TV Show review
Review basis: 2 seasons, 20 episodes · through July 29, 2021
August 15, 2019 · 50 min · TV-MA · Canceled
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Why Women Kill is a dark comedy anthology series created by Marc Cherry. Season 1 follows three women in different decades who discover betrayal in their marriages and turn to murder or help cause deaths. Season 2 follows a 1949 housewife who grows bold and commits murders to climb into an exclusive garden club. The 2019 storyline centers on a bisexual lawyer in an open marriage and throuple, and one 1980s plot involves a husband who is gay.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Why Women Kill.
Woke representation / casting
Prominent Asian-American and Black actresses play lead women across timelines. The 2019 storyline features a bisexual woman in a central open marriage and throuple plot.
Woke political dialogue
The modern character is described as a feminist lawyer. The open relationship is presented as a modern option but leads to conflict and violence.
Identity-driven story themes
The show examines women's changing social roles and responses to betrayal over decades. Season 1 has prominent gay and bisexual characters and a polyamory plot.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Traditional 1960s housewife roles are shown as restrictive. Some male characters are unfaithful or flawed. No strong modern activist reframing of institutions.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant.
Production
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Very little found. A single review called out the 2019 characters as overly progressive, but no broad public complaints treated the show as activist or identity-driven.
Creator track record context
Marc Cherry is a gay writer known for campy female-driven shows. He has written about evolving marriage and women's roles without activist language.
