Quick Info
Shining Girls is a gripping mystery series that stars Elisabeth Moss as a woman whose life is upended by a time-hopping serial killer. The premise is immediately intriguing—it's not every day you see a story combine crime investigation with reality-bending twists. The show strikes a haunting mood right from the start, and Moss anchors everything with her intense, lived-in performance. You really get the sense of her character being haunted, not just by trauma, but by the instability of her own reality.
What really drew me in was the show's fragmented storytelling technique. Time slips, unreliable perspectives, and plenty of ambiguous details give every episode this tense, uneasy feeling. It’s a puzzle both for the protagonist and the viewer, and while it can sometimes be disorienting, it works perfectly for a story that’s as much about trauma as it is about solving a crime.
That said, some of the middle episodes do feel a little slow, and the story's refusal to spell things out might annoy folks who want their mysteries more by-the-numbers. I personally liked the ambiguity, but I can see how it could be frustrating if you’re watching just for the crime-solving elements. The sci-fi aspects—though never fully explained—keep the show fresh, but I did wish for just a little more clarity on the killer’s motives and mechanics toward the end.
Visually, Shining Girls is fantastic. Chicago comes across as both beautiful and ominous, and the directors use color and space to convey how distorted reality has become for the main characters. Some big set-pieces and smaller details (like recurring objects) really pay off if you’re paying attention. The supporting cast, especially Wagner Moura and Jamie Bell, add a lot without stealing focus from Moss.
You would enjoy this if you like mysteries with an unusual, almost dreamlike edge—think along the lines of Twin Peaks or Dark. It’s not your average detective show, but if you enjoy cerebral, emotionally layered stories that make you work for the answers, Shining Girls is worth a shot.
