The Scottish Mail on Sunday

Why is there such a buzz about..?

The Woman In The House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window (Netflix)

- Neil Armstrong

On Take Your Daughter To Work Day, Douglas, a psychiatri­st specialisi­ng in serial killers, brings his eight-year-old daughter into the cell with him when he’s interviewi­ng ‘Massacre Mike’. When Douglas has to step outside for a quick chat with the prison warder, he forgetfull­y leaves young Elizabeth alone with Mike, a psychopath who has murdered and eaten at least 30 people. Oops.

You might think that, if the show’s title didn’t give it away, scenes like this would alert viewers to the fact that Kristen Bell’s new series is not entirely serious. In fact this parody of psychologi­cal thrillers is played so deadpan that some haven’t realised it’s a spoof.

Bell plays Anna (above), Elizabeth’s mother, who is traumatise­d by her daughter’s death and three years later spends most of her time getting smashed on claret and staring out of the window. When a handsome widower and his daughter move in across the road, things start looking up – temporaril­y.

Half the fun of this slyly smart show is in spotting the hackneyed thriller tropes. But also watch out for a fan-pleasing cameo in the final episode.

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