Why Women Kill TV show: Fantastic stars elevate frothy series

The presence of amazing actors really makes a difference to a TV series that would otherwise be lost in the crowd.

If there’s something familiar about the suburbia-skewering, female-focused soap opera Why Women Kill, it’s because creator Marc Cherry is also responsible for Desperate Housewives.

There’s a similar DNA running through both series.

Why Women Kill’s production values are slick and expensive-looking, the cast is incredible and there’s plenty of drama to gasp over and chew on.

It’s satisfying enough for an unencumbered binge, and it’s certainly a stylish visual feast, but does Why Women Kill leave a lasting impression? Not really.

More frothy than deep, it’s elevated by some charming, sassy and delicious performances from its impressive leads Lucy Liu, Ginnifer Goodwin and Kirby Howell-Baptiste (The Good Place) but its gimmicky structure feels like an unnecessary complication.

Why Women Kill is set across three time periods, 1963, 1984 and 2019, and all centres on the women who live in a large mansion-like house in affluent Los Angeles neighbourhood Pasadena.

It’s a triptych of sorts – each character lives in that house in their time period and their stories are interwoven throughout the series, tied together by themes of marital betrayal and revenge.

Ginnifer Goodwin as a 1960s housewife looking for liberation

In 1963, Beth Ann Stanton (Goodwin) is introduced as a doting housewife who keeps a perfect house for her aerospace engineer husband Rob (Sam Jaeger).

When Beth Ann’s neighbour Sheila (Alicia Coppola) lets slip that Rob was spotted kissing a waitress at a nearby diner, it unearths her feelings of loneliness and neglect, forcing her to confront the many problems in her marriage.

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Lucy Liu as Simone Grove

In 1984, Simone Grove (Liu) is a vibrant socialite whose wants to be the envy of her judgmental social group. She’s extravagant but strong, and is shocked to discover her third husband Karl (Jack Davenport) is secretly gay.

She wants to keep up appearances though until her daughter’s wedding, and then divorce so amicably that their friends will even envy that.

Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Reid Scott and Alexandra Daddario play a thruple in the 2019 storyline

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In 2019, Taylor (Howell-Baptiste) is a powerful lawyer married to Eli (Reid Scott), a screenwriter who hasn’t sold a script in many years. Taylor is bisexual and she and Eli have an open marriage.

When Taylor brings home her lover Jade (Alexandra Daddario) to temporarily stay with them, Eli finds himself also enamoured with the striking younger woman.

Why Women Kill makes clear upfront that in each of these three stories, there will be a death. Not just a death, but a killing. But is it murder? Or is it justified?

You don’t know who dies or whose hand guides the killer blow, but the stories’ momentum sets up certain expectations, which takes the air out of the mystery a bit. You don’t particularly care who dies or why.

It also doesn’t make a persuasive argument as to why the three stories had to be told simultaneously – if anything, the constant cross-editing between the time periods takes away from the impact of each. It could’ve easily been an anthology series.

The production design, which includes details on how the same house is styled so markedly different in each time period is superb, especially the garish, ostentatiousness of the 1980s timeline, while the costumes by Janie Bryant (Mad Men) is thrillingly beautiful.

Costume designer Janie Bryant worked on Mad Men

Ultimately though, What Why Women Kill is great at is giving these three marvelous actors, especially Liu and Goodwin, a showcase.

Liu is a multi-talented star with incredibly strong screen presence and she can easily switch between being vulnerable to outlandish to just fun. There’s an amusing scene when hooking up with a much younger lover, Simone is elated to realise he’s ready to go again – that small look on her face is enough to make you cackle.

Goodwin’s story arc of the overlooked housewife tethered to an overbearing husband, looking to rediscover what made her happy and desirable, isn’t particular new (and compares less favourably against the unfair benchmark of Mad Men’s Betty Draper) but Goodwin makes it work.

If only the writing had given them a bit more to work with. The stories and characters lack specificity, relying more on generalisations of women’s experiences.

Still, Why Women Kill is an absorbing, entertaining and likeable series. It’s just not among the top echelon.

Why Women Kill season one is streaming now on SBS On Demand and 10 All Access

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