For Emmy Rossum, this role represents a triumphant return to premium television drama—proof she's shed any lingering typecasting from her Shameless era and evolved into a commanding screen presence capable of carrying complex, morally ambiguous material that demands real acting range.
Insiders note Meriwether—who made her name with the chaotic energy of New Girl—is taking a dramatic pivot here. The question in Hollywood circles has always been whether she could handle darker, more serious fare. This review suggests she's not just handling it but thriving, which opens significant doors for her post-comedy career.
The series premiered on Hulu with all eight episodes available as of the July 22, 2026 review date. Elizabeth Meriwether created the project and serves as showrunner, drawing inspiration from the 1987 Debra Winger/Theresa Russell film Black Widow—a fact explicitly noted in the Hollywood Reporter's assessment.
This is exactly the kind of prestige television that reshapes careers. Rossum has been quietly building toward this moment, and if the audience response matches the critical reception, expect serious awards conversation come nomination season.
Emmy Rossum is back, and she's not playing around. The actress—best known for her Emmy-winning run on Shameless and a string of film roles that never quite delivered on her potential—has found her next big thing with Furious, Hulu's eight-part thriller dropping this week. According to the Hollywood Reporter's review published Tuesday, Rossum and co-star Lola Petticrew anchor what critics are calling a "complex, ultimately satisfying" entry into the serial killer genre.
Created by Elizabeth Meriwether—the mind behind Fox's New Girl—Furious represents quite the creative pivot from the sitcom world. The series is loosely adapted from 1987's Black Widow, which starred Debra Winger and Theresa Russell in a cat-and-mouse thriller about female predators. That source material gave audiences one of the more memorably dark thrillers of its era, and by all accounts, Meriwether has done right by it.
The review highlights Rossum's transformation into something we haven't quite seen from her before—darker, more controlled, operating in morally gray territory that demands real commitment. When you've spent years as the sympathetic lead of a working-class Chicago family on premium cable, pivoting to a psychological thriller requiring this level of intensity isn't exactly seamless on paper. But critics are responding to what they're calling her most commanding work since her breakout film performances.
Petticrew, meanwhile, emerges as more than just a supporting player. The young actress apparently holds her own against Rossum in ways that elevate the entire production—exactly what you need when your series lives or dies on the tension between two compelling, dangerous characters. Their dynamic reportedly carries the show through its darker passages.
For Meriwether, this is career-defining territory. Her reputation was built on comedic timing and ensemble chemistry, skills that don't automatically translate to psychological suspense. But if the Hollywood Reporter's assessment holds water—and early reviews suggest it does—she may have pulled off one of television's more ambitious tonal shifts in recent memory.
