Behind the Scenes of Prime Video's Hit Limited Series "The Better Sister," Starring Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks
/Watch Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks in the Hit Murder Mystery Series “The Better Sister” on Prime Video
As temperatures in the Northeast climb into the triple digits this week, it is the perfect time to sit on the couch in your air-conditioned living room binge watching the latest hit streaming television series. If you are a fan of murder mysteries, then you're in luck, as the crime thriller "The Better Sister" is now available to watch on Prime Video.
"The Better Sister" dropped on the streaming service on May 29, and the whodunit remained atop the list of Prime Video's most watched programs for three weeks, slipping to second place over the weekend. Starring Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks, the eight-episode limited series is based on the novel of the same name by New York Times bestselling author Alafair Burke.
Biel and Banks Lead Star-Studded Cast Filmed at Broadway Stages
Biel and Banks filmed "The Better Sister" at our Ridgewood, Queens facility last summer and fall, and we are thrilled to see all of their hard work pay off as this series continues to generate buzz and hours of entertainment for Prime Video subscribers.
Biel plays Chloe Taylor, the wealthy and stylish editor-in-chief of a popular lifestyle magazine. On the surface, her life is perfect. Her husband, Adam (Corey Stoll), is a well-respected lawyer, and the two co-parent a teenage son, Ethan (Maxwell Acee Donovan). They live in a spacious Manhattan highrise when they aren't spending time in their luxurious beach house in the Hamptons.
Banks plays Nicky Macintosh, Chloe's estranged sister, and their lives could hardly be more different. Nicky is an alcoholic barely getting by and struggling to stay clean. When Adam is brutally murdered at the beach house, the sisters reunite and seek to uncover the truth behind the tragedy.
Biel told the LA Times that it made sense for her and Banks to co-star as sisters in a production, as she's "heard for a million years that we look like sisters." The two also bonded as "boy moms" according to People magazine.
Co-starring alongside Biel and Banks are Lorraine Toussaint ("The Equalizer") as Chloe's boss, the influential publisher Catherine Lancaster; Gloria Reuben ("Elsbeth") as the accomplished defense lawyer Michelle Sanders; Gabriel Sloyer ("Inventing Anna") as Jake Rodriguez, a colleague and friend of Adam's; Matthew Modine ("Stranger Things") as Bill Braddock, the commanding founding partner of the law firm where Adam worked; and Michael J. Harney ("NYPD Blue") as Chloe and Adam's doorman Arty.
Kim Dickens ("Deadwood") and Bobby Naderi ("Prison Break") play detectives Nancy Guidry and Matt Bowen, who are diligently investigating Adam's murder.
Family Drama and Secrets Unfold on Long Island
Things are not always as they seem in this murder mystery full of twists and turns, deceit, and betrayal. Over the eight episodes, viewers gradually uncover more and more of the family's secrets through flashbacks. Early on it is revealed that Adam was previously married to Nicky, and she is in fact Ethan's biological mother — not Chloe. More of the deeply concealed family history bubbles to the surface once Ethan is arrested as the prime suspect in his father's murder.
Much of "The Better Sister" takes place on Long Island, particularly the insulated and wealthy communities on the easternmost part of the island. Generations of wealthy New Yorkers have summered in the seaside resort towns teeming with expensive beachside homes. Adam's murder quickly becomes the talk of the town, leading to Chloe and Nicky having their private lives publicly exposed and scrutinized.
Behind the Scenes Cast Bonding in New York
Naderi told People magazine that the cast had a blast filming in New York and proclaimed that "Summer in New York is pure magic." He said the cast bonded on weekends playing padel, a racket sport that combines elements of tennis and squash.
Donovan told Page Six that "It was a pretty dreamy summer. It was like every moment, they [Biel and Banks] were so intentional about setting everything up to be just perfect." Sloyer told Page Six that the pair's "incredible leadership" made the crew "feel right at home from the beginning."
Prolific Creative Team Launches Another Hit from Broadway Stages
Olivia Milch created the series and serves as co-showrunner along with Regina Corrado. Milch wrote the screenplay for "Ocean's Eight" (2018), which filmed at the former Arthur Kill Correctional Facility that is now part of our Staten Island campuis, and she wrote an episode of "Hello Tomorrow!" which filmed at our facilities in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Corrado is known for her work as a writer on "Deadwood" (2004-2006) and as a writer and producer on "Sons of Anarchy" (2008-2014), "Mayor of Kingstown" (2021-) and "Tulsa King" (2022-).
Executive Producer Craig Gillespie directed the first episode titled "She's My Sister." Gillespie is known for directing several episodes of the miniseries "Pam & Tommy" (2022) as well as the films "Cruella" (2021), "I, Tonya" (2017), and "Lars and the Real Girl" (2007). Leslie Hope ("Snowpiercer"), Stephanie Laing ("Your Friends & Neighbors"), and Dawn Wilkinson ("All American") each directed two episodes, and Azazel Jacobs ("His Three Daughters") directed one.
We are so glad that the cast and crew enjoyed filming this production as much as we enjoyed hosting them! Be sure to check out "The Better Sister" on Prime Video to find out who killed Adam and why.
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