Dead Hot review: Bilal Hasna and Vivian Oparah delight in zany comedy-thriller

What lies at the heart of Dead Hot, the comedy-thriller series from Prime Video, is the relationship between Elliot and Jess (Bilal Hasna and Vivian Oparah). Despite all the weird and quirky twists and turns (and there are a few!) fundamentally the show keeps bringing it back to this core relationship.

It’s a relatable friendship and one that feels incredibly grounded despite the goings on around them. Hasna and Oparah have a natural chemistry that has you rooting for the pair to make it out alive. Both bring a realness and authenticity to their roles and give the show a real heart.

Dead Hot focuses on Elliot and Jess both grieving the loss of Peter, Elliot’s boyfriend and Jess’ twin brother. The majority of the series is set five years after Peter mysteriously disappeared leaving behind only a severed finger and a pool of blood. With the occasional flashback, the show sees Elliot and Jess encounter a number of odd characters who will have you wondering who is involved and who isn’t.

In the present day, Elliot meets Will (played brilliantly by Marcus Hodson) who disappears in very similar circumstances to Peter. This causes a significant amount of trauma for poor Elliot and sets the action in motion. At the same time, Jess is contacted by someone purporting to be a DNA match, making her believe that as Peter’s body was never found it could be him.

Elliot and Jess have their own arcs independent of one another that ultimately collide as the show develops. Their relationship struggles by them being more focused on their respective mystery, Elliot with Will and Jess with Peter. The show highlights the potholes and flaws in their relationship ultimately highlighting the need for reciprocity and give and take.

By the time the show has wrapped up all the questions are answered and mysteries solved. However, it’s done rather hastily in the final episode with clues dropped along the way. The show does go through a number of twists and turns. It does, at times, get quite weird and bizarre, and as the credits roll it does feel a little overdone.

The supporting players including Peter Serafinowicz and Penelope Wilton are all on form but don’t make much of an impression. There are some great moments of comedy and there are horror-thriller moments. However, the latter feel unadventurous and never truly shocking.

Dead Hot is streaming on Prime Video now.