Furious (Hulu) 

By: Rachel Brodeur

Hulu’s Furious refuses to view its crime story from only one side, dividing its attention between the investigator and the killer she is pursuing. The approach puts both protagonist and antagonist on equal narrative footing while challenging audiences to reconsider the boundaries between morality, justice, and revenge.

Emmy Rossum (Shameless) plays the FBI agent in pursuit of a New York City serial killer played by Lola Petticrew (Say Nothing). The show divides its time between these two women as Rossum follows in Petticrew’s footsteps. The plot and structure of Furious is not unlike 2018 hit series Killing Eve, in which audiences watched Sandra Oh’s investigator pursue the seductive killer Jodie Comer. While Furious does not have the cinematic backdrop of Europe, it is masterful in the art  of creating depth of character by slowly layering in backstory for its two female leads. Furious builds its tension through the gradual revelation of how these women became who they are. 

Petticrew’s killer does not choose her victims randomly. In fact, some might see her reasons for murder as justified. As their stories unfold in parallel, the distinction between pursuer and pursued becomes increasingly complicated, and viewers are led to uncover the similarities behind what drives them. The series deliberately puts the audience in an uncomfortable position, asking whether understanding the circumstances behind a violent act can change how we judge the person who committed it. Petticrew's performance makes that question even harder to answer, because her character is frightening without being entirely unsympathetic.

Thematically, the show is dark. Furious does not just insert women into male roles in hopes of pushing a woke agenda, but rather it creates a story around the crime, abuses and threats that are uniquely overrepresented with the female population. The show takes a raw look at worlds of human trafficking, sex crimes, and domestic abuse, and it forces audiences to examine the extreme effects these traumas can have on a mind. Show creator Elizabeth Merriwether has built a career on developing her female characters with series like New Girl (2011) and more recently Dying for Sex (2025) and with Furious continues that legacy. 

Rachel’s Rating: 7.5/10

Hulu’s Furious is a gripping crime drama that places an FBI investigator and a serial murderer at the center of parallel narratives, gradually complicating the audience’s perception of each woman. Viewers should be cautious with subject matter that tackles dark realities behind sex crimes and missing women.