, creator = {{Plainlist, *

Rachel Ramras Rachel Leah Ramras (born December 20, 1974) is an American actress, comedian and television writer. In 2017, she, Hugh Davidson and Larry Dorf created and starred in their own TV series, '' Nobodies''. Ramras has written for ''Mike Tyson Mysteri ...

* Hugh Davidson * Larry Dorf , starring = {{Plainlist, *

Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress. Beginning her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, she made her Broadway stage debut as Becky That ...

Michael Ealy Michael Brown (born August 3, 1973), professionally known as Michael Ealy, is an American actor. He is known for his roles in '' Barbershop'' (2002), ''2 Fast 2 Furious'' (2003), '' Takers'' (2010), ''Think Like a Man'' (2012), '' About Last N ...

* Tom Riley * Mary Holland *

Cameron Britton Cameron Britton (born ) is an American actor known for his role as Ed Kemper in the Netflix crime drama television series ''Mindhunter'', for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series and ...

* Shelley Hennig * Samsara Yett , director =

Michael Lehmann Michael Stephen Lehmann (born March 30, 1957) is an American film and television director known for directing the dark comedy ''Heathers''. Early life and education In 1978, Lehmann graduated from Columbia University.

, music = Nami Melumad , country = United States , language = English , num_episodes = 8 , executive_producer = {{Plainlist, * Rachel Ramras * Hugh Davidson * Larry Dorf * Kristen Bell *

Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show '' Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 2 ...

* Jessica Elbaum * Brittney Segal * Michael Lehmann , producer = Danielle Weinstock , cinematography = John W. Lindley , editor = {{Plainlist, * Tara Timpone * Jennifer Van Goethem * Stephanie Willis , runtime = 22–29 minutes , company = {{Plainlist, * Hugh Rachel Larry * Gloria Sanchez Productions , distributor =

Netflix Streaming Services Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a film ...

, network = Netflix , first_aired = {{Start date, 2022, 1, 28 ''The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'' (originally titled ''The Woman in the House'') is an American

dark comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air a ...

miniseries created by

, Hugh Davidson, and Larry Dorf for

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

. Actors

, Tom Riley, Mary Holland,

, Shelley Hennig, and Samsara Yett star in the series, which has elements of

thrillers Thriller is a genre of fiction, having numerous, often overlapping subgenres. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety. Suc ...

, but is primarily a

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. In terms of context and c ...

s, as well as ''

Scream Scream may refer to: *Screaming, a loud vocalization Amusement rides * Scream (Heide Park), a gyro drop tower in Soltau, Germany * Scream! (ride), a tower ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags New England * Scream! (roller coaster), at ...

''. The eight-episode series runs less than four hours and was released on January 28, 2022, on Netflix. It received mixed reviews from critics, while Bell's performance was praised. Between January 23, 2022, to February 20, 2022, the show was watched for 133.62 million hours on Netflix globally.

Premise

A heartbroken woman named Anna (Kristen Bell) is unsure of whether or not she witnessed a murder. She mixes alcohol with medications prescribed by her therapist, has frequent hallucinations, and suffers from a crippling fear of the rain (ombrophobia). Anna is ostracized by members of her community, including her new neighbors, and labeled "crazy" by the police. Regardless of whether or not she saw a murder take place, Anna takes it upon herself to find the truth.

Cast and characters

Main

as Anna Whitaker, a painter who takes a break from her career to mourn the death of her eight-year-old daughter, a tragedy that also broke up her marriage.{{cite news, url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/the-woman-in-the-house-across-the-street-from-the-girl-in-the-window-review-1235081862, title=Netflix's ''The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'': TV Review, date=January 26, 2022, first=Daniel, last=Fienberg, accessdate=January 27, 2022, website= Hollywood Reporter, archive-date=January 27, 2022, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127012514/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/the-woman-in-the-house-across-the-street-from-the-girl-in-the-window-review-1235081862/, url-status=live She suffers from a fear of rain and frequently drinks whole bottles of wine with her various medications, resulting in vivid hallucinations.{{cite news, url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-woman-in-the-house-across-the-street-from-the-girl-in-the-window-netflix-amy-adams-kristen-bell-appy-pratt-tom-riley-11643149562, title=''The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'' Review: A Mocking Mouthful, date=January 25, 2022, first=John, last=Anderson, accessdate=January 27, 2022, website=

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

, archive-date=January 27, 2022, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127001014/https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-woman-in-the-house-across-the-street-from-the-girl-in-the-window-netflix-amy-adams-kristen-bell-appy-pratt-tom-riley-11643149562, url-status=live She cooks chicken casseroles and reads books with titles like ''The Woman Across the Lake'' and ''The Girl on the Cruise''. *

as Douglas Whitaker, Anna's ex-husband, a

forensic psychiatrist Forensic psychiatry is a subspeciality of psychiatry and is related to criminology. It encompasses the interface between law and psychiatry. According to the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, it is defined as "a subspecialty of psychiat ...

and FBI profiler specializing in

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

s * Tom Riley as Neil Coleman, Anna's widowed neighbor * Mary Holland as Sloane, Anna's supportive friend, a local art gallery owner *

as Buell, a friendly, simple-minded handyman who has been repairing Anna's mailbox for years.{{cite news, url=https://collider.com/kristen-bell-tom-riley-michael-ealy-woman-in-the-house-across-the-street-from-girl-in-the-window-interview, title=Kristen Bell, Tom Riley & Michael Ealy on Why ''The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'' is the Perfect Title, date=January 27, 2022, first=Christina, last=Radish, accessdate=January 27, 2022, website=

Collider A collider is a type of particle accelerator which brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators. Colliders are used as a research tool in particl ...

, archive-date=January 29, 2022, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129210234/https://collider.com/kristen-bell-tom-riley-michael-ealy-woman-in-the-house-across-the-street-from-girl-in-the-window-interview/, url-status=live * Shelley Hennig as Lisa, Neil's girlfriend who Anna believes has been murdered. It is later revealed her real name is Chastity Linkous. * Samsara Yett as Emma Coleman, Neil's nine-year-old daughter

Recurring

* Brenda Koo as Carol, Anna's judgmental neighbor * Christina Anthony as Detective Becky Lane * Benjamin Levy Aguilar as Rex, a stripper Additional cast include: Appy Pratt as Elizabeth, Anna's 8-year-old daughter who died in 2018, Brendan Jennings as Massacre Mike, a cannibalistic serial killer who murdered Elizabeth,{{cite news, url=https://www.looper.com/738452, title=Biggest Unanswered Questions in ''The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'', accessdate=January 31, 2022, date=January 28, 2022, first=Lauren, last=Thoman, website=Looper, archive-date=February 16, 2022, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216071617/https://www.looper.com/738452, url-status=live

Janina Gavankar Janina Zione Gavankar (; born November 29, 1980) is an American actress and musician. She is trained as a pianist, vocalist, orchestral percussionist and majored in theatre at the University of Illinois Chicago. Her roles include Shiva on ''The ...

as Meredith, Neil's wife who died a few months before he moved in across from Anna,

Nitya Vidyasagar Nitya Vidyasagar (born 1983) is an American actress best known for her role as "Leela" on ''Sesame Street'' from 2008 to 2015. Early life and education Vidyasagar was born in Muscat, Oman to Indian Telugu parents and grew up in India at Kolka ...

as Hillary, Meredith's sister, Nicole Pulliam as Claire, Douglas's coworker, and

Lyndon Smith Lyndon Smith (born June 7, 1989) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Natalie in the NBC drama '' Parenthood'' (2013–2015) and Dierdre in the TNT police drama ''Public Morals'' (2015). Life Smith is from Pensacola, Florida ...

as Ms. Patrick, the murdered teacher.{{cite news, url=https://www.looper.com/737152, title=The End of ''The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'' Explained, accessdate=January 29, 2022, date=January 28, 2022, first=Lauren, last=Thoman, website=

Looper Looper may refer to: Animals * Cabbage looper (''Trichoplusia ni''), a member of the moth family Noctuidae * Inchworm, of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies People * Looper (surname), a Dutch-language surname with the mean ...

, archive-date=January 29, 2022, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129054901/https://www.looper.com/737152, url-status=live{{cite news, url=https://www.distractify.com/p/where-was-the-woman-in-the-house-across-the-street-from-the-girl-in-the-window-filmed, title=Where Was ''The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'' Filmed?, accessdate=January 29, 2022, date=January 28, 2022, first=Katherine, last=Stinson, website=

Distractify ''Distractify'' is an online publication and Internet media company launched in 2013 by Quinn Hu (also known as the YouTuber 2 Bucks), Yosef Lerner, and Jake Heppner. The company started as a social media startup for viral content and later branch ...

, archive-date=January 29, 2022, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129013345/https://www.distractify.com/p/where-was-the-woman-in-the-house-across-the-street-from-the-girl-in-the-window-filmed, url-status=live The final episode features cameo appearances by

Jim Rash James Rash (born July 15, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He portrayed the role of Dean Craig Pelton on the NBC sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), for which he was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Bes ...

as a flight attendant and

Glenn Close Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, Close has garnered numerous accolades, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards ...

as a businesswoman on the flight.

Episodes

{{Episode table , background=#000000 , overall= , title= , director= , writer= , airdate= , released=y , episodes= {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 1 , Title = Episode 1 , DirectedBy =

, WrittenBy =

& Hugh Davidson & Larry Dorf , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2022, 1, 28 , ShortSummary = Anna, a divorced woman in Canterbury Hill, hears strange voices in her house coming from the attic, making her believe in the existence of monsters. She often breaks chicken casserole dishes which she prepares, and passes out drunk on her sofa. One morning, from her window, she sees her handsome new neighbor, Neil, taking his daughter Emma to school. As Anna hallucinates the existence of her dead daughter, Elizabeth, she goes to school herself intending to drop Elizabeth there. She stands up a blind date arranged for her by her neighbor, Carol, and visits Elizabeth's grave to talk about her new neighbors, where the headstone reads, "If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever". The next day Emma sells some chocolates to Anna. Neil helps Anna after she faints, and finds out that she has an irrational fear of rain. Afterwards, she hallucinates having sex with him. The next day she grows close to them when they offer her dinner. , LineColor = 000000 {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 2 , Title = Episode 2 , DirectedBy = Michael Lehmann , WrittenBy = Rachel Ramras & Hugh Davidson & Larry Dorf , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2022, 1, 28 , ShortSummary = Anna is surprised and upset when she sees Neil's girlfriend, Lisa. On the telephone, Anna's therapist urges her to stop taking pills with wine, but Anna ignores this advice. She reveals that her then-husband, Douglas, took their daughter Elizabeth to an investigation in a prison, where Elizabeth was murdered and eaten by a prisoner. Anna's friend Sloane suggests that Anna should start painting again for Sloane's art gallery. Anna tries to paint but rips the painting with her

palette knife A palette knife is a blunt tool used for mixing or applying paint, with a flexible steel blade. It is primarily used for applying paint to the canvas, mixing paint colors, adding texture to the painted surface, paste, etc., or for marbling, decora ...

. She overhears Carol talking about Anna's addictions and scares her with the knife. Anna feels upset and visits Elizabeth's grave—the headstone now reads, "In Heaven you can dance like no one's watching". She starts

stalking Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring them. The term ...

Lisa on Instagram. She believes that Lisa has been cheating on Neil with a man named Rex, and connects with Rex on Instagram. Looking through her window, Anna witnesses Lisa being murdered in Neil's house. She tries to rush to Lisa's aid, but faints in the rain. , LineColor = 000000 {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 3 , Title = Episode 3 , DirectedBy = Michael Lehmann , WrittenBy = Rachel Ramras & Hugh Davidson & Larry Dorf , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2022, 1, 28 , ShortSummary = Detective Lane responds to Anna's 911 call and tells her that there is no evidence of a murder. Determined to solve the mystery herself, Anna breaks into Neil's house, where she finds one of Lisa's earrings. Neil discovers Anna and orders her to stay away. He claims that Lisa, a

stewardess A flight attendant, also known as steward/stewardess or air host/air hostess, is a member of the aircrew aboard commercial flights, many business jets and some government aircraft. Collectively called cabin crew, flight attendants are prima ...

, has left for Seattle, and he shows Anna Lisa's texts. Despite Neil's awareness of Anna's drinking and hallucination problems, Emma sells chocolates to Anna. Anna joins a support group at Sloane's suggestion. She finds out at the airport that Lisa's airline does not fly to Seattle and reports her findings to Lane, who does not believe her. Lane reveals that she had been a junior detective investigating "Massacre Mike", the prisoner accused of killing and eating people. Lane regrets not killing him at the time, before Elizabeth became his victim. Anna receives a death threat, "Stop or UR next". While continuing to be suspicious about Neil, she uses Douglas's FBI credentials to request profiles of Lisa and Rex. , LineColor = 000000 {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 4 , Title = Episode 4 , DirectedBy = Michael Lehmann , WrittenBy = Rachel Ramras & Hugh Davidson & Larry Dorf , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2022, 1, 28 , ShortSummary = Anna examines Neil's past, learns that he was a suspect in the drowning of his wife Meredith, and visits Meredith's sister, Hillary. She also learns that Emma's teacher, Ms. Patrick, died while on a school field trip to a lighthouse, 12 days after Meredith's funeral. Anna visits the school and the lighthouse and finds out that Neil was a chaperone on the trip, which reinforces her suspicions. Upon returning, Anna sees a

babysitter Babysitting is temporarily caring for a child. Babysitting can be a paid job for all ages; however, it is best known as a temporary activity for early teenagers who are not yet eligible for employment in the general economy. It provides auton ...

at Neil's house and Neil leaving with a large bag. Believing that the bag contains Lisa's body, she follows him. Neil catches her, explains that he is a

ventriloquist Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is ve ...

and asks that she keep it a secret. When she returns home she gets a call from the FBI with information about Rex, who then suddenly appears at her house. , LineColor = 000000 {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 5 , Title = Episode 5 , DirectedBy = Michael Lehmann , WrittenBy = Rachel Ramras & Hugh Davidson & Larry Dorf , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2022, 1, 28 , ShortSummary = Rex threatens Anna and forces her to text her husband to run an errand to delay his arrival. Anna wants an explanation from Rex, who reveals that Lisa, whom he knows as Chastity, was a bartender at the club where he worked as a stripper. Chastity recruited Rex into a plan to

defraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compens ...

wealthy men, and Neil, a wealthy widower, was their latest target. Rex tried to back off when he learned that Neil has a daughter, but Chastity threatened to blame Rex for the plan. She abruptly cut off contact, making him suspect that Anna was involved. Neil gets a restraining order against Anna and Douglas arrives worried about her. Anna does not tell them about Rex and sees a woman in Douglas's car. After Anna tells Rex that she is divorced, the two feel sympathy for each other and have sex. Meanwhile, Chastity's body has been found in pieces. , LineColor = 000000 {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 6 , Title = Episode 6 , DirectedBy = Michael Lehmann , WrittenBy = Rachel Ramras & Hugh Davidson & Larry Dorf , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2022, 1, 28 , ShortSummary = The next morning the police arrest Rex for Chastity's murder. He insists on his innocence but Lane plays Anna a

wiretapped Telephone tapping (also wire tapping or wiretapping in American English) is the monitoring of telephone and Internet-based conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitorin ...

recording in which Rex threatens to kill Chastity. Horrified, Anna tries to turn over a new leaf and gets rid of all of her wine and pills. She enjoys a manicure-pedicure with Sloane, who is being considered for a job at an art gallery in

SoHo Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...

. Anna applies a dressing to an injured Buell's wound, then visits Elizabeth's grave on her birthday, where the stone now reads "There is no 'I' in Heaven". There, she finds a birthday card from Douglas and meets Neil and Emma, who have just attended Chastity's funeral. Back at home, Anna starts to paint but is interrupted by Lane, who tells her that Rex has been released after the police found the murder weapon - a palette knife identical to Anna's. The police search the house and find a portrait of Anna, Emma, and Neil labeled "The Perfect Family", which Anna does not remember painting, and Anna is arrested. , LineColor = 000000 {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 7 , Title = Episode 7 , DirectedBy = Michael Lehmann , WrittenBy = Rachel Ramras & Hugh Davidson & Larry Dorf , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2022, 1, 28 , ShortSummary = At the jail, Lane interrogates Anna, who has no memory of killing Chastity. Anna shares her history as a starving artist who found success after painting her dog as ''

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a Half length portrait, half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described ...

'' and began painting other people's dogs into masterpieces. During her pregnancy, while she was confined to bed rest for three months, Douglas hired Buell to build a custom easel for her, and she started painting flower bouquets. After Anna's fingerprints are matched with those on the palette knife, she hallucinates stabbing Lisa and dreams of Douglas's second marriage to the woman she saw earlier with Douglas. The next day, Sloane pays Anna's bail with a $500,000 loan. Neil demands of Anna that she stay away. Anna calls her therapist, who is revealed to be Douglas. In her attic she discovers a ripped painting of Chastity and a whole living area; she realizes that Buell, who has been living there, could have murdered Chastity. From the window, Anna sees Buell, carrying a claw hammer and moving towards Neil's house. , LineColor = 000000 {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 8 , Title = Episode 8 , DirectedBy = Michael Lehmann , WrittenBy = Rachel Ramras & Hugh Davidson & Larry Dorf , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2022, 1, 28 , ShortSummary = Rushing after Buell to save Emma, Anna struggles with her fear in the rain. She unexpectedly finds a severely wounded Buell and Neil dead, murdered by Emma, the true mastermind (in a parody of ''

''). Anna now becomes Emma's target as Emma reveals that she stabbed her father because she disliked his ventriloquism. She stabbed Lisa for not buying chocolates from her, and framed Anna. She also killed her pregnant mother because she did not want a sibling, and her teacher, whom she disliked. After a bloody fight, Anna kills Emma in self-defense and Douglas arrives. At the hospital, Lane and Carol apologize to Anna for not believing her. Days later, Anna allows Buell, who survived, to continue living in her attic. Sloane hosts a successful exhibition and receives a job offer in New York. Douglas and Anna are reconciled in the rain, as he buys her painting. One year later, Anna, who has a newborn daughter with Douglas, takes a flight to New York to visit Sloane. She finds an apparently dead woman on the flight; the steward claims there has been no one as the body vanishes, leaving Anna to delve into another mystery. , LineColor = 000000

Production

Development

On October 20, 2020, Netflix gave the production a limited series order consisting of eight episodes.{{cite web, url=https://deadline.com/2020/10/kristen-bell-limited-series-the-woman-in-the-house-netflix-gloria-sanchez-productions-1234600682/, title=Kristen Bell To Star In Limited Series ''The Woman In The House'' For Netflix From Gloria Sanchez Productions, website=

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, wit ...

, first=Peter, last=White, date=October 20, 2020, access-date=October 20, 2020, archive-date=October 20, 2020, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020201643/https://deadline.com/2020/10/kristen-bell-limited-series-the-woman-in-the-house-netflix-gloria-sanchez-productions-1234600682/, url-status=live The miniseries is created by Rachel Ramras, Hugh Davidson, and Larry Dorf and executive produced by Kristen Bell (who also stars),

, Jessica Elbaum, and Brittney Segal. Gloria Sanchez Productions is involved with producing the miniseries. The creators had to cancel different ideas in their drafts for getting a comfortable shoot during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, and Ferrell was supervising them online through

Zoom Zoom may refer to: Technology Computing * Zoom (software), videoconferencing application * Page zooming, the ability to magnify or shrink a portion of a page on a computer display * Zooming user interface, a graphical interface allowing for image ...

conversations.{{cite news, url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/woman-in-the-house-netflix-kristen-bell-finale-season-2-1235090501, title=''The Woman in the House'' Creators Reveal Will Ferrell's Notes, Season 2 Prospects and Why the Surprise Finale Cameo Almost Didn't Happen, date=February 10, 2022, accessdate=February 11, 2022, first=Ryan, last=Gajewski, website=The Hollywood Reporter, archive-date=February 10, 2022, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210225112/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/woman-in-the-house-netflix-kristen-bell-finale-season-2-1235090501/, url-status=live

Casting

On February 19, 2021, Tom Riley joined the main cast. On March 2, 2021, Mary Holland, Shelley Hennig, Christina Anthony, Samsara Yett, Cameron Britton, and Benjamin Levy Aguilar were cast in starring roles.{{cite web, url=https://deadline.com/2021/03/the-woman-in-the-house-mary-holland-shelley-hennig-christina-anthony-cameron-britton-cast-netflix-series-kristen-bell-1234704680/, title=''The Woman In The House'': Mary Holland, Shelley Hennig, Christina Anthony Among Six Cast In Netflix Series, website=

, first=Denise, last=Petski, date=March 2, 2021, access-date=March 2, 2021, archive-date=March 2, 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302190221/https://deadline.com/2021/03/the-woman-in-the-house-mary-holland-shelley-hennig-christina-anthony-cameron-britton-cast-netflix-series-kristen-bell-1234704680/, url-status=live On November 10, 2021, it was reported Michael Ealy was cast to star as a lead.{{cite web, url=https://deadline.com/2021/11/michael-ealy-kristen-bell-netflix-limited-series-the-woman-in-the-house-1234871027/, title=Michael Ealy Joins Kristen Bell In Netflix Limited Series ''The Woman In The House'', first=Denise, last=Petski, website=

, date=November 10, 2021, access-date=November 10, 2021, archive-date=November 10, 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110192749/https://deadline.com/2021/11/michael-ealy-kristen-bell-netflix-limited-series-the-woman-in-the-house-1234871027/, url-status=live Glenn Close revealed that she joined the cast on one request only, while the character's background was not decided yet.

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

took place in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

between March and May 2021.{{Better source needed, date=January 2022 While filming,

hibiscus tea Hibiscus tea is a herbal tea made as an infusion from crimson or deep magenta-colored calyces (sepals) of the roselle (''Hibiscus sabdariffa'') flower. It is consumed both hot and cold. It has a tart, cranberry-like flavor. Consumption Africa ...

was used in place of red wine.{{cite news, last=Khalifeh, first=Mona, title=Kristen Bell Reveals What She Was Really Drinking in Her Wine Glass in ''Woman in the House'' (Exclusive), url=https://www.etonline.com/kristen-bell-reveals-what-she-was-really-drinking-in-her-wine-glass-in-woman-in-the-house-exclusive, access-date=January 31, 2022, website= Entertainment Tonight, date=January 26, 2022, archive-date=January 30, 2022, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130205318/https://www.etonline.com/kristen-bell-reveals-what-she-was-really-drinking-in-her-wine-glass-in-woman-in-the-house-exclusive, url-status=live Bell and Ealy had a five-minute dance sequence which was cut from the release. Bell and Yett filmed much of their fight scene themselves, but they did rely on

stunt doubles In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes FOR another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...

for certain scenes. The rain sequences required Bell to act in {{convert, 50, F, C temperature. While Bell said she has no idea about a sequel after the

cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...

, the creators however, hinted that they are discussing for a possible sequel when they were asked about the casting of Close.{{cite news, last=Vargas, first=Chanel, title=Kristen Bell Says "Everyone's a Suspect" in Netflix's New Murder Mystery, url=https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/woman-in-the-house-kristen-bell-interview-48693027, access-date=31 January 2022, website= PopSugar, date=25 January 2022, archive-date=January 29, 2022, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129142653/https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/woman-in-the-house-kristen-bell-interview-48693027, url-status=live The series draws inspiration from

A. J. Finn Daniel Mallory (born 1979) is an American author who writes crime fiction under the name A. J. Finn. His 2018 novel '' The Woman in the Window'' was a strong commercial success, which enjoyed positive reviews. The novel has been translated into ...

's '' The Woman in the Window'', Paula Hawkins's '' The Girl on the Train'',

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geo ...

's '' Rebecca'', Alfred Hitchcock's ''

Rear Window ''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "It Had to Be Murder". Originally released by Paramount Pictures, the film st ...

'', and

Gillian Flynn Gillian Schieber Flynn (; born February 24, 1971) is an American author, screenwriter, and producer. She is known for writing the thriller and mystery novels, ''Sharp Objects'' (2006), '' Dark Places'' (2009), and '' Gone Girl'' (2012), which are ...

's '' Sharp Objects''. Bell's detective role in the series is also inspired with her previous character

Veronica Mars ''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character. The series pr ...

, and she also covered the rhyme "

Rain Rain Go Away "Rain, Rain, Go Away" is a popular English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19096. Lyrics There are few versions and variations of this rhyming couplet. The most common modern version is: :Rain, rain, go away, ...

" for the opening theme.

Release

On December 8, 2021, the series was given a premiere date of January 28, 2022, and a new title: ''The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window''. Bell revealed that she defended the title when Netflix wanted to shorten it. After it released, it topped on Netflix in the US, between January 30 and February 3.

Reception

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose, 54, 5.9, 57, If this sendup of literary potboilers suffers from being as glacially paced as its own whopper of a title, at least Kristen Bell makes for delightfully

deadpan Deadpan, dry humour, or dry-wit humour is the deliberate display of emotional neutrality or no emotion, commonly as a form of comedic delivery to contrast with the ridiculousness or absurdity of the subject matter. The delivery is meant to be blun ...

company.

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 49 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Chitra Ramaswamy, writing for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', gave the series two stars out of a possible five, criticizing the tonal confusion as "ludicrous at best and at worst disturbing" and summarizing it as "not amusing, just awful".{{cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/jan/28/the-woman-in-the-house-across-the-street-from-the-girl-in-the-window-review-a-bewilderingly-bad-spoof, work=The Guardian, title=The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window review – a bewilderingly bad spoof, first=Chitra, last=Ramaswamy, location=London, date=January 28, 2022, access-date=February 5, 2022, archive-date=February 4, 2022, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204215158/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/jan/28/the-woman-in-the-house-across-the-street-from-the-girl-in-the-window-review-a-bewilderingly-bad-spoof, url-status=live

References

{{reflist

External links

* {{Netflix title * {{IMDb title {{Netflix original ended series (2019–present) {{DEFAULTSORT:Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window, The 2022 American television series debuts 2022 American television series endings 2020s American comedy-drama television series 2020s American drama television miniseries 2020s American mystery television series 2020s American satirical television series Alcohol abuse in television American thriller television series English-language Netflix original programming Television series by Gloria Sanchez Productions Television shows filmed in Los Angeles Matricide in fiction Patricide in fiction Parodies of horror