Before Normal People made Sally Rooney a household name, her debut novel Conversations with Friends quietly introduced her signature blend of intellectual romance and emotional turmoil. The 2022 Hulu adaptation, starring Alison Oliver, Sasha Lane, Joe Alwyn, and Jemima Kirke, may not have captured the cultural zeitgeist like its successor, but it remains a compelling, if understated, exploration of love, loyalty, and self-deception.
The 12-episode series follows Frances Flynn, a university student and spoken-word poet, who finds herself entangled in an affair with Nick Conway, a married actor. Frances's ex-girlfriend and creative partner, Bobbi, is also drawn into the orbit of Nick's wife, the writer Melissa Baines. What starts as an unconventional friendship spirals into a web of jealousy, unspoken desires, and emotional chaos that none of the four seem equipped to handle.
Unlike the sweeping romance of Normal People, Conversations with Friends is a quieter, more uncomfortable watch. Frances and Nick are both emotionally guarded, and their connection develops through awkward silences and tentative messages rather than grand gestures. The series leans into this discomfort, asking viewers to sit with the characters' inability to articulate what they truly want. It's a slow burn, but one that rewards patience with moments of raw, unguarded vulnerability.
A Debut Novel That Redefined Modern Romance
Published in 2017, Conversations with Friends introduced Rooney's distinctive voice: sharp, observant, and deeply attuned to the gap between what people say and what they feel. The novel's narrator, Frances, is a study in contradictions—politically astute and intellectually confident, yet emotionally avoidant and self-destructive. Her email correspondence with Nick becomes a lifeline, allowing both to express themselves with a honesty that face-to-face conversation never permits.
The TV adaptation struggles to translate that interiority to the screen. A character staring at a phone isn't inherently cinematic, but the show finds a way to make digital intimacy feel palpable. Messages linger on screen, and the disconnect between what Frances writes and what she says aloud becomes a central tension. It's a clever device that captures Rooney's fascination with the masks we wear in public versus the truths we reveal in private.
Not Just Another Love Story
Comparisons to Normal People are inevitable—both adaptations share director Lenny Abrahamson and writer Alice Birch, and both favor naturalistic performances and a languid pace. But while Normal People found a magnetic rhythm in Marianne and Connell's push-pull, Conversations with Friends sometimes mistakes emotional distance for depth. Frances and Nick's affair should feel all-consuming, yet their awkwardness makes it hard to see what draws them together. The book gives their attraction room to grow through intelligent, crafted emails; the series rushes into physical intimacy, leaving the emotional connection feeling oddly suspended.
Still, the show's best moments come when the characters' carefully maintained composure finally cracks. The simmering tension between Frances and Bobbi adds a layer of complexity that transcends the affair, forcing Frances to confront the person she's been ignoring while chasing someone else. The title itself is almost ironic: these characters talk constantly, yet they rarely communicate. That contradiction is the point—they don't understand themselves well enough to be honest with anyone else.
For those who missed it during its initial run, Conversations with Friends is no longer on Hulu in the U.S., but you can purchase all 12 episodes on Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV, depending on your region. If you're in the mood for a weekend streaming pick that challenges conventional romance, this one-season drama is worth the patience. It's a thoughtful, if imperfect, adaptation that captures the essence of Rooney's debut—a story about people who are eloquent on paper but utterly lost in person.
