In the intriguing British miniseries “Chloe,” a woman in her 20s named Becky is obsessed with the social media scrolls of a woman named Chloe. She looks at photos of Chloe hanging out with her fabulous friends, doing fabulous things, always smiling and happy. Her own life is drab and, as her mother falls further into dementia, quite sad, which only compels her further into her envy lurk.
When Chloe dies, apparently by suicide, Becky begins to pursue her obsession more actively. Adopting the name Sasha, and dressing in more fashionable clothing, she makes her way into Chloe’s fashionable social circle, sidling up to Chloe’s best friend and Chloe’s husband. It all has a bit of an “Inventing Anna” vibe to it — without the accent — as she insinuates herself into a fairly exclusive world.
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“Chloe,” which premieres Friday on Amazon, is thoroughly enjoyable, especially as the plot becomes more complicated and Becky’s motives grow more ambiguous. In her final hours, it turns out, Chloe phoned Becky twice, and Becky is driven to find out why. As the mystery story — created by Alice Seabright of “Sex Education” — develops across the six episodes, it is about social media, and perception versus reality, and the nature of self-esteem, and self-determination.
But it’s also very much about Erin Doherty’s irresistible performance as Becky/Sasha. She is remarkable as a chameleon who can seemingly improvise her way out of any tight spot. Best known, perhaps, for playing Princess Anne on “The Crown,” she is simultaneously creepy and sympathetic, and endlessly entertaining as she conducts her cons with great flair.
Matthew Gilbert can be reached at matthew.gilbert@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewGilbert.