Why Women Kill

Why Women Kill follows three women who live in the same house across different decades, each coping with betrayal and the fallout that follows. In the 1960s a dutiful housewife faces secrets behind her suburban facade; in the 1980s a glamorous socialite deals with public and private betrayals; and in 2018 a driven lawyer confronts complicated choices in a modern marriage. The series shifts between darkly comic moments and tense drama, tracing how social expectations, personal pride, and the instinct to protect oneself shape each woman's response to infidelity, without revealing the twists that change their lives.

Created by Marc Cherry, the show premiered in 2019 on CBS All Access as an original anthology series. Each episode blends period detail with contemporary pacing, and the series format lets different years and styles sit next to each other while reusing a central location and thematic focus.

Critical reception has been generally favorable, reflected in a 7.864/10 average from 349 votes. Reviewers often pointed to the cast's performances and the series' tonal shifts, noting it mixes dark comedy, crime, and domestic drama in ways that keep tension and humor present. Recurring themes include the cost of secrecy, gender expectations across eras, and how outward appearances mask private complications.

Culturally, the show sparked conversation about how portrayals of marriage and female agency change over time, and it drew attention for its distinctive costumes and set design that signal each period clearly. Its anthology approach and willingness to shift tone from wry to intense encouraged viewers to talk about genre blending on streaming platforms, and it helped reinforce interest in limited-series formats that return to similar ideas across different seasons.

The series did not dominate major awards seasons, but it found an audience that appreciated the mix of dark humor and moral complexity, and it contributed to ongoing discussions about how television can treat familiar domestic subjects in fresh, style-forward ways.