27 Netflix Shows to Watch if You Need Quality Time With Strong Women
27 Netflix Shows to Watch if You Need Quality Time With Strong Women
Gender inequality is still rampant in Hollywood. Only 39 percent of speaking characters on streaming programs were female in the last year, according to a recent study by San Diego State University. But the good news? These sci-fi thrillers, sitcoms, and dramedies on Netflix—from The Crown to The Politician and Rhythm + Flow—prove that the future is indeed female.
<i>Firefly Lane</i>
In Firefly Lane, two women derive strength from their decades-long friendship. Tully (Katherine Heigl) and Kate (Sarah Chalke) meet as teenagers in 1974 and remain constants in each others' lives, through college and careers in broadcast news. As opposite as two friends could be, they cheer each other on and push each other to new heights. But the Kristin Hannah book adaptation also shows the dark side to friendships like theirs: The boundaries that can be broken carelessly.
<i>The Politician</i>
Ryan Murphy's first production for Netflix equally shines the spotlight on Hollywood icons (hello, Gwyneth Platrow and Bette Midler) and newcomers (for eye candy, look no further than David Corenswet). But no one kept us on the edge of our seat as much as Jessica Lange's Dusty Jackson. The show follows Payton Hobart (Ben Platt), a neurotic teen obsessed with becoming president of the U.S., however, it's Lange's portrayal of an overbearing grandmother—one who poisons her own blood relatives á la The Act—that made us binge this series in one weekend.
<i>The Crown</i>
Sorry, Claire Foy fans: The Emmy-winning actress will no longer return to the period drama as Her Majesty. Filling in her shoes is The Favourite's Olivia Colman, who for season 3 of The Crown rounds out a cast that also includes Helena Bonham Carter and Ben Daniels. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Colman joked about feeling nervous as Foy's replacement. "Everyone loves Claire Foy ... So I have got the worst job in the world at the moment." The new season premieres November 17.
Rhythm + Flow
Folks at Netflix headquarters decided to cast Cardi B as one of three judges in its first foray into the reality music competition show world—and for good reason. As she and T.I. and Chance the Rapper meet fresh talent from across the country, she delivers laugh-out-loud one-liners that'll make you glad to have stayed home.
<i>Unbelievable</i>
Inspired by a true story, Merritt Wever and Toni Colette portray detectives Grace Rasmussen and Karen Duvall, two badasses that eventually connect the dots found in various rape cases to figure out the attacker's identity. In addition to Wever and Colette, Kaitlyn Dever fearlessly plays a young rape victim named Marie, who no one believes after she comes forward.
<i>What/If</i>
2019 has once again thrust Chicago and Bridget Jones's Diary star Renée Zellweger into headlines—and not only because of her lauded performance in Judy, the Judy Garland biopic. In Netflix's What/If, she portrays Anne Montgomery, a ruthless venture capitalist who will do just about anything (a.k.a. try to steal your husband) to win at her business deals. You'll love to hate and hate to love her.
<i>One Day at a Time</i>
Unlike Norman Lear’s wholesome '70s sitcom, this reboot stars a Latina-lead cast that includes Oscar-winner Rita Moreno as abuelita Lydia and Justina Machado as Penelope Alvarez, a working-class mother of two raising her Cuban-American family in Los Angeles with the help of her mom. With humor, the show manages to address immigration issues, racism, and mental illness.
<i>Maniac</i>
Golden Globe winner Emma Stone makes her Netflix debut as Annie Landsberg alongside Jonah Hill's Owen Milgrim in Maniac. The new dramedy finds Annie and Owen placing trust in Dr. James Mantleray—played by Justin Theroux—a sinister scientist offering drugs in exchange for mental clarity.
<i>Seven Seconds</i>
Directly tackling race relations in America, Seven Seconds finds Latrice Butler (Regina King) seeking justice after her 15-year-old son dies in a hit-and-run accident that the police department tries to cover up. While the crime show was cancelled after just one season, King earned an Emmy nomination for her heartbreaking performance.
<i>Godless</i>
Screenwriter Scott Frank studied western novels like Deadwood and The Virginian to accurately depict 1880s New Mexico in Godless, a Wild West drama in which women call the shots (literally). Michelle Dockery’s Alice Fletcher, a widow, is merciless when it’s time to protect her all-female village from outlaws seeking revenge.
<i>Alias Grace</i>
Similar to The Handmaid’s Tale does, Alias Grace is a Margaret Atwood adaptation about servitude. This time, the story is told through the eyes of Grace Marks (Sarah Gadon), a maid who was convicted of murder for allegedly killing her boss and his pregnant housekeeper in 19th century. After a decade of imprisonment, Marks meets with a psychologist in an effort to find out if she's innocent.
<i>Dear White People</i>
Based on Justin Simien’s celebrated film of the same name, the series follows Samantha White (Logan Browning) at her predominantly white Ivy League college. Each season, Sam's character grapples with frequent cyberbullying as the host of Dear White People, a politically-charged radio show that covers Black identity in response to racism on campus.
<i>Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt</i>
Tina Fey is the co-creator of this beloved comedy, one with a resounding message sprinkled throughout its theme song: “females are strong as hell!” With Jane Krakowski and Titus Burgess as strong supporting castmates, Ellie Kemper stars as Kimmy, a woman who manages to escape captivity then navigate the modern world after 15 years spent in an end-of-times bunker. The fourth and final season will air in 2019, and a movie is reportedly in the works.
<i>The Sinner</i>
Let’s cut to the chase: Cora Tanneti (Jessica Biel) kills a man on the beach, and there’s no question as to who committed the murder. The lingering mystery: why?
<i>She's Gotta Have It</i>
If Nola Darling wants one thing, it’s fun. Based on Spike Lee’s breakout 1986 comedy, DeWanda Wise takes on the role of Nola, a “sex-positive, polyamorous pansexual” that dates distinct men while she hones in on what makes her happy, ultimately coming to the realization that she’s not a freak nor a sex addict.
<i>The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina</i>
No, this isn’t a reboot of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but it's pretty close. Starring Kiernan Shipka, Chilling Adventures is based on the darker 2014 comic book of the same name, in which a witchy Sabrina Spellman balances her life as half-human, half-sorcerer.
<i>Orange Is the New Black</i>
Based on Piper Kerman’s memoir, this Emmy-winning series pulls back the curtain on life at a women’s prison, where racial tension runs high and what inmates do to seek revenge is usually low. Taylor Schilling leads a brilliantly diverse cast of peers like Taryn Manning, Uzo Aduba, Danielle Brooks, Laverne Cox, and Dascha Polanco.
<i>House of Cards</i>
Eventually rising to President of the United States, Robin Wright portrays Claire Underwood, the wife of a ruthless, lying politician (Kevin Spacey) that weasels his way into the White House and ultimately resigns from his role. Spacey was fired from the series following allegations of sexual harassment, and the sixth and final season (November 2) will paint the necessary portrait of a female Commander-in-Chief.
<i>Marvel's Jessica Jones</i>
Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones addresses issues as timely as sexual harassment in this Netflix original. The heroic lead not only moonlights as a private investigator, but also defends other women thanks to superhuman abilities she developed after a chemical spill that killed her parents.
<i>The Good Place</i>
What comes after death? The Good Place answers the question as Kristen Bell’s Eleanor Shellstrop finds herself in a heavenly afterlife despite her not-so-virtuous time on Earth.
<i>Grace and Frankie</i>
Former 9 to 5 costars Jane Fonda (Grace) and Lily Tomlin (Frankie) reunite for a joyous, comedic take on life after 70. Longtime rivals, the women have no choice but to connect after learning that their loyal husbands plan to leave them for…each other.
<i>GLOW</i>
Glow is inspired by the story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW), a group of real-life ‘80s “misfits” and struggling actresses that banned together to create a television show about female wrestling. The irreverent comedy follows Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie) as she attempts to find success. The team behind Orange Is the New Black produced this show, so if OITNB struck a chord, you might want to also add this one to your queue.
<i>Santa Clarita Diet</i>
After falling ill, Sheila Hammond (Drew Barrymore) becomes a zombie, doing what she can to get a hold of human blood while letting her past as one half of a real estate power duo with husband Joel (Timothy Olyphant) stay on track. The show is as odd as it is funny.
<i> Salt Fat Acid Heat</i>
Samin Nosrat will make you want to enroll in culinary school—or at least book a nice dinner reservation. The James Beard Award-winning chef travels the globe to learn more about the four basic elements that make up the name of her show. Her passion for cooking and creating inventive recipes is obvious from the first few scenes.
<i>Chilling Adventures of Sabrina</i>
Kiernan Shipka is at the center of this original series inspired by the Archie comic. Borrowing from the fantasy of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, the show is dark, mysterious, and focuses on Sabrina, a teenager who grapples with her life as a witch and human.
<i>Bodyguard</i>
Game of Thrones star Richard Madden portrays David Budd, a solider battling post-traumatic stress disorder who tries to protect a politician he doesn’t have much in common with. His sidekick and love interest is Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), a strong-willed government official that’ll help you understand why this show became the U.K’s most popular.
<i>Wanderlust</i>
This dramatic original focuses on life after marriage. In it, Toni Collette's Joy Richards and her husband (Steven Mackintosh) try to salvage their relationship in unexpected ways, turning to their sex lives as a way of rekindling what they lost.
Olivia Colman's Queen Elizabeth in The Crown is just the start.