First look: Playing Nice

Autumn is the best time to start a new crime show. It’s like the TV programming gods know that, as the temperatures cool and the evenings get darker, there’s nothing we want more than to spend the evening under a blanket, tuned in to a binge-worthy thriller. The latest one to grab our attention? Playing Nice, based on the J. P. Delaney book of the same name. Here’s everything we know about the show so far…

Playing Nice cast: who’s in the show?

First of all, we have to talk about the star-studded cast. ITV has pulled out the big guns, with household names who have enough awards nominations between them to lend the show a big dose of star quality.

BAFTA-nominated James Norton of Happy Valley and A Little Life fame stars in the show alongside BAFTA-nominated Niamh Algar (The Virtues, Calm with Horses).

They are joined by Olivier-nominated James McArdle (The Mare of Easttown, Life After Life) and BIFA-nominated Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey, Life After Life), with all four actors taking leading roles in the series.

Plot: what is Playing Nice about?

Playing Nice sees two couples realise that their toddlers were switched at birth in a hospital mix-up. Now, they face the ultimate dilemma: do they keep the sons they’ve raised and loved, or make the switch back?

Couple Pete (James Norton) and Maddie (Niamh Algar) are thrown into the world of the other couple, Miles (James McArdle) and Lucy (Jessica Brown Findlay). But while they initially agree on a solution, Pete and Maddie soon learn they can’t trust the other couple, and ulterior motives are at play. As tensions escalate, Pete and Maddie are forced to go to extreme lengths to protect their family.

Niamh Algar in the new ITV drama Playing Nice. Credit: ITV

What do we know about the Playing Nice book?

The story is based on the psychological thriller by J. P. Delaney, which shares the same title. In the book, Miles appears on Pete’s doorstep with the bombshell revelation that Pete’s 2-year-old Theo is not his biological son – that the babies were switched at birth.

The two families agree that they won’t switch the boys back, but will instead try to find a more flexible way to share their children’s lives. They also plan to sue the hospital, but this plan unearths disturbing revelations about what happened the day the babies were switched.

Then, when Pete and Maddie’s son Theo is thrown out of nursery for hitting other children, the parents have to reconsider how far they want this arrangement to go – and how far they can trust the other couple…

Playing Nice filming locations: where is the show set?

The show is set in Cornwall, and the filming took place on the Cornish coast in early 2024.

When is it on TV?

There’s not long to wait now before Playing Nice hits our screens. The drama will be coming to ITV1 and ITVX in the New Year. The exact date has not yet been confirmed, but we can expect it in January 2025 (and we’ll keep you updated when we know exact timings)

Will you be tuning in to Playing Nice? Let us know in the comments below…

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