Forget everything you thought you knew about friendship on screen. Nicola Walker is back, and this time she’s not just delivering powerhouse performances—she’s anchoring a six-part comedy-drama that turns the very idea of lifelong bonds into a battlefield. Alice and Steve, the hotly anticipated new series heading to Disney+ (and Hulu in the US) this summer, has already earned the kind of buzz that makes you clear your calendar. If The Split tested the limits of family and romance with its razor-sharp emotional intelligence, this one takes things further: it weaponizes the closest platonic relationship imaginable and asks a dangerous question—how far would you go when love and revenge collide?

At its core, Alice and Steve is the story of two people who have been each other’s person for decades. Alice, played by the incomparable Nicola Walker, is a woman in the thick of midlife. She’s a devoted mother, a wife to her husband Daniel (Joel Fry), and the kind of friend who has seen Steve through every high and low. Steve, portrayed by the brilliantly offbeat Jemaine Clement, is her male counterpart—charismatic, a little chaotic, and seemingly content in his single, middle-aged existence. They are the definition of best friends: the ones who finish each other’s sentences, share inside jokes that span years, and have built a support system that feels unbreakable.

Until it isn’t.

The inciting incident is as simple as it is devastating. Steve begins dating Alice’s 26-year-old daughter, Izzy (Yali Topol Margalith). What starts as an unimaginable shock quickly spirals into a full-scale implosion of their shared world. A middle-aged man and his best friend’s adult daughter? The age gap alone is enough to raise eyebrows, but for Alice, it’s far more personal. This isn’t just a romantic choice—it feels like the ultimate betrayal. The man she trusted with her deepest secrets has now crossed the one line she never imagined he would approach. The friendship that once felt like home becomes the source of her greatest pain.

What follows is a messy, hilarious, and often brutally honest exploration of what happens when loyalty fractures. The series, created and written by Sophie Goodhart (whose credits include Sex Education and Rivals), doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable truths of modern relationships. It’s been described by those who have seen the first-look footage as an “anti-romantic comedy” or even a “wrong-com”—a label that perfectly captures its willingness to blend sharp wit with darker undercurrents. Yes, there are laugh-out-loud moments born from the absurdity of the situation. Clement’s Steve brings a deadpan charm that makes his questionable decisions somehow endearing at first. Walker’s Alice, meanwhile, channels the kind of quiet fury and vulnerability she mastered in The Split and Unforgotten, turning everyday conversations into emotional minefields.

But make no mistake: beneath the comedy lies a thriller-like tension. The show dives headfirst into the themes of betrayal and revenge, forcing viewers to confront how quickly love can curdle into something uglier. Alice isn’t just hurt—she’s furious. The series teases a journey where she grapples with whether to fight for the friendship or burn it to the ground. How does a mother reconcile the image of her best friend with the man now romantically entangled with her child? What does it say about Steve’s judgment, or Alice’s own role in their codependent dynamic? And where does Izzy fit in this tangled web—caught between a mother she loves and a man who makes her feel seen in ways her own generation never could?

The supporting cast only deepens the chaos. Joel Fry’s Daniel, Alice’s husband, finds himself in the unenviable position of mediator, trying to keep his wife from unraveling while navigating his own feelings about the family upheaval. Other ensemble players—including Tyrese Eaton-Dyce, Marcia Warren, Eilidh Fisher, and Ebony Aboagye—populate the world with friends, colleagues, and relatives who each bring their own opinions, judgments, and secrets to the table. The result is a rich tapestry of overlapping relationships that feel painfully real. No one is purely heroic or villainous; everyone is flawed, reactive, and, at times, delightfully petty.

What elevates Alice and Steve beyond a simple “will-they-won’t-they” setup is its promise of genuine narrative surprises. The first-look images and early descriptions hint at a story packed with jaw-dropping twists that reframe everything you think you know about these characters. One moment you’re laughing at the awkward dinner-table dynamics; the next, a revelation lands like a gut punch, exposing long-buried resentments or hidden truths from Alice and Steve’s shared past. The show isn’t afraid to let the revenge plot escalate in ways that feel both cathartic and terrifying. Will Alice cross ethical lines to protect her daughter or reclaim her friendship? Will Steve’s seemingly impulsive romance reveal deeper motivations—or perhaps a midlife crisis laced with genuine affection? And how many secrets can a decades-long bond hide before it shatters completely?

Nicola Walker has always excelled at playing women who are strong yet deeply human, capable of both fierce love and quiet devastation. In The Split, she portrayed a family lawyer juggling professional triumphs with personal heartbreaks, earning legions of fans who saw themselves in her nuanced performances. Here, she takes that intensity and funnels it into a more comedic yet no-less-complex role. Alice is Walker’s most unpredictable character yet—a woman who starts the series as the steady center of her universe and gradually becomes its most volatile force. Her chemistry with Jemaine Clement crackles from the very first stills. Clement, known for his quirky humor in Flight of the Conchords and What We Do in the Shadows, brings an unexpected vulnerability to Steve. He’s not a caricature of a midlife lothario; he’s a man who genuinely believes he’s found something real, even as it destroys the most important non-romantic relationship in his life.

Yali Topol Margalith, fresh from roles in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and The Tattooist of Auschwitz, steps into the spotlight as Izzy with poise and fire. She isn’t reduced to a plot device; Izzy has agency, desires, and a perspective that challenges both her mother and her much-older boyfriend. The age-gap romance is handled with refreshing honesty—neither glorified nor demonized outright—but examined through the lens of power, maturity, and emotional stakes.

Production-wise, the series comes from Clerkenwell Films, the team behind the global phenomenon Baby Reindeer, ensuring a sharp eye for psychological depth even amid the laughs. Directed by Tom Kingsley, the six episodes were filmed in London and are set to premiere at the Canneseries festival before rolling out to audiences worldwide. The timing couldn’t be better: after the emotional rollercoaster of The Split: Barcelona, fans have been clamoring for Walker’s next big project, and Alice and Steve feels like the perfect evolution—lighter in tone on the surface but every bit as probing underneath.

What makes this series feel so addictive is its refusal to offer easy answers. In an era where many shows tie up friendships in neat bows, Alice and Steve revels in the mess. It forces us to question our own boundaries: Would you forgive the unforgivable if it came from your closest confidant? Can a friendship survive a romantic betrayal this intimate? And when revenge enters the picture—whether through calculated schemes or raw emotional outbursts—does anyone truly win? The early footage suggests a pace that builds from simmering resentment to explosive confrontations, with moments of genuine tenderness that remind us why these characters mattered to each other in the first place.

Critics who have caught glimpses are already calling it a “must-watch” and “outrageously witty,” predicting it could become the next water-cooler conversation starter. Walker herself has described the role as one that pushed her in new directions, blending the dramatic heft she’s known for with comedic timing that feels fresh and unforced. For Clement, it’s a chance to showcase a more grounded, emotionally layered side of his talent.

As we await the full series this summer, the first look alone is enough to hook you. Those stolen glances between Alice and Steve in the images speak volumes—equal parts affection and accusation. The way Izzy stands between them, caught in the crossfire, hints at the heartbreak to come. And the subtle shifts in body language across the stills suggest the kind of escalating tension that will keep viewers guessing until the final frame.

Alice and Steve isn’t just another friendship drama. It’s a bold, unflinching look at how the people we love most can hurt us the deepest—and how we, in turn, might surprise ourselves with the lengths we’ll go to protect what’s ours. If The Split was about the complicated dance of marriage and divorce, this series asks whether any relationship—romantic or platonic—can survive the ultimate test of trust.

Prepare yourself for a ride that’s equal parts hilarious and harrowing. Nicola Walker and Jemaine Clement are delivering chemistry that crackles with danger, and the story they inhabit is poised to deliver twists that will leave you breathless. This isn’t just television—it’s the kind of addictive, friendship-shattering drama that reminds us why we keep coming back for more. Clear your schedule. Alice and Steve is about to redefine what it means to be blindsided by the people you thought you knew best.