The Most Stunning Variations Between ‘The Looking Wives’ E-book and Present

Netflix’s The Looking Wives presents only one model of the story.

The salacious present starring Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman was based mostly on Could Cobb’s 2021 novel of the identical identify. Although the premise — an unique Texas skeet-shooting membership the place a circle of wives sure by secrets and techniques turns into engulfed in scandal and homicide — remained the identical, main parts of the unique plot have been reimagined for the TV adaptation.

“My jaw dropped when [showrunner Rebecca Cutter] instructed me,” Cobb mentioned of the present’s adjustments in a July 2025 interview with Selection. “It makes a lot sense … I wanted one other twist within the e-book, and that’s the one I got here up with. However I assumed it was genius. It’s an awesome twist.”

Each variations discover themes of obsession, secrecy and privilege, however the present ends in some new deaths in Maple Brook.

Learn on for a breakdown of the largest variations between The Looking Wives e-book and TV present, and which characters made it out alive.

Warning: The Looking Wives spoilers forward!

Abby isn’t pregnant with Brad’s child 

Within the e-book, Abby Jackson’s (Madison Wolfe) homicide is initially believed to be motivated by her alleged being pregnant with Brad’s (George Ferrier) child. Sophie (Snow) later uncovers that Brad’s mother, Jill (Katie Lowes), and Callie (Jaime Ray Newman), one other one of many wives, had taken the highschool scholar to an abortion clinic earlier than her homicide, and Jill killed Abby to guard her son.

However the present takes a special flip. Whereas Sophie first suspects that Abby was pregnant and visited an abortion clinic, she later discovers that it was truly Margo (Akerman) — not Abby — who was carrying Brad’s little one.

Although Margo and Brad even have an affair within the e-book, The Looking Wives sequence alters the storyline in order that Margo is the one who finally decides to have an abortion.

Cutter instructed Selection in July 2025 that she determined to incorporate extra conversations about abortion rights within the sequence to “tackle a few of the realities” of residing in Texas.

“I feel the conversations have been extra simply concerning the sensitivity of all of it, and never attempting to choose a aspect,” the showrunner mentioned. “We needed to indicate the nuance of every part as effectively, as a result of there actually is not any black and white. It’s all grey, particularly for somebody who lives in Texas.”

Jill isn’t Abby’s killer 

Though some TV variations stick carefully to the unique story, The Looking Wives supplies an alternate ending. Within the e-book, Jill kills Abby and Margo to guard her son. However within the sequence, Jill is nothing greater than a crimson herring to distract viewers from uncovering Abby’s actual killer: Margo. 

After Sophie finds out that Margo received pregnant by Brad, she confronts the politician’s spouse, who confesses to murdering Abby with Sophie’s handgun. Margo additionally reveals that she planted Abby’s cellphone in Jill’s home to border her for the homicide.

“She was jealous of me and she or he threatened to take every part that I’ve constructed and burn it to the f—— floor,” a tearful Margo tells Sophie within the present. “I used to be drunk and I made a … mistake.”

After information of Abby’s loss of life spreads, her mom, Starr (Chrissy Metz), comes face-to-face with Jill, who shoots and kills her. Upon discovering Jill’s crime, Callie pulls a gun on Jill, who additionally dies.

Sophie will get a a lot darker ending

On the finish of The Looking Wives e-book, Sophie calls issues off along with her husband, Graham, and goes to remedy. Sadly, the protagonist’s destiny grew to become far more twisted within the sequence.

Within the present’s remaining episode, Sophie decides to hit (and presumably kill) Margo’s brother, Kyle (Michael Aaron Milligan), along with her automotive after he threatens her. She doesn’t name the police, and as a substitute drags his limp physique to a close-by cliff and throws him over the sting.

The Looking Wives sequence is about up for a second season 

Cobb’s authentic story was a standalone novel, however Cutter left issues open-ended within the remaining episode of season 1. Although Netflix hasn’t formally renewed The Looking Wives for a second season, the showrunner instructed Selection in July 2025 that she’s already occupied with what’s subsequent for the wives. 

“I feel we’d perform a little little bit of a time leap — not a yr, however a time,” Cutter mentioned. “By the tip of capturing, I noticed that the 2 engines of the present are the whodunit and the Margo/Sophie relationship, and monitoring how these spines intersect with one another.” 

She continued, “The very first thing I’m occupied with is, the place are these two ladies in the beginning? The place are they on the finish? What are the peaks and valleys of their particular person energy, of their relationship? So it’s monitoring a course for that, after which determining what the crime engine is.”

Cutter added that it will be “good” to introduce a brand new thriller, however that concept is in its early phases. She joked, “I don’t know whodunit but or who received finished!”