They are scathing and thoughtful. Aware of the loudspeaker that their work entails and critical of the patriarchal environment that surrounds them. It has been difficult (and continues to be difficult) for women to occupy positions in the production of fiction that traditionally assigned to men. These new talents have broken down barriers in the audiovisual industry and they have denounced, from comedy, melodrama, animation or even fantasy, the faults and injustices of a system that has left them aside, in the audiovisual and political spheres.
It is common to find the same showrunners as protagonists of their stories, although not interpreted by themselves, through other actresses who share her alter ego. The concerns, achievements and injustices of women in different times are thus reflected in the subjective works of a female generation that truly has something to tell. Behind some of the most successful series of recent times are talented names such as those of the creators Lena Dunham, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Amy Sherman-Palladino o Michael Coelamong others.
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As we fight for change, we also celebrate the emergence, in recent years, of series that have marked one before and one after in television history internationally for its groundbreaking proposal or its technical quality. Thus, we claim eight television series created, written and starring strong, fragile, brave, intimate and, above all, very, very personal women, to watch it is 8M or at any time of the year.
1. Fleabag
The screenwriter and actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge adapted his own stage monologue into a series about a Londoner in her thirties going through a crisis after losing her best friend. Her relationships with men and with her family cause the alienation of the young woman in a world that he can hardly understand and that he does not understand her either. The camera is her great confidant: the series follows the protagonist to the point where she directly questions the viewers about the morality of each of her actions.
The Serie Fleabag It was widely accepted by critics and the public alike, and during its two seasons it features great performers of British acting, such as Olivia Colman o Andrew Scott. It was also the perfect launching pad for Waller-Bridge, who has focused the latter part of his career on participating in franchises such as the script for the latest James Bond film, no time to dieor his acting presence in Indiana Jones and the dial of fate. Currently preparing the series Mr. & Mrs. Smith for Amazon Studios, in which he will star alongside Donald Glover.
‘Fleabag’ trailer. (First Video)
2. Girls
Lena Dunham is the creator and protagonist in this series about four young girls looking for their place in New York. From the description it might seem sex in new yorkbut Girls moves a little further away from the privileged life and approaches the concerns of real women in their thirties, commitment to artistic life and maturity. We do not know whether or not he managed to become the voice of his generation, as he advocated in his first chapter, but what is certain is that Girls marked a before and after in contemporary fiction with his speech freed from taboos, while It sent a very important message of empowerment to creative women.
During its six seasons we saw Hannah Horvath and her group of friends grow, but it meant the discovery of new talents such as Alison Williams, Adam Driver, Zosia Mamet o Christopher Abbott. Dunham continued her artistic career with the publication of the book
Trailer for the series ‘Girls’. (HBO)
3. The wonderful Mrs. Maisel
The Serie Gilmore Girls could also appear on this list, but its creator, Amy Sherman-Palladinocame to receive full recognition from the American press after the premiere of The wonderful Mrs. Maisel. The series portrays the complicated path of a comedian, from the moment he realizes that she is always the life of the parties and the consequent abandonment of her husband, until the conquest of the stages of stand-up.
Its poignant dialogues, the charm of its leading actress Rachel Brosnahanand the setting of the Upper West Side of the 50s in the series demarcated the great reception of its viewers and critics. Its fifth and final season will premiere next April.
Trailer for the comedy ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’. (First Video)
4. Broad city
If the sorority between friends was a television series, without a doubt, it would be called Broad city. The affection that is processed Abbi (Abbi Jacobson) by Ilana (Ilana Glazer) and their complicity surpasses any kind of friendship until becoming what they call nail and meat. While Abbi tries to find a stable job that allows her to develop as an artist, the charismatic Ilana is content to survive in a New York that she idolizes, but that makes things very difficult for her.
Openly feminist, Jewish and democrat (features a cameo by Hillary Clinton in its third season), the series co-created by the same actresses is a taste of endless adventures around the Big Apple, but, above all, it is about an ongoing love letter to the figure of the best friend. Recently, Jacobson has continued as showrunner premiered the series they give the blow (Prime Video), about a women’s baseball league in the 1940s.
‘Broad city’ trailer. (YouTube)
5. Tuca and Bertie
Could be an animated version of your own Broad city, in which two soul friends try to settle down in the big city. With the difference that it is not about people, but about a cockatoo and a songbird in a town called Pajarovia, which could well be assimilated to any overcrowded metropolis in the United States. Curiously, the more the series moves away from the more “human” forms, the closer it comes to a harsh reality: Tuca tries to discover what he wants to do and be in life and fights strong menstrual cramps, while Bertie tries to become a good pastry chef and forget the episodes of sexual harassment from her former boss.
It features the voices of Tiffany Haddish y Ali Wongand its creator, Lisa Hanawaltis a cartoonist and scriptwriter for the series BoJack Horseman. Tuca and Bertie it’s his own adventure after BoJack, and it’s based on the same universe of anthropomorphic animals, although it’s had a much more complicated journey than the first. After being canceled by Netflix after its first season, Adult Swim picked up its second season and was able to premiere on HBO Max, before going back to being canceled.
Trailer for ‘Tuca and Bertie’. (HBO Max)
6. Perfect life
In our country there are also excellent creators, and Perfect life is just one example of it. The series went through Festival CanneSeries before the premiere of its first season on Movistar Plus+, where it won two awards for Best Series and Best Actress ex aequo for its three leading actors (Leticia Dolera, Aixa Villagrán and Celia Freijeiro). Dolera, co-creator of the series, wanted to capture the vital complications of a group of friends around issues such as maternity, social relationships and job insecurity.
The chemistry and humor between the three companions led the series to be renewed for a second season, and it features the appearances of some recognizable faces from Spanish fiction, such as Enric Auquer, David Verdaguer, Carmen Machi o Fernando Colomo.
Trailer for the first season of ‘Perfect Life’. (Movistar Plus+)
7. Better things
Pamela Adlon is the co-creator and protagonist of this comedy about the maternity of a Hollywood actress who must deal alone with her three daughters of different ages, while trying to continue having time for herself. After five seasons on the air, the series continues to deliver fresh humor as critics focus on Adlon’s performance as the mother who can carry the whole house on her back. Adlon has been Emmy and Golden Globe nomineeand the series has been ranked as one of the favorites of the FX channel, although in Spain it is available on HBO Max and Disney+.
Tráiler de ‘Better things’. (Youtube)
8. I could destroy you
The surprise of 2020 came in the hands of the young British screenwriter and actress Michael Coelwho developed, in a twelve-episode miniseries, a heartbreaking story about trauma, forgiveness, sexual consent and the fine line between liberation and exploitation. Like Lena Dunham, this budding writer’s texts are also called upon to be the “voice of her generation” for her, but a terrible event distracts her from her work as a writer.
On a night out, a man sexually assaulted her, and now try to reconstruct the memories of that fateful night to be able to turn the page in your life. In her fast-paced descent into hell, she is accompanied by her friend Terry, who is looking to become an actress, and Kwame, who navigates the difficult ins and outs of gay dating apps in search of a connection. The BBC production won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseriesbut also won as many as 5 BAFTA television awards.
Trailer of ‘I could destroy you’. (Youtube)
Countless fictions are left out of the selection, which would also reflect, in one way or another, the marked personality of its creators. To name just a few, we would be talking about comedies like the hilarious Derry Girls, by Lisa McGee, about a group of classmates living through adolescence in a violent Ireland; Hettie MacDonald’s walk through the fantastic genre in The witcher; or the Spanish Cardoby Ana Rujas and Claudia Costafreda, about the excesses and eccentricities of a former actress in contemporary Madrid, among many others.
