Furious Is the Best New Show You’re Not Watching Yet

If you're seeking a captivating new show to binge-watch during the current long weekend, I strongly recommend giving Furious a try. This eight-episode crime thriller, with its incredible finale, has firmly established itself as my favorite new drama and possibly the best TV show of the year. As the year has been quite fruitful for TV show debuts, with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms drawing a built-in audience and Widow's Bay becoming a breakout hit, Hulu's Furious stands out as an unexpected surprise.

It has steadily gained viewership week over week, with the finale garnering 90% more views than the premiere. The show has already secured a second season, and it's clear that Furious is special and gaining attention.

Created by Elizabeth Meriweather, best known for New Girl, Furious is loosely based on the 1987 movie Black Widows, starring Debra Winger and Theresa Russell. However, it diverges significantly from the film, aside from the women serial killer/Fed dynamic. The series is a challenging watch due to its serious subject matter, but it maintains an iron grip on its pacing and tone.

Despite depicting grim realities, Furious handles its complexities with care, never crossing into exploitation territory. The mounting tension is expertly managed, creating a palpable sense of danger in each scene, whether it's action-driven or an interrogation.

While on the surface, Furious may seem like a typical cat-and-mouse crime drama, it is so much more. The depth of characters and electrifying performances, particularly from the core cast of women, are instrumental in making this show so compelling. Petticrew's Catherine is portrayed with erratic unpredictability and intense emotional peaks and valleys, never slipping into hamminess.

Rossum's Alice showcases a range of emotions, from stoicism to cruelty, compassion, and stoicism. Bernstine's Nora Washington, Alice's boss and Greek mythology enthusiast, is equally impressive, never wasting a single word in her screen time.

The male cast also delivers solid performances, with Scoot McNairy as the exhausted good cop, Lacy's insatiable bad cop, Yang as a somewhat foolish FBI agent, McCarthy as a corrupt FBI ASAC, and Way as the hopelessly romantic comic relief. I advise being cautious about the darker plot specifics, as it's best for new viewers to have minimal knowledge before diving into the show. If you're looking for a messed-up series that may be in Emmy conversations next year, Furious is the show to watch.