All the Ways the 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' Series Is Nothing Like the Movie

Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the upcoming spy comedy TV series created by Donald Glover and Francesca Sloane, is just days away from arriving on Prime Video. 

The series is based on the 2005 film of the same, and stars Glover as John and Maya Erskine as Jane. The film put together Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as the stars of the movie, and together, they managed to deliver a well-liked movie as well as years of tabloid stories after they began dating each other after the film. 

Taking on a remake of a film that felt so massive at the time is no easy feat, but Glover, Sloane, and team took on the challenge with grace and accomplished their goal of creating something completely different.  

"I feel like this show could be called anything and it would still be its own show," Erskine told Complex during a recent interview. "That's the thing, it doesn't have to be called Mr. & Mrs. Smith, it could be anything, but it is, and that's why I think it's genius—you have to watch it."

Some people have expressed their disinterest and confusion about the movie being remade into a show. The good news is that aside from the premise of the leads being a married couple who are also assassins, there are plenty of new twists that completely separate the show from the film. 

While they are both packed with explosive action and high-energy entertainment, they all offer a unique experience. Check out our list of ways that Glover and Sloane made Mr. & Mrs. Smith an exciting and entertaining remake of Doug Liman’s hit movie. The show arrives on Prime Video on Friday, Feb. 2.

At the start of the Prime Video series, Jane and John are strangers who have given up their identities to be paired off by a secretive organization. They agree to be matched with a partner both in espionage and in marriage and are sent on missions together by a person they name Hi Hi. In the film, Jane and John pretend to work in regular jobs while secretly carrying out highly dangerous assignments given by their respective companies. 

At the start of the series, Jane and John express curiosity about who they work for, meaning that they are not sure if they work for a government agency like the CIA or a clandestine kill-for-hire organization. In the movie, John and Jane pretend to work as a construction executive and a tech support consultant field respectively, but in reality, they are both the best and most skilled operatives at their respective contract-killing firms.

In the movie, the couple didn’t know each other’s truths. Jolie and Pitt’s characters are both living double lives by hiding that they are both assassins for opposing organizations. They meet and continue their lives together not truly knowing what each other does for a living. Not until they are tasked to kill each other. In the series, both Jane and John are aware that they both work for the same company and what they do for a living.   

When Mr. & Mrs. Smith dropped in 2005, Pitt and Jolie’s intense chemistry was all people could talk about. That chemistry ended up in a real-life romance that eventually led to marriage and kids. When you see them together onscreen, even as they show disdain for each other, their physical chemistry is electrifying. It may also have something to do with the fact that both actors are some of the most attractive people to ever exist in Hollywood, but whether they were fighting to the death with each other or kissing, you couldn’t help but stare. 

In the series, John and Jane’s chemistry feels approachable. It feels genuine and as if you were witnessing a couple of strangers moving in together and building a relationship that slowly blooms in front of your eyes. The dialogue between them is also way more intimate and gives you a fly-on-the-wall type of feel as the viewer, and it almost feels intrusive to watch them as they fall in love. Their love for each other is just as passionate, but it feels like it has more depth and actual love than just a physical attraction. 

In the movie, we meet Jane and John when they are already married for five or six years. They disagree about how long they’ve been married, usually a sign of a couple not being on the same page and, perhaps, not happily married. We meet them in couple’s therapy, and as the film goes on, it’s clear that they have already fallen out of love with each other. 

On the other hand, Jane and John in the series are aware that they are paired up solely for professional reasons, but as they get deeper into their new gig, get to know each other more, and enjoy their orchestrated lives together, their feelings for one another start to grow. And we follow as their relationship evolves throughout the eight episodes. 

One of the most memorable moments in the film was watching as Pitt and Jolie’s characters demolish their gorgeous house, which is located in the suburbs of New York, during one of their fights. The couple works in NYC but also travels all over the country to fulfill their missions. 

In the series, the new couple is moved into a stunning home in New York City, and that’s where most of their earlier missions are carried out. As the season progresses, John and Jane travel all over the world, including a stop in Italy and beyond. 

While the movie had a pretty average runtime, coming in at 120 minutes of pure action, the show tells its story throughout eight hour-long episodes, allowing the characters to be more fleshed out, and we learn their backstories and their idiosyncrasies, which the fast-moving film doesn’t have the room or space to provide. 

During a recent rewatch of the film, it was clear that director Doug Liman wanted to lean on Mr. & Mrs. Smith being a full comedy with plenty of action. The film feels a bit more on the campy side, and leans heavily on the sexiness that the film’s stars provide. 

While the series is also listed as a comedy (and it does have plenty of hilarious moments) it does have a more serious tone. The arguments and conversations between Glover and Erskine are so well written that they elevate the show from being a spy comedy to a story with a bit more gravitas.