Here’s why ‘Dead to Me’ is the perfect Netflix bingewatch for ’19

Boozy bitches? Check. Flawed, beautiful women (and excellent actresses with perfect timing)? Check. Glossy California real estate? Check. Dark secrets? Check. Handsome men that are not as they seem? Check. Families in strife? Check. Gay BFF with a sharp tongue and a heart of gold? Check. Wine glasses and cocktails before lunchtime? Check.

Perfect episode length? Check. Total and utter watchability? Check.

Here’s all the reasons why Dead Like Me is the perfect bingewatch for our age.

Dead to Me is the bastard child of Desperate Housewives, Big Little Lies, The Affair, & The Sinner

Starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini as complicated new BFFs – they meet at a grief counselling group and we quickly realize all is not as it seems with either leading lady – it’s almost like Netflix fed its supercomputer the shows in the heading above.

While that sounds terrifying, it’s actually a good thing. (Tech to the rescue!) When the Netflix AI spat Dead to Me back at us, it took away the annoying length and overwrought plotlines from the aforementioned prestige TV dramas and created a perfectly bite-sized comedy thriller to get you clicking “next” at the end of every episode.

Dead to Me is beautiful to watch

Dead to Me’s cinematography is as beautiful as Big Little Lies but in a 30-minute format. Conveniently, Jen (Christina Applegate) is a realtor by profession, which means we get to see inside the homes of the rich and fabulous of Laguna Beach.

Judy’s (Linda Cardellini) on-off boyfriend is a successful millionaire with a coterie of beautiful real estate to his name. It’s a joy to see the chaos happening inside these perfectly manicured homes, showing us that even people who live in mansions have little people problems just like us.

Dead to Me takes the “sisters doing it for themselves” trope – and flips it on its head

We’re keeping this piece spoiler-free, so it’s hard for us to dig deep into this point – but bear with us. Jen & Judy become fast friends, but it’s based on lies that come with a yachtload of caveats.

As the season progresses, we see this relationship take on a codependent, toxic nature that comes to a head in the season finale. These ladies have come full circle, swapping the toxic relationships they have with their ex-partners for a relationship based on need for each other.

The progression is painful to watch but brilliantly executed. These women are flawed, and they’re not saved by making friends with other women – in fact, the deeper their relationship becomes, the worse off they become.

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Let us know what you think of the show after you bingewatch it.