With turns in TV thriller series like The Sinner and Candy (and arguably, to a lesser extent, Limetown), Jessica Biel has carved out an impressive career second act playing possibly morally, if not legally, compromised protagonist. The Better Sister is the latest entry in that canon, one that finds her standing shoulders above the end result.

It is fitting that The Better Sister came out the same day as Dept. Q as both feature a corps of good performances undone by their respective shows’ insistence on valuing plot mechanics above the characters. Both are, perhaps, undone by being adaptive from novels that give much more room for complex subplots and characterization to march hand in hand.

The plot, in its most unadorned state, is a corker. Chloe Taylor (Biel) is the outspoken editor of a feminist magazine having her moment. Her husband, Adam Macintosh (Corey Stoll), is a corporate attorney working on a big deal. It is the gala season of their lives, and that’s not just figurative. At least, it is until Chloe finds Adam stabbed to death in their Hamptons summer home. His death brings Nicky (Elizabeth Banks), Chloe’s stepson Ethan’s (Maxwell Acee Donovan) biological mom, back into the picture. Nicky’s an addict and Adam’s first wife, so Chloe is understandably unenthused. Then the police, led by Detective Nancy Guidry (Kim Dickens, permanently amused with herself), accuse Ethan of his father’s murder.

Unfortunately, in practice, there is nothing unadorned about the plot. There’s a full court case, surprise revelations about people being related, undisclosed phones, secrets, and hallucinations of dead parents, a by no means full accounting of what The Better Sister is throwing at the screen. With its dedication to business, it too frequently misuses its best tools: Biel, Banks, and Dickens.

The trio of women performers is a treat. Biel is great as the tightly wound but mean girl funny Chloe. As she reviews a comments section full of incels calling her a slut, and worse, she comes across one comment that sticks out. It speculates Adam doesn’t know how to give her good sex. “Well, got that wrong,” she throws away through gritted teeth before reading the next. Banks, in contrast, is a mess. She’s sober but the kind of clean that feels like it could evaporate if so much as show her a half-empty eightball. While never over the top, Banks still nails the sense that Nicky has been a whirling dervish for years, and the version we see now is as in control as she’s ever been. Dickens, as mentioned above, is so self-pleased that it is impossible not to feel similarly about her after three minutes on-screen.

The men aren’t, perhaps, as well represented, but they provide good support. Matthew Modine is especially worthy of note as Adam’s boss and Chloe’s friend, Bill Braddock. He’s adept at playing the part of the reformed louche, bragging about sex during New York’s gay disco scene heyday while his current husband suffers through it. Then, he can subvert that braggadocious to briefly touch on watching his community die during the AIDS crisis. It is turns like that leave one wishing series creator Olivia Milch would be less fussy with the plot to make more room for that kind of character work.

The Better Sister does look a lot like many shows, with a slick grey-blue color pallet only interrupted by Nicky’s decidedly out of step with the Upper East Side area code wardrobe. However, it works for the series, which is so much about control and appearances. The color scheme is just another expression of Chloe’s attitude and the general vibe of her life. Unfortunately, sameness with a reason can still read as generic at first glance. However, for those willing to make the effort, it is a surprisingly thoughtful series in its choices of setting, color, and costuming.

Again, trusting the characters more and worrying about the plotlines checklist less, would’ve made The Better Sister, well, much better. In its present form, it is a busy thriller that repeatedly stumbles over itself.

The Better Sister proves itself on Prime Video beginning May 29.

The Better Sister Trailer: