The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards just took place this past Monday. Well, I’m convinced that FURIOUS will likely be the one to beat in the Drama category next year.
I usually steer clear of stuff that’s super dark and violent, but honestly, after reading all those amazing reviews, I had to check it out. The trailer is quite provocative; it’s one of the most shocking and unsettling ones I’ve come across. It follows this calculated female serial killer who’s methodically taking down the powerful men who trafficked her.
Emmy Rossum‘s casting also piqued my interest. She first grabbed my attention back in 2004 when she played Christine in Joel Schumacher’s The Phantom of the Opera at just 16, opposite Gerard Butler, who was twice her age. TV audiences probably know her best from the dramedy Shameless, which aired from 2011 to 2019, plus she showed up regularly in AppleTV’s limited series The Crowded Room.
I think it’s safe to say that her performance as FBI agent Alice Black in FURIOUS is her strongest one yet. Alice is tracking down a cold, methodical female serial killer called Catherine Grace (the freakishly amazing Lola Petticrew) who injects her victims with lethal doses of fentanyl, rendering them incapacitated and immobilized as she executes her vengeful scheme. The show’s genuinely hard to watch at times, especially if you get queasy around brutal scenes and can’t handle intense violence. I can only watch one episode at a time, as it’s so intense, yet it’s got an addictive quality that makes it hard to turn away.
Elizabeth Meriwether created the series. Turns out she drew inspiration from the 1987 neo-noir flick Black Widow, which follows a female investigator chasing a female killer, except Meriwether takes it in a different direction—giving it a modern take and real psychological complexity instead of wrapping everything up in a neat little bow. What I like about Meriwether’s approach is that it subverts the cop procedural genre. It’s not a classic good vs. evil, as even the law enforcers play in the morally gray areas. Instead of giving us a likable main character, she deliberately created two seriously flawed, messy women at the center.
Though the women bear the scars and weight of systemic injustice, their resilience shines through. Conversely, the series portrays the majority of men in a terrible light—depicting them as abusive, misogynistic, and power-obsessed. Except for Alice’s kindhearted NYPD detective ally Danny (Scoot McNairy), the male characters are a reprehensible bunch. It’s not just the wealthy sex traffickers who are reprehensible; even the NYPD officers and the FBI director show callous indifference toward women.
Alice, a former NYPD detective, was pushed out of her position after exposing her abusive ex-boyfriend, Marshall (Jake Lacy), who continues his career as a detective. Now working as a rookie FBI agent, Alice’s supervisor and peers constantly belittle her and doubt her competence. Released in the same month as The Odyssey, it’s interesting that this captivating series draws its name from Greek mythology. Furious takes inspiration from The Furies—the trio of underworld goddesses embodying vengeance, justice, and retribution in ancient Greek lore. The title proves remarkably fitting, given that the egregious wrongs depicted throughout will almost certainly ignite your fury.
Rossum might be the face of the show, but it really functions as an ensemble. The women absolutely kill it here (no pun intended)—Rossum, Petticrew, and Quincy Tyler Bernstine are the clear MVPs. I’d never seen Petticrew in anything before, so I was totally shocked to find out after watching the first episode that she’s actually from Belfast! I know that most UK actors could nail an American accent, but Petticrew takes it to another level. She crushes this meaty part and transforms Catherine into someone terrifying and wildly unpredictable yet somehow still sympathetic.
Bernstine is equally impressive, and she gets the best lines as Nora Washington—the sharp, cynical head of the FBI’s sex crimes division whose stressful role has driven her to alcoholism. She’s basically the scene-stealer with her witty quips and deadpan, pitch-dark humor; I hope we get even more of her in future seasons.
I also want to give a shout-out to Steve Way, an actor living with Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy who gets around in a motorized wheelchair and relies on a ventilator. He brings Alden to life—Catherine’s friend who’s in love with her. It’s cool to see someone with his condition taking on a romantic part, and Alden’s a complex and unpredictable guy with a snarky personality that makes him deeply memorable.
I enjoy the dynamic between Alice and those two women who are basically on opposite ends of the spectrum. The series takes its sweet time unpacking Alice’s dark backstory, but her peculiar, standoffish attitude hints at some serious past trauma similar to what Catherine went through in her youth. Each of them walks their own path in pursuit of justice, and as their worlds begin to intersect, the distinction between right and wrong grows increasingly murky.
The pacing can be uneven in some episodes, but the cast’s compelling work held my attention throughout. I appreciate the occasional burst of humor that gives you a brief relief during the bleakest scenes. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep viewers on their toes, and the revelation in the final episode makes me gasp audibly. Now, a main character crossing the line into vigilante justice will likely rattle some feathers, but FURIOUS is more than just a ‘wronged woman revenge story.’
The show taps into our post-Epstein world by showing that these ultra-wealthy sex traffickers aren’t hiding in the shadows. The powerful Jay Easton (Peter McRobbie) is literally preying on teenage girls while maintaining his cushy social standing thanks to dirty cops, money-hungry lawyers, and his own morally bankrupt daughter covering for him. Plus, the show makes a solid point about how these sex crime cases usually get filtered through a male perspective, which means people constantly miss or gloss over the really important stuff.
I think Gloria Steinem would approve of this show that amplifies women’s fury regarding a fractured justice system and historical trauma. The season finale hints that Alice is nowhere near finished with her mission to hold bad men accountable. In fact, she’s only just beginning. I’m thrilled that HULU has greenlit FURIOUS for another season; props to Meriwether and Rossum, who also served as the series’ executive producer.
I highly recommend this if you’re up for a riveting cat-and-mouse crime drama that doesn’t follow a familiar formula.
