Playing Nice: ITV audiences all have same complaint about James Norton drama

• Playing Nice arrived to much hype on ITV this weekend.
• James Norton leads the buzzy January drama.
• However viewers have some complaints so far - and critics have savaged it.

ITV’s much advertised and hyped new January drama debuted this weekend - and viewers all had the same complaint about the show. Playing Nice stars Happy Valley’s James Norton in the lead role.

The series is based on J.P. Delaney’s bestselling book by the same name, set in Cornwall. It revolves around a pair of families who find out that their children were swapped at birth.

However, the way that the scenario was dealt with - at least in the first episode - left audiences scratching their heads. Here’s how viewers reacted:

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ITV viewers have same complaint about Playing Nice

The show is about two couples who discover their children were actually swapped at birth - so have been raising the ‘wrong’ kids. During the first episode, the couples met up but audiences found the scenes unrealistic and took to social media to vent.

One person wrote: “I cannot believe for a second that both couples would just be allowed to meet one another without professional mediation or supervision. Have the hospital authorities just shared addresses and told them to get on with it?”

Another added: “Surely there would be some kind of professional mediation or social worker/lawyer present in a neutral zone.. not “oh pop round for a glass of champers while we have a little chat about everything” kind of situation! So off the mark this.”

A user wrote: “These couples are behaving as if their McDonald's orders were mixed up, not their children from birth!” With one echoing: “AS IF THEY ARE HAVING BUBBLY, I think a cup of Tetley would’ve been more appropriate in this situation.”

One joked: “Ay up, we think we’ve got your kid, and you’ve got ours. Fancy coming round and swapping them back?”

Critics savage Playing Nice in brutal reviews

It is not only TV audiences with complaints about Playing Nice, the critical reception has been rather brutal - at least so far. In a one star review for The Guardian, Rachel Aroesti labelled it “mindbendingly bad”.

The Independent gave it two stars and called the show “bland, generic porridge”, with reviewer Nick Hilton calling James Norton’s performance "lackluster". In a slightly more positive review, the Standard’s Vicky Jessop gave it three stars and hailed the “excellent cast” but did add that “some of them do feel slightly wasted at times”.

What did you think of Playing Nice - was it intriguing enough to keep you watching? Share your thoughts by emailing me: [email protected].