Television is all about trends. When NYPD Blue and Law & Order were big, the airwaves were deluged with similar series. When ER — and later, Grey’s Anatomy — made a splash, all of the competing networks tried to replicate its success with medical dramas. Modern Family’s unique way of delivering its story — through the camera lens of a faux documentary crew — found copycats in last season’s Detroit 1-8-7 and the upcoming The River. This fall’s trend? Its ladies’ night across the board.
Not too long ago, cable was the place to find strong female characters. Glenn Close, Kyra Sedgwick and Holly Hunter made the jump from the big to small screen, heading up gritty series and scenery-chewing roles worth watching. This trio clearly paved the way for the influx of strong, sassy chicks that have migrated to ABC, Fox, CBS and NBC this coming season. Though it should be noted series like Julianna Margulies’ The Good Wife have been on conventional TV for a couple of seasons now, this fall sees more than a handful of sitcoms and dramas spotlighting gals in headliner roles.
ABC is the network not only with the biggest stack of new series, but with females as the leads. The remake of Charlie’s Angels thunders out of the gate when the summer months turn chilly, as a trio of brash butt-kickers bring baddies to justice, while Scandal stars Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope, a PR consultant who leads her team in averting crises. Feature film actress Ashley Judd hits the small screen for the Alphabet net in Missing as a mother investigating the disappearance of her son overseas, and Pan Am’s Mad Men-esque nod to the airline puts the focus on the stewardesses who serve up drinks alongside salacious storylines. Finally, Revenge stars Emily VanCamp as a young woman bent on getting back at the snobs who dragged her family name through the mud, and the fantastical Once Upon a Time boasts House’s Jennifer Morrison and Big Love’s Ginnifer Goodwin in lead roles.
Over at NBC, Maria Bello heads up Prime Suspect, a North American re-purposing of the British series that starred Helen Mirren — this reincarnation is just as gritty and compelling as the original. Likewise, The Playboy Club is as titillating as the name suggests, focusing on the young ladies who populated Hugh Hefner’s gentlemen hotspots in the ‘60s; sitcom Whitney is a Seinfeld-inspired sitcom starring the hilarious Whitney Cummings; and Up All Night stars Christina Applegate opposite Will Arnett as a couple welcoming a baby into their world.
CBS gets in on the action as well, with Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs in 2 Broke Girls, which is reminiscent of Laverne & Shirley, while the drama Unforgettable stars Poppy Montgomery as a detective who has a photographic memory.
And finally, Fox has one of my favourite pilots of the new season in New Girl, where the charmingly funny Zooey Deschanel gets back on the dating scene.
That’s a lot of ladies in the spotlight this coming TV season. Not every one will succeed to a second season, but it’s proof positive that engaging female characters can be found on mainstream TV — and that’s a good thing.
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Greg has been a fan of TV since he was five years old, eating dry cereal in front of the TV with his sisters watching Sesame Street, and scrambling downstairs after dinner to watch Polka Dot Door. His influential teen years were taken up by equal parts of The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero, The Incredible Hulk, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Magnum P.I. and Friday Night Videos as well as daily doses of Toronto Rocks and the Power Hour on MuchMusic.
He is continually fascinated with the television process from idea to pilot episode and network pickup, development and casting right through to air, and likes all genres of TV. |
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