Entertainment

Shondaland Fans Will Love This Soapy New Netflix Show

by Rebecca Patton
Adam Rose/Netflix

Fans of Bridget Jones's Diary, Jerry Maguire, and Chicago will be happy to know that Renée Zellweger will be back on their screens soon, albeit this time, a smaller one. In Netflix's What/If — out Friday, May 24 — she plays Anne Montgomery, a venture capitalist who operates by her own rulebook. She uses her money and power to get whatever she wants no matter the consequences, which is why viewers will be relieved to know Anne isn't based on a real person.

Of course, it's a pretty generic name, which is why it may sound so familiar: Anne of Green Gables author L.M. Montgomery, Pete Buttigeg's mother and former Notre Dame professor Anne Montgomery, and sportscaster Anne Montgomery are just a few of the people you might be getting Zellweger's character confused with. But after you hit play on What/If, it won't take long to realize there's one thing that sets her apart: this Montgomery is up to no good. "[Anne is] entitled, and she's audacious, and she's greedy. And she manipulates people with her sexuality," Zellweger told ET Canada of the character, which is why she may also remind you of a few other TV troublemakers.

Olivia Pope, 'Scandal'

Perhaps the most obvious comparison, it's not a stretch to picture Anne saying, "It's handled" with the same confidence as the Shonda Rhimes protagonist.

Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke, 'Revenge'

Mike Kelley created both Revenge and What/If, so while Anne isn't pretending to be someone else in order to avenge her family like Emily (as far as we know, that is), it's clear that she's not afraid to twist the truth when it suits her.

Cersei Lannister, 'Game of Thrones'

Has there ever been anyone as power hungry as this Game of Thrones antagonist? Whatever your thoughts on Cersei, she was driven, manipulative, and didn't let the rules stand in her way, and Anne sounds the same.

Annalise Keating, 'How to Get Away with Murder'

While this criminal defense attorney is great at her job, the title of this Shonda Rhimes series should tip off viewers that perhaps she's a bit too good.

Claire Underwood, 'House of Cards'

Frank Underwood may have started as House of Cards' protagonist, but the series eventually put the president's wife, Claire Underwood, front and center. And while it wasn't always clear what her intentions were, the Season 5 finale clarified that she had her eyes set on nothing less than the Oval Office.

Diane Lockhart, 'The Good Fight'

A spinoff of The Good Wife, this CBS All Access series follows Lockhart (Christine Baranski) as a defense attorney who has good intentions, but often breaks the rules in order to get her way.

Robyn, 'Flack'

Anna Paquin's character on the Pop series works in crisis management — as a celebrity P.R. agent, more specifically — and seems to have a very ambiguous set of morals.

Whether or not What/If's Anne Montgomery stacked up to this cannon of compelling antiheroines, she'll certainly make for good — if unscrupulous — company.