Review: The Secret Life of Amy Bensen on Passionflix

There’s a moment in the season 1 premiere of the new Passionflix series The Secret Life of Amy Bensen when Amy (Maddie McCormick) pauses before boarding a plane and turns back to look at the empty terminal behind her. Even if you know nothing about the story, there’s no question that this is the look of a woman who’s about to leave everything behind. Again. It’s in that moment when you realize that McCormick understood the assignment. She is Amy Bensen. 

Lisa Renee Jones’ bestselling Amy Bensen series follows a young woman whose life has been thrown into chaos following the tragic death of her family in a fire. Told that she was being hunted by the people who wanted her family dead, she’s forced to change identities every time she gets a message from a mysterious benefactor who seems to be trying to protect her. 

After her latest identity is compromised, she finds herself on a plane next to a charismatic stranger, Liam (Casey King), who turns out to be a reclusive billionaire architect. Liam is used to getting exactly what he wants and what he wants is to protect this woman who not only captured his attention but also triggered every protective instinct in his body. He knows she has secrets and he’s going to make sure she knows he’s the one person she can trust. 

I had a chance to watch the first two episodes of the six-episode first season and let me tell you, McCormick and King have chemistry. They are Amy and Liam. 

McCormick skillfully balances Amy’s fear and false bravado. Amy has to abandon her life and assume a new one at the drop of a hat; her fear is palpable and McCormick expresses the full gamut of Amy’s emotions beautifully. King’s Liam has an easygoing smile with just enough edge to let us know that he’s used to getting what he wants, and that Amy has thrown his carefully organized world into disarray. I can’t wait to see King later in the series when he’s in full Liam mode!

In short, it’s really fun to watch these two play off each other.  

The 30-minute episodes move quickly, and the fact that they’re only 30-minutes is probably my only critique because you don’t want it to end. There’s solace to be taken in that The Secret Life of Amy Bensen is a series and that the second season was filmed in tandem with the first season, so there’s plenty more to look forward to in the coming weeks and months. 

The first two episodes of The Secret Life of Amy Bensen premiere December 22, 2022, only on Passionflix.