resolutions rather than letting them become melodrama.
- The review notes Garner and Olyphant previously co-starred in the 2006 film "Catch and Release," and their reestablished chemistry is singled out as a key asset to the series.
Why it matters: For Peacock, releasing all eight episodes at once on July 9 is a bet that a star-driven ensemble (Garner, Olyphant, Hall, Sevigny, Chan) can anchor summer streaming; the review's verdict — that the show's quick resolutions and humor undercut its heavier themes — is the kind of accessible tone that drives binge completion over prestige plaudits.
