RIDE OR DIE on Prime Video is an action-adventure comedy hybrid series starring Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer. Do you really need to know more before choosing to watch it? I certainly didn’t, and yet, it was even better than I ever dared dream. Read our Ride or Die season 1 review here!
RIDE OR DIE is a Prime Video series with eight episodes in its first season. Will there be more seasons? Well, you can never be sure, but I sure do hope so. This is the most amazing genre hybrid, and while the core premise and two leading ladies (Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer) were already enough, the trailer made me smile so big.
I mean, come on, these two ladies could read out of the phone book, and I’d watch it. With Ride or Die, we get all the comedy and gorgeous attitude both are excellent at, but now paired with an action plot and perimenopausal comedy to boot. What more could you want? Well, nothing really. You’d be greedy if this weren’t already enough.
Well, except for, obviously, more seasons of this amazing Prime Video show.
Continue reading our Ride or Die season 1 review below. Start watching on Prime Video now.
Knowing your own worth – or getting there!
Ride or Die is exactly the kind of feel-good series I needed. Yes, this Prime Video show about an assassin (Hannah Waddingham) and her best friend (Octavia Spencer), who end up going on an unplanned action-adventure together, is just what I needed.
It’s like a hybrid of Atomic Blonde and Hidden Figures with comedy to bind it all together. Highlighting the fierce, tall blonde, who can beat any man, and the short, whip-smart, kind woman, who can turn the other cheek until she cannot. I loved this combination.
Especially seeing the latter acknowledge that she has as much right to take up space as anyone else.
An assassin and her brilliant best friend
The core plot of Ride or Die focuses on best friends Debbie Claybourne (Octavia Spencer) and Judith Burton (Hannah Waddingham), who trust each other with their lives, but have been keeping secrets. Well, mostly Judith, who is an international assassin codenamed “Whiptail”.
Just as Judith is forced to reveal this secret occupation to Debbie, a mysterious figure from Judith’s past returns, which makes everything go horribly wrong. As a result, both of their worlds are violently changed in an instant, and they are forced to go on the run together.
This turns into a road trip across Europe, but not the kind that includes much sightseeing. They have trained assassins and law enforcement chasing them, along with extremely dangerous criminals. The two best friends get to know each other while doing all they can to stay alive.
You had me at Hannah and Octavia
I recognize that I am repeating myself a lot, but come on, it’s Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer. Two of the most amazingly talented and fierce women in the entertainment industry. Watching Ride or Die is like getting to enjoy the best of all worlds.
You get brilliant action scenes, where women are kicking butt by being smart and strong. Also, there’s a focus on the women who build up men only to see themselves “cut loose” once they’ve done all the heavy lifting. Finally, there is that perfectly timed comedy to keep it all light, despite the rather dark plot.
A plot that focuses on friendship, survival, revenge, deceit, and perimenopause. Oh yeah, this story is all about how a WOACA (Woman Of A Certain Age) is fiercer than at any other age. She knows her worth, and she doesn’t care if you like her. She’s often the smartest person in the room, and yes, she is better than you!
This makes Judith (Hannah Waddingham) and Debbie (Octavia Spencer) sound like “Mean Girls” almost, but they are not. They’re just done with being people pleasers while putting their own needs aside.
Also, I should mention that the supporting cast is great as well. From Cathy Tyson (Criminal Record), Savannah Steyn (Good Boy), and Bill Nighy (Love Actually) to Sylvia Hoeks (The Girl in the Spider’s Web) and Ed Skrein (Jurassic World Rebirth), to mention just a few that you’ll meet early on.
Watch season 1 of Ride or Die on Prime Video now!
Tessa Coates is the creator of Ride or Die, which has eight strong episodes in its first (and hopefully not last) season. All eight episodes are out on Prime Video now, and you’re in for a real treat, so do yourself a favor and watch it sooner rather than later.
Previously, Tessa Coates has acted more than written. She was in several episodes of Mae Martin‘s Feel Good series. Based on this Prime Video production, I cannot wait to see what Tessa Coates comes up with next.
As the writer and showrunner, we have Matt Miller. He previously worked on both Peacemaker and The Flight Assistant, so he knows action-comedy well. Directors of the eight episodes are Peyton Reed (Bring It On), DeMane Davis (The Girls on the Bus), Allison Liddi-Brown (Grey’s Anatomy), and Lauren Wolkstein (Dead Ringers).
Ride or Die is produced by Paramount Television Studios and Amazon MGM Studios, but we also have siblings Andy and Barbara Muschietti’s Double Dream (IT: Welcome to Derry), plus Octavia Spencer’s Orit Entertainment, and Hannah Waddingham on board as producers. I love that!
Womentainment recommendation: Watch Ride or Die as soon as you can!
Oh yes, I do realize that I come off as quite bossy when I ask you to watch it “now” and “as soon as you can”, but that’s how we can ensure more seasons of this amazing Prime Video show. Also, I am trying to do you a favor by pushing you towards this gorgeous experience of watching kick-ass women!
If it helps, imagine that instead of me, it’s Hannah Waddingham making this demand. You can’t say no to her, can you? I don’t think I could. She’s truly a girl’s girl. Or a woman’s woman, if you will. And so is Octavia Spencer. Both are, of course, also executive producers on the series – as they should be.
From their impeccable comic timing to their facial expressions speaking volumes, I have adored both Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer for as long as I have known them. In this, they both shine as bright as ever. So, go ahead, set aside time to treat yourself to season 1 of Ride or Die. You can thank me later!
Ride or Die season 1 premiered globally on Prime Video on July 15, 2026.
Creator/Writer: Tessa Coates
Showrunner/Writer: Matt Miller
Directors: Peyton Reed, DeMane Davis, Allison Liddi-Brown, Lauren Wolkstein
Cast: Octavia Spencer, Hannah Waddingham, Bill Nighy, Ed Skrein, Sylvia Hoeks, Calam Lynch, Savannah Steyn, Jamie Parker
Official plot:
Ride or Die follows best friends Debbie Claybourne (Spencer) and Judith Burton (Waddingham) who thought they knew everything about each other, except Judith turns out to be an international assassin. When a mysterious figure emerges from Judith’s past and a hit goes horribly wrong, both of their worlds are turned upside down as they’re forced to go on the run together. It’s a race against time and a road trip across Europe, with law enforcement, highly trained assassins, and some very dangerous criminals at their heels.
Photos © Amazon Content Services LLC
