As the wait for an official release date forTabooSeason 2 continues, fans should flock toObituary, a morbid Irish crime dramedy that premiered on Huluin 2023. Poised for a second season in 2025,Obituaryalso shares plenty in common withDexter, as it follows an enterprising obituary writer who moonlights as a serial murderer to keep her day job afloat.
As forTaboofans, the transportation to the fog-drenched UK is coupled with the appeal of a protagonist leading a secret life, committing sinful transgressions to better themselves. Although one is a hard-hitting period drama and the other a more contemporary black comedy, the setting and the central character’s conflict take several twists and turns that test viewers' loyalty and likability. With both series poised for a 2025 return, here’s howTabooandObituarystack up to one another and why fans of the former must watch the latter.
‘Obituary’ Tests Viewers with Its Protagonist’s Secret Life
Created by Ray Lawlor for the Irish network RTÉ and Hulu,Obituaryaired its first six episodes on August 21, 2025. The story concerns 24-year-old Elvira Clancy (Siobhan Cullen), an obituary writer for a tiny-town Irish newspaper in Kilraven. Obsessed with all things death-related, Elvira goes into an existential panic when her boss tells her that the newspaper can no longer afford to keep her on staff and will only pay her on a freelance, per/article basis.
Fewer deaths equal less work for Elvira, so she conjures the idea of murdering people in her spare time, providing her with enough victims to write about at work. The premise has been used before, with a notable variant popularized inDexter, in which the city’s forensic gore expert also moonlights as a psycho killer, perpetually employing himself as his sanity slowly erodes.
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More to the point,just as Delany inTaboouses his purported death to begin life anew and lead a mysterious new venture, Elvira uses her secret identity to keep her livelihood intact. However, complications arise when the newspaper hires Emerson Stafford (Ronan Raftery), a crime reporter who begins to catch on to Elvira’s ruse after digging into a cold case.
Meanwhile, Elvira begins forming romantic feelings for Emerson, dramatically raising the stakes regarding her true identity. If Emerson proves Elvira is a killer, she will lose him and her legal freedom. As the series progresses, fans begin to root for Elvira’s deceitful actions and against her being caught, despite knowing what she is doing is evil to the core.Just asTabootests viewers' loyaltyto Delaney through his unlikable actions,Obituarydoes the same with Evlira, albeit with a quirkier tone.
Has ‘Obituary’ Been Renewed for Season 2?
In August 2024,Varietyreported thatObituarySeason 2 was “in the works.“Slated for another six episodes, Season 2 ofthe absurd dark comedy serieswill be written by Ray Lawlor. WhileVariety’s announcement did not include cast or plot details, Cullen is expected to return as the plucky series lead with a hidden dark streak.
In September 2024,Tellyvisionsrevealed fresh casting tidbitsandObituarySeason 2’s overarching premise. According to the website:
“Season 2 sees Elvira struggling with the death of her beloved father. Again, she seeks relief in killing but is beaten to the act by a mysterious new murderer in town. A local cop, Detective Rose, suspects Elvira of the crime, which, in this case, she hasn’t committed. Elvira becomes determined to solve the murder herself and meet a potential kindred spirit.”
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Noni Stapleton will continue to play Detective Rose Mulcahy in Season 2. David Ganley is expected to return as Hughie Burns. Raftery is poised to reprise the role of Emerson. Meanwhile, the report includes the casting of Irish actress Máiréad Tyers, who is poised to play a new character named Vivienne Burch inObituarySeason 2. Vivienne will be a news editor for the local paper where Elvira writes obits. Actress Ericka Roe has also been added to the Season 2 cast as a character named Mona Rosengrave, an apt title for a series about the dead and buried.
