Too Much TV: Kerry Washington Talks 'Imperfect Women'

Here’s everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, March 17th, 2026:

KERRY WASHINGTON ON 'IMPERFECT WOMEN'
The Apple TV original series Imperfect Women premieres tomorrow (Wednesday) and while I was a bit lukewarm about the show,  I enjoyed seeing Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington and Kate Mara acting together. 

FWIW, here is the official logline of the series: "Based on Araminta Hall’s novel of the same name, Imperfect Women examines a crime that shatters the lives of a decades-long friendship of three women. The unconventional thriller explores guilt and retribution, love and betrayal, and the compromises we make that alter our lives irrevocably. As the investigation unfolds, so does the truth about how even the closest friendships may not be what they seem."

The trio recently spoke to a small group of the press about the show, and I thought these comments from Washington do a pretty good job of explaining why she decided to do the show:

This series explores decade-long friendships shaped by resentment, secrets, and compromises that surface after tragedy. What interested you most about exploring those messy dynamics, and what do you think the show says about the truth behind long-term friendships?

I think what you said is part of what drew me to the project, right? That we don't get to often dig into women's stories, friendships that have happened over a long period of time.

That it's part of being actresses who've been on the planet for a certain amount of time and have the ability to produce and create stories that are about women our age. Means that there's a lived experience, a depth that we can bring to it that is really exciting. And I think ultimately one of the things, this show says a lot of things, but one of the things this show I think is about is it's this fun, juicy ride where you never know, like, who's telling the truth and who's betraying who and who's sleeping with who. Right?

But all of that stuff, where it lands you, is that there's so much power when you have the courage to reveal the truth. And that real intimacy is on the other side of that fear of being who you really, really are.

Kerry, the show portrays women who are far from perfect, which makes them deeply relatable. How important is it to balance their flaws with the moments of empathy and humor throughout the story?

Well, first of all, I'm so happy that you feel like these characters are relatable, 'cause we've all worked really hard on making them feel perfectly imperfect and have the right balance of humanity. And I'm so happy you picked up on the humor as well.

'Cause I think the tone of the show is something that we're all very proud of too, that it is, like, sexy and juicy and thrilling and dangerous. But also that there is humor and romance. And it's part of why I think the show is for everybody. And, you know, what you're saying is so much of what we're always reaching for
as actors. We just always want our characters to be as human as possible. Because that's where it works. That's when it feels like truth, is when you feel like that's a
real, real person. So life is all of those elements, and I think we just tried to bring that to the characters the best we could.

TED SARANDOS TALKS TO POLITICO
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos sat down for an interview with Politico and while he still insists that he wasn't concerned with political interference from the Trump Administration, there are some really interesting things in the conversation, which primarily focused on the company's European business:

Regulators often focus on the competition between streaming services, but as you know very well, younger audiences are spending more time on platforms like YouTube. Do you think policymakers are underestimating that shift? Would you like to see that taken into account more in the regulatory landscape?

One of the things that we saw in recent months with the Warner Brothers transaction is a real deep misunderstanding about what YouTube is and isn’t. YouTube is a straightforward direct competitor for television, either a local broadcaster or a streamer like Netflix. The connected television market is a zero-sum screen. So whichever one you choose, that’s what you’re watching tonight. And you monetize through subscription or advertising or both, but at the end of the day, it’s that choosing to engage in how you give them and how, and how that programming is monetized is a very competitive landscape and it includes YouTube.

I think what happens is people think of YouTube as a bunch of cat videos and maybe some way to, to promote your stuff by putting it on there for free. But it turns out it is a zero-sum game. You’re going to be choosing at the expense of an RTL or Netflix. I think in this case it’s one of these things where recognizing and understanding that YouTube is in the same exact game that we are.

It's true that when it comes to the battle for TV time, YouTube and Netflix are in exact same business. What makes it challenging for anyone competing with YouTube is that it's not cat videos that are the problem. It's that YouTube is filled with TV shows and movies that are illegally uploaded. Many times, these are titles that can't be cleared legally, and yet not only do they drive engagement for YouTube, they also drive substantial ad revenue.

ODDS AND SODS
* The true crime documentary The Crash premieres Friday, May 15th on Netflix. Here is the official logline: "A car carrying three young adults slams into a brick building at 100 miles per hour in Strongsville, Ohio, leaving two lives lost and one sole survivor. The driver, 17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla, was driving her boyfriend, Dom, and his friend, Davion, home from a party when the unthinkable happened. But as detectives comb through the wreckage, what first appears to be a tragic accident begins to look like a calculated crime scene. The Crash takes a deep dive into the volatile relationship at the center, examining the shifting narratives of that fateful night to explore where a fatal mistake ends and cold-blooded murder begins."

* The unionized team that works CBS' streaming service are going on a 24 hour strike in New York and San Francisco. The walkout comes after negotiations with CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss reportedly imploded.

* Hulu has renewed Paradise for a third season.

* A fake St. Paul bluegrass band died Monday in a fake airplane crash and yes, this is the weirdest story you'll read today.

* The Neighborhood. The Neighborhood: A Farewell Special will premiere Monday, April 6th on CBS.

THIS IS LESS OF A THEATRICAL RELEASE THAN A THEATRICAL TEASE
Netflix has announced it is doing a very limited set of theatrical screenings of the first two episodes of its new animated series Stranger Things: Tales From '85 at 34 AMC Theatres on April 18th. Screenings will also take place at the Paris Theater in New York, as well as Netflix House Philadelphia. Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, at 8am PT.

Here are the locations where the screenings will be taking place. As an example, here is Minnesota, it will be available at only one AMC theater. Which is a bit annoying.

But seeing this limited scale release through AMC Theatres (which has had a very public battle with Netflix over theatrical windows), reminds me of this exchange from the Politico interview I highlighted earlier:

But what came out a bit that’s positive is, we’ve had really healthy conversations with folks who we hardly ever talked to, theater operators, as a good example. I had a great meeting in February with the International Union of Cinemas, and the heads from all the different countries about what challenges they have, how we could be more helpful, or how they could be helpful to us too. I think we’ll come out of this with a much more creative relationship with exhibitions around the world. 

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