Is Good Morning, Verônica Worth Watching? This Netflix Crime Drama Has The TV Antihero I Didn't Know I Needed

Good Morning, Verônica is a highly underrated show and if you're a fan of crime dramas, do yourself a favor and check it out. An original series made for Netflix, Good Morning, Verônica, premiered season 1 in October 2020, with season 2 coming out in August 2022, and season 3, the final season, arriving in February 2024. Adding to the growing stable of non-English-language TV shows on Netflix, Good Morning, Verônica is a Brazilian series adapted from the novel of the same name by Raphael Montes, a Brazilian crime novelist.

The series stars Tainá Müller as the titular Verônica "Vero" Torres, a married police clerk who has two children. Her life is thrown into chaos when, within the same week, she witnesses a young woman's shocking suicide and receives an anonymous phone call from an unidentified woman desperately seeking help. It's a crime show that's flown under the radar even when compared to other Netflix shows, which often get forgotten about soon after premiere. Good Morning, Verônica is worth returning to, however, and a great example of what Netflix can do when it's operating at its highest capacity.

Verônica Is A Unique Protagonist Like You Haven't Seen Before

She's Simply A Clerk Who Decides She Needs To Act

It's not that female-led action TV shows are a rarity, though they are certainly less prolific than their male-led counterparts; it's just that the formula rarely changes when it comes to crime and action shows with female leads. Male-led shows like Breaking Bad, Dexter, Castle, and White Collar are just a few of the shows that feature a protagonist who begins their career outside of crime and makes their way into it. On the flip-side, female-led action shows often require the hero to be involved with law enforcement from the jump, usually to justify their capabilities.

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Verônica is a desk clerk. She's not a detective or a high-powered lawyer. It's actually a bit irresponsible for her to get involved in the criminal investigation the way she does, but Good Morning, Verônica allows Verônica to carve her own space. She doesn't have any power, but she still manages to make an impact throughout three seasons of the show. A series that investigates domestic abuse, the role of women in society and culture is already an inherent theme of the series.

By making Verônica an outsider both by her gender and by her work station, the series puts significant obstacles in front of her. Watching her overcome these obstacles provides a very satisfying sense of joy. Verônica proves herself capable and logical even if she doesn't have the training or history that would suggest she can solve the crimes in the series. Verônica is not able to do everything, and she often fails, but it makes her successes all the more enjoyable.

Verônica Gets Judged Harshly For Things Other Antihero Protagonists Get Away With

Some Beloved Antiheroes Commit Much Worse Crimes Than Verônica

Veronica (Taina Muller) on the phone in Good Morning Veronica.

One problem some viewers have with Verônica in Good Morning, Verônica is that her antihero tendencies sometimes seem to overshadow the actual good she is trying to do. Her "ends justify the means" approach to criminal investigations often makes her seem worse than the villains she is pursuing. However, characters like Don Draper (Jon Hamm) in Mad Men, Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) in House, and McNulty (Dominic West) in The Wire all get away with similar attitudes and dangerous methods to pursue what they think is right, and people have way less of a problem with them.

Those three shows, of course, are well-agreed to be better series than Good Morning, Verônica, so this sometimes comes down to a question of whether online communities have different standards for female characters, or whether male characters are often better written than female ones, a consequence of their being more males in creative positions in the industry and networks paying more for shows that feature men in lead roles. It's probably a bit of both, and it's unfair either way, leading to shows like Good Morning, Verônica not rising as high in the viewing charts.

Just like with other classic antiheroes, viewers need to look past the obvious mistakes and dangerous decisions the characters make in order to see underneath the story.

Verônica is not a saint by any means throughout the series, but she's also an antihero TV character. That's kind of the point. Just like with other classic antiheroes, viewers need to look past the obvious mistakes and dangerous decisions the characters make in order to see underneath the story. The point of the series is that Verônica and characters like her feel they have no recourse but the path they've taken. It may be the wrong path, and they may be wrong for choosing it, but that doesn't make them less compelling characters.

Verônica Does Go Too Far Sometimes In Good Morning, Verônica

Verônica Sometimes Treats Her Friends And Family As Expendable

Veronica (Taina Muller) wearing sunglasses in a car in Good Morning Veronica.

Of course, there are times when Verônica does go too far, and I can sympathize with those who find her immoral actions frustrating to the point of disliking her. This is not a series for the faint of heart and the mob dealings, cults, and conspiracies are flush with murder, sexual assault, and other examples of human depravity. When Verônica finds herself getting close to these evils, it's hard not to shout at the screen and gesture to the obvious criminality Verônica is subjecting herself to in the pursuit of what she's determined is an absolute good.

It's an exhausting series and Verônica can be exhausting as well. When the show starts bringing in some real-world crimes, it can almost feel exploitative, and as the face of the series, it's natural that Verônica would receive some of the ire from a fanbase tired of sticking up for her week after week when she lets herself get dragged into the corruption.

For the most part, that level of grayness comes with an antihero, but there are times when it gets to be too much.

Verônica has frequently used those close to her, and it often results in pain and even the death of friends and family. For the most part, that level of grayness comes with an antihero, but there are times when it gets to be too much.

Tainá Müller On Starring In Good Morning, Verônica

Müller Can Relate To The Struggle Many Women Have In Brazil

Veronica (Taina Muller) pointing a gun in Good Morning Veronica.

Good Morning, Verônica star Tainá Müller immediately felt a connection to the story in the series after reading the script, saying (via MullerSquad),

"The question of women has always touched me, it is a [thing that I] harping on the same string. When I joined this job, I was aligned with this purpose. There are some that are pure entertainment and have their value. But this one got me in the vein. The theme speaks of Brazil, a brutal country to be a woman when we look at the numbers. These are questions that move me a lot, I came from a female environment, it is one of my life's purposes to interpret women who help other women. She is not a tireless heroine, she makes mistakes, but her intention moves me."

It's a great point about Verônica. She is not a tireless heroine. She's a desk clerk, not some trained secret agent who knows how to nab the villains. Everything she learns, she learns on the fly and she's constantly making mistakes. What we can relate to is her tenacity and unwillingness to give up even though she fails so many times. Growing up in Brazil, Müller saw first-hand how women are treated in her country. Good Morning, Verônica allowed Müller to confront some of those issues and feelings in a way that helped her feel empowered.