What to Know
In 1987, Debra Winger starred in the neo-noir thriller Black Widow. The film grossed more than $25 million at the box office, and many critics loved it, but it didn’t have the huge success that many felt that it deserved.
In 2026, executive producer Liz Meriwether created Furious for Hulu, loosely based on Black Widow from the late 1980s. The series stars Emmy Rossum as a police officer turned FBI agent out to find an elusive female serial killer. The show is so popular, fans say they can’t watch just a single episode.
Meriwether wanted fans to be captivated by the story.
Furious follows FBI agent Alice Black, played by Rossum, as she attempts to find serial killer Catherine, played by Lola Petticrew. Meriwether told Entertainment Weekly she became inspired by Black Widow to create a show based upon a female serial killer.
Meriwether said she began thinking, “What would lead a woman to become a serial killer? What would have had to have happened in her life? And then, similarly, Who is the woman chasing her? What’s going on in her head?” she told the news outlet.
Rossum said her character is much more similar to the killer than one would think.
Rossum told Entertainment Weekly that she found the plot fascinating, as Alice and Catherine have a lot in common.
“I think it’s interesting to have a crime thriller where the two female superpowers in the dual lead roles are actually more similar than they are different,” she said. “And of course, Alice and Catherine will start to realize this over the course of the story. They’re both victims of violence who are looking for justice both for themselves and also on a much larger scale in unconventional ways. And because they are constantly underestimated, they are both able to — and have to — work outside the lanes of convention.”
Meriwether wants viewers to have complicated feelings about the characters.
She explained that Alice and Catherine both had violence in their pasts. As the audience learns more about them, they’ll like start to have big feelings. And that counts for all of the characters, not just Alice and Catherine.
“If there is like a ‘bad character,’ I always want to give the audience a moment where they’re having a confusing reaction of being on that person’s side,” Meriwether added.
Meriwether hopes that Furious will stick in viewers’ heads.
“My goal is you’re watching the show, you’re so invested you’re like what’s gonna happen next, and then at the end of the episode, as you’re brushing your teeth, you’re like, ‘Why did I want that to happen so badly? Like, what does that say about me?’” she said.
The show has lots of big fans.
Numerous Reddit threads dedicated to the show sing the characters’ praises.
“I was hooked right in. Emmy Rossum does a hell of a job acting I didn’t at any point see Fiona from shameless. The young woman that plays the killer is very cold and calculating from the start and honestly I have no problem rooting for her,” someone wrote.
“There’s a lot of story to unfold with a lot of the cast. Which I think will kinda bring in the characters actions and decisions nicely as we find out more about them. If you haven’t watched it yet. I suggest giving it a try. I only wish they released all episodes at once.”
This person agreed, writing, “It’s amazing. I was sucked in immediately and binged all three episodes. I’m so happy it was created and written by a woman.”
“I just decided to give it a shot tonight and I’m hooked. The acting is fantastic and the story is very powerful. Can’t wait to see where it goes,” another person wrote.
Furious is streaming now on Hulu.
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