Catherine Zeta-Jones’ new thriller series, ‘Kill Jackie’, has been met with largely negative critical reception following its debut on Friday, October 1. Reviewers have broadly characterised the AMC+ series as ‘preposterous nonsense’ and ‘fatally short on thrills’.

Critical Reception for ‘Kill Jackie’

The series, which stars Catherine Zeta-Jones as art dealer Jackie Price, has been widely criticised for its shallow conception and haphazard construction. According to The Guardian, ‘Kill Jackie’ was described as being “like Killing Eve … minus good characters or plot.” The publication also noted the show’s tendency to replace “credible writing with gunfights, car chases and ear-bitings.”

Similarly, The Hollywood Reporter labelled the adaptation of Nick Harkaway’s novel *The Price You Pay* a “drab misfire of a thriller,” concluding that it was “dead on arrival.” Critics highlighted that despite an intriguing premise involving Jackie’s past as a high-level cocaine dealer and her current life as an art dealer targeted by an elite assassin group known as the Seven Demons, the show failed to deliver genuine excitement.

The quest takes Jackie across northern Spain, from Bilbao to the Pyrenees, encountering various “colorfully sadistic killers.” However, the action sequences, including stabbings, shootouts, and car chases, were described as “insipid and perfunctory.” The Hollywood Reporter added that even the “glamorous trappings” of the series were “rendered in the cheap, dull look endemic to mediocre streaming series.”

Zeta-Jones’ Performance and Supporting Cast

Catherine Zeta-Jones’ portrayal of Jackie Price also drew specific criticism. The Hollywood Reporter found her an “uninspiring lead,” suggesting she “overshot the character’s unruffled cool so she lands closer to affectless,” with a “narrow range of facial expressions.” The Guardian commented that Zeta-Jones delivered her lines “in a manner that suggests she has recently received a brick to the head.”

Despite the overall critical view, some performances were noted more positively. Daniel Ings, playing normie tax attorney Sam, was singled out by The Hollywood Reporter as the “ensemble’s single greatest asset” and the show’s “sweaty, ranty, wild-eyed comic bright spot.” Óscar Jaenada, as revenge-minded ex-Demon Zigor, brought “welcome gravitas,” while Christine Adams as The Doc imbued her character with “just enough wryness to suggest an actual personality.” Sidse Babett Knudsen also appears as Karenina, an assassin on probation with the Seven Demons.

Attempts to deepen Jackie’s character or inject sexiness into the plot through relationships with her assistant Charlie (Hattie Hook) and a stranger named Gwen (Darci Shaw), or interactions with Sam and The Doc, were largely seen as unsuccessful due to a “dearth of chemistry” and “strokes too quick and broad.”