Review: Dead Wrong, Fringe 2026

Described as a gripping psychological thriller, and also elsewhere as ‘dark comedy’, Dead Wrong just didn’t feel like any of these things to me, and I can’t work out why. Billed as being similar to hits such as Killing Eve, The End of the F***ing World, and Gone Girl, I was expecting a lot more from it.

Vibe

The vibe is about two friends, Nolan and Fiadh, who find themselves in the aftermath of a calamitous situation – well, actually two calamitous situations. The pair have ran away for Fiadh’s uncle’s cottage, where they’re arguing and stressing about the fact one person is dead (with no guilt) and one other might be. And they’re to blame.

Performance

I found the first section of Dead Wrong really quite hard to follow, trying to piece together and understand exactly what has just occurred. We know it’s something bad, but instead of it being thrilling and entertaining to watch as those details start to filter in, it’s just confusing and I get a bit bored. At one point we’re hoping that the person who fell is dead, then being glad when they’re not. Maybe I got it wrong because there’s a lot of weaving between stories, but I don’t believe so.

There’s some better dialogue moments with themes of sexual violence, the justification of murder, along with gender and class biases, but I don’t feel any sort of pull to the characters, with Fiadh being mainly annoying and Nolan just trying to cope – and failing. The pink boom box scene should have been funny, but I didn’t laugh.

I spent most of the time waiting for something to properly happen; for something to really hit me. However, even when the most exciting bit of suggested violence happens behind a sofa before Fiadh drags an unconscious Nolan to the front, I’m sorry to say it falls a bit flat. I find myself not really not on Fiadh’s side, despite what she’s been through (the would-be rapist was deserving of a heel to the skull, though).

For me, the play seems to fall between two stools – dark, psychological thriller, and dark comedy – not really managing to find either. I didn’t find it particularly funny, gripping or entertaining. Was it because I was having a bad day? Maybe. The show has some audience reviews where the writing of Jaimee Doyle is clearly appreciated.

Maybe I’m just the wrong audience for this one.

Overall

I struggled with Dead Wrong, and it’s unlike me to give such a low rating for a show. I found it difficult to follow, unfunny, and not particularly gripping. I spent a lot of the show waiting for the real kicker to happen, and nothing really did, with even the most tense part just falling a bit flat for me. Due to the titles the show had been compared to, I was hoping it’d get more of a reaction out of me.