Women-Run Shows to Watch

It’s such a relief that people have stopped talking about Fleabag.

The two-season comedy-drama, which concluded five years ago, launched the mainstream career of its creator, writer, and star, Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Since then, she succeeded in getting audiences, critics, and award pickers to drink her diluted Kool-Aid.

Waller-Bridge’s narcissistic and far-fetched titular character was all the more annoying for talking directly to the viewer. No one’s perfect, but then there are people who are so dysfunctional — which Fleabag likes to dress up as real — that only watching a fictional version of them is acceptable; interacting with them in actual life would be intolerable. Top that off with the title character’s gratuitous vulgarity, overbearing neuroticism, and the show’s excessive sexual content and I wonder whether its popularity could be chalked up to viewers wanting to live vicariously through a despicable-acting character.

Since Fleabag (and long before, remember Girls?), there have been several woman-created and -led series that are far superior — particularly when Fleabag set the bar so low — but that are not getting the more-deserved attention. The obvious ones are marquee titles that enjoyed wide viewership and accolades such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video), Better Things (FX), Insecure (HBO), Bad Sisters (Apple TV+), and the recently returned We Are Lady Parts (Peacock).

But there are others dropping at a regular clip, such as Hulu’s just-released eight-episode series, Queenie. Yet no one seems to be watching them, especially if the speedy cancellations of some of them are any indication. Here’s a rundown of seven female-led series you likely missed:

Chloe (Prime Video)

Erin Doherty (The Crown) is the irresistible spindle around whom this six-episode limited series from Alice Seabright (Sex Education) pivots. She portrays Becky, a woman whose life is so much less than she feels it should be. Becky spends too much time scrolling the social media of her childhood best friend, the titular Chloe. Spoiler alert, Chloe has died, by suicide it’s reported. Becky slips into the fake persona of Sasha, the woman she wishes she were. She does this effortlessly, ingraining herself into Chloe’s past life. Her deranged, but understandable actions spark admiration as much as they do disbelief in her gutsy and outrageous decisions. Doherty’s performance is top-notch, her daring moves ramping up the suspense in this psychological thriller.

This Way Up (Hulu)

Returning to “normal” life after a nervous breakdown is the focus of the first season of this two-season (so far) comedy. Irish comedian Aisling Bea created and wrote the show and stars as the hugely likeable Áine, whose quip-filled dialogue is as much a defense mechanism as it is her crutch to help navigate re-entering the world. This Way Up shows the difficulty of adjusting to becoming a functional member of society. Loneliness and jobs that bring emotional satisfaction but don’t utilize all your skills are just a couple of issues explored in Season One while Season Two shifts to other characters we were already fully invested in. Among them are Shona (Sharon Horgan of Bad Sisters and Catastrophe), Áine’s overly protective sister, and love interest Richard (Games of Thrones’ Tobias Menzies).

Single Drunk Female (Freeform)

A well-constructed and sensitive look at dealing with alcoholism in your late 20s from Jenni Konner (Girls) and Simone Finch (The Conners), starring the luminous Sofia Black-D’Elia (The Mick) as the single drunk female, Sam. She is a mess and she has a huge, destructive drinking problem that gets her fired from her New York City writing job and sends her back home to her mother, Carol (Ally Sheedy). Carol is obviously the source of Sam’s alcoholism. It’s not pretty as we see how challenging it is for Sam not to drink and how quickly her behavior devolves when she does. It’s sobering, pun intended, to see her crawl her way back to just about coping. Black-D’Elia’s performance is nuanced and sensitive, which has us rooting for her even when we’re furious at Sam.

Back to Life (Showtime)

Part razor-sharp comedy, part sinister mystery, Back to Life rides that balance perfectly with enough levity to offset the dark undertones of its two seasons. It’s created, co-written, and stars Daisy Haggard as Miri, a newly released prisoner who served 18 years for murder. Returning to her small town, Miri quickly realizes that forgive and forget is not part of the townspeople’s vernacular. In six half-hour episodes, Miri tempers her sad state of affairs: her boyfriend is married and having an affair with her mother, no one will hire her except the other person the entire town hates, and she won’t speak to her best friend, the reason for which is revealed in the final episode of Season One. The tone shifts from goofy to grim on Back to Life as it moves into the second season. But Miri’s no-filter parole officer Janice, played winningly by Jo Martin, is reliable for a comic break.

Shrill (Hulu)

Based on writer Lindy West’s collection of essays, Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman, the series is developed in part by its star, Saturday Night Live’s Aidy Bryant. Shrill starts promisingly. Bryant plays Annie, whose plus size and dating trials and tribulations drive the first two seasons. Annie’s evil boss, played by John Cameron Mitchell, is as delightful as he is despicable. By Season Three, Annie miraculously deals with all her conflicts. She is so comfortable with her size, her sexual confidence borders on irritating. Even her problems with her parents are magically resolved. Without any challenges, what exactly are we rooting for? Binge the first two seasons and excuse yourself from the final one.

Starstruck (Max)

This reverse Notting Hill-esque romcom stars show creator Rose Matefeo, who plays the aimless, but charming and funny Jessie. Nikesh Patel plays her movie star one-night stand-turned unlikely boyfriend, Tom. Starstruck’s only premise is their relationship and as hysterical as Jessie is and as good as Tom is as her straight-man foil, it’s clear this is not going to work, but it’s entertaining to watch them try. The first strong season ramps up to these two getting together. The second season takes a dismal dip in storytelling which Season Three manages to salvage by dropping the romance and focusing on Jessie’s friendships. The half-hour comedy does well to keep the focus on these relationships, the best part of Starstruck. Minnie Driver as Tom’s agent Cath steals every scene she’s in, no matter how brief.

Queenie (Hulu)

Based on the 2019 Book of Year winner at the British Book Awards, Queenie’s has its showrunner and writer the book’s author, Candice Carty-Williams. This is probably why the show falls short of its source material. Queenie is a case study in telling rather than showing. Dionne Brown plays the titular character wonderfully. She does her sporting best to make the most of her part. There’s only so much she can do, however, when the show explains her emotions rather than letting the audience see them. Queenie has some childhood trauma that surfaces at intervals, but it’s confusing rather than something to latch onto. The characters in Queenie’s orbit are far more interesting. Her best friend Kyazike (musician Bellah) is the powerful woman who doesn’t take anyone’s shit who Queenie should be. Her 15-year-old niece Diana (Cristale De’Abreu) has more sense and gumption than Queenie could ever hope to have. These two characters alone are worth watching the eight episodes of the debut season.