What begins as a tight friendship becomes something else entirely—a bitter, escalating rivalry
When the boundaries between friendship, parenthood, and romantic love collapse into one another, the results are rarely tidy. This June, Disney+ enters that territory with Alice and Steve, a six-part comedy-drama in which Nicola Walker plays a woman who chooses disruption over acceptance when her closest friend begins a relationship with her adult daughter. Created by Sophie Goodhart and premiered at CANNESERIES 2026, the series asks something quietly profound: how well do we truly know ourselves until something we love is at stake?
- Alice's world is upended not by a stranger but by her best friend Steve, whose romance with her daughter Izzy collapses the safe distance between the people she trusts most.
- Rather than grieve quietly, Alice wages an active campaign to dismantle the relationship — turning warmth into strategy and friendship into a battleground.
- Steve, played with knowing charm by Jemaine Clement, refuses to simply yield, transforming what was once a close bond into an escalating rivalry neither character can easily walk away from.
- Behind the comedy, the show carries real emotional weight — assembled by the writer of Sex Education, the director of Stath Lets Flats, and a producer from Baby Reindeer, this is a project built for more than laughs.
- Premiering at CANNESERIES 2026 and arriving on Disney+ in June, Alice and Steve lands as a story about how far love and revenge can take ordinary people before they no longer recognise themselves.
Nicola Walker returns to television this June in Disney+'s Alice and Steve, a six-part comedy-drama that begins with a deceptively simple premise: what happens when your best friend starts dating your daughter? For Alice, the answer is not acceptance — it's war.
Walker, beloved for her role as detective Cassie Stuart in Unforgotten, plays a woman whose closest friendship with Steve — portrayed by Jemaine Clement — is shattered when he becomes romantically involved with her 26-year-old daughter Izzy. Alice doesn't step aside. She goes to extraordinary lengths to separate them, and Steve, far from retreating, pushes back. What was once a deep mutual understanding curdles into bitter rivalry, and neither of them quite knows how to stop.
The creative team gives the material genuine ambition. Sophie Goodhart, who created the series and previously wrote for Sex Education, weaves sharp comedy with emotional honesty. Director Tom Kingsley, known for cult British comedy Stath Lets Flats, shapes the tone, while executive producer Andy Baker — a key figure behind Baby Reindeer — signals that this is no lightweight affair.
Both leads speak warmly of the project. Walker described the experience as 'completely joyful,' touching on themes of friendship, motherhood, and what she called 'frantic revenge and fierce love.' Clement found something recognisable in Steve — a man he called an all-round good guy, except for when he isn't — a wry acknowledgement that the show is most interested in how decent people become unrecognisable when fighting for what they believe matters.
Having premiered at CANNESERIES 2026, the six episodes arrive on Disney+ in June. By the series' end, the synopsis promises, all three characters will be fundamentally changed — the only question being whether any of them will recognise what's left.
Nicola Walker is coming back to television this June with a show that asks a deceptively simple question: what happens when your best friend starts dating your daughter? The answer, according to Disney+'s new six-part comedy-drama Alice and Steve, is chaos.
Walker, who spent four seasons as the methodical detective Cassie Stuart in ITV's Unforgotten before her character's death left viewers genuinely bereft, plays Alice—a woman whose world tilts when her closest friend Steve (Jemaine Clement) becomes romantically involved with her 26-year-old daughter Izzy (Topol Margalith). The premise is simple enough, but the show's real interest lies in what Alice does next. Rather than accept the situation, she decides to dismantle it. She goes to extraordinary lengths to separate them, to reclaim what she believes she's losing. Steve, however, is not the type to retreat. What begins as a tight friendship between two people who understand each other becomes something else entirely—a bitter, escalating rivalry that neither of them quite knows how to stop.
The creative team assembled around this premise suggests ambition beyond the premise itself. Sophie Goodhart, who created the show and previously wrote for Sex Education, has crafted something that blends sharp comedy with genuine emotional weight. Director Tom Kingsley, known for the cult British comedy Stath Lets Flats, is steering the tone. Behind the scenes, the production includes Andy Baker as executive producer—the same Andy Baker who worked on Baby Reindeer—and series producer Frances du Pille. This is not a lightweight project.
Walker and Clement both seem genuinely enthusiastic about the material. Walker described stepping into Goodhart's world as "completely joyful," emphasizing the themes of friendship, motherhood, marriage, and what she called "frantic revenge and fierce love." Clement, for his part, found something to relate to in Steve himself—a character he described as "classy, stylish and an all-round good guy—except for when he isn't." There's a wink in that assessment, a recognition that the show is interested in how decent people can become unrecognizable when they're fighting for something they believe matters.
The show had its world premiere at CANNESERIES 2026 in competition, which suggests the festival organizers saw something worth taking seriously. The six episodes will arrive on Disney+ in June, and the central question the show poses—how far would you go for love or revenge, and can a relationship survive when someone is actively trying to destroy it?—promises to be the kind of thing that lingers after the credits roll. By the time the series ends, the synopsis promises, the lives of these three characters will have been fundamentally altered. The question is whether any of them will recognize themselves in what remains.
Notable Quotes
I'm thrilled to be stepping into the fabulous world of friendship, motherhood, marriage, frantic revenge and fierce love that Sophie Goodhart has created, and to be doing it with Jemaine Clement is completely joyful.— Nicola Walker
I really relate to Steve—he's classy, stylish and an all-round good guy—except for when he isn't. I'm excited to be working with the wonderful Nicola Walker and seeing how Steve and Alice's relationship descends into absolute chaos.— Jemaine Clement
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does this story matter now? There are dozens of shows about friendship and family conflict.
Because it's asking something specific about the limits of loyalty. Alice isn't just upset—she's actively trying to sabotage her best friend's happiness. That's a choice the show is willing to explore without flinching.
And Nicola Walker—is this a comeback story, or just her next job?
It's both. Unforgotten ended with her character dying on screen, which genuinely devastated people. This is her returning to lead a show, but on a platform and in a genre that's quite different. It signals she's moving forward, not retreating.
Jemaine Clement is an interesting choice. He's usually funny.
He is, but he's also played characters with real depth. Steve isn't just a romantic lead—he's someone willing to fight back, to match Alice's intensity. That's not a passive role.
The creative team seems unusually strong for what could have been a lightweight premise.
Exactly. Sophie Goodhart came from Sex Education, which was never afraid of emotional complexity beneath the comedy. Andy Baker worked on Baby Reindeer, which is about as serious as television gets. These aren't people making a fluffy show.
What's the real story underneath?
It's about what happens when people you love force you to choose between them, and what you're willing to sacrifice to avoid that choice. Alice thinks she can control the outcome. She's probably wrong.