Emma Stone’s 10/10 Psychological Thriller Is The Best Show You’ve Never Heard Of

Emma Stone may be one of today's biggest movie stars, but her masterful psychological thriller series, The Curse, went largely unseen. Dubbed the "millennial Meryl Streep", the 37-year-old actress has been nominated for seven Academy Awards — the youngest woman in history to reach this milestone — and has won two. Stone has most recently been nominated for Bugonia, her fourth collaboration with director Yorgo Lanthimos.

Stone's filmography is indeed impressive, but while her work in television has also been superb, it's incredibly underrated. In 2018, Stone starred in Netflix's sci-fi black comedy miniseries Maniac opposite Jonah Hill. Despite these A-list names, Maniac didn't find a big audience — a trend that continued with Stone's even-better 2023 series, The Curse.

What Is The Curse About?

Created by Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, The Curse is a 10-episode series about a well-to-do millennial married couple, Asher (Fielder) and Whitney Siegel (Emma Stone), who have begun flipping homes in their town of Española, New Mexico, for their eco-conscious TV show, Fliplanthropy, which Whitney is desperate to get on HGTV.

If "Fliplanthropy" sounds awkward and cringey, that's just the beginning. Fielder, who is best known for his Nathan for You show, smears his signature brand of cringe comedy all over The Curse. Every word out of Asher and Whitney's mouths gives away the fact that their philanthropy is entirely performative, and that not only are they out of touch with their racially diverse community, but they're actually making it worse.

While dark satire is a large part of The Curse's flavor, the psychological thriller element comes in behind the scenes of Fliplanthropy. Early into filming the show, Asher rudely takes back a $100 bill he gave a little girl in a parking lot when the cameras were rolling. She, in turn, puts a "curse" on him.

These may sound like mere melodramatic words of a child, but they spook Asher, and things start going very wrong with the show and in his and Whitney's personal lives as they struggle to conceive a child. Tensions and discomfort ratchet up in every episode, making The Curse almost painful to watch, but in the best way possible. Asher and Whitney are toxic trainwrecks you truly can't look away from.

The Curse’s Weirdness Is What Makes It So Great

It's best to know going in that The Curse is an incredibly weird show. It looks weird, from the ugly, mirrored exteriors of Asher and Whitney's eco-friendly "passive homes" to the way the show is shot, with cameras often positioned behind glass, giving the audience a voyeuristic experience as if we're witnessing intimate moments between the characters that we're not supposed to.

There's also the extreme discomfort in extended, cringe-inducing scenes of awful behavior that make Curb Your Enthusiasm seem like a comfort watch. Just when you're thinking that The Curse has gone too far, they'll force you to remain in that scene for five more minutes. You'll definitely get turned off, but if you can appreciate what the show is doing, it makes for a rewarding watch.

Then there's the surrealism surrounding the big question: Is the titular "curse" real? Is Asher's fear of a little girl rooted in his white privilege, or is something supernatural really at play here — or is the former causing the latter? It all builds to The Curse's bonkers ending, which is one of the most memorable in TV history.

Where To Watch The Curse

As a Showtime original series, The Curse can be streamed on Paramount+, home of Showtime's entire library. At 10 episodes, The Curse makes for the perfect weekend binge.

The Curse's deliciously stupefying conclusion left many lingering questions, prompting audiences to wonder whether they'd be answered in a second season. Though there's been no official greenlight for The Curse season 2, and the cast has moved on to other projects since the season 1 finale aired over two years ago, a follow-up still remains a possibility.

In a 2024 interview with THR, Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone revealed that not only could there be a second season of The Curse, but that Fielder had mapped the show out beyond season 1. Though he wouldn't say more for fear of spoilers, it remains an exciting prospect. The only question remains: Can television handle more of The Curse?