HIS & HERS

Diverse cast with black leads Tessa Thompson and Crystal Fox fits Atlanta's demographics naturally, but the adaptation's relocation from the novel's likely white British village setting to U.S. South with interracial estranged spouses and expanded ensemble has drawn specific viewer complaints of DEI influence in casting and location choices.

Core narrative follows estranged marriage, professional competition, family illness, and small-town secrets with a twist ending that highlights bias against overlooked people; no explicit ties to race, gender, sexuality, or current identity politics.

Small Southern town shown with typical mystery-genre flaws like hidden secrets and community hypocrisy; some online critics read the portrayal as negative toward rural or conservative America, but major reviews do not present it as deliberate anti-patriarchy, anti-conservative, or institutional activism.

Major adaptation shifts the original UK-set novel (English village, British protagonists) to Atlanta/Dahlonega, Georgia with Tessa Thompson cast as the journalist; this source change prompted direct online accusations of DEI-driven relocation and casting, though no creator statements framed it as ideological.

Sparse X posts specifically call the Americanized adaptation "DEI slop" and an attack on white rural America; other viewers defend it as containing no woke elements; no broad mainstream or organized right-leaning campaign emerged.

William Oldroyd (cached 41) shows repeated interest in female trauma stories; Dee Johnson brings recent work on the queer-centric Fellow Travelers series; Bill Dubuque and Alice Feeney stay low/neutral in thrillers; Anja Marquardt and Tori Sampson add mild or zero signals; overall moderate team profile without dominant identity-driven pattern.