Watch Ruthless
- TV-MA
- 2020
- 5 Seasons
-
4.8 (1,290)
Ruthless is a drama series that aired on The CW in 2020. The show centers around Ruth Slater, a ruthless and ambitious businesswoman who will do whatever it takes to get ahead. Ruth comes from a modest background but has always dreamed of rising to the top. As a teenager, she landed an internship at a prestigious finance company and vowed she would one day become CEO. Ruth is brilliant and calculating - she has the business savvy to strategize her way up the corporate ladder combined with the cunning instinct to identify and exploit her rivals' weaknesses.
Now in her 30s, Ruth has achieved great success. She is a senior executive at a Fortune 500 company and enjoys the lavish lifestyle that comes with her position. However, Ruth is not satisfied. She wants more power, more money, more status. Ruth continues looking for new ways to outmaneuver her competitors and seize control.
Ruthless explores the costs of Ruth's ambition. Her drive has left casualties in its wake - colleagues backstabbed, romances sabotaged, friends betrayed. Ruth tells herself the ends justify the means, that she's playing the game the way it was meant to be played. But as she sacrifices more of her integrity and humanity, Ruth starts to lose herself.
Complicating matters is the arrival of Erin Bell, an idealistic young woman who joins the company as Ruth's assistant. Unlike the other employees, Erin refuses to be intimidated by Ruth; she earnestly believes in ethics and sees through Ruth's cutthroat tactics. Erin represents everything Ruth has lost touch with on her ascent to power.
Ruthless examines themes of ambition, morality, and the dark side of the human psyche. Ruth is complex - while her actions are often reprehensible, she remains a compelling protagonist. The show asks pointed questions about the toll of win-at-all-costs behavior and the thin line between determination and ruthlessness.
Ruthless features an ensemble supporting cast of characters representing both allies and enemies in Ruth's professional world. The sharp writing explores their inner lives and motivations as Ruth continues her unapologetic quest for supremacy.
With its provocative lead character, high-stakes plotting, and insight into moral ambiguity, Ruthless brought a bold new vision to primetime television. The series earned praise for offering an unflinching look at the extremes people will embrace in pursuit of success.
Ruthless is a series that ran for 5 seasons (95 episodes) between March 19, 2020 and on The CW