If you’ve been sleeping on Ride or Die, now streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime, it’s time to fix that.
This show snuck up on me in the best way possible, and I’m super excited about it.
Ride or Die follows best friends Debbie Claybourne (Octavia Spencer) and Judith Burton (Hannah Waddingham), who thought they knew everything about each other. Except it turns out Judith is secretly an international assassin.
When a figure from Judith’s past resurfaces, and a hit goes horribly wrong, the two are thrown into chaos, forced to go on the run together. What follows is a race against time and a road trip across Europe, with law enforcement, trained killers, and some seriously dangerous criminals hot on their heels.
When Debbie discovers her best friend’s secret double life, the two find themselves running from a mysterious enemy, and their only shot at survival is finally confronting the secrets standing between them.
Why I Watched It
Honestly? The cast is what pulled me in. I adore Octavia Spencer, and I fell hard for Hannah Waddingham back in her Ted Lasso days, so seeing the two of them together felt like a can’t-miss watch. Going in, I had no idea what kind of show this was even going to be. I just figured it would be an easy, breezy watch.
I was not fully prepared for what I got.
A Show That Refuses to Sit in One Genre
Ride or Die starts off feeling like a subversive spy comedy, the kind where you settle in expecting quick jokes and fun chaos. And it delivers plenty of that. This show is genuinely, laugh-out-loud hilarious in places.
But it also goes to some surprisingly dark and disturbing places. There’s real violence here, and moments that hit a lot harder than you’d expect from something billed as a comedy. If I had to label it, I’d call it a thriller with a wicked sense of humor, but honestly, it defies easy categorization. It’s also deeply sad and heartfelt in a way that sneaks up on you. You end up really feeling for these characters, not just laughing along with them.
That mix shouldn’t work as well as it does, but somehow it does.
The Performances Are Something Special
The acting across the board is superb, but I have to give a special shoutout to Calam Lynch (you might recognize him as Theo Sharpe in Bridgerton), who plays Sam, Judith’s handler.
He starts off feeling like a fairly one-dimensional character, someone just doing a job.
But as the season unfolds, you get pulled deeper into who he actually is, and his inner thoughts and feelings come through in a way that adds real depth to the story. It’s one of those performances that grows on you until you realize you’re completely invested in him.
Should You Watch It?
Yes, absolutely, but go in with the right expectations. This is not a light, fluffy watch despite all the comedy.
There are genuinely dark and violent moments woven throughout, so if you’re looking for something purely feel-good, this might catch you off guard. But if you want a show that can make you laugh, break your heart, and keep you tense all at once, this one delivers.
Will There Be a Season 2 of Ride or Die?
As of this writing, Amazon hasn’t given any indication of whether Ride or Die will be renewed for a second season. The finale leaves things on a cliffhanger that could absolutely be picked up in a follow-up series.
But here’s the thing: it also works as a satisfying ending if this turns out to be a standalone story. That’s a hard balance to strike, and the writers pulled it off beautifully. No spoilers here, but well done to them either way.
Here’s hoping we get more.
Ride or Die is streaming now, exclusively on Amazon Prime. Watch it now!