Dead to Me simply hits the spot when it comes to dark comedies. Led by stirring performances from Linda Cardellini and Christina Applegate, the Netflix series packages dry humor and plot twists with a story about grief and women friendships. It’s not hard to binge your way through the show, either. Dead to Me comes in 30-minute episodes that pass by quickly as you cling onto cliffhanger after cliffhanger. If you recently zipped your way through the latest season, fret not. To fill that Judy-and-Jen-shaped hole in your heart, we’ve gathered a compilation of darkly funny TV shows and movies to add to your queue next. Take a look ahead to see our favorite recommendations!
Grey's Anatomy
Not going to lie, Judy and Jen’s dark and twisty friendship is very reminiscent of Meredith and Cristina’s on Grey’s Anatomy. The everlasting medical drama has had its fair share of plot twists and weepy moments as well, though you won’t see much murder on it.
Catfight
Similar to Dead to Me, Catfight pinpoints the tensions in women friendships. The film underlines the twisted relationship between two college friends: Veronica (Sandra Oh), a wealthy housewife, and Ashley (Anne Heche), a struggling artist. After a particularly violent fight, things turn a 180 for these two women.
Weeds
Jen might know the feeling of doing whatever she can to support her kids. Weeds‘ Nancy is a suburban widow and mother who starts dealing pot to keep up with her family’s lifestyle after her husband dies.
The Good Place
In Dead to Me, Judy and Jen grapple with doing ethical things after committing various crimes. The four humans in Michael Schur’s witty comedy The Good Place navigate ethics as well, although in a broader sense of the word as they better themselves. Both shows are warm and funny, but definitely have a bite to them.
I Am Not Okay With This
The talented Sophia Lillis leads I Am Not Okay With This, Netflix’s series based on Charles Forsman’s comic book of the same name. While navigating a family tragedy (much like Jen), her character, Syd, discovers that she has superpowers.
Young Adult
Applegate and Cardellini play some of the most complicated women that you’ll see on screen. In the darkly funny Young Adult, Charlize Theron likewise portrays a messy and vulnerable woman writer, who returns to her hometown after her ex announces that his wife just had a baby.
Orange Is the New Black
We don’t know if Judy and Jen will ever spend time behind bars for their crimes, but a jail plot might just share the wit of Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black. The series follows the misadventures of Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) as she forms bonds with fellow inmates at the women’s prison where she’s incarcerated.
Russian Doll
Russian Doll has a witty and dark vibe that’s very much like that of Dead to Me. Natasha Lyonne plays Nadia, a woman who finds herself living her 36th birthday over and over again – only to die each time.
After Life
Just as Jen navigates her late husband’s death in Dead to Me, in After Life, Tony (Ricky Gervais) tries to make sense of things after his wife passes away. He takes on a rough persona to push away the people in his life, but the Judies in his life are determined to help him.
Living With Yourself
What’s better than Paul Rudd in a show? Two Paul Rudds! In Living With Yourself, a depressed and uninspired man undergoes a sketchy procedure that makes an exact clone of himself who ends up charming his wife and colleagues. Like Dead to Me, the series strikes that delicate balance between darkness, humor, and heart. It’s also quite bingeable, coming in 30-minute episodes.
Wild Oats
Just as Judy and Jen keep secrets between themselves, in Wild Oats, Eva (Shirley MacLaine) and Maddie (Jessica Lange) pull off a bit of a heist themselves. When Eva learns that her husband’s insurance accidentally gave her too much money, she and her friend head off to the vacation of their dreams.
Workin' Moms
One of the things that bonds Judy and Jen is how much they genuinely care for the kids on the show. On the witty Canadian show Workin’ Moms, four mothers grapple with the challenges of being career women with children.
Grace and Frankie
Leaning more into humor than dark twists, Grace and Frankie features, like Dead to Me, two witty and deeply developed women leads. The titular characters strike up an unlikely friendship after their husbands come out of the closet and make plans to marry.
You
On the flip side, if you’re more into the twisted side of Dead to Me, check out You. You‘s Joe (Penn Badgley) has Jen’s dry humor, but he carries much more murderous tendencies as he hunts down the people in his love interest’s life and harbors secrets beneath his bookstore.
New Girl
New Girl isn’t quite as dark as Dead to Me, but the similarities between Judy Hale and Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) run deep (besides their bangs). Upbeat and sweet, Jess navigates a new chapter in her life with an apartment full of guys. While there’s no manslaughter or money laundering, New Girl offers plenty of drama to keep you coming back.
GLOW
If you love a witty comedy that really dives into women friendships, check out GLOW. The series, which stars Betty Gilpin and Alison Brie, follows a troupe of novice women wrestlers who train rigorously to make their scrappy TV show work.
Wine Country
Wine Country is a note sweeter than Dead to Me, but Amy Poehler‘s directorial debut also explores the fun and messiness between friends. It follows a group of women as they celebrate one of their own’s 50th birthday in the beautiful Napa Valley. However, the weekend getaway isn’t always rosy when tensions flare.