Annette Bening to Star in Peacock Adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s ‘Apples Never Fall’

Annette Bening
Jon Rou

Just like with previous adaptations of Liane Moriarty‘s novels, her latest will have a big name attached.

Peacock has announced that four-time Academy Award nominee Annette Bening will star in its upcoming limited drama series, Apples Never Fall, as Joy Delaney. This marks her return to television after nearly 20 years, following Mrs. Harris on HBO in 2005. For that role, she was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.

Apples Never Fall, based on Moriarty’s #1 New York Times bestselling novel, follows the Delaneys, who appear to be the perfect family — from the outside. Former coaches Stan and Joy, after selling their successful tennis academy, finally have the life of leisure that they thought they wanted. They also look forward to spending time with their four adult children, but those kids are busy with their own problems.

Everything changes when a wounded young woman knocks on Joy and Stan’s door, bringing the excitement they’ve been missing. But when Joy suddenly disappears, her children must re-examine their parents’ marriage and their family history with fresh and terrified eyes. The series is set against the backdrop of competitive tennis, taking us into a family’s darkest secrets and asking, “Can we ever really know the people closest to us?”

The drama was given a straight-to-series order in February 2022. “Apples Never Fall is the latest blockbuster novel from Liane Moriarty and from the moment we heard the pitch, we knew this was going to be a powerfully juicy and gripping family mystery,” said Susan Rovner, Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, at the time.

The series will be produced by Universal International Studios’ Heyday Television. Melanie Marnich serves as writer, showrunner and executive producer. David Heyman also executive produces, alongside Moriarty, Albert Page, and Jillian Share. Chris Sweeney will direct multiple episodes, including the first.