Why do women kill? An anthology series explores the breaking points of domestic life.

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Created by Marc Cherry, the dark comedy series Why Women Kill examines the events leading to lethal outcomes. Each season navigates the complex, often dark, domestic tensions that drive women to view murder as a justifiable course of action when faced with betrayal or social pressure.

The series operates as an anthology, with its first season weaving together three distinct narratives set in different eras—1963, 1984, and 2019—all centered around a single mansion in Pasadena. In 1963, Beth Ann Stanton grapples with her husband Rob’s infidelity, a discovery that complicates her life as a polite housewife. By 1984, socialite Simone Grove faces the revelation that her husband Karl is gay, leading her to seek solace with her friend's son, Tommy. Finally, in 2019, attorney Taylor Harding navigates the complications of an open marriage with her husband, Eli, after they both become attracted to the same woman, Jade.

The second season shifts focus to a singular timeline set in 1949 Los Angeles. It follows Alma Fillcot, a middle-aged housewife desperate to join the exclusive Elysian Park Garden Club, and her interactions with the club's president, Rita Castillo. Unlike the multi-era structure of the first season, this installment concentrates on the specific social pressures and personal rivalries that culminate in a series of murders.

While the show premiered on CBS All Access in August 2019 and continued with a second season on Paramount+ in June 2021, its future was ultimately cut short. Despite a renewal announcement in December 2021, the third season was scrapped in July 2022 before production could commence. The series remains a study of the breaking point, illustrating how characters from vastly different social and historical contexts arrive at the same violent conclusion when their domestic realities collapse.

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