It’s no easy feat being a mother — and the constant vigilance in anticipation of a baby’s cry, the sleepless nights, and the continuous need to anticipate any potential harm before it happens can be exhausting. In Little Disasters, the Paramount+ limited series adapted from Sarah Vaughn’s bestselling novel, Jess (Diane Kruger) is barely getting by. Deemed by most as the “perfect” mother while still maintaining a polished appearance, the notion that she could be capable of hurting one of her kids is inconceivable. Yet, after being woken up by an alarming cry from Betsy, her newborn, Jess goes to the hospital, only to have her maternal capabilities put into question. When Liz (Jo Joyner), Jess’ friend who happens to be the only medical practitioner on call, runs tests on Betsy, she is surprised to uncover that the baby had a fracture in her skull. Although babies fall or bump their heads all the time, an injury like this couldn’t have happened by accident. It is from this moment onward that Liz faces both a professional and personal dilemma. She is torn between doing what any doctor would in a situation like this — which is to call social services — or giving Jess the benefit of the doubt based on their shared history. Her decision ultimately snowballs, resulting in Jess and her husband Ed (JJ Feild) being unable to spend time with their children without supervision. Every interaction that they have with each other and their three kids occurs under a microscope, observed by others and reported back to the police and social services. Through a thrilling psychological premise, Little Disasters hooks the viewer from the very first scene, forcing them to draw conclusions about Jess and Ed’s innocence from the outside looking in.
Diane Kruger and Jo Joyner’s ‘Little Disasters’ Performances Will Pull You In

Kruger and Joyner’s staggering performances are a major pull factor for this Paramount+ original series. Kruger’s role flexes her acting skills to the max, allowing her to play both the perfect maternal archetype and the mother struggling to be attentive to her children’s needs at every waking moment. The more that Jess’s impeccable reputation is dissected, the more the character spirals. As a mother of three, Jess rarely has time for herself, so having to cope with the fact that her children are no longer under her care is too much for her to bear. There is also the add-on struggle that the doctors are trying to help Betsy recover, as opposed to making matters worse. Jess makes it clear that she doesn’t want her children to be vaccinated or do the routine medical check-ups, relying on healthy food options and natural ailments to secure their well-being. With Betsy’s life in the doctors’ hands and her two sons being at risk of foster care due to social services stepping in, Kruger captures the mix of resentment and paranoia that Jess is experiencing throughout the story. As for Liz, she has to live with the fact that she was the one responsible for putting Jess in such a sensitive position, which takes a toll on her conscience and results in her adopting the unhealthy habit of using alcohol as a coping mechanism. With Jess and Ed’s account not matching the proportions of their daughter’s injury, Liz feels like there is more to the story than what they are sharing, and Joyner expertly portrays her character’s genuine interest in her friend’s well-being as well as her suspicions over Betsy’s accident. Little Disasters also focuses on the two’s mutual friends, Mel (Emily Taaffe) and Charlotte (played by Shelley Conn). The four women became close while navigating each of their first pregnancies and have stuck together ever since. Although Mel and Charlotte’s arcs are less developed than those of Jess and Liz, their presence in this twisty thriller stirs the pot. Mel is responsible for supervising Jess’ children and reporting back to social services, while Charlotte’s closeness to Ed makes viewers wonder if there is more to their relationship than what meets the eye.

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‘Little Disasters’ Offers a Nuanced Take on Motherhood

Although Little Disasters is compelling throughout, the decision to sporadically incorporate a breaking of the fourth wall is pointless in the grand scheme of things. Given that the events at hand and the flashbacks inserted in between episodes already inform audiences about what these mothers think and feel, these fourth-wall instances play out as redundant and unnecessary dramatic fare. The series is also impacted by the lack of an in-depth explanation as to what might’ve happened to Jess after Betsy’s birth, with characters chiming in with their own takes on her personality shift as opposed to a clear explanation. If the flashbacks had focused less on the friend group outings from years prior and more on Ed and Jess’s at-home dynamic, the series would’ve felt even more engaging and informative about how this couple acted before and after their third child was born. Overall, Little Disasters offers a fresh take on motherhood and how each woman might struggle to adjust to this new role. Jess might’ve been able to seamlessly navigate her first two pregnancies, but her third one didn’t play out like she anticipated, furthering the notion that there is no such thing as a perfect parent. Liz’s initial hardship after the birth of her first child is clear in one of the flashbacks, and Charlotte has a hard time undergoing IVF treatment while seeing her friends conceive without any additional medical intervention. For those seeking a fitting replacement for All Her Fault, Peacock’s riveting drama, Little Disasters explores the themes of a mother’s guilt and unique struggles in an insightful way, with a thrilling investigative bent to boot.