I made the decision last year to stop watching shows where the female characters are constantly beat up and sexually assaulted. I found myself much happier in my watching experience in 2018. Spent way less time being frustrated and depressed because of the things I was watching, way less disappointed.
However this year I've decided to add onto that.
I want to spend 2019 only watching shows with female leads.
However it seems increasingly difficult to find shows where they are the leads and they aren't in a very abuse relationship, aren't constantly being assaulted, aren't portrayed negatively, or aren't the 'secret second' to the male lead, but advertised as the lead. Espeically in certain genres.
So I'd love some recommendation for shows that fit the criteria I am looking for; espeically in these genres.
Historical.
Drama/Romance
- No sitcoms unless they are fat-joke and rape-joke safe.
- No shows where there's less than two female main characters.
Bonus points if at least half the cast is female.
Super bonus points if there are women of color in the main cast.
EXTRA SUPER BONUS points if there are openly bisexual women in the main cast. (As a bisexual woman I HATE how hard this is to find.)
Let's see how hard this is going to be.
However this year I've decided to add onto that.
I want to spend 2019 only watching shows with female leads.
However it seems increasingly difficult to find shows where they are the leads and they aren't in a very abuse relationship, aren't constantly being assaulted, aren't portrayed negatively, or aren't the 'secret second' to the male lead, but advertised as the lead. Espeically in certain genres.
So I'd love some recommendation for shows that fit the criteria I am looking for; espeically in these genres.
Historical.
Drama/Romance
- No sitcoms unless they are fat-joke and rape-joke safe.
- No shows where there's less than two female main characters.
Bonus points if at least half the cast is female.
Super bonus points if there are women of color in the main cast.
EXTRA SUPER BONUS points if there are openly bisexual women in the main cast. (As a bisexual woman I HATE how hard this is to find.)
Let's see how hard this is going to be.
I'm not sure this show will fit all of your criteria but I've throughly enjoyed watching Wynonna Earp. It's not historical nor a drama, it's Urban Fantasy if anything. The main cast consists of females, with a few male supporting roles, and it features LGBTQ romance. I can't confirm Waverly Earp is bi, but she definitely explores her sexuality.
If this isn't up your alley my apologies
If this isn't up your alley my apologies
Reign (about Mary, Queen of Scots) is pretty good with plenty of leading female characters. But it's not entirely rape-free.
It's a shame how difficult it was for me to think of anything to recommend to you, but I think I might have something.
Sense8 is about eight people across the globe who are suddenly linked together in a sort of psychic hive-mind (a "cluster"). They have to combine their knowledge and skills to evade capture by a shady government organization. It's difficult to describe, but I had a great time watching. The writing and characters and cinematography were all amazing and the show itself is shot in eight different countries.
Pros: it was made by the Wachowski sisters so everything is A+, half of the main cast is female (it's hard to say who the protagonist is in psychic cluster situation, but they're all given equal screentime and importance in the plot), multinational cast, and openly queer and trans main characters.
Cons: not historical (but definitely drama), Netflix cancelled it after two seasons on the grounds that it was "too expensive" to produce, there's a lot of sexual content (although I can't remember any assault), there's one female character who is in an abusive relationship for a portion of the first season (but her friends help her get out of it). I've only seen the first season, though, so I can't guarantee what SE2 is like. There's definitely a bisexual woman in it and that's all I know.
Forgot how much I liked this show lmao. Also, in case this is useful to you, Unconsenting Media can tell you if there's sexual violence in a series or movie.
Sense8 is about eight people across the globe who are suddenly linked together in a sort of psychic hive-mind (a "cluster"). They have to combine their knowledge and skills to evade capture by a shady government organization. It's difficult to describe, but I had a great time watching. The writing and characters and cinematography were all amazing and the show itself is shot in eight different countries.
Pros: it was made by the Wachowski sisters so everything is A+, half of the main cast is female (it's hard to say who the protagonist is in psychic cluster situation, but they're all given equal screentime and importance in the plot), multinational cast, and openly queer and trans main characters.
Cons: not historical (but definitely drama), Netflix cancelled it after two seasons on the grounds that it was "too expensive" to produce, there's a lot of sexual content (although I can't remember any assault), there's one female character who is in an abusive relationship for a portion of the first season (but her friends help her get out of it). I've only seen the first season, though, so I can't guarantee what SE2 is like. There's definitely a bisexual woman in it and that's all I know.
Forgot how much I liked this show lmao. Also, in case this is useful to you, Unconsenting Media can tell you if there's sexual violence in a series or movie.
Yersinia wrote:
It's a shame how difficult it was for me to think of anything to recommend to you, but I think I might have something.
Sense8
Sense8
Yes! I have already watched all of this, and I loved it. It's definitely a shame though that it's so hard to think of anything.
These don't fit into the categories of historical, but I think they have a fair bit of drama in, and they have strong female leads or at least share equal screen time (I think... I'm a guy as you know lol, and as such sometimes I don't see things that others do, so if I'm wrong in believing these women are strong I apologise)
Also, some of these shows I've not seen for a time, and my memory of them might be skewed, so if I mislead you with any of these, I apologise.
Also again... you might have already seen these shows. I can't remember if we've talked about them before or not, but I've written a blurb on each of them as though you've not seen them.
Hopefully I have recalled these right. If not, I'm sure someone that might have watched them more recently than I have can correct anything I might have got wrong.
Legends of Tomorrow - This is a sci-fi superhero show. The captain of the ship is Sara Lance/The White Canary. I think there are actually more female characters in the show than male. Sara is bisexual, leaning more towards females I think... at least in the show. I can't remember if there are any bisexual or gay men in this particular show, but it is part of the Arrowverse (which includes Supergirl, Arrow, and Flash). Those shows have lesbian, gay and bisexual representation. The police captain in The Flash is gay, one of the main team of team Arrow is gay (though isn't introduced until a later season... I can't remember which one), and Supergirl's sister is also gay. With the exception of Supergirl however, Arrow and Flash are both male led. I don't think Legends is necessarily a female lead show, because if I remember right, the spotlight is shared pretty evenly among the characters, but after season 1, Sara is the one who holds a position of authority. It's over a few seasons, and I haven't watched season 1 again in a while, so I can't remember what the male to female ratio is, but over time, I think it starts leaning to there being more female characters than male. Season 1 does have a male character in the captains seat however.
The cast for these shows is pretty diverse from what I recall as well, though there are more Caucasian than other races
Dark Matter - This is a sci-fi show. It's about a small crew who wake up with no memory of who they are, and it follows them as they partially search for themselves, while facing some issues around the known universe. The captain of the ship is female, and she is very very cool as a character, and if she's not the main, I honestly don't know who is. But I think you might enjoy this show. She's not the only female main character, there is another, who's kind of like the ship's tech, oh and there's a female android who you might enjoy watching, especially when considering your character Kara
. There are another couple of strong female characters that you're introduced to throughout the life of the show. Unfortunately, it was cancelled after 3 seasons, and right on a cliff hanger as well.
The cast is pretty diverse too, though more than half are Caucasian if I recall.
Nikita - This show is about a woman who was trained to become an assassin, and if I remember right, who considered one of the absolute best in the department - called Division. But the show picks up from her leaving division and if I remember right being on the run. I cannot remember this show much, it's been a long time since I watched it, but is very much female led, and the main character is played by Maggie Q. Beyond this though, I remember the show has a strong Caucasian presence. I've not watched this one in a long while, so I can't be truly sure.
Survivors - This is a British show, and is only 2 seasons long. I think it's still on Netflix, but I don't know for sure. It's where I watched the show. Anyway, it's a kind of post apocalyptic show, but its not overly violent, though does have violence in. If I remember right, it's focus is more on one particular character, and she is female, though she is part of a group. I don't recall what the ratio of male to female is in the show, and I don't remember if there were any LGBTQ+ characters either.
The cast is pretty diverse again, comes with the melting pot that is England lol.
Terminator - Sarah Connor Chronicles - Definitely female lead, though there is a focus on some of the main characters too. This is sci-fi. The Terminator franchise is pretty well known, and I'm sure you at least have a passing familiarity with it. But John Connor is a minor in this show, and this is set after Terminator 2, but they kind of take it in their own direction other than that.
Sarah Connor is played by Leana Heady (Cersei in GOT), and the "Good guy" terminator is played by Summer Glau (River from Firefly). The females do not outnumber the male characters in this show, but they are as far as I remember the most effective and important characters in it. I've not seen this show for years though. There are only 2 seasons, but luckily it does kind of wrap up at the end of Season 2, so it's not just left on a cliff hanger.
The cast are not very diverse. The 4 characters that hang around together - John, Sarah, the Terminator and some other guy that I can't remember the character's name of are all Caucasian. Also there is no LGBTQ+ representation that I remember.
These shows either have a male in a slightly more leading role, or considerable more leading role, but I mention them because the female characters in them are strong, and aren't just there to be used as sexual gratification. I know these aren't what you asked for really, but I thought they might be worth a mention as the females in these shows are at least as important as the men.
Agents of SHIELD - I wasn't sure whether to put this one up with the others, or below my... I suppose "Worth Mentioning" shows. I decided to put it down here, because I don't recall if there's someone that is more the main focus than others, or if it focuses more on one particular character or not.
Agents of SHIELD is set in the Marvel universe, and does have ties to the main lot of movies. Tighter ties than the Netflix/Marvel shows did, including guest appearances from Jaimie Alexander, Coby Smoulders and Samuel L Jackson. And I think Hayley Atwell who played Agent Carter also has a cameo. This focuses on a team, lead by Agent Coulson from the movies set after his death in the first Avengers movie. I think there is a slight focus on Skye/Daisy as the main character in that show, though I could be wrong... it's really been a while since I watched this, and I've fallen behind by at least 1 season, probably 2, maybe even 3 to be honest.
The first season of this show is not... bad... it's not overly great either, but this show gets better and better as the seasons go on - at least of the ones I saw, and from what I've read, it's a pretty popular notion still too.
Firefly - This is only a single season 14 episode series and a movie that is based after it. It's a sci-fi/wild west mash up. It has a bit of a preference towards Nathan Fillion as the main character, but the female cast I thought had very important and key parts to play throughout the show. The ratio of male to female favours the males by 1. 5 to 4. Mal is the captain (played by Fillion), Jayne is the tracker and he's very strong, but dumb, Wash is the pilot, and Simon is the doctor. He's married to Zoe who is Fillion's 2nd, and probably the closest thing he has to a best friend. Very strong, and most of the men on the ship have a bit of a healthy fear of her -lol-. Kailey is the mechanic for the ship, Inara is a consort - which is this weird escort-like profession, but it's much more than that, and then there's River who is insane, but there's something more to her, that's kept mostly secretive throughout the live of the show, but comes to a head in the movie Serenity.
The Rookie - This actually has Nathan Fillion as the lead... which is a guy. But it actually follows 6 different characters pretty closely. 3 of them are female, and three of them are male (including Nathan Fillion). They're all police officers. 3 of them (including Fillion) are rookies (2 to 1 to the males), and 3 of them are fully fledged police officers (2 to 1 to the females). It's still a new show, and the first season is still running, but this one might be worth a shot. While Fillion is the focus, the females in it a strong. The police captain is also female, and a very cool character. Also, the lady who plays the captain in Dark Matter (Melissa O'neil) is in this one too, and also plays one of the rookies.
Person of Interest - Again, this is actually 2 main leads but they're both male. The reason I mentioned this one though is because of the strong female characters in it as well. There is Detective Carter who is a police officer who you meet at the very beginning. Then... I think it's later in the first season they introduce you to an anti-hero like character named Root, who over time becomes a key part of the main team. And then there's a character called Shaw, who has an access 2 disorder, and absolutely kicks butt.
This does dip into the sci-fi genre a bit, as Finch one of the main characters has built a computer system that can monitor everyone. That computer system is referred to as "The Machine" and when Root becomes a part of the show, she gives it feminine pronouns. The writers of the show also did a fantastic job showing things through the eyes of the machine. I would really recommend you give it a shot. I honestly feel you might enjoy this. However, maybe not for 2019... maybe just keep this one to the side somewhere until you're up for giving it a go.
Also, it doesn't happen until the 4th or 5th(Final) season, but there is a same sex relationship that forms between a couple of the cast. However, romance is not really a driving plot point in this show.
Lucifer - This show is named after the male character, and is of course focused on Lucifer as in the Devil. But it's with a bit of a twist, that I won't go into as it's just fun to watch. It's a comedy, but has some action and some drama too. Lucifer teams up with a female detective - who I think actually gets as much focus as Lucifer, but I haven't watched quite as closely, so honestly... I couldn't tell you for sure one way or another. Chloe Decker is the police officer's name.
There are also some great supporting characters that all get a fairly decent amount of focus too, though ultimately, Lucifer and Chloe are the main focus. There is Mazikeen, who is my very favourite of all of the characters. She's a demon, and quit Hell with Lucifer, and was a torturer in Hell. There's also Lindsay who is a psychiatrist and she has a subtle but very real strength that you see part way through season 1 when she is able to pull herself away from Lucifer's charms.
The drama in this show is actually what I find the most appealing. I foresee a lot of things when I watch shows. I drive my wife nuts being able to successfully figure out what's happening ages before the reveal and things like that... but this show managed to keep me guessing, and just when I thought I figured out their game, it changed on me -lol-.
Unfortunately, it is hard to find any shows that match your description exactly. Part of that I'm sure is because I've never really actively sought this out... I tend to just read movie and show descriptions and watch them if they appeal. But I know a big part of this is also under-representation.
Also, some of these shows I've not seen for a time, and my memory of them might be skewed, so if I mislead you with any of these, I apologise.
Also again... you might have already seen these shows. I can't remember if we've talked about them before or not, but I've written a blurb on each of them as though you've not seen them.
Hopefully I have recalled these right. If not, I'm sure someone that might have watched them more recently than I have can correct anything I might have got wrong.
Legends of Tomorrow - This is a sci-fi superhero show. The captain of the ship is Sara Lance/The White Canary. I think there are actually more female characters in the show than male. Sara is bisexual, leaning more towards females I think... at least in the show. I can't remember if there are any bisexual or gay men in this particular show, but it is part of the Arrowverse (which includes Supergirl, Arrow, and Flash). Those shows have lesbian, gay and bisexual representation. The police captain in The Flash is gay, one of the main team of team Arrow is gay (though isn't introduced until a later season... I can't remember which one), and Supergirl's sister is also gay. With the exception of Supergirl however, Arrow and Flash are both male led. I don't think Legends is necessarily a female lead show, because if I remember right, the spotlight is shared pretty evenly among the characters, but after season 1, Sara is the one who holds a position of authority. It's over a few seasons, and I haven't watched season 1 again in a while, so I can't remember what the male to female ratio is, but over time, I think it starts leaning to there being more female characters than male. Season 1 does have a male character in the captains seat however.
The cast for these shows is pretty diverse from what I recall as well, though there are more Caucasian than other races
Dark Matter - This is a sci-fi show. It's about a small crew who wake up with no memory of who they are, and it follows them as they partially search for themselves, while facing some issues around the known universe. The captain of the ship is female, and she is very very cool as a character, and if she's not the main, I honestly don't know who is. But I think you might enjoy this show. She's not the only female main character, there is another, who's kind of like the ship's tech, oh and there's a female android who you might enjoy watching, especially when considering your character Kara
. There are another couple of strong female characters that you're introduced to throughout the life of the show. Unfortunately, it was cancelled after 3 seasons, and right on a cliff hanger as well.The cast is pretty diverse too, though more than half are Caucasian if I recall.
Nikita - This show is about a woman who was trained to become an assassin, and if I remember right, who considered one of the absolute best in the department - called Division. But the show picks up from her leaving division and if I remember right being on the run. I cannot remember this show much, it's been a long time since I watched it, but is very much female led, and the main character is played by Maggie Q. Beyond this though, I remember the show has a strong Caucasian presence. I've not watched this one in a long while, so I can't be truly sure.
Survivors - This is a British show, and is only 2 seasons long. I think it's still on Netflix, but I don't know for sure. It's where I watched the show. Anyway, it's a kind of post apocalyptic show, but its not overly violent, though does have violence in. If I remember right, it's focus is more on one particular character, and she is female, though she is part of a group. I don't recall what the ratio of male to female is in the show, and I don't remember if there were any LGBTQ+ characters either.
The cast is pretty diverse again, comes with the melting pot that is England lol.
Terminator - Sarah Connor Chronicles - Definitely female lead, though there is a focus on some of the main characters too. This is sci-fi. The Terminator franchise is pretty well known, and I'm sure you at least have a passing familiarity with it. But John Connor is a minor in this show, and this is set after Terminator 2, but they kind of take it in their own direction other than that.
Sarah Connor is played by Leana Heady (Cersei in GOT), and the "Good guy" terminator is played by Summer Glau (River from Firefly). The females do not outnumber the male characters in this show, but they are as far as I remember the most effective and important characters in it. I've not seen this show for years though. There are only 2 seasons, but luckily it does kind of wrap up at the end of Season 2, so it's not just left on a cliff hanger.
The cast are not very diverse. The 4 characters that hang around together - John, Sarah, the Terminator and some other guy that I can't remember the character's name of are all Caucasian. Also there is no LGBTQ+ representation that I remember.
These shows either have a male in a slightly more leading role, or considerable more leading role, but I mention them because the female characters in them are strong, and aren't just there to be used as sexual gratification. I know these aren't what you asked for really, but I thought they might be worth a mention as the females in these shows are at least as important as the men.
Agents of SHIELD - I wasn't sure whether to put this one up with the others, or below my... I suppose "Worth Mentioning" shows. I decided to put it down here, because I don't recall if there's someone that is more the main focus than others, or if it focuses more on one particular character or not.
Agents of SHIELD is set in the Marvel universe, and does have ties to the main lot of movies. Tighter ties than the Netflix/Marvel shows did, including guest appearances from Jaimie Alexander, Coby Smoulders and Samuel L Jackson. And I think Hayley Atwell who played Agent Carter also has a cameo. This focuses on a team, lead by Agent Coulson from the movies set after his death in the first Avengers movie. I think there is a slight focus on Skye/Daisy as the main character in that show, though I could be wrong... it's really been a while since I watched this, and I've fallen behind by at least 1 season, probably 2, maybe even 3 to be honest.
The first season of this show is not... bad... it's not overly great either, but this show gets better and better as the seasons go on - at least of the ones I saw, and from what I've read, it's a pretty popular notion still too.
Firefly - This is only a single season 14 episode series and a movie that is based after it. It's a sci-fi/wild west mash up. It has a bit of a preference towards Nathan Fillion as the main character, but the female cast I thought had very important and key parts to play throughout the show. The ratio of male to female favours the males by 1. 5 to 4. Mal is the captain (played by Fillion), Jayne is the tracker and he's very strong, but dumb, Wash is the pilot, and Simon is the doctor. He's married to Zoe who is Fillion's 2nd, and probably the closest thing he has to a best friend. Very strong, and most of the men on the ship have a bit of a healthy fear of her -lol-. Kailey is the mechanic for the ship, Inara is a consort - which is this weird escort-like profession, but it's much more than that, and then there's River who is insane, but there's something more to her, that's kept mostly secretive throughout the live of the show, but comes to a head in the movie Serenity.
The Rookie - This actually has Nathan Fillion as the lead... which is a guy. But it actually follows 6 different characters pretty closely. 3 of them are female, and three of them are male (including Nathan Fillion). They're all police officers. 3 of them (including Fillion) are rookies (2 to 1 to the males), and 3 of them are fully fledged police officers (2 to 1 to the females). It's still a new show, and the first season is still running, but this one might be worth a shot. While Fillion is the focus, the females in it a strong. The police captain is also female, and a very cool character. Also, the lady who plays the captain in Dark Matter (Melissa O'neil) is in this one too, and also plays one of the rookies.
Person of Interest - Again, this is actually 2 main leads but they're both male. The reason I mentioned this one though is because of the strong female characters in it as well. There is Detective Carter who is a police officer who you meet at the very beginning. Then... I think it's later in the first season they introduce you to an anti-hero like character named Root, who over time becomes a key part of the main team. And then there's a character called Shaw, who has an access 2 disorder, and absolutely kicks butt.
This does dip into the sci-fi genre a bit, as Finch one of the main characters has built a computer system that can monitor everyone. That computer system is referred to as "The Machine" and when Root becomes a part of the show, she gives it feminine pronouns. The writers of the show also did a fantastic job showing things through the eyes of the machine. I would really recommend you give it a shot. I honestly feel you might enjoy this. However, maybe not for 2019... maybe just keep this one to the side somewhere until you're up for giving it a go.
Also, it doesn't happen until the 4th or 5th(Final) season, but there is a same sex relationship that forms between a couple of the cast. However, romance is not really a driving plot point in this show.
Lucifer - This show is named after the male character, and is of course focused on Lucifer as in the Devil. But it's with a bit of a twist, that I won't go into as it's just fun to watch. It's a comedy, but has some action and some drama too. Lucifer teams up with a female detective - who I think actually gets as much focus as Lucifer, but I haven't watched quite as closely, so honestly... I couldn't tell you for sure one way or another. Chloe Decker is the police officer's name.
There are also some great supporting characters that all get a fairly decent amount of focus too, though ultimately, Lucifer and Chloe are the main focus. There is Mazikeen, who is my very favourite of all of the characters. She's a demon, and quit Hell with Lucifer, and was a torturer in Hell. There's also Lindsay who is a psychiatrist and she has a subtle but very real strength that you see part way through season 1 when she is able to pull herself away from Lucifer's charms.
The drama in this show is actually what I find the most appealing. I foresee a lot of things when I watch shows. I drive my wife nuts being able to successfully figure out what's happening ages before the reveal and things like that... but this show managed to keep me guessing, and just when I thought I figured out their game, it changed on me -lol-.
Unfortunately, it is hard to find any shows that match your description exactly. Part of that I'm sure is because I've never really actively sought this out... I tend to just read movie and show descriptions and watch them if they appeal. But I know a big part of this is also under-representation.
I have found iZombie to be a very catching show, with a powerful and passionate female lead. Her best friend is a lawyer, a female at that, and she herself helps solve murder cases with her newly acquired abilities to find clues as to how a person dies, as she recalls their memories by eating their brains when she is doing the autopsy.
Pineapple wrote:
I'm not sure this show will fit all of your criteria but I've throughly enjoyed watching Wynonna Earp.
I will check it out!
Juls wrote:
Reign.
I watched it while it was airing! I enjoyed it up to a certain season - Lola was my favorite character.
Obscure Cognition wrote:
Legends of Tomorrow - Used to watch, liked it up to a certain point. I've watched all the CW superhero shoes before and they kind of fell off for me after a certain season of each of them. I definitely like Sarah - Legends also has Constantine who is shown as bisexual on the show. I wish I liked the plot enough to watch it again I really like the two of them.
Dark Matter - I might check this out.
Nikita - I think I watched this when I was a teenager, I don't remember much of what happened though - I might check it out again. Edit: I think I just figured out why I don't remember much. Was talking to my bff who said she also watched it, but apparently we both watched it when we were figuring out how bi we are so we mostly remember being head over heels over Nikita and not remembering the plot LOL.
Survivors - Hmm, let's put this on the maybe list of checking out.
Terminator - Sarah Connor Chronicles - Probably won't check this out - just not my thing.
Agents of SHIELD - Checked it out a while ago, wasn't a fan.
Firefly - This show has been spoiled too much for me to enjoy watching it unfortunately, since it's a show that is open spoiled/spoken about on other shows I watch by characters.
The Rookie - Maybe. I do like police dramas...
Person of Interest - I've seen this, at least odd episodes from each season anyway as it often has reruns late at night when I have the TV on in the background. It sparks my interest, but I don't know if I could watch it long-term. I might check the first season out though.
Lucifer - I tried to watch this, but got a little bored after the first 5-6 episodes for some reason and the cast just didn't excite me. Maybe I needed to continue on, I'm not sure, but I give most shows 6 episodes to pull me in and it just didn't.
Obscure Cognition wrote:
Unfortunately, it is hard to find any shows that match your description exactly. Part of that I'm sure is because I've never really actively sought this out... I tend to just read movie and show descriptions and watch them if they appeal. But I know a big part of this is also under-representation
Yeah it's difficult to find stuff I haven't already either watched all of it, or watched it and disliked at some point for sure.
It's not exactly a sitcom or anything, but rather a supremely awesome documentary series hosted by none other than Lucy Lawless herself. It's called Warrior Women and is fabulous. It goes through various women throughout history, which is why I thought it was worth mentioning as you did state historical, despite it not really fitting the tv show norm.
P.ost S.cript: Grace O'Malley really took the cake for me. <3
P.ost S.cript: Grace O'Malley really took the cake for me. <3
Once Upon a Time is another decent one (at least for the first couple seasons... after which, imho, it starts to get a little repetitive with the story line)
Juls wrote:
Once Upon a Time is another decent one (at least for the first couple seasons... after which, imho, it starts to get a little repetitive with the story line)
I couldn't make it past four eps of this. Didn't find the characters likable at all.
Demilicious wrote:
It's not exactly a sitcom or anything, but rather a supremely awesome documentary series hosted by none other than Lucy Lawless herself. It's called Warrior Women and is fabulous. It goes through various women throughout history, which is why I thought it was worth mentioning as you did state historical, despite it not really fitting the tv show norm.
P.ost S.cript: Grace O'Malley really took the cake for me. <3
P.ost S.cript: Grace O'Malley really took the cake for me. <3
Thanks, I'll try and find it on Netflix or my torrent app.
I don't really know much about the show at all, but Penny Dreadful has a lead female character who seems pretty awesome! My English teacher played a couple clips for us, and, from those, I can tell you that it's set in a world where all the classic gothic literature characters exist.
Not sure if it's any good, but I think it has good reviews and it seems pretty interesting to me.
I'd probably say it's Historical Fiction.
Not sure if it's any good, but I think it has good reviews and it seems pretty interesting to me.
I'd probably say it's Historical Fiction.
There are a couple of shows that people have recommended to me that I have not seen yet. I can not attest if they contain what you wish to avoid or not. The people that recommended them to me are not really into the darker aspects so I believe they should be safe. I think you may or may not enjoy them. All I can do is recommend them and hope for the best for you.
Weeds
Grace and Frankie (This one should fit a good majority of your criteria but I don't believe it is historical)
Nurse Jackie
iZombie
Pretty Little Liars
Jessica Jones: Its based on Marvel. I know you said you were not really into super hero stuff
As for the ones I have seen....which may not fit your taste. I tend to enjoy the darker shows but maybe you will find one you like.
The Crown is really good. There are some prominent male characters but the story focuses on Elizabeth. It is a British show but follows the rule of Princess/Queen Elizabeth. She is the daughter to Gerorge VI. Winston Churchhill is the Prime Minister so it is somewhat historical. There are only two seasons out right now.
Charmed was pretty good. Follows three sisters as they learn about witchcraft and tackle the challenges that arise to claim what is theirs. There are some darker issues but I don't believe there is rape or abusive relationships. It has been a while since I have seen it.
Scandal follows a young black woman, Olivia Pope, who is in a position of power. She makes people that have money and influence problems disappear. She works to clean up messes and indiscretions. There are men on her team but she is the lead character. There are other women on her team who also have strong roles in the team and in society around them.
Penny Dreadful is a darker show. It is only 3 season long. Each season is around 8 episodes. I think the 3rd season may be shorter. It is a horror show based around the old stories they use to print that people could buy for a penny. It does have a historical setting but will not make you laugh. Each story was based on a horror story.
Lizzie Borden Chronicles is another darker story that follows the serial killer Lizzie Borden. I don't believe there is rape or abusive relationships but it is not something that is going to be light and funny.
Broadchurch is another British show. This one is a cop drama type of show. The main female lead works with a man but she plays a main role in the story. She is investigating what happens around the town she lives in.
New Girl is pretty funny. Although the main girl shares the screen with 3 men. She breaks up with her boyfriend and moves in with three men. The story is mostly from her perspective. It tells of their every day lives coping with their problems and getting on with life. Her best female friend plays a large role in the story and in the show.
Weeds
Grace and Frankie (This one should fit a good majority of your criteria but I don't believe it is historical)
Nurse Jackie
iZombie
Pretty Little Liars
Jessica Jones: Its based on Marvel. I know you said you were not really into super hero stuff
As for the ones I have seen....which may not fit your taste. I tend to enjoy the darker shows but maybe you will find one you like.
The Crown is really good. There are some prominent male characters but the story focuses on Elizabeth. It is a British show but follows the rule of Princess/Queen Elizabeth. She is the daughter to Gerorge VI. Winston Churchhill is the Prime Minister so it is somewhat historical. There are only two seasons out right now.
Charmed was pretty good. Follows three sisters as they learn about witchcraft and tackle the challenges that arise to claim what is theirs. There are some darker issues but I don't believe there is rape or abusive relationships. It has been a while since I have seen it.
Scandal follows a young black woman, Olivia Pope, who is in a position of power. She makes people that have money and influence problems disappear. She works to clean up messes and indiscretions. There are men on her team but she is the lead character. There are other women on her team who also have strong roles in the team and in society around them.
Penny Dreadful is a darker show. It is only 3 season long. Each season is around 8 episodes. I think the 3rd season may be shorter. It is a horror show based around the old stories they use to print that people could buy for a penny. It does have a historical setting but will not make you laugh. Each story was based on a horror story.
Lizzie Borden Chronicles is another darker story that follows the serial killer Lizzie Borden. I don't believe there is rape or abusive relationships but it is not something that is going to be light and funny.
Broadchurch is another British show. This one is a cop drama type of show. The main female lead works with a man but she plays a main role in the story. She is investigating what happens around the town she lives in.
New Girl is pretty funny. Although the main girl shares the screen with 3 men. She breaks up with her boyfriend and moves in with three men. The story is mostly from her perspective. It tells of their every day lives coping with their problems and getting on with life. Her best female friend plays a large role in the story and in the show.
Criminal Minds has a load of fantastic female leads. As well as Law & Order SVU.
tisonlychaos wrote:
I don't really know much about the show at all, but Penny Dreadful has a lead female character who seems pretty awesome! My English teacher played a couple clips for us, and, from those, I can tell you that it's set in a world where all the classic gothic literature characters exist.
Not sure if it's any good, but I think it has good reviews and it seems pretty interesting to me.
I'd probably say it's Historical Fiction.
Not sure if it's any good, but I think it has good reviews and it seems pretty interesting to me.
I'd probably say it's Historical Fiction.
I wouldn’t reccomend this! It’s pretty violent and the chick gets kinda screwed. It probably will not fit your liking!
RainbowPitch wrote:
tisonlychaos wrote:
I don't really know much about the show at all, but Penny Dreadful has a lead female character who seems pretty awesome! My English teacher played a couple clips for us, and, from those, I can tell you that it's set in a world where all the classic gothic literature characters exist.
Not sure if it's any good, but I think it has good reviews and it seems pretty interesting to me.
I'd probably say it's Historical Fiction.
Not sure if it's any good, but I think it has good reviews and it seems pretty interesting to me.
I'd probably say it's Historical Fiction.
I wouldn’t recommend this! It’s pretty violent and the chick gets royally super screwed. It does not fit your liking!
Thanks for the warning
I'll steer clear.
I second the person who said Grace and Frankie. Such a good show! One of the leads (the actor herself) is lesbian, I believe. It's a drama, not a sit-com, but it's really quite well done and hilarious. Two divorcee best friends facing the craziness of life together.
And I also do recommend Dark Matter. The lead (Captain) is a badass because she has nanites that constantly repair her body, and the other females, the Android and the shy techie girl are also really fun. There are men in the ensemble too, and one of them is an alpha male sort, but he's still likable and he is still subservient to the amazing female Capt. What happens is...these ppl all wake up on a ship and have lost their memories of who they are. It's sci fy.
And I also do recommend Dark Matter. The lead (Captain) is a badass because she has nanites that constantly repair her body, and the other females, the Android and the shy techie girl are also really fun. There are men in the ensemble too, and one of them is an alpha male sort, but he's still likable and he is still subservient to the amazing female Capt. What happens is...these ppl all wake up on a ship and have lost their memories of who they are. It's sci fy.
You are on: Forums » Smalltalk » TV Shows with Female Leads.
Moderators: Mina, Keke, Cass, Claine, Sanne, Dragonfire, Ilmarinen, Darth_Angelus