3 Shows to Watch After WandaVision — Depending on Why You Loved It
Friday nights in 2021 have been all about WandaVision, a show that sometimes feels like it was made just for me. Audiences all over the world have flocked to WandaVision, though, and for many good reasons. Most of us arrived simply to see the next shiny object the MCU was offering, but there’s so much more to WandaVision than that. The MCU proved with Avengers: Endgame that they are not afraid to approach grief with real humanity. WandaVision takes that to a new level. The show isn’t just a Marvel show; it’s a character piece about a refugee-turned-widow, who sinks into a fantasy world of her own creation to escape the clawing pain of grief and trauma. “The Hex” acts like an extended metaphor for a good old fashioned TV stupor — a familiar coping mechanism for many of us, I dare say.
Let’s say that you, like me, loved WandaVision for these reasons, not just for the MCU of it all, and now you’re hurting for another character to turn your attention to. These three shows (all streaming) follow characters as they dig into their histories and begin the long process of healing from the traumas they uncover there.
[Quick note: while you might have been able to watch WandaVision with the kiddos, these suggestions are more adult.]
Dead to Me
If you want to see another show about an intense, star-crossed relationship between two women (think: “Agnes” and Wanda), this is the show for you. Another dark comedy-drama, Dead to Me is rife with mysteries that are first revealed to the audience, and then to the characters, wreaking havoc on their lives.
If you came to WandaVision for a grief-driven character piece, you’ll also love Dead to Me, as it centers around the recently-widowed Jen (Christina Applegate) and her mysterious new friend Judy (Linda Cardellini), whom she meets at a support group. How did her husband die? Why are the two of them such quick friends? Watch and find out.
Dead to Me is streaming on Netflix.
The Flight Attendant
Unhealthy coping mechanisms abound in HBO Max’s dark comedy-drama mini-series The Flight Attendant. After waking up in bed with a murdered man and no memory, the titular flight attendant Cassandra Bowden (played by Kaley Cuoco) flees the scene. Then, she becomes obsessed with the memory of her dead hookup and intent on solving the crime. Her pursuit leads her down a rabbit hole of high-stakes organized crime, and also into her own past in ways that explore the alcoholism and recklessness that put her in this spot.
Kaley Cuoco’s performance is stunning, like Elizabeth Olsen’s performance as Wanda. If you loved the amnesiac intrigue in WandaVision, you’ll have plenty of that in The Flight Attendant as well.
There’s also a parallel between “Agnes” and Michelle Gomez’s Miranda, an assassin who stalks the action from behind-the-scenes for most of the show. As an audience member, you know Cassandra and Miranda will have to collide eventually, but you’re not sure when or how.
If that sounds like your thing, The Flight Attendant is now streaming on HBO Max.
Russian Doll
I didn’t know whether to put this one at the top or the bottom. For me, it’s the ultimate follow-up, because it hits every note that I loved about WandaVision. Russian Doll is another episodic supernatural mystery in which the central character, a woman, is forced to confront a lifetime of trauma in order to save herself and get back to the real world.
The main character is Nadia, played by the show’s creator Natasha Lyonne. Over and over, Nadia dies, and each time she is killed she wakes up in the bathroom of a party in New York. Stuck in a loop, she tries to solve the mystery, and this forces her to retread the traumatic memories that made her who she is.
I watched the sole season of this show when it first came out and found it both deeply disturbing and deeply cathartic. It’s a must-binge, as you’ll be dying to find out what’s happening to Nadia and whether she can survive it in the end. Stream Russian Doll on Netflix.
Honorable Mention: Mrs. Fletcher
Hey, maybe you loved WandaVision solely due to Kathryn Hahn. Very fair! She’s a queen who never fails to steal the show. While Mrs. Fletcher is nothing like WandaVision, it is a good show and she plays the LEAD ROLE. If you’re a big fan and you need more Kathryn Hahn, come watch her work on HBO.
