Lucy Liu's 20-Part Dark Comedy Gem Can Be Binged In A Long Weekend

Dark comedy is a tricky genre to get right, as these shows can, by nature, push boundaries and polarize viewers. The best dark comedies that surpass expectations often include elements of another genre, making the story shine just as much as the humor. Desperate Housewives is a masterclass in this approach, blending 1950s-style aesthetics with incredibly wild plots.

While the Stepford Wives-style suburban nightmare is practically a genre all of its own, shows like Desperate Housewives are rare, as the series kept us watching for eight seasons, even as the storylines grew more far-fetched. That said, the show has occasionally been criticized for running out of steam towards the end, with some reviewers feeling that it would have benefited from a shorter runtime.

A show that has the same tone as Desperate Housewives, with an excellent cast that includes Lucy Liu, is Why Women Kill. The two shows share both an aesthetic and a creator, as Marc Cherry made both series. With just two seasons and 20 episodes, Why Women Kill can be binged in a long weekend, and remains an underrated dark comedy that deserves more love.

Why Women Kill Is An Underrated Dark Comedy Gem

While the suburban horror genre is extremely popular for a reason, with dystopian movies like Don't Worry Darling acting as an antidote to 1950s nostalgia by highlighting the way in which patriarchal values have been damaging, the genre can often feel samey. On the other hand, Why Women Kill takes an overused trope and gives it a new lease of life.

The first series is set in a Pasadena mansion, and follows the three women who each live there during different eras. The three main actors are perfectly cast, with Ginnifer Goodwin playing a 1960s housewife with a cheating husband, Lucy Liu playing a 1980s socialite in an inappropriate relationship, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste playing an attorney in a love triangle in 2017.

With all three women deciding that murder will solve their problems, Why Women Kill is a fast-paced show with tons of plot twists. Still, rather than just being another crime drama with a historical twist, the series is also hilarious, with satire, witty dialogue, and a very campy feel that balances out the central murder theme.

The second season had one storyline rather than three and is set in the 1950s, centering on a frumpy housewife determined to become a social butterfly. Rather than allowing the distinctive visual style and costumes to define the show, Why Women Kill also works as a social commentary, making it one of the best 2010s anthology shows and an underrated gem.

Will Why Women Kill Get Another Season?

Why Women Kill's satisfying season 2 finale could easily have ended the series, but it also left some intriguing open-ended questions that season 3 could have answered. However, although the show was renewed for a third season in 2021, a few months after the final episode, this decision was reversed and the planned third season was canceled.

The decision was met with confusion and has never been properly explained, with a spokesperson for the network telling Variety Magazine that “Paramount+ has made the difficult decision not to move forward with Season 3 of ‘Why Women Kill.” So far, there has been no indication from anyone involved that Why Women Kill will return, but that does not rule out the possibility.

Why Women Kill is a series that could go on forever due to its anthology format. With each season including a new cast of characters and the occasional crossover, this avoids issues that other TV shows may encounter when considering a reboot, like cast members aging. This leaves the door open for many more seasons of Why Women Kill, and plenty of decades to explore.

Source: Variety Magazine

Release Date 2019 - 2020

Showrunner Marc Cherry

Directors David Warren, David Grossman