Sweetpea Review: A Woman Who Stops Being Invisible, and the Violence That Follows

Sweetpea is a British dark comedy-drama about a woman who finally snaps. Ella Purnell plays Rhiannon Lewis, a quiet, overlooked admin worker whose life turns violent after her father dies and her old school bully returns. The premise is simple: Rhiannon stops being ignored and starts killing people. It’s a pitch that sounds cruel on paper, and it mostly delivers on that promise.

The show premiered on Sky Atlantic on 10 October 2024 and ran seven episodes through 14 November. It’s based on the 2017 novel Sweetpea by CJ Skuse, adapted by Kirstie Swain. The tone is deliberately uneven, shifting between broad physical comedy and genuine dread, and that split is the show’s biggest strength and its biggest problem.

Trailer, via Sky TV.

Rhiannon’s Rise

Rhiannon is a nobody. She works at a local newspaper in the fictional English town of Carnsham, lives with her father and her dog, and moves through life unnoticed. People walk past her without a second glance. That anonymity is the engine of the series. The moment she loses control, everything changes.

Purnell carries the show. Her performance is physical comedy at its most precise, and she finds the humor in Rhiannon’s growing confidence. The character’s arc is simple: she stops being invisible and starts being noticed. The show tracks that change, from the moment she snaps to the moment she realizes she might be caught.

The premise is grim, but the execution is often funny. Rhiannon’s murders are messy, improvised, and absurd. The show leans into the farce of it all, and that decision pays off in the early episodes. It’s a show about violence that refuses to take itself seriously, and that choice defines its identity.

The Bully Returns

The trigger is the return of Rhiannon’s former bully. After her father dies, Rhiannon’s life is upended by a series of unfortunate events, and the bully’s reappearance pushes her over the edge. The show treats the bullying as a wound that never heals, and the revenge plot that follows is a slow burn.

The show’s central question is whether Rhiannon is really a monster. Her ex, AJ Pierce, has always believed she was. Now Rhiannon wonders if he was right. The show builds toward that answer, though the final episode does not settle it.

The casting is strong across the board. Nicôle Lecky, Jon Pointing, Calam Lynch, Leah Harvey, Jeremy Swift, Dustin Demri-Burns, Luke McGibney, and Ingrid Oliver round out the ensemble. Tamsin Greig, Rish Shah, Taj Atwal, and Jenny Walser were announced in August 2025 for the upcoming second series. The show has momentum behind it, and the new additions suggest the writers are planning bigger stories.

The Dark Comedy Problem

The show’s biggest flaw is its tonal inconsistency. It wants to be a dark comedy, but it keeps leaning into pure horror. The result is a show that is either too silly or too grim, rarely both at once. The comedy works when it’s physical and grounded. The horror works when it’s abstract and atmospheric. The two rarely meet.

The show also struggles with pacing. Seven episodes is a short run, and some storylines feel rushed. The show introduces a killer intent on unmasking Rhiannon, but the payoff feels underdeveloped. The rebound plot, which promises an irresistible romantic complication, is barely touched.

These are minor complaints, but they add up. The show is ambitious, and it overreaches. It tries to do three things at once—a revenge thriller, a romance, and a dark comedy—and none of them get full attention. The result is a show that is often excellent and occasionally confusing.

The Killer Secret

The central mystery is whether Rhiannon can keep her killer secret. The show spends its runtime building toward that reveal, and the final episode delivers a twist that sets up the second series. The show ends on a note of uncertainty, which is a smart move. It leaves the audience wondering whether Rhiannon is a monster or a survivor.

The show also explores the idea of being invisible. Rhiannon is ignored because she is small, unremarkable, and overlooked. The show suggests that violence is a way of making oneself visible. It’s a provocative idea, and the show handles it with care.

The show’s themes are darker than its surface suggests. Beneath the jokes is a show about powerlessness, and the violence is a response to that. The show asks whether a person who is ignored has the right to demand attention, and it never fully answers. That ambiguity is the show’s greatest strength.

Comparing the Two Series

The table shows that the show is building toward a darker second series. The first series was a comedy with horror elements. The second series is shaping up to be the opposite. The show’s creators are clearly interested in pushing the material further, and the new cast suggests a show with more scope.

The show’s renewal was announced in December 2024, and the second series is set to premiere in November 2026. That is a long wait, but the show has proven the concept works. The first series showed the premise could sustain a full run, and the second series is shaping up to explore it in more depth.

The Final Word

Sweetpea is a flawed but compelling debut. It is a show about a woman who stops being invisible, and it commits fully to that idea. The show is funny, violent, and often contradictory. It is a show that rewards attention and punishes skimming. It is a show that will be remembered for its ambition, even when that ambition exceeds its grasp.

The show is not perfect. Its tonal shifts are jarring, its pacing is uneven, and its second half rushes to conclusions. But the performances are strong, the premise is original, and the themes are sharp. It is a show that knows what it is and executes it with confidence.

dark comedy · Ella Purnell · horror · Sky Atlantic · TV Review