Television series

The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window

Name: The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window
Genre: Comedy, Thriller, Mystery
Released: 2022
Cast: Kristen Bell, Tom Riley, Mary Holland, Cameron Britton, Samsara Yett

Mystery

A gleeful parody of trashy crime thrillers where a wine-soaked, unreliable narrator convinces herself she's witnessed a murder from her window. Kristen Bell commits fully to the absurdity—every episode escalates the chaos and her delusion. It's Mean Girls meets Rear Window by way of a very drunk fever dream. Perfect if you want clever comedy that knows exactly what it's mocking.

TVMaze rating

3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like a twisty, wine-soaked comedy-thriller where the jokes and the paranoia share the same lean, short episodes, and a heroine who is funnier than she is sensible.

Skip it if you want a mystery that tightens steadily, since this one wobbles between sharp and silly and lets its own logic slip whenever the jokes need room.

What it asks of you: Eight episodes of about 26 minutes each, it moves briskly and stays light on its feet even as the situation goes cold, asking for attention more than patience.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

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Genre-savvy comedy that gleefully deconstructs its own narrative tropes while building genuine character warmth underneath. Rose family antics escalate with the same escalating-chaos energy as Anna's spiral.

But Later seasons shift away from pure comedy toward drama, which some find treacly. The mockery of prestige television might not land if you're new to what it's parodying.

Only Murders in the Building2021

Three genuinely funny leads treating a murder mystery with absurd sincerity. It has the same darkly comic tone and structural playfulness, except the mystery actually goes somewhere unpredictable.

But Seasons grow self-serious and lose comedic momentum as they progress. If you want pure parody rather than character drama with jokes, it might disappoint.

Russian Doll2019

Natasha Lyonne's rapid-fire comedy and unreliable perception of reality anchor a show about someone trapped in loops of her own making. Shares the 'protagonist slowly realizes they're the problem' arc with gleeful dark humor.

But Gets philosophically abstract and heavy in season two. Some viewers find it loses the sharp comedy that made season one sing.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Disturbing Behavior1998

Both use an unreliable POV to make the audience question whether the protagonist is witnessing real danger or performing mental illness. Both are about the terror of being dismissed.

A small-town teen thriller where paranoia and reality blur in exactly the way Anna experiences. Every character might be sinister; the protagonist's suspicions might be justified or completely unhinged. It's campy but genuinely unsettling.

But Late-90s teen film acting and aesthetic might read as dated or unintentionally funny rather than thrilling. The studio rewrote the ending, which shows. Also straight horror rather than comedy.

Fleabag2016

Phoebe Waller-Bridge's chaotic narrator breaks the fourth wall, narrates her own disaster, and makes terrible decisions with infectious charm. Similar energy of someone convinced their misinterpretations are reality.

But Only six episodes per season and it wrapped after two. If you binge it in two days, the withdrawal is real. Also leans heavily on pathos by the end.

Made for Love2021

Hazel Reeves escapes her tech-billionaire husband's mind-control implant and slowly spirals into her own paranoia and poor decisions. Dark comedy with heart, absurdist logic, and a protagonist you root for despite everything.

But Season two loses momentum and feels like it's extending a story that had natural endpoints. Only two seasons, so limited payoff.

Pushing Daisies2007

Whimsical mystery series where the protagonist solves murders while his love life is impossibly complicated. Wildly creative direction and tone make it feel like watching a living comic book.

But The romance barely progresses and the show was cancelled mid-arc, leaving genuine narrative frustration. Also very precious—if cuteness grates on you, avoid.

Killing Eve2018

Twisty cat-and-mouse thriller with a murderer so charismatic you forget you're rooting for her. Darkly funny, visually inventive, and constantly subverting what you think the show is about.

But The final season collapses spectacularly, undoing good work from three seasons prior. Ends on an ending that actively enrages people who stuck with it.

Poker Face2023

Rian Johnson's anthology series: each episode is a tight mystery with a different genre and cast. If you love construction and craft, this is endlessly inventive puzzle-box television.

But Anthology means no ongoing character to care about. If you need emotional investment across episodes, this episodic format might feel shallow.

The Maid2020

Like Anna, the maid interprets her environment through the lens of her own loneliness and desperation, making her unreliable even when we want her to be right. Both explore how isolation distorts perception.

A woman (Jaya Ahsan, extraordinary) takes a job in a palatial Manila home where something is very wrong. Gorgeously shot, genuinely creepy, and deeply sympathetic. Uses atmosphere and framing to ask: whose reality do we believe?

But Slow, deliberate pacing is the entire point but it requires patience. No jump scares, no thrills—just creeping dread. It's in Tagalog and English. Also far more serious than comedic.

Knives Out2019

Both are mysteries where the audience is invited to play detective, but the show/film is playing detective too—questioning what we're seeing and why we believe what we believe. Both make entertainment from the act of misdirection itself.

A locked-room murder mystery where everyone lies, the detective (Daniel Craig) is charming chaos, and the plot constantly pivots under your feet. Gorgeous construction, laugh-out-loud funny, endlessly rewatchable.

But If you figure out the mystery early, rewatches lose their surprise. Also very long for what it's doing. Some find the politics heavy-handed, though it slots naturally into the story.