Top 5 Tubi Villainesses of 2023

This has been an amazing year for villainesses from Tubi's original film; so much so that I've decided to give Tubi their own year-end list for 2023. Last year, I mixed some Tubi into the Lifetime year-end list, because a lot of Tubi's original films are the ones that Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, or even Lifetime Movie Club passes up. Regarding the number, I decided to list Tubi's five best villainesses, mainly because their releases don't really operate like Lifetime's. Combined, Lifetime and Lifetime Movie Network releases three thrillers a week (on non-holiday centered weeks). Tubi releases about three or four thrillers per month.

So without further delay, Tubi's five best villainesses from 2023. Here we go:

5. Kathleen Wolff (Echo Base)

Tubi gave us quite the thriller on August 11 of this year, when Echo Base hit the site. The film centered on a titular echo base that was led by Capt. Skylar Reagan, who had failed a training exercise and was ordered to the base by her superior, Col. Kathleen Wolff. Things start to go awry when Reagan and her team are ordered to actually fire missiles on American soil in response to an attack, and they are left wondering if it's a simulation or the real thing. Wolff's appearance as a survivor of the attack looks convincing that it's legit, but as we later see, it's all part of a murderous plan masterminded by Wolff herself.

Kathleen Wolff was one of two villainesses in this movie, but she was definitely the head of this monstrous table, as well as the better of the two. Carolyn Hennesy appeared in the film as the evil Kathleen Wolff, and she was quite the delicious villainess. I definitely had her pegged from the moment she appeared and part of it is because Hennesy's played her share of baddies before. Wolff was an amazing one, and her reveal was just so spectacular; an absolute joy to watch.

4. Renee Mills (Blood, Sweat, and Cheer)

Tubi's answer to Lifetime's Identity Theft of a Cheerleader was this film, Blood, Sweat, and Cheer, which featured Tammin Sursok as central character and main villainess Renee Mills. Both films had villainesses who returned to high school years later, posed as a teenage student, and joined the cheer squad, but while the Lifetime film's villainess, Vicky Patterson, did so to become important and admired, Renee's motive was basically her own ego. Even crazier, Renee actually posed as her own daughter in the scheme, which went on to include statutory rape (she hooked up with a teenager) and murder.

I'm going to be honest, though. As amazing as Vicky was in the 2019 Lifetime film, I have to say Renee Mills was more delicious in this film, which hit Tubi on April 15 of this year. Tammin Sursok absolutely nailed this role, which is no surprise; she's done the villainess thing before. In 2016, Sursok played psychotic madwoman Audrey Pressler in You May Now Kill the Bride, though this role tops that one.

3. Kate Kelsey (Good Wife's Guide to Murder)

The first Tubi movie of the year was Good Wife's Guide to Murder, which came out on January 6 of this year. Nola Martin starred in this thriller as Kate Kelsey, a podcaster who details true crime stories that always center on wives killing their husbands, and she often criticizes the villainesses over the mistakes that led them to be caught. Later on, however, Kate's husband, Matt Kelsey, ends up murdered, and Kate is the prime suspect

Kate's name ends up cleared when she deduces that Lenore Thompson, a detective and a friend of the couple, killed Matt and had been having an affair with him. Lenore ends up killed in a scuffle, but in the final moments in the film, Kate turned heel and revealed (in a cryptic manner) that she murdered her husband, doing so after catching Matt and Lenore together. She not only killed Matt, she also murdered Lisa, another woman Matt was involved with, and managed to successfully cover her tracks during the whole investigation. At the time I watched this movie, I was a few months removed from watching The Podcast Murders, and that film saw the central female protagonist revealed as a serial killer, so based on that, I sensed Kate being the villainess, and she definitely delivered. Kate Kelsey was quite the scheming villainess, and Nola Martin played her to absolute perfection!

2. Valeria Brant (Deadly Estate)

On March 3, Tubi delivered with Deadly Estate, which centered on The Magnate, a hotel managed by main protagonist Zakiya Carter. Among the guests were hotel chain owner Ron Brant and his new bried, Valeria, but we also see Ron's son, Astor, acting up before being found deceased in his hotel room. What follows is a trail of murder and other criminal misdeeds, the main one being, get this, an escort service being run inside the hotel. Though Zakiya suspected her boss, Steve Weissner, the actual head of this criminal empire was none other than Valeria herself.

Valeria ran it all under Ron's nose, and had her own stepson as her top customer, though Astor was quite violent and deranged, having killed two of Valeria's escorts. Valeria had Astor killed, and the climax saw Valeria boastfully admit to everything, only to learn way too late that Ron had overheard it all. Karen Cliche appeared in this film as Valeria Brant, and I was looking for her to be the villainess because Karen has played so many baddies before. She truly delivered with this role; Valeria was so ruthless and diabolical, and Karen Cliche was absolutely brilliant in her villainous role! Recently, Cliche was in the big screen in the movie, Thanksgiving; I need to see that as soon as possible!

1. Grace Perkins (Meet the Killer Parents)

I recall my anticipation for Meet the Killer Parents was very high, and by the time July 14 arrived, I was all ready to watch this film. The film's central character was Grace Perkins, who was dating Rob Whitby, and was on her way to meet Rob's parents, Miriam and Stephen Whitby. Within moments, Grace suspects that something's off with her boyfriend's parents, and she does learn that ten years prior, Jenny Whitby, Rob's little sister, disappeared. If only it ended at that. As it turned out, the family had become obsessed with having Jenny back in their lives, and they actually decided to turn Grace into Jenny; something they had done with other girls before.

Miriam Whitby was played by Kate Vernon, and her appearance excited me, because I figured she'd be evil. However, while I entered this film beaming over Miriam, I ended up leaving it beaming even more over Grace, as she turned out to be as wicked (or more so) than any of the Whitbys. The climax revealed that Rob actually murdered Jenny a decade ago, and it was Miriam who ordered him to do so, as they both despised Jenny. As for Stephen, he was angered by this and helped Grace and May (the latter being Grace's friend and roommate), eliminate his madwoman wife and deranged son, but it doesn't end there. As it turned out, Grace actually grew to love becoming Jenny, and at the film's 11th hour, Grace turned heel and killed Mia before finally deciding to live her life as Jenny Whitby, a life that included a loving father and a lot of money.

Katelyn McCulloch appeared in this film as Grace Perkins, and she was absolutely epic. It was amazing seeing her transform from a heroine in distress to a maniacal and opportunistic villainess. 2023 saw Tubi give us an impressive crop of amazing villainesses, but Grace Perkins was truly the best one. Grace's heel turn was the absolute highlight of the film, and regarding McCulloch's performance, she was amazing when it came to Grace's distress and strong will, but shined the brightest while acting out Grace's evil and ruthless nature. Seriously, we need a sequel to this film!

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