What to watch now that 'Killing Eve' has wrapped
"Killing Eve" has wrapped its fourth and final season, leaving fans with a very specific gap to fill in their entertainment rosters. When the show, created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge of "Fleabag" fame, first aired, it hooked fans with its addictive blend of humor, espionage, and cold-blooded violence. It's been an exciting cultural phenomenon: a female-created show starring two dynamic female characters played with award-winning performances by Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer. These are big shoes to fill, but there are a few other series that might scratch a familiar itch.
Stacker looked at contemporary series with both popular and critical acclaim, similar to "Killing Eve," and chose five others you can queue up next. From limited series you can binge in a day to several-season time investments, the choices run the gamut in length. Some were picked due to their unique blend of violence, comedy, and drama, others because of shared focal themes; some for carrying a similar mood, and others because they were also written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. To keep the bar high, shows had to have at least an 8.0 on IMDb to qualify for the list. Only shows from the past 10 years were considered.
Not every show will have a couture-wearing psychopath, but read on to find your next favorite series.
The Americans (2013–2018)
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Votes: 95,460
- Typical episode length: 45 minutes
“The Americans” is an FX series that ran for six seasons about two KGB spies living deep undercover as an American husband and wife in the Reagan-era suburbs. With compelling performances from Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys, this show has far less comedic bite than “Killing Eve,” but is a similarly edge-of-your-seat, suspense-ridden thrill of a show. Like “Killing Eve,” “The Americans” is chock full of spy-on-spy violence and deceit, with all the wigs and accents you could hope for.
Over the course of the show’s run, both Rhys and Russell snagged Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for their performances. In its final season, “The Americans” won the Golden Globe for Best Television Series - Drama.
Fargo (2014–present)
- IMDb user rating: 8.9
- Votes: 359,732
- Typical episode length: 50 minutes
Another FX series, “Fargo” is a dark comedy anthology from the mind of creator Noah Hawley, inspired by the Coen brothers’ 1996 film of the same name. Each of the now four seasons follows a different story with a different cast, set in a different time period and location. Sometimes the seasons are connected literally and sometimes just thematically. Like “Killing Eve,” “Fargo” has the unique ability to find comedy in brutality, with dryly humorous portrayals of kidnapping, murder, and violence.
In early 2022, FX announced the show was renewed for a fifth season, which will be set in the upper Midwest in 2019.
Fleabag (2016–2019)
- IMDb user rating: 8.7
- Votes: 136,742
- Typical episode length: 25 minutes
“Fleabag” is another vehicle from “Killing Eve” creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge. A more personal, less action-packed series, Waller-Bridge is not only at the helm of this series, she’s also the star. Though primarily a comedy, with witty, whip-smart writing similar to that in “Killing Eve,” “Fleabag” also taps into the emotional complexity of heartache, loss, and relationships. The show only has two seasons to invest in, but during that brief run it was able to take home the 2020 Golden Globe award for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy.
Sharp Objects (2018)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Votes: 92,564
- Typical episode length: 50 minutes
“Sharp Objects” is an HBO miniseries from director Jean-Marc Vallée of “Big Little Lies” fame and is an adaptation of the novel of the same name from popular author Gillian Flynn. The series revolves around a tormented alcoholic crime reporter, played by Amy Adams, who returns to her small hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri, to investigate the recent murders of two young girls. Like “Killing Eve,” “Sharp Objects” leaves viewers constantly grasping at theories of how the plot might resolve. With creepy and unsettling undertones, this eight-episode series is also another story that features the dynamic perspective of a female lead character who’s not always so likable.
Actress Patricia Clarkson won a Golden Globe for her performance as Adams’ overbearing mother.
Yellowjackets (2021–present)
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Votes: 34,313
- Typical episode length: 60 minutes
With only one season under its belt, "Yellowjackets" is one of the more exciting and original shows to be released in 2021. The show comes from creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, and, like "Killing Eve," serves as a platform for a cast of actresses delivering noteworthy performances that definitely pass the Bechdel test—which measures the representation of women in fictional work. The series jumps between 1996, when a private plane crashes in rural Canada and strands a girls' high school soccer team for nearly two years, and back to the present day, where the survivors of the crash, now adults, deal with the secrets of their past.
With suggestions of cannibalism, cult-like rituals, and the possibility of some supernatural elements, "Yellowjackets" packages horror, drama, and '90s nostalgia into one addicting piece of entertainment. The Showtime series has been renewed for a second season.
