Envious review: An excellent premise that remains underutilized 

Envious, a romantic sitcom, debuted on Netflix on September 19, 2024. The show features a forty-year-old protagonist, Vicky, and her desperation to get married.

Vicky, an Argentinian interior designer, gives her boyfriend, Danny, an ultimatum for marriage. But when he doesn’t propose, she leaves him and soon realizes that she made a mistake. Vicky starts seeing a therapist who tries to make her realize how much of the problem lies within herself, but she is not ready to listen.

Starring Griselda Siciliani and Esteban Lamothe in the lead roles, Envious is something between a sitcom and a soap.

Note: The article contains spoilers and is based on the writer's views. Reader discretion is advised.

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A good premise but shaky execution: Envious does not live up to its potential

Vicky is a woman who suffers from the incurable affliction of jealousy. She goes on a downward spiral, being jealous of her friends and unwittingly sabotaging their happiness. Things get worse when she leaves her boyfriend, but sadly, she never realizes what is truly wrong in her life.

One realizes that the Netflix drama tried to bring us a strong and dynamic female lead who instead, ended up with a stagnant character arc. Vicky’s covetous behavior often comes off as a tad annoying, instead of invoking any feeling of empathy for her in the viewer. This is quite unfortunate as Envious did have a massive potential to become a show with a depth of narrative and dynamic characters but it certainly failed to seize it.

Envious tries hard to do something positive but does not live up to that potential. While it is occasionally fun, especially with some of its quirky jokes and dialogues, for the most part, it fails to hold the viewer's attention.

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Is the show worth the watch?

One of the few good things about Envious is Griselda Siciliani who held the show together as Vicky, despite her character being unlikeable. The way she has portrayed the little details of Vicky’s insecurities is commendable. Complementing Siciliani's Vicky is Esteban Lamothe's Matias who is a breath of fresh air not only for Vicky as a character but for the show as a whole.

What could have been better about Envious are its execution and storyline. There is a lack of originality in the plot. We have the classic obligatory love triangle between “nice guy” Matias and “bad boy” Nicolas as well as a close-knit group of girlfriends who seem to have Vicky's back despite some gossiping.

Moreover, Vicky is also successful at her job and has her own apartment. In a way, the show does end up painting a picture-perfect life for Vicky which makes her character as a jealous woman a tough sell.

Despite its shortcomings, the Netflix sitcom has a good premise, a talented cast, and an attractive visual design. Overall, the series is a fun and light watch for sitcom fans.

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The series is now streaming on Netflix.