Is there DEI in Killing Eve?

The biggest factors in our score are Identity-driven story themes, Woke representation / casting, Creator track record context. A security consultant hunts for a ruthless assassin. Equally obsessed with each other, they go head to head in an epic game of cat-and-mouse.

TV Show review

Killing Eve

Name: Is Killing Eve woke?
Item: Killing Eve
Rating: 45
Author: Woke or Not

Review basis: 4 seasons · through April 10, 2022

April 8, 2018 · 43 min · TV-14 · Ended

Woke Score

45%

Lower is better

8.1 / 10IMDb↗79%Critics73%Audience↗

DramaCrime

Review

Summary

Killing Eve follows British intelligence operative Eve Polastri as she obsessively tracks stylish assassin Villanelle in a cat-and-mouse spy thriller across four seasons. The series blends dark comedy, violence, and personal fixation between the two women while exploring their complex dynamic. Visible elements include Sandra Oh as the lead Asian-Canadian actress in a British role and sustained queer-coded tension between the female protagonists that builds into later romantic beats.

Breakdown

Factors & Ratings

These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Killing Eve.

Woke representation / casting

Sandra Oh’s prominent casting as Eve delivers visible Asian lead representation in a British intelligence setting without story-specific cultural ties; some public discussion framed it as progressive colorblind casting.

35%

Woke political dialogue

Very little explicit politics or activist language; occasional displays of female competence and agency appear natural to the thriller format rather than ideological.

15%

Identity-driven story themes

The obsessive relationship between Eve and Villanelle centers on intense queer/sapphic tension and later romantic elements, with Villanelle portrayed as bisexual; this carries elevated weight under guidelines for visible LGBTQ+ emphasis even as the story stays personal rather than political.

50%

Western institutional / cultural critique

Standard spy-thriller skepticism toward intelligence agencies and secret cabals like The Twelve; no modern activist framing of patriarchy, whiteness, capitalism, or systemic identity issues.

20%

Production

Production companies: Sid Gentle Films, BBC America, Endeavor Content
Networks: BBC America
Studio/network: BBC

Main Cast

Sandra Ohas Eve Polastri
Jodie Comeras Villanelle
Fiona Shawas Carolyn Martens
Kim Bodniaas Konstantin Vasiliev
Nina Sosanyaas Jess
Harriet Walteras Dasha Duzran
Sean Delaneyas Kenny Stowton
Gemma Whelanas Geraldine

Director & Crew

Lynn HorsfordProducer16 episodes credited for this role (TMDB aggregate — higher usually means a recurring or lead creative role).
Henrietta ColvinProducer16 episodes credited for this role (TMDB aggregate — higher usually means a recurring or lead creative role).
Suzanne Smith CrowleyCasting Director16 episodes credited for this role (TMDB aggregate — higher usually means a recurring or lead creative role).
Gilly PooleCasting Director16 episodes credited for this role (TMDB aggregate — higher usually means a recurring or lead creative role).
Nige WatsonProducer11 episodes credited for this role (TMDB aggregate — higher usually means a recurring or lead creative role).
Damon ThomasDirector9 episodes credited for this role (TMDB aggregate — higher usually means a recurring or lead creative role).

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