--- title: "Killing Eve" year: 2018 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/killing-eve" fi1m_score: 82 critics_score: 82 critics_reviews: 13 published: "2026-09-17T17:13:52.980106+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T17:13:53.506116+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Killing Eve (2018) Created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge · 43m · MPA TV-14 · Crime, Drama **Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 82 from 13 reviews *In a sentence:* We laughed at the assassin; this is probably how the trouble starts > Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer make *Killing Eve* a funny, unsettling spy thriller worth following. The hunt occasionally depends on convenient plotting, but the performances make its obsessive central relationship persuasive. ## Synopsis Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) is a bored intelligence agent whose working life keeps her behind a desk. Villanelle (Jodie Comer) is an assassin with a playful manner and a capacity for sudden cruelty. Eve sets out to catch her, with Carolyn Martens (Fiona Shaw) among the figures in the espionage story surrounding the pursuit. The hunt gives Eve something beyond routine work to think about, but her professional interest becomes an obsession. Villanelle develops her own fascination with Eve, making the attention mutual and leaving the agent’s judgement increasingly entangled with her curiosity. ## Review We recommend *Killing Eve* for its two leads and its willingness to let a spy thriller be funny without making the danger trivial. Created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, it sends a bored intelligence agent after an assassin, then lets the pursuit become an obsession for both women. The first series has eight episodes, and the characters are sufficiently awkward and contradictory to sustain that stretch. The plotting is less dependable: there are conveniences that we accept because we want to see what the actors will do next. Sandra Oh makes Eve Polastri’s boredom matter. Her enthusiasm for the hunt is understandable after the routine of desk work, and that makes her questionable judgement harder to dismiss. The performance catches the embarrassment of an intelligent person finding reasons to behave unwisely. We remain interested in Eve because her fascination does not erase her nervousness, and the performance gives both feelings room. Jodie Comer, as Villanelle, has the more immediately entertaining assignment. She makes the assassin’s playfulness and cruelty seem entirely compatible, so a funny line offers no assurance that anyone is safe. We laughed at Villanelle, then felt uncomfortable about it: her casual disregard for other people is also what makes her comic. The changes in her manner are quick without feeling arbitrary. The interest between the women is persuasive because neither performance settles for a simple explanation of it. The cinematography by Tim Palmer, Julian Court and Damian Bromley is slick enough to make danger look inviting. The production design by Kristian Milsted and Laurence Dorman contributes to that appeal, though we sometimes find the finish too flattering to the nastiness. The polish can increase the distance between us and characters who are already difficult to like. This puts more of the work of holding our attention on the performers, particularly when the hunt itself becomes less convincing. Gary Dollner and the other editors help the suspense gather after an opening that takes time to settle. The cutting accommodates jokes without making the danger feel like an interruption, which matters in a thriller so ready to make us laugh. Keefus Ciancia and David Holmes’s music encourages the playfulness, although the sharpest shifts come from the actors’ delivery. The dialogue moves between languages and makes room for gallows humour without asking everyone to become a comedian. The weaker passages come when the chase needs to move forward and the writing makes that progress too convenient. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s characters are convincing in their self-deception, but the script sometimes clears obstacles for them too readily. That is a limitation for a spy thriller, even one whose chief interest is the attraction between the women. Their lack of warmth may also put some viewers off, though we found enough curiosity and unease in the central pairing to stay involved. Watch it for the women, and forgive the investigation when it makes life too easy for them. *Fi1m score 82, published 17 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics are enthusiastic about Killing Eve, with praise clustering around Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer’s performances and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s darkly comic writing. The leads’ obsessive cat-and-mouse relationship gives the spy thriller its pull, while Comer’s shifts between humour and menace receive particular attention. The reviews also welcome the series’ female-centred approach to espionage, finding its flawed characters compelling and its handling of comedy and violence unusually assured. The spread is wide, though the disagreement is largely between degrees of enthusiasm, with one negative review. Variety finds the blend mostly entertaining despite some wobbles, while Paste notes a slow start and convenient plotting before the suspense builds. The i Paper is the clear dissenter: it finds the characters detached and unsympathetic, and the series short on heart and laughs. Where most critics enjoy the darkness, that review finds it limits the appeal. ### Reviews we read (13) - **The Telegraph** (5/5): The critic calls the series an absolute peach generated with style and verve, highlighting Jodie Comer's hot-cold psychopath Villanelle and Sandra Oh's desk-bound box-ticker Eve, plus the multilingual dialogue that fizzes and sizzles. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2018/09/15/killing-eve-review-killer-drama-fizzes-intensity/) - **Empire**, Olly Richards (90/100, inferred): The critic praises Waller-Bridge for nailing the tone and creating brutally honest yet self-deceptive characters in another hit. The performances, especially Jodie Comer's wild and controlled Villanelle, are singled out as exceptional. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/killing-eve-review/) - **The Guardian** (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the show's perfect command of comedy and tragedy in the script, its off-centre approach to every moment, and how it wears feminist credentials lightly while delivering pitch-perfect performances in the cat-and-mouse dynamic between the two leads. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/sep/15/kiling-eve-review-spy-series-phoebe-waller-bridge-fleabag-writer-feminist-credentials) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Tim Goodman (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it the latest must-see show of 2018 for its entertaining gender-flipped spy-assassin tale with strong performances. The standout element praised is Jodie Comer's magnetic, funny and dangerous turn as the assassin Villanelle. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/killing-eve-review-1100292/) - **Vulture** (90/100, inferred): The series is instantly addictive television with a distinctively feminine pulse. The critic singles out the strong performances of Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer along with the witty, subversive take on the spy thriller genre. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2018/04/killing-eve-review.html) - **Radio Times**, Sarah Doran (80/100, inferred): The review calls it an addictive, darkly comic cat-and-mouse thriller that manages to make a psychopathic assassin laugh-out-loud funny. The witty writing, strong cast and addictive quality are highlighted for praise. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/killing-eve-an-addictive-darkly-comic-cat-and-mouse-thriller/) - **The Times**, James Cowen (80/100, inferred): The critic notes the blade-sharp adaptation feels like a glittering act of subversion from the opening scene, praising the nervy brilliance of Sandra Oh and the emotionally complex, funny, vertiginously surprising drama from the writer of Fleabag. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/tv-review-killing-eve-trust-the-deuce-black-earth-rising-strangers-7cvns5jkw) - **Variety**, Maureen Ryan (70/100, inferred): The review finds the series attempts something rare, wild and risky in blending espionage, assassins and humor, making it mostly entertaining despite some wobbles. The critic singles out the complex, compelling portrayals of the two obsessive female leads as the key strength. [Read](https://variety.com/2018/tv/reviews/killing-eve-review-sandra-oh-bbc-america-phoebe-waller-bridge-1202745151/) - **The i Paper**, Daisy Wyatt (30/100, inferred): The critic wanted to like it but finds it much darker than Fleabag and not as funny, comparing it to a slick all-female Bodyguard remake lacking heart. The unsympathetic, detached characters are singled out as the main complaint. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/killing-eve-phobe-waller-bridge-fleabag-review-197839) - **Collider**, Allison Keene (★★★★★): The critic finds the series a gloriously fun spy story and character drama driven by the obsessive cat-and-mouse dynamic between two women. She singles out the playful, unpredictable performances and the show's blend of humor, seduction, and murder for particular praise. [Read](https://collider.com/killing-eve-review/) - **Consequence** (A-): The critic calls the first season remarkable for its rich, weird, character-driven storytelling that surprises even in familiar genre moments. She singles out the exceptional cast, especially Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, and the show's commitment to complexity and tone for praise. [Read](https://consequence.net/2018/05/breaking-down-killing-eve-season-one/) - **The Ringer**, Alison Herman (90/100, inferred): The critic hails Phoebe Waller-Bridge as an auteur of female dysfunction whose new series is one of the best of the year so far. It centers on the cat-and-mouse game between a bored intelligence agent and a psychopathic assassin, revealing insights into why women are drawn to such flawed characters. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2018/04/05/tv/killing-eve-phoebe-waller-bridge) - **Paste**, Amy Amatangelo (75/100, inferred): The critic notes that the series starts slowly but builds suspense through its central hunt and strong lead performances. She highlights the flawed, fully realized characters and the gallows humor as elements that make the show compelling despite some plot conveniences. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/killing-eve/killing-eve-bbc-american-sandra-oh-phoebe-waller-b) ## Details - **Created by:** Phoebe Waller-Bridge - **Creator:** Phoebe Waller-Bridge - **Director:** Damon Thomas, Harry Bradbeer, Jon East, Stella Corradi, Anu Menon, Francesca Gregorini, Terry McDonough, Shannon Murphy, Miranda Bowen, Lisa Brühlmann, Emily Atef - **Writer:** Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Laura Neal, Emerald Fennell, Suzanne Heathcote, Kayleigh Llewellyn, George Kay, Krissie Ducker, Anna Jordan, Freddy Syborn, Jessica Ashworth, Georgia Lester, D.C. Moore, Vicky Jones, Rob Williams, Jeremy Dyson, Elinor Day, Henrietta Ashworth, Sarah Simmonds - **Novel:** Luke Jennings - **Cinematography:** Julian Court, Tim Palmer, Damian Bromley - **Editor:** Dan Crinnion, Colin Fair, Xavier Russell, Al Morrow, Crispin Green, Gary Dollner, Liana Del Giudice, Helen Chapman - **Music:** David Holmes, Keefus Ciancia - **Production design:** Laurence Dorman, Kristian Milsted - **Costume design:** Charlotte Mitchell, Phoebe De Gaye - **Producer:** Nige Watson, Colin Wratten, Elinor Day - **Cast:** Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri; Jodie Comer as Villanelle; Fiona Shaw as Carolyn Martens; Kim Bodnia as Konstantin Vasiliev; Nina Sosanya as Jess; Harriet Walter as Dasha Duzran; Sean Delaney as Kenny Stowton; Gemma Whelan as Geraldine - **Runtime:** 43m - **Certificate (MPA):** TV-14 - **Release (the US):** 8 April 2018 - **Genres:** Crime, Drama - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiSJUo-Ntqc ## Where to watch in the US - BritBox: streaming, hd - Netflix: streaming - Paramount+: streaming, hd - Hulu: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd - Apple TV: add-on, hd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy, sd - Apple TV: buy, hd *Checked 2026-09-17.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - BAFTA Television Awards 2019: Best Actress (won); Best Drama Series (won); Best Supporting Actress (won) - Critics' Choice Awards 2019: Best Drama Actress (won) - Golden Globes 2019: Best Actress – Television Series Drama (won) - Primetime Emmy Awards 2019: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (won) - SAG Awards 2019: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series (won) - Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Series – Long Form 2018: Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Series – Long Form (won) - TCA Award for Outstanding New Program 2018: TCA Award for Outstanding New Program (won) ## If you liked this - *The Little Drummer Girl* (2018), Fi1m 76: Another intelligence story in which professional duties become difficult to separate from desire. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/the-little-drummer-girl.md) - *Nikita* (1990), Fi1m 76: For another female assassin whose personality complicates the business of killing to order. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/nikita.md) - *The Handmaiden* (2016), Fi1m 85: Female desire and criminal plotting, with elaborate deceptions that reward close attention. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-handmaiden.md) - *Grosse Pointe Blank* (1997), Fi1m 55: An assassin comedy that lets awkward conversation compete with the threat of violence. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/grosse-pointe-blank.md) - *Les Diaboliques* (1955): A colder tale of women and murder, with everyday irritations sharpening the suspense. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/killing-eve