The Last Thing He Told Me is an American mystery thriller television series for Apple TV+, based on the 2021 novel by Laura Dave. The series was developed by Laura Dave and Josh Singer and stars Jennifer Garner as Hannah Hall. It premiered on April 14, 2023. A second season premiered on February 20, 2026.
Contents
Premise
The series follows Hannah Hall, who forms an unexpected relationship with her stepdaughter as she searches for her husband who recently disappeared.
Cast and characters
Main
Jennifer Garner as Hannah Hall
Angourie Rice as Bailey Michaels / Kristin, Hannah's stepdaughter
Aisha Tyler as Jules Nichols (season 1), Hannah's best friend who is a journalist
Augusto Aguilera as Grady Bradford (season 1; recurring season 2)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Owen Michaels / Ethan Young
David Morse as Nicholas Bell (season 2; special guest star season 1), Owen's former father-in-law and Bailey's grandfather who is a lawyer to a mafia organization known as the Campano family
Recurring
John Harlan Kim as Bobby Park (season 1), Bailey's boyfriend before going on the run
Geoff Stults as Jake Davis, Hannah's ex-fiancé who is a lawyer
Josh Hamilton as Charlie Smith, Bailey's maternal uncle and Nicholas' son
Judy Greer as Quinn Favreau (season 2), Bailey's biological mother's best friend and Frank's daughter
Michael Galante as Gas Man #2 / Jimmy (season 2)
John Noble as Frank Campano (season 2), the head of a criminal organization in Austin, Texas
Luke Kirby as Teddy Campano (season 2), Frank's son who is determined to have Owen killed
Elizabeth O'Donnell as Ed (season 2), Grady's colleague who is involved with a man who killed Grady
Special guest stars
Rita Wilson as Carol (season 2), Hannah's estranged mother who lives in Arizona
Production
Development
Ahead of its May 4, 2021, release, the novel The Last Thing He Told Me was optioned by Hello Sunshine and Red Om Films. Soon after, in partnership with 20th Television, Hello Sunshine and Red Om Films put the project on the marketplace. Apple, in a highly competitive bidding war, won the project and gave it a straight-to-series order. Laura Dave, author of the novel, wrote the adapted screenplay with her husband, Josh Singer. Olivia Newman directed the series pilot, with Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Daisy Von Scherler Mayer, and Lila Neugebauer directing the other episodes. In March 2024, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a second season.
Casting
In January 2021, Julia Roberts was announced in a lead role for The Last Thing He Told Me. In November 2021, Jennifer Garner replaced Roberts as star and producer. Angourie Rice was added to the cast in April 2022, with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Aisha Tyler, Geoff Stults, John Harlan Kim and Augusto Aguilera joining in May.
Filming
Filming for the series began on May 3, 2022. The setting for the story is the houseboat community of Waldo Point Harbor in Sausalito, California, and some location shooting for the series was carried out there, as well as in nearby areas of downtown Sausalito and Marin Headlands. Other shooting locations include Los Angeles and Austin, Texas.
Episodes
Release
The Last Thing He Told Me premiered on April 14, 2023, with the first two episodes available instantly and the rest debuting on a weekly basis until May 19 on Apple TV+. The second season premiered on Apple TV on February 20, 2026.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season a 41% approval rating based on 34 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Jennifer Garner's sensitive performance brings some heart to the proceedings, but monotonous pacing and a glossy veneer keep this mystery from standing out from the pack." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 49 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The show reached 4.5 million unique viewers in its first 31 days of streaming.
The second season has a 56% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 9 critic reviews.