Peacock
‘The Five-Star Weekend’ Review — Grief Can Be a Beach
The Five-Star Weekend landed on Peacock smack-dab in the middle of summer, offering a picturesque getaway to Nantucket for a girls’ trip with a packed itinerary that included—but was not limited to— pajama dance parties, the spa, soft cheeses (and soft pants), and even a reservation at the island’s most sought-after restaurants
But it wasn’t without its fair share of drama, as anyone who’s ever been on a girls’ trip before expected.
The series, based on the bestselling novel by Elin Hilderbrand, had all the right ingredients for success. While it delivered the comfort and escapism of a breezy summer drama, it was missing the one key element that could have elevated it from enjoyable to exceptional.
Despite a star-studded, talented cast and plenty of potential in its storytelling, the series never quite reaches the heights it seems capable of achieving. It’s almost like the series knows what it needs to do, but it’s too afraid to push the boundary completely, erring on the side of caution the whole time. The stakes are high, but not too high.
The women who come together to support Hollis Shaw, a famous food influencer who lost her husband six months ago in a tragic and unexpected accident, come from different phases of her life to help her navigate loss and grief.
Unexpectedly, the weekend sprinkles in a dash of betrayal.
While Hollis’ pain remains at the forefront as she’s the central character, the rest of the party members are carrying secrets and struggles of their own. Although they each get moments to shine and work through their life dilemmas, their stories never feel as prioritized as Hollis’ emotional journey.
And honestly, I would’ve loved to dig deeper into their lives.
Whenever anyone starts to make their problems more central, it always loops back to Hollis. There’s always a reminder that, yeah, you may be dealing with your fair share of bullshit, but my husband died, and that’s more important.
And not to minimize her husband’s death, as it’s the emotional anchor of the whole weekend, but there’s one moment in the show that deserves to be emphasized. Tatum’s daughter, Aubrey, is the only one who ever calls it like it is when she claps back at Caroline, Hollis’ daughter, for almost sleeping with her baby daddy and using her father’s death as an excuse for her shitty decisions and behavior.
Hollis’ grief is valid, of course, because it’s one of the biggest losses anyone could experience, but the series also raises an important point: losing someone doesn’t mean every action that follows is automatically excusable. Grief can explain someone’s behavior, but it doesn’t erase accountability.
Nor should it overshadow what everyone else is going through.
As much as Hollis needs her friends to work through her grief and find herself again, they also need her. Their problems are important too.
And the weekend helps them navigate it together, allowing their struggles to peak through. It’s a two-way street, and when the series gives the other stories attention, it hits a sweet spot.
The strength of the storyline was found in the female friendships that are often pushed aside by busy lifestyles, careers, motherhood, and competition, when they should be prioritized as a vital source of support, connection, understanding and a sense of belonging.
And honestly, it emphasizes the importance of just taking a moment to have fun, where you don’t need to pretend or take yourself too seriously.
More growth and change was happening for all of them when they were pulled into Hollis’ orbit, breaking them open and forcing them to also confront things that were too painful and real.
Tatum, her childhood best friend, played by Chloë Sevigny, was dealing with a breast cancer scare, which hit way too close to home as it’s what killed her mother. Hollis was kind of there for her, but never fully, and in the final episode, when she got the call from the doctor that she was waiting for all weekend, learning that while the lump was benign, they found some suspicious cells forming behind it, she didn’t even share it with Hollis.
Knowing that Hollis was dealing with so much loss, she confided in her husband instead.
Meanwhile, Dru-Ann, played by Regina Hall, Hollis’ driven, unapologetic college friend and sports agent, was dealing with being “cancelled” by the internet for pushing her client too hard and being dismissive of mental health. I think the series could’ve dug in way deeper here, because it was very surface-level, but at the end of the day, Dru realized that there’s more to life than her job, which consumed her and became her identity. After being “uncancelled,” she realized she didn’t want to play the game anymore, ignoring her business partner and revealing that she was going to quit and start her own agency.
Someone who is that good at what they do deserves to steer their own ship.
D’Arcy Carden’s Brooke may have been my favorite character with the strongest emotional growth, as she was a people pleaser, whose confidence is nonexistent, thanks to her controlling husband, who is being accused of being inappropriate with an intern. She comes into the series supporting Charlie because that’s what a good wife does, but her experiences with the tribe of independent and powerful women help her realize she’s been making herself small so that someone else could feel big.
She ends it with Charlie, making sure that he’s aware she will not be vouching for him in the deposition, and focuses on really finding out who she is—she even comes out and ends up in a relationship with a woman named Sunny.
In fact, by the end of the series, it seems that the weekend bonded Tatum, Dru and Brooke more than it bonded them with Hollis; it proved that they’ve been navigating issues alone when they should be relying on each other.
And I haven’t even gotten to the Gigi of it all. Gigi, played by Gemma Chan, is Hollis’ newest friend, part of her Holla Babes fandom, whom she’s never met in real life before inviting her to her vacation home for the weekend. Gigi graciously accepts being there for Hollis, as they bonded as internet friends following Matthew’s death.
Naturally, no one from Hollis’ inner circle trusts Gigi, and for good reason—she was having an affair with Matthew, seeking out Hollis after the accident and befriending her to stay close to him and get closure.
There’s plenty to dig into here with this dynamic that I think also ends up becoming a missed opportunity.
I think, realistically, it ends in the way that it would, as Hollis finally finds out about the affair, flips out, confronts Gigi, and then forgives her when Gigi reveals that Matthew chose her in the end, turning the car around to come home instead of going to the airport to meet up with her mere moments before the accident takes his life.
There’s no drama or bitterness—or, at the very least, it doesn’t last too long because Gigi is extremely likable.
The show ensures that we see her as a real person—not a villain—but someone who simply fell in love, despite the circumstances, and who is also grieving and trying to navigate it all without any support system before unexpectedly befriending her lover’s widow.
There’s a huge emphasis on trust and connection, even if that trust is oftentimes misplaced and misguided.
Hollis extends grace to Gigi, despite feeling blindsided by their friendship, especially as she subconsciously knew that Matthew was having an affair and didn’t want to admit it.
It’s also difficult to place blame on any single person because we didn’t know much about Matthew and Hollis’ relationship, aside from the fact that he wasn’t super supportive of her influencer career, and felt neglected by the attention she gave her fans and followers.
We only get one side of the story—Hollis’.
However, the series underscores the idea that people aren’t bad; they simply make bad decisions sometimes that carry a lasting impact. I almost wish the series had explored a less common reality—one where these two women remained friends and viewed their shared experience with Matthew as a silver lining, something that brought them together during an incredibly difficult time. I know that may not be the most realistic outcome, but given how close they had become and how deeply Gigi seemed to care about Hollis, it felt like a direction that could have been different than the women turning on each other, which we see too often.
I think there was also a missed opportunity in how Hollis found out about the affair.
Finding out from your friends softens the blow slightly, but in the novel, Hollis and Brooke’s estranged friend Electra Undergrove reveals that she saw Matthew and Gigi together. Throwing in that revelation would’ve made Electra’s character serve more of a purpose than just being a rich mean girl for the sake of it.
Though I do like that the series had Brooke find out by simply seeing a memory pop up on Gigi’s phone, because that’s also very probable and realistic.
Electra kept pointing out that she remembered seeing Gigi somewhere, but the fact that she saw Matthew with another woman in a different city and didn’t leverage that information immediately felt unlikely for someone so bitter and petty. It would’ve made more sense if she remembered seeing her at the funeral instead, since we saw a scene of Gigi attending the memorial. Electra’s revelation helped Caroline realize that her father was having an affair, and that her mom was protecting her through it all, bringing the estranged mother-daughter duo closer together in their shared grief.
THE FIVE STAR WEEKEND — Pictured: (l-r) Timothy Olyphant as Jack, Jennifer Garner as Hollis — (Photo by: Greg Gayne/PEACOCK)
The way things ended between Hollis and Gigi felt almost incomplete—this can’t be the last we hear or see of Gigi. It was too clean and neatly wrapped in a bow.
In the books, the ladies go on a trip to Rome with their significant others before realizing that Gigi is their pilot on the way home, which is, admittedly, a much better ending. The series likely didn’t opt for that conclusion because there’s hope for a second season, which makes sense that they left it the way that they did—with Gigi’s confession allowing Hollis to slowly but surely find her groove back with Jack, her high school boyfriend, whom she’s held a torch for all these years later.
As the girl group went their separate ways after a very illuminating weekend, they promised to make this an annual thing, and depending on the show’s success and reception, Peacock will surely be looking for a second season, which could see Gigi coming back into their orbit and a rekindling of the friendship.
For a summer series, it’s a breezy, enjoyable watch. It avoids the genre’s typical twists—no romantic entanglements, no murder, and no lingering mystery surrounding Matthew’s death. Instead, it focuses on something more intimate: the reality of being human and confronting life’s challenges amid the glossy setting of a wealthy coastal town.
Because grief, no matter the setting, is something that can’t simply be outrun—it needs to be dealt with head-on and in the company of supportive women.
What did you think of The Five-Star Weekend?
Let us know in the comments! What would you change, add, or do differently?
If you’re looking for something new to binge, this week’s lineup has a little bit of everything—from reality TV favorites and emotional dramas to long-awaited adaptations and returning hits. Whether you’re in the mood for escapism, romance or competition, these fresh releases are worth adding to your watchlist.
Here’s everything to watch this week—July 6-12, 2026!
The Five-Star Weekend (Peacock – July 9)
Based on Elin Hilderbrand’s bestselling novel, this glossy summer drama follows a group of women reconnecting for a weekend getaway—each bringing secrets, complicated pasts and emotional baggage with them. Set against a dreamy coastal backdrop, it blends friendship, grief and personal growth into an easy-to-binge escape with a star-studded cast including Jennifer Garner, D’Arcy Carden, Regina Hall, Gemma Chan, Chloë Sevigny and Timothy Olyphant.
Little House on the Prairie (Netflix – July 9)
A reimagining of the beloved classic, this new take brings Laura Ingalls Wilder’s iconic story to a modern audience. While staying true to its roots, the series offers a fresh perspective on frontier life, family bonds and resilience.
Big Brother – (CBS – July 9)
The long-running reality competition returns for the long-awaited season 28, bringing forth new houseguests and plenty of drama. Expect alliances, betrayals and strategic gameplay as contestants battle it out for the grand prize under constant surveillance. The first episode drops on July 9, followed by July 10, 12, 15 and 16.
Trying (Apple TV – July 8)
The heartfelt comedy returns with more of Nikki and Jason’s journey through parenthood with its fifth season. Balancing humor with emotional depth, the series continues to explore love, family and the unexpected twists that come with building a life together.
Love Is Blind UK: After the Altar (Netflix – July 12)
The drama isn’t over just yet. The three-episode special checks in on season 2 members, revisiting relationships after the cameras stopped rolling, offering updates, unresolved tensions and behind-the-scenes revelations as couples navigate life.
The Five-Star Weekend premiered on Peacock on July 9, dropping all eight episodes at once.
The series, adapted from Elin Hilderbrand’s best-selling beach-read novel, stars Jennifer Garner as Hollis Shaw, a foodie influencer with a massive following called the Holla Babes, whose husband dies unexpectedly in a car accident.
What Happens on The Five-Star Weekend Season 1?
As she navigates grief, she plans a girls’ weekend in her Nantucket home, inviting four best friends from different phases of her life to help her find herself again.
There’s her childhood “sister” Tatum, played by Chloë Sevigny, her unapologetic college bestie, Dru-Ann, played by Regina Hall, and her motherhood friend, Brooke, played by D’Arcy Carden.
The fourth guest is Gigi, played by Gemma Chan, her internet friend, whom she’s never met in real life, but connected with after Matthew’s death because it was easier to confide in a stranger while working through her grief.
While Hollis doesn’t think there’s a deeper connection between her and Gigi, the woman’s presence in Hollis’ life wasn’t an accident—she was having an affair with Matthew, a fact Brooke stumbles upon when she sees a picture of Gigi and Matthew cozied up together on her phone.
Unsure whether she should say anything, she confronts Gigi before looping in Tatum and Dru, who want to spare Hollis from the pain of the realization that her late husband had a mistress who is now one of her “best friends.”
It’s a betrayal that blindsides her, but Hollis emerges as the bigger person, confronting Gigi and forgiving her. She admits to her friends that she knew Matthew was having an affair, but wasn’t being honest with herself. And though she felt betrayed by Gigi’s friendship, the weekend helped her find clarity, purpose, and a path forward with her high school boyfriend, Jack (Timothy Olyphant).
Will The Five-Star Weekend Get a Second Season Renewal?
But will a second season happen?
It’s not necessary, as the series wrapped up neatly, leaving no major cliffhangers that would require a second season.
However, there’s definitely a huge possibility, especially if the star-studded series is a hit for Peacock.
I think there are a lot of signs pointing to a possible second season, as the closure between Hollis and Gigi felt final, but too easy.
Hollis wanted nothing more to do with her, but in the novel, the story ends with all the ladies going on a trip to Rome with their significant others, as Gigi’s voice comes on the speakers overheard to reveal she’s their pilot for the vacation.
Of course, that didn’t happen on the series, with the finale finding Hollis and Jack deciding to take things slow and start with dinner, which means that there’s potential for more of Hollis and Gigi’s story to unravel in the future.
The ladies all promised to make this an annual trip, so fans will likely want to follow along and see what happens next after they made so many strides in their personal growth — Dru wanted to quit her job and open her agency, Brooke came out and was leaving her gaslighting husband Charlie who was inapporopriate with an intern, while exploring her relationship with a woman, while Tate found out she may be dealing with some cancerous cells.
There seems to be much more to explore here, as fans gravitate toward the strong female characters and supportive friendships.
Nothing has been officially announced for a renewal, but if a second season is confirmed, we’ll update this post!
Peacock’s newest series, The Five Star Weekend, has arrived to give you a dose of escapist television if you’re choosing to stay inside to beat the heat.
While most summer shows with a pristine beach setting revolve around a love triangle, this one puts friendship between mature women at the forefront instead.
But when has a girls’ weekend gone off without its fair share of drama? While all the women arrive in Nanatucket harboring and navigating their own secrets and crises, much of the tension is brought on by mysterious and undeniably chic Gigi.
The drama, based on beach-read queen Elin Hilderbrand’s best-selling 2023 novel of the same name, finds Jennifer Garner’s Hollis Shaw, a famous food blogger, in a state of grief after the unexpected death of her husband, Matthew (Josh Hamilton), mere days before Christmas.
Six months later, that same grief hits her hard during an appearance on Today (hey, Jenna Bush Hager!), where her manager suggests she round up four of her closest friends from different phases of her life for a weekend of fun to help her unwind, take her mind off everything and find herself again.
Initially not in favor of the idea, Hollis decides that maybe the best medicine is time with the people who know you best, extending an invite to her childhood “sister” Tatum, played by Chloë Sevigny, college bestie Dru Ann, played by Regina Hall, and D’Arcy Carden’s Brooke, a friend from the motherhood phase of her life.
The fourth VIP is Genna Chan’s Gigi Ling, Hollis’ internet friend. They’ve never met in person, a fact that the other ladies in the group find very weird, especially as she’s one of Hollis’ fandom fans, known as the Holla Babes, whom she connected with after Matthew’s death.
Gigi served as a huge support system for Hollis as she navigated the loss of her husband, as Hollis later admits to her friends that it was simply easier to confide in a stranger.
What she doesn’t know is that Gigi is no stranger at all.
Not everyone is convinced that Gigi’s intentions are in the right place, likeable as she may be, particularly Dru, who directly asks Gigi what secrets she’s harboring a handful of times.
While Hollis is convinced her friendship with Gigi is purely coincidental, she doesn’t realize there’s actually a deeper connection between them as they’re both mourning the loss of the man they loved.
The same man.
So Who Is Gigi—Really—on The Five Star Weekend?
Dru’s intuition about Gigi isn’t wrong, as fans learn early on in the eight-episode season that Gigi was having an affair with Matthew.
The revelation comes early into the season, letting viewers in on the secret that Gigi’s harboring way before anyone from the “Five Star Weekend” crew catches on.
The difficult part is that Gigi isn’t a bad person. From the get-go, she wrestles with the decision of accepting Hollis’ invitation, knowing she sought her out in the first place to comfort her own pain and ease her guilt. Along the way, the two genuinely bonded and became friends, but under false pretenses, though Hollis remains the one and only thing keeping her connected to Matthew’s memory. No one else understands what she’s going through.
She knows Hollis deserves the truth, but she’s also deeply aware that there’s no chance of a friendship once that truth is out there, so she goes back and forth between telling Hollis and chickening out every time she gets close.
Eventually, the secret gets out on accident, which provides her with some relief, as Brooke finds Gigi’s phone and accidentally stumbles upon a photo of her and Matthew being cozy in the “memories” tab. Brooke confronts Gigi about it, who expresses guilt over the whole thing, knowing that no matter what she says, it doesn’t make the situation any better.
Brooke then wrestles with telling Hollis the truth, knowing that it will ruin her at a time when she’s already trying to pick up the pieces.
The timing is never right, so she eventually confides in Dru and Tatum, who then turn to Gigi to get some answers about the relationship.
THE FIVE STAR WEEKEND — Pictured: (l-r) Jennifer Garner as Hollis, Harlow Jane as Caroline, Gemma Chan as Gigi, Regina Hall as Dru-Ann (Photo by: Seacia Pavao/PEACOCK)
Gigi’s Origin Story
Again, Gigi feels incredibly guilty for the part she’s played in destroying a marriage, all while grappling with the loss of the only man she ever loved, and trying to find closure amid an unexpected friendship with his widow.
Fans learn that Gigi, a pilot, met Matthew, a surgeon, during a weather delay at the airport. They got to talking before letting their feelings get the best of them during an overnight stay at the hotel. They both knew what they were doing was wrong, but they couldn’t stop from diving in, meeting up in different cities along her route for their tryst.
While little is known about Matthew, fans get a glimpse into his broken marriage with Hollis, which only gets worse when their daughter Caroline leaves for college.
Not only is their spark gone, but Matthew doesn’t fully support her influencer lifestyle, seemingly annoyed with how much effort and attention she puts into it, and dismissing the notion that it’s a fulfilling career.
The morning of the accident, Hollis confronted Matthew about his trip to Paris, questioning why the company was having a conference a few days before Christmas. She expresses that she wants to make their relationship work again, as Matthew questions if it makes her sad that they have to put in this much work into something that was once so easy.
He seems to have a change of heart on his way to the airport, leaving Gigi a message that they have to talk. He never got to end the nearly year-long affair and confess the truth to his wife, as he was in an accident that took his life.
After Hollis learns of the affair, she confronts Gigi, getting the confirmation she needed that her marriage was worse off than she ever cared to admit, though she confesses to her friends that deep down, she always knew; she saw the signs, but she didn’t want to face the music, so she just pretended it wasn’t happening.
While Hollis and Gigi had a real connection, there is no happy ending for them, nor do they see the affair as some kind of blessing that brought them into each other’s lives.
Hollis forgives Gigi and sends her on her way with some toffee, proving that holding a grudge doesn’t benefit anyone. It’s necessary closure for both of them, as Gigi realizes that the ultimate reason she came for the girls’ weekend was to tell Hollis that Matthew chose her in the end.
The confession helps Hollis take the first step in allowing herself to move on, as she hooks up with her high school boyfriend, Jack, the man she still pined for when her marriage was on the rocks.
In a weekend where nothing goes according to plan, despite the detailed itineraries, it was real, raw, and exactly what everyone needed to grow and move forward with authenticity—even Gigi.
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