How about entertainment we *can*stomach?!

[moofolk]

Inspired by the other thread of feminism ruining TV.

Let's compile some good stuff.

Not too many men, lots of strong female characters, hopefully some lesbians, definitely not loads of women being raped and murdered for male titillation.

I watched The Women with Meg Ryan and Annette Benning recently. It's bubblegum and hardly a feminist manifesto. It has a very strong female cast including Bette Midler and Carrie Fisher and crucially there are no men in it at all.

What have you got?

Currently really enjoying Grace and Frankie. Older women being funny and caring for each other.

Oh god I loved that! It was total binge comfort watching for me. Got bored by the latest series though.

I also think it's funny that Lily Tomlin is so much better at playing straight than Sheen and the other dude are at playing gay.

I've been watching Harlots on BBC. I thought it might be a bit too happy hooker myth but a fully shows the desperation and how rough it was for women.

I watched The Favourite which is an excellent film. Funny yet hideous.

Yes it’s funny. They are not gay men somehow.

Mrs America was really good, huge cast of women. About a period of American feminism that I really should have known more about.

Britain’s biggest dig, ok it’s a documentary but if you love history it’s fascinating. I’ve noticed a lot of the presenters, archaeologists, historians are women.

Ghosts.
Mum
Er um that's all I've got!

I did enjoy the film Annihilation. Probably a bit more sci fi than you're thinking of though.

Twentieth century women.
With Annette Bening. About a woman trying to bring up a son without a male partner.

The secret life of bees.
All main characters women, original book by a woman and the film directed by a woman. An excellent film.

I've been watching Trinkets on Netflix, it's a show for teenagers though. It's about 3 girls who become best friends because they all have an addiction to stealing.

It's nice watching something that centres young women.

I was disappointed with Twentieth Century Women. It was all about the boy really, with the women created as wish fulfilment characters for the writer/director.

Gentleman Jack and, going back a bit, Tenko

Lily Tomlin in film Grandma. One of my favourite films even though it's not my usual thing.

For Sci-Fi, The Expanse is pretty great. I was a bit put off initially as the first series has a noir style detective plotline with a detective becoming obsessed with the missing woman he's searching for and imagining a whole relationship they never had. But every single character who recognises his obsession tells him how creepy he is and nothing about it is ever played as anything other than fucked up. While at the same time the main female characters are pretty great. Most especially Chrisjen Avasarala and Bobbie Draper.

And in many cases the women are expanded on hugely in the tv series compared to the books. Especially Cara Gee's Camina Drummer.

Unfortunately though, it's now marred by the sexual misconduct allegations against one of the male leads Cas Anvar which are currently being investigated.

I would happily watch Cagney and Lacey again. It was one of my favourite programmes as a teen in the '80s. The two lead characters were incredible: complex, realistic, relatable and aspirational. I want to say it was ahead of its time, but actually, I feel like we have gone backwards since those days.

Yy to Tenko and Cagney and Lacey.

Also the much missed Victoria Wood. Always brilliant. Women at the heart. She wouldn’t have wasted her time with the current BS.

Unorthodox is brilliant.

I mentioned some in the other thread. Gentleman Jack, as already mentioned. Vida - someone recommended it to DH. if I'd read about it first I'd have been put off, and there's a bit more sex than I'd have chosen but it's definitely women-centred with some good characters. Definitely meets the OPs hope for some lesbians!

Halt and Catch Fire - maybe particularly interesting for me having been in software albeit a different type since the era covered. It has some very good female characters.

I enjoyed watching Hong Chau in film Driveways.

Female led drama:

Unbelievable on Netflix is fantastic but shocking - it's based on a true story, and some might find it harrowing.

Sensitive Skin and Good Girls (both on Netflix).

Enola Holmes was fab!

Another vote for gentleman Jack

In sci-fi, most of Star Trek is ok; the latest ones ( Discovery and Picard) have a lot of women in important roles.

Anything with Mary Beard in it, I love her and her enthusiasm for history!

20 Feet From Stardom on Netflix. About all the female backing singers, mostly unsung (pardon the pun), without whom the likes of Mick Jagger would have sounded ordinary.

Going back a long way, but there are several series of the sitcom “Surgical Spirit”, about a fabulously feisty female consultant surgeon Sheila Sabatini, (who eats her male colleagues for breakfast and has a brilliant line in sarcastic putdowns!) played by Nichola McAuliffe if I remember rightly. There are plenty of other good female characters too, including the theatre manager and the nurses. It was such a mould breaking series when it came out, having a female lead in a male dominated profession, with such uncompromising attitudes, wit and strength. Her evil toothy grin as she crushed and outwitted the male opposition was a tonic for oppressed women everywhere!