As we prepare to journey back to The Upside-Down in the brand new season of Stranger Things and count down the days until the return of hit sci-fi anthology series Black Mirror this summer, there’s one undiscovered TV show ready for your bingeing pleasure that’s flown completely under the radar.
Intrigued? Then you need to check out Netflix‘s brand new series, Dead to Me.
Unlike the chilling true crime documentaries and heart-warming romcoms that have dominated our screens this year, Dead to Me is one of Netflix’s very first forays into the world of tragicomedy.
The show follows the story of newly widowed Jen, (played by Christina Applegate) a real estate agent who is on a mission to find out who murdered her husband Ted in a hit-and-run car accident. While attending a grief support group, she meets hippy, scatterbrained care worker Judy Hale, (played by Linda Cardellini) who, unbeknownst to Jen, is harbouring a dark secret: she was the one who was driving the car that killed Ted.
In a genuine attempt to atone for her wrongdoing, Judy befriends Jen and helps the bitter, cynical widow open up about her all-consuming rage and grief. Judy even moves into Jen’s guesthouse and becomes a surrogate mum of sorts to Jen’s two sons as she dedicates herself to the family.
As the pair form a deep bond, Judy is able to open up about her own personal losses, including her devastating miscarriages and struggles to start a family. The unlikely duo draw closer, until a startling revelation about Judy’s true identity comes to light and threatens to break them apart.
Although the narrative is driven by Jen’s quest to find the perpetrator and Judy’s desire for forgiveness, Dead to Me doesn’t solely revolve around either character’s desire for revenge and restitution.
Instead, we find a touching commentary on the nature of Jen and Judy’s complex, powerful friendship that grows in the unlikeliest of circumstances, as the show’s creator, Liz Feldman, alluded to in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“There’s an evening of the score and there’s a rebalancing that will take place and almost, in some ways, a role reversal,” Liz said, about a proposed second season. “This show will always be a show that explores the dark sides and the light sides of grief, loss, forgiveness, and friendship. So suffice to say, there will be more darkness.”
