Best Interests, a heart-wrenching BBC drama starring Michael Sheen and Sharon Horgan, will be arriving on Netflix this week. The four-part fictional drama was penned by the brilliant Jack Thorne, who has recently brought us Adolescence, Toxic Town, and TV’s first adaptation of the classic Lord of the Flies.
“This is a story of a family driven apart by having to make choices no parent would ever want to make,” reads the synopsis. “Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe, Together) and Michael Sheen (Good Omens, Quiz) play married couple Nicci and Andrew, they have two daughters: Katie played by Alison Oliver (Conversations With Friends) and Marnie played by Niamh Moriarty (Jack Thorne’s A Christmas Carol).”
The description continues: “Marnie has a life-threatening condition. The doctors believe it is in her best interests to be allowed to die, but her loving family disagree. And so begins a fight that will take them through every stage of a legal process, as they struggle to contemplate this huge decision. Who decides? And in whose best interests will it be?”
Best Interests currently stands with a near-perfect 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and received widespread praise at the time of its premiere on BBC One in 2023.
Guardian‘s five-star review, which highlighted Sharon Horgan’s “magnificently ferocious” performance, branded the drama “masterly and profoundly moving”.
Independent, awarding four stars, said: “Anchored by a raft of excellent performances, this is a powerful, moving story of the impossible decisions facing the parents of seriously ill children.”
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“There are no correct answers to the scenario presented by Best Interests,” read Irish Times. “It’s just tragedy and heartache. Thorne puts it all up on the screen with the thoughtfulness and respect the subject merits.”
CBR said it “may be the most emotional TV show of the year”, while Decider wrote: “Sharon Horgan and Michael Sheen both do a fantastic job of playing parents put in a difficult situation as they have to make literal life-and-death decisions about their disabled child.”
Best Interests is still available to stream on BBC iPlayer, but will also arrive on Netflix on Friday 10 July.