‘Dexter’ Fans Need Hulu’s Near-Perfect 2-Part Serial Killer Comedy Next

Murder and death have been fascinating concepts to explore, and not only in fiction. Despite their macabre nature, true crime-inspired series, murder mysteries like the Knives Out series, and shows featuring serial killers as protagonists are always at the top of streaming charts. Perhaps the most famous example of the latter is Dexter, which followed its titular character (Michael C. Hall) pursuing a twisted form of justice through the most violent means imaginable. One of 2023’s most underrated shows, Obituary does a fantastic job of exploring similarly dark ideas with a funny yet ominous tone. Better yet, this isn’t a one-and-done discovery: Obituary already returned for a second six-episode season in 2025, giving viewers even more of Elvira’s twisted story to binge.

Set in a small town, the Irish series follows Elvira (Siobhán Cullen), an obituary writer for the town’s local newspaper who uses her taste for murder to create more writing opportunities for herself. Elvira is fascinating as a character to simultaneously root for and find disturbing, as her supposed rules about who she kills become more blurred as the show goes on. Yet, Obituary doesn’t live and die on the idea of murder; it subtly explores other topics, wielding extreme examples to depict the plight some people find themselves in when faced with the challenges of working in a declining industry.

Siobhán Cullen Is Both Sympathetic and Frightening in ‘Obituary’

While Hall is a huge draw in Dexter, the show’s antagonists are arguably just as intriguing. However, in Obituary, Elvira is unquestionably the center of the narrative and earns every second of screen time she is given. Her introduction immediately conjures the feelings of sympathy and fear viewers will have towards her while watching. The combination of Elvira losing her mother in childbirth, while recounting her happiest memory of killing a deer, is the perfect representation for the audience about how she perceives death. This idea is further crystallized when Elvira develops her rules for killing people: She won’t let anyone she loves get hurt, she’ll only kill people who “deserve it,” and she won’t kill a child. In theory, these rules could be seen as honorable.

Yet, as Obituary shows, the taking of a life and the consequences it has are far more complicated than three on-paper rules can account for. Each person Elvira kills, or targets, is shown to have at least one sympathetic quality, with people who will miss them after they’re gone. The fact that Elvira goes out of her way to find people tied to her victims who are glad about their death represents her inner conflict between guilt and satisfaction, which really stems from her need to feel in control compared to other aspects of her life, such as the declining pay in her job and lack of activity in the small town where she lives.

‘Obituary’ Subtly and Sensitively Explores Heavy Subjects

Even though death and murder are the main subjects of Obituary, its focus on addiction and how tragic it can be is a touching undercurrent that weaves through many characters. While Elvira’s battle with the desire to murder people is a part of this, the theme of addiction is far more effectively conveyed through her father, Ward (Michael Smiley), who began drinking after helping cover up a crime, and his addiction is hard to watch because of how it affects those around him.

After Elvira begs Ward not to drink when he goes for a swig of the bottle in Episode 4, “Weapons of Minor Destruction,” we discover he is already drunk after trying to go sober, encapsulating the kind of stranglehold addiction can have. At one point, Ward even asks Elvira not to ask him to stop drinking, as he knows he can’t. The fact that his ultimate fear is about letting her down, rather than what alcohol is doing to him, demonstrates how Ward’s addiction has such power over him that he doesn’t even acknowledge the damage it does. For him, drinking is a baseline he can suffer through, whereas making a false promise to his daughter would cause greater strife.

‘Obituary’ Is an Especially Timely Watch in One Major Way

Apart from its heartbreaking depiction of addiction, Obituary also spotlights the declining industry of grassroots journalism. Multiple reporters alongside Elvira, such as the original crime correspondent, Clive (Lalor Ruddy), and his replacement, Emerson (Ronan Raftery), struggle with the constraints placed on them by the editor of the local newspaper, Hughie (David Ganly). Clive is effectively pushed out after being put on a freelance rate, while Elvira only begins her murder spree after being told she’ll only be paid per obituary, in a town of 5,000 people. Emerson is also told, by Hughie, that people want to read stories akin to cinema, rather than actual news occurring in their town. The show depicts the lengths journalists are pushed to in this day and age, where only the most extreme perspectives are considered newsworthy, but it takes it to the extreme through Elvira’s murders and Emerson effectively acting as a detective in a cold murder case.

If you’re looking for something new after your fifteenth rewatch of Dexter, Obituary is the show for you. The timing is especially useful, too: Obituary’s second six-episode season already aired in 2025, meaning there’s more of Elvira’s twisted story waiting after Season 1. Thanks to its darkly comedic elements, nuanced explorations of deeper subjects, and a lead that will make you feel incredibly conflicted while watching her descend into more twisted territory, it’s the perfect, diverting binge that doesn’t hesitate to tackle heavier subjects.

Obituary

Release Date

September 26, 2023

Network

RTÉ One

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  Siobhán Cullen

  Elvira Clancy

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  Michael Smiley

  Ward Clancy

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  Ronan Raftery

  Emerson Stafford

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