The Australian creator Liane Moriarty offered the supply materials for the primary season of “Large Little Lies,” one among current TV’s nice success tales. Since that then-limited sequence exploded in 2017, dominating the discourse with a supernova of star energy, conspicuous consumption and home strife, producers have continued to mine Moriarty’s catalog looking for extra gold. Up to now, Hollywood has come up quick. The second season of “Large Little Lies,” which Moriarty herself conceived with screenwriter David E. Kelley, was a disappointment; Hulu’s tackle “9 Good Strangers,” one other Moriarty novel, was a set of huge names and backstories looking for a compelling throughline. A follow-up is nonetheless within the works, in addition to takes on Moriarty’s books “The Husband’s Secret” and “The Final Anniversary.” Moriarty’s métier — prosperous communities imperiled by violence and scandal — continues to be catnip to readers and viewers alike, however the artistic trajectory of post-“Large Little Lies” diversifications has had a downward slant.

Fortunately, the Peacock sequence “Apples By no means Fall” brings this chilly streak to an finish. With a much less glitzy forged and a platform with a far narrower attain than HBO, its launch is unlikely to equal the affect of “Large Little Lies.” But greater than any Moriarty sequence since, “Apples By no means Fall” captures the potential of a seashore learn you possibly can binge. The scenic setting and propulsive tempo are efficient cues to show off one’s mind, however the emotional basis is strong sufficient for its central household to resonate as actual individuals, nevertheless soapy their struggles could seem.

“Apples By no means Fall” begins with the sudden disappearance of Pleasure Delaney (Annette Bening, lastly heeding the siren track of the marquee miniseries led by a film star). Till her retirement only a few months prior, Pleasure had spent a long time working a tennis academy in West Palm Seashore together with her husband Stan (Sam Neill) — like her, an ex-professional participant. Pleasure and Stan’s 4 youngsters every carry the emotional baggage of being raised by elite athletes. Troy (Jake Lacy) has channeled his aggressive instincts into enterprise capital; black sheep Amy (Alison Brie, taking part in towards Sort A) can’t maintain down a job; Brooke (Essie Randles) has a bodily remedy apply she gained’t admit is flailing; Logan (Conor Merrigan Turner) can’t escape of his household’s orbit, turning down an opportunity to start out contemporary to remain near residence.

These tensions might make for a grounded household drama, however they’re heightened by a sequence of sensational twists. Pleasure’s unexplained absence splits the motion into two timelines, helpfully labeled “Now” and “Then.” Within the current, Stan’s historical past of emotional neglect makes him not only a subpar husband, however a possible suspect. And prior to now, Pleasure and Stan soak up a girl named Savannah (Georgia Flood) who claims to be fleeing an abusive relationship. Whereas Pleasure takes a shine to Savannah, her presence attracts the suspicion of the opposite Delaneys — and ultimately, the detectives tasked with discovering out the place Pleasure has gone.

Working with administrators Chris Sweeney and Daybreak Shadforth, showrunner Melanie Marnich deftly weaves these threads collectively. Final yr, the darkish comedy “Unhealthy Sisters” used an identical construction and typically strained to steadiness characters’ data of what’s already occurred with progressively revealing these occasions to the viewers. Over a extra condensed, seven-episode run, “Apples By no means Fall” feels much less effortful because it toggles between these two phases of the Delaneys’ lives. Overcomplicated chronology is now a cliché of contemporary TV storytelling, however an excellent potboiler is aware of the way to put a cliché to good use. 

After the premiere, every episode of “Apples By no means Fall” is known as for and dedicated to a unique member of the Delaney clan. The present will not be significantly particular concerning the sport of tennis, however each the person Delaneys and the dynamics between them rapidly come into focus. Because the older children, Troy and Amy bear in mind their father as an aggrieved and indignant man. His dream ended by an ACL harm, Stan used to desert Pleasure and the children for days at a time till the academy gave him a brand new identification as a coach and group chief. The place Brooke and Logan idealize their dad, their siblings reflexively facet with their mother. Troy, particularly, harbors resentment over Stan’s mentorship of Harry Haddad (Giles Matthey), a prodigy turned Grand Slam winner who abruptly fired Stan as a teen. Stan blames his eldest, a peer of Harry’s who chafed at his father’s favoritism towards an outsider. Having spoken overtly about his analysis with superior blood most cancers, at present in remission, Neill offers depth to a person wanting again on his life with remorse, even when Stan doesn’t course of or specific it within the healthiest methods.

As adults, these fault strains have festered into lasting wounds which can be exploited by Savannah and affect an more and more public investigation. Pleasure feels taken without any consideration, so she overlooks her grateful visitor’s many pink flags; current Oscar nominee Bening radiates heat as a maternal determine confronting an empty nest. Years earlier, Troy refused to mortgage Logan cash to purchase the academy off their dad and mom, a part of a sample of utilizing cash to resolve issues he’s too emotionally stunted to work out himself. (In a standout efficiency, Lacy primarily makes Troy a extra delicate, sympathetic model of his prickish wealthy child in “The White Lotus.”) Even dramatic tropes like infidelity really feel organically integrated. You may’t throw a bright-green ball within the Delaney home with out hitting somebody having an ill-advised affair, however when two characters bond over the self-destructive impulse that led them to step out on their spouses, it’s a touching second of solidarity over the mutual harm many relations share, whether or not or not they’re within the headlines.

Like most Moriarty yarns, “Apples By no means Fall” resolves with a twist. The reply to the driving query of the place Pleasure has gone in the end doesn’t dwell as much as the season that precedes it, ending the present on an abrupt and anticlimactic observe. However the sequence by no means feels prefer it hinges on its conclusion or holds again helpful context for the sake of a reveal, as many puzzle packing containers do. Even when the vacation spot is one thing of a letdown, the journey by Florida nation golf equipment and one household’s buried secrets and techniques is scenic, partaking and speedy sufficient to be well worth the journey.

All seven episodes of “Apples By no means Fall” are actually obtainable to stream on Peacock.