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You’re Just Mad She Advocated for Women](https://www.themarysue.com/brie-larson-has-always-been-genuinely-excited-about-her-work-youre-just-mad-she-advocated-for-women/) # *Why Women Kill* Is a Lukewarm Tale of Revenge and Women Scorned ## Despite its stellar cast, the CBS All Access series struggles to find the right tone. By Chelsea Steiner Aug 24th, 2019, 3:39 pm [](https://www.reddit.com/submit)   Recommended Videos When the [first trailer](https://www.themarysue.com/why-women-kill-trailer/) for *Why Women Kill* dropped, it brought with it a ton of potential for a campy good time. Stylish production design and a strong cast promised a new guilty pleasure from Marc Cherry, the creator of *Desperate Housewives* and *Devious Maids*. But the television landscape has changed since *Housewives* hit screens in 2004, not only in breadth of content but in quality. The set-up is promising: a mansion in Pasadena is the setting for three separate stories of women scorned throughout the decades. In 1963, subservient housewife Beth Ann (Ginnifer Goodwin) finds her world turned upside down when she discovers that her husband Rob (Sam Jaeger) is having an affair with a waitress. In 1984, high powered socialite Simone (Lucy Liu) finds out that her husband Karl (Jack Davenport) is secretly gay. And in 2019, high-powered lawyer Taylor (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) sees her open marriage to husband Eli (Scott Reid) threatened when they both start to fall for her lover Jade (Alexandra Daddario). It’s an intriguing set-up for an age-old story, and the performances are strong, but the series feels stuck in the mode of an outdated network television series. Giving its streaming status, there is room for *Why Women Kill* to push the envelope further, but the show is hampered by a lack of commitment. It’s not soapy or outrageous enough to be a campy delight (which it clearly should be). But it’s also too superficial and broad to say anything compelling about its subject matter. Though only the first two episodes are available to view, I was struck by how thinly drawn the leading women were. *WWK* features a talented roster of actresses, none whom are given much to do other than react to their circumstances. Goodwin’s meek housewife makes a point of saying that she has zero life outside of her husband, but it feels like the rest of the women share her lack of interior life. There is a lack of energy to the entire enterprise, despite Lucy Liu’s best efforts to channel her inner *Dynasty* diva. A series like this should be filled with quippy one-liners and outrageous moments, but the whole thing just feels toothless. It’s especially frustrating that *WWK* lacks engaging characters, as this era of television has given us some of the juiciest, most nuanced female characters in the medium. It simply falls flat when compared to a show like *Big Little Lies*, which marries artful performances with soapy plot points. While season 2 of the HBO series was largely unnecessary, it made for riveting television thanks to the powerhouse acting. Or consider another show centered on why women kill: *Killing Eve*. Not only are Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh excellent, but they have rich, highly idiosyncratic and detailed characters to draw from. Of course, *Killing Eve* has the unfair advantage of being written and created by the inimitable Phoebe Waller-Bridge … would that all shows were as lucky. It may be unfair to compare a show like *Why Women Kill* to these series, but it’s also frustrating to see talent and time squandered on what should be an easy guilty pleasure. *Why Women Kill* may eventually answer its central question, but viewers may not be interested in sticking around to find out. (image: CBS All Access) ***Want more stories like this? [Become a subscriber and support the site](https://www.themarysue.com/membership-account/membership-levels/)\!*** *—[The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy](https://www.themarysue.com/comment-policy/) that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward **anyone**, hate speech, and trolling.—* *Have a tip we should know? [\[email protected\]](https://www.themarysue.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6a1e031a192a1e020f070b1813191f0f44090507)* Author Close  [Chelsea Steiner](https://www.themarysue.com/author/chelsea-steiner/%20) Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her. 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## Despite its stellar cast, the CBS All Access series struggles to find the right tone. By Aug 24th, 2019, 3:39 pm   Recommended Videos When the [first trailer](https://www.themarysue.com/why-women-kill-trailer/) for *Why Women Kill* dropped, it brought with it a ton of potential for a campy good time. Stylish production design and a strong cast promised a new guilty pleasure from Marc Cherry, the creator of *Desperate Housewives* and *Devious Maids*. But the television landscape has changed since *Housewives* hit screens in 2004, not only in breadth of content but in quality. The set-up is promising: a mansion in Pasadena is the setting for three separate stories of women scorned throughout the decades. In 1963, subservient housewife Beth Ann (Ginnifer Goodwin) finds her world turned upside down when she discovers that her husband Rob (Sam Jaeger) is having an affair with a waitress. In 1984, high powered socialite Simone (Lucy Liu) finds out that her husband Karl (Jack Davenport) is secretly gay. And in 2019, high-powered lawyer Taylor (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) sees her open marriage to husband Eli (Scott Reid) threatened when they both start to fall for her lover Jade (Alexandra Daddario). It’s an intriguing set-up for an age-old story, and the performances are strong, but the series feels stuck in the mode of an outdated network television series. Giving its streaming status, there is room for *Why Women Kill* to push the envelope further, but the show is hampered by a lack of commitment. It’s not soapy or outrageous enough to be a campy delight (which it clearly should be). But it’s also too superficial and broad to say anything compelling about its subject matter. Though only the first two episodes are available to view, I was struck by how thinly drawn the leading women were. *WWK* features a talented roster of actresses, none whom are given much to do other than react to their circumstances. Goodwin’s meek housewife makes a point of saying that she has zero life outside of her husband, but it feels like the rest of the women share her lack of interior life. There is a lack of energy to the entire enterprise, despite Lucy Liu’s best efforts to channel her inner *Dynasty* diva. A series like this should be filled with quippy one-liners and outrageous moments, but the whole thing just feels toothless. It’s especially frustrating that *WWK* lacks engaging characters, as this era of television has given us some of the juiciest, most nuanced female characters in the medium. It simply falls flat when compared to a show like *Big Little Lies*, which marries artful performances with soapy plot points. While season 2 of the HBO series was largely unnecessary, it made for riveting television thanks to the powerhouse acting. Or consider another show centered on why women kill: *Killing Eve*. Not only are Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh excellent, but they have rich, highly idiosyncratic and detailed characters to draw from. Of course, *Killing Eve* has the unfair advantage of being written and created by the inimitable Phoebe Waller-Bridge … would that all shows were as lucky. It may be unfair to compare a show like *Why Women Kill* to these series, but it’s also frustrating to see talent and time squandered on what should be an easy guilty pleasure. *Why Women Kill* may eventually answer its central question, but viewers may not be interested in sticking around to find out. (image: CBS All Access) ***Want more stories like this? [Become a subscriber and support the site](https://www.themarysue.com/membership-account/membership-levels/)\!*** *—[The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy](https://www.themarysue.com/comment-policy/) that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward **anyone**, hate speech, and trolling.—* *Have a tip we should know? [\[email protected\]](https://www.themarysue.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6a1e031a192a1e020f070b1813191f0f44090507)* Author  [Chelsea Steiner](https://www.themarysue.com/author/chelsea-steiner/) Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.