大象传媒

Before the advent and popularity of streaming services such as Netflix, I watched shows and movies that were available through my cable package.

Growing up in the 鈥�90s and early aughts, I rarely watched comedies that starred women. And if I did come across comedies with women in the lead, the women were vying to be the objects of men鈥檚 affection, like in Clueless, or men were trying to get their attention (sometimes with ill will), like in 10 Things I Hate About You. In short: The male gaze was ever-present. Often films were cast aside as 鈥渃hick flicks鈥� and given less attention and smaller budgets, despite their success at the box office. In the 1970s and 鈥�80s鈥攁n era often referred to as the standup comedy boom鈥攚omen of the genre were tokenized with comedy clubs booking no more than one woman on any given night. In the case of the famed Comedy Store in Los Angeles, women were relegated to the Belly Room鈥攁 different room in the building altogether.

More than a decade after the Comedy Store closed in 1979, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Belly Room had both its fans and critics among women. The writer-performer Emily Levine told the Times, 鈥淚t was a marginal venue that marginalized women,鈥� while comedian Lotus Weinstock said it was 鈥渂orn out of sexism, to give women a place.鈥�

But since that time (not to mention the inequitable decades before it) things have changed both in the stand-up world and on screen. Time and time again women have proven that viewers are interested in the stories they tell. In 2011 the film Bridesmaids grossed more than $288 million worldwide. It was hailed as a cultural landmark and received more than 71 award nominations, including one for an Academy Award. Before that, in 2004, Tina Fey wrote the screenplay for the millennial-favorite Mean Girls, which grossed over $129 million worldwide.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not that these girls are better than the girls who preceded them,鈥� writer Fran Lebowitz told Vanity Fair in 2008. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e luckier. They came along at a time when the boys allowed them to do this. In comedy, timing is everything.鈥�

Previously, roles for women leaned toward stereotypes and were vastly underwritten, like Rachel McAdams鈥� character in Wedding Crashers. But now that more women are performing in鈥攁nd creating鈥攍ead comedic roles, viewers get to watch stories of fully formed women with their own challenges and successes. The following picks, all of which are streaming on Netflix as of this writing, prove that women are not a monolith. Gender is not their sole means of identifying themselves. Their experiences are largely affected by their other identities, including race, age, and class.

Tuca and Bertie

This animated series is voiced by comedians Tiffany Haddish, of Girls Trip fame, and Ali Wong, whose two standup specials received wide acclaim. Tuca (Haddish) and Bertie (Wong) face challenges that many women in their 30s experience: moving in with partners, workplace sexual harassment, and buying homes. A few bizarre things happen along the way. For example, Bertie鈥檚 boyfriend鈥檚 grandmother鈥檚 ashes somehow get mixed into a sugar container. When the sugar bowl is given away by accident, Tuca and Bertie must get it back. The two take each challenge hilariously head-on. The show further complicates what friendships between women can look like on-screen. One day they can be grappling through anxiety and sobriety together, and the next they can be completely annoyed with each other.

Good Girls

The first two seasons of this NBC series are available on Netflix, which bills it as a 鈥渄ramedy.鈥� Three suburban women鈥擝eth, played by Christina Hendricks, Ruby, played by Retta, and Annie, played by Mae Whitman鈥攑ull off a heist at a local grocery store to get themselves out of their finance-related ruts. One woman and her husband, for example, can鈥檛 afford to pay their daughter鈥檚 medical bills. The robbery leads to some unfortunate circumstances because, as one IMDB reviewer describes it, the show is 鈥渟occer moms Breaking Bad.鈥� Beth, Ruby, and Annie have to figure out how to carry on and live with their choices. In Good Girls, Beth, Ruby, and Annie are allowed to celebrate their newfound individual power (and face the consequences of that power) while continuing to be just what they are: mothers.

Someone Great

In this film, three friends鈥擩enny, played by Gina Rodriguez, Blair, by Brittany Snow, and Erin, by Dewanda Wise鈥攈ave one week to enjoy New York City together before Jenny heads west for a job. The stakes are raised when Jenny鈥檚 boyfriend, played by Atlanta鈥檚 LaKeith Stanfield, breaks up with her ahead of the move. On their last full weekend together, the women show up for one another. They cry together, they party together. Together, they accept change in their respective lives. In Someone Great, Rodriguez鈥檚 character shows the realistic roller coaster of emotions that is a breakup while allowing for friendships to change over time.

Grace and Frankie

While this series has been celebrated since its premiere in 2015鈥攕ix seasons are already streaming on Netflix鈥攊t鈥檚 never too late for those who haven鈥檛 watched it to catch up. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin play Grace and Frankie, respectively, and together they go through the aftermath of divorce from their husbands. A twist: Their husbands had a secret romantic relationship with each other for years. The thing is, Grace and Frankie weren鈥檛 close friends before their splits. Forced to build and navigate new lives, the pair grow closer, all the while getting on each other鈥檚 nerves. The show never leans into ageist humor, but it still gives its main characters room to thoughtfully address the hilarity that comes with aging.

Always Be My Maybe

Ali Wong plays world-renowned chef Sasha Tran, who temporarily moves back to San Francisco, her hometown, to open a new restaurant. While there, she and her uber-rich fianc茅 break up and she reconnects with her more down-to-earth childhood friend (with whom she shared a rather awkward first kiss and sexual encounter) Marcus Kim, played by Randall Park. They haven鈥檛 seen each other in 15 years and try to deny their palpable chemistry, but eventually sparks fly. Writing for Vox, Jason Shen says the movie 鈥渃arries the torch forward鈥� with Asian American characters who move away from stereotypes and 鈥渁ren鈥檛 the traditionally successful doctor or lawyer we are used to seeing on screen.鈥� Bonus: If you鈥檙e a Keanu Reeves fan, you鈥檙e in for a treat because he makes an interesting cameo playing 鈥� himself.

Schitt鈥檚 Creek

In this Canadian sitcom (which airs on PopTV in the United States), Catherine O鈥橦ara plays Moira Rose, the matriarch of a family that suddenly finds itself broke after living lives of luxury funded by their video store empire. The Roses are forced to relocate to Schitt鈥檚 Creek, 鈥渁n armpit of a town they once bought as a joke,鈥� according to CBC鈥檚 description. In summer 2019, the cast wrapped up production on its sixth and final season, but the first five seasons are now available on Netflix. In those episodes, the family adjusts to living in a town they view as beneath them while simultaneously trying to make their way back to the more glossy life they once knew. O鈥橦ara told Entertainment Weekly that it鈥檚 challenging for writers to construct new, fun storylines for older characters that don鈥檛 center on 鈥渄eath, disease, and divorce.鈥� But in Schitt鈥檚 Creek, her character Moira 鈥渉as had so many great opportunities.鈥�

Thankfully, there鈥檚 more where these nuanced comedies came from. In July 2019, Amazon picked up a 10-episode comedy series by Tracy Oliver, a writer known for the 2017 hit Girls Trip, which cost $19 million and made $150 million. Amy Poehler has signed on as one of the show鈥檚 executive producers. 鈥淯ntil you create the thing that you can then point to,鈥� she told New York Magazine, 鈥渢here鈥檚 no example for it.鈥�

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Deonna Anderson is a freelance digital and radio reporter and a former Surdna reporting fellow for 大象传媒

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