Why Women Kill

Why Women Kill is an American dark comedy anthology series created by Marc Cherry, which depicts the events leading to deaths caused by women. The first season, which premiered on August 15, 2019, on CBS All Access, consists of 10 episodes and is set in multiple periods. The second season, containing 10 episodes, premiered on June 3, 2021, on Paramount+ and focuses on a single time period. In December 2021, the series was renewed for a third season, but in July 2022 the third season was scrapped before production could begin.
The first season of Why Women Kill follows three women, each from a different recent era, who reside in the same mansion in Pasadena. All three learn of their respective husband's infidelity during their time in the house:
The second season focuses on one storyline set in 1949, with Alma Fillcot, a plain Jane middle-aged housewife who decides to join a Garden Club, and Rita Castillo, the same woman inside who despises Alma and the series of murders that follow.
Each storyline reaches a turning point when the woman decides murder is a justifiable course of action.
On September 24, 2018, it was announced that CBS All Access had given the production a straight-to-series order. The series was created by Marc Cherry who was also expected to executive produce alongside Brian Grazer, Francie Calfo, Michael Hanel, and Mindy Schultheis. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of Imagine Entertainment and CBS Television Studios. On December 10, 2018, it was reported that the series would receive $8.4 million in tax credits from the state of California.
Cherry stated at the 2019 Television Critics Association that there will be "three deaths at the end of the series, and they will all be committed by women. But it's not necessarily the three women on this stage. The victims are not necessarily the men on this stage, and interesting enough, not one person will be killed because of infidelity. Infidelity is just the starting point for these journeys of self‑discovery."
On October 16, 2019, the day before the season 1 finale, it was announced that the series was renewed for a second season that would focus on a new set of characters. Julie McNamara, CBS All Access' EVP of Original Content, stated that, "Under the creative direction of Marc Cherry and the incredible performances of the cast, the series has become one of our most streamed original series. We look forward to bringing fans even more of this wonderfully soapy dramedy in its second season and can't wait to see what themes Marc explores next."
On November 11, 2020, it was reported that the second season had been suspended production after positive COVID-19 tests of production team members. On December 15, 2021, Paramount+ renewed the series for a third season. On July 1, 2022, the third season was reported scrapped just before production was set to begin.
In February 2019, it was announced that Ginnifer Goodwin and Lucy Liu had been cast in starring roles. On February 27, 2019, it was reported that Reid Scott had joined the cast. On March 4, 2019, it was announced that Sam Jaeger had joined the cast. On March 7, 2019, it was announced that Alexandra Daddario had joined the cast. On March 11, 2019, Kirby Howell-Baptiste had been cast. On March 19, 2019, Sadie Calvano joined cast as a series regular. On April 5, 2019, Katie Finneran has been cast in a recurring role. On April 17, 2019, Adam Ferrara joined the cast in a recurring capacity. On August 7, 2019, Li Jun Li was cast in a recurring role. In October 2020, Allison Tolman, Nick Frost, Lana Parrilla, B.K. Cannon, Jordane Christie, Matthew Daddario, Veronica Falcón were cast to star for the second season. In November 2020, Virginia Williams, Jessica Phillips, Eileen Galindo, Cynthia Quiles, and Kerry O'Malley joined the cast in recurring roles for the second season. On April 14, 2021, Rachel Bay Jones was cast in a recurring role for the second season.
Why Women Kill premiered on August 15, 2019, on CBS All Access and its first season consisted of 10 episodes. The second season premiered on June 3, 2021, on Paramount+ and it consisted of 10 episodes.
On September 20, 2019, CBS All Access released the first episode of a six episode podcast, entitled Why Women Kill: Truth, Lies and Labels, to help advertise for Why Women Kill. The final episode was released on October 25. Each episode, released weekly on Friday, shares the details of a woman who became a murderer. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio. Tori Telfer, a true crime writer, narrates each episode.
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 67% based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Though Why Women Kill falls short of its ambitious premise, fans of Marc Cherry and his impressive cast will find much to like in its darkly soapy and stylish delights." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
While the aesthetic of the series received praise, critics found that Why Women Kill lacked character development. Robyn Bahr of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "We're supposed to marvel at the changing roles of women over time, but it's hard to get there, intellectually, when none of the three leads feels like a semblance of a real person. Instead, Why Women Kill comes off as an ungainly fantasy of women's emotional lives, where the threat of infidelity could be the only fuel of marital unhappiness." Vulture reviewer Angelica Jade Bastién agreed with the focus on aesthetics more than plot, stating, "Why Women Kill is akin to an overly complicated craft cocktail, boasting an intriguing brightness, namely in the form of Goodwin's performance, but lacking balance in its competing flavors. It's full of baffling tonal and narrative decisions that undermine what does work about the show—a handful of the performances, the over-the-top, nearly camp production design, the costuming—and undercuts its dramatic potential with broad, nearly slapstick humor that distances us from the characters rather than illuminating who they are."
However, Greg Wheeler of 'The Review Geek' changed his view as the series progressed, and gave this favourable summary: 'Why Women Kill is one of those shows that's hurt by early reviews. I've said it many times before that a full season review rating should be reserved for just that – a full season. When it comes to this wonderful drama, this is a perfect example against judging a show by the first few episodes. What began as an artistic trio of stories dancing around a singular idea, quickly blossomed into one of the best shows of the year. Between the strong writing and well paced segments, right across to the different themes and ideas explored each episode, Why Women Kill may just be one of my favourite shows of the year, balancing the artistic juxtapositions and smart editing with the perfect finale to balance things out.'
On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has an approval rating of 83% based on 6 reviews, with an average rating of 7.33/10.