The Act (2019)
Seeing is deceiving.
Gypsy Blanchard struggles to deal with the toxic relationship with her overprotective mother, but her attempts to free herself lead to murder.
| Type | TV series |
|---|---|
| First aired | 20 March 2019 |
| Status | Ended, last episode 1 May 2019 |
| Genre | Drama, Crime |
| Created by | Nick Antosca and Michelle Dean |
| Starring | Patricia Arquette, Joey King and AnnaSophia Robb |
| Seasons | 1 season, 8 episodes |
| Episode length | about 50 min |
| Time to watch it all | about 7 hours |
| Rated | TV-MA |
| Scores | TMDB users 7.6/10 |
Where to watch The Act
The Act is streaming on Hulu ($18.99 a month) in the US. At ten hours a week, all of the series takes about 1 month of Hulu, or $18.99 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 1 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
What kind of watch this is
The Act runs 7 hours across 8 episodes, a stretch that fits the length of a long, uncomfortable drive. It is a drama and crime series where the central lie is not a plot twist but the foundation of the household. The tagline, "Seeing is deceiving," does the heavy lifting here, because the deception is structural. It follows a daughter who believes she is sick and a mother who has convinced the entire medical world she is right. That is a specific kind of horror. It is the quiet, domestic terror of being gaslit by the person who claims to love you.
What the critics said
Critics responded with enthusiasm. Rotten Tomatoes reports an 88% approval rating based on 49 reviews, averaging 7.4 out of 10. The consensus highlights the "disturbingly nuanced performances" by Patricia Arquette and Joey King, arguing they make a convincing case for the ongoing dramatization of true crime stories. Metacritic assigns a weighted average of 73 out of 100 from 17 critics, classifying the reception as generally favorable.
What came next for the cast
Chloë Sevigny moved from the stark tension of Zodiac to the raw texture of Bones and All. Joey King, fresh off a role in The Conjuring, spent the following years in the Kissing Booth franchise. Patricia Arquette, already established by Boyhood, later appeared in Severance. These paths diverged sharply after 2019. One went deeper into genre, another into romance, and a third into prestige drama. The film did not dictate their choices. It simply marked the point where the roads split.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched The Act.
Sources
- The Act on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q55635017 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “The Act (TV series)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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