There’s nothing more relaxing than binge watching an interesting television series after a hectic week. Thanks to streaming services, we can now enjoy TV marathon wherever and whenever we like.
Inspired by last week’s International Women’s Day (8th March), we’ve decided to dedicate an article to TV series that tell stories about complicated and diverse women. Strong women can mean many different things, so get ready to be wowed by these brand new female-centric TV shows.
1. “Grace and Frankie” Season 4
- Network: Netflix
- Released Date: January 2018
- Cast: Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sam Waterston, Martin Sheen, Lisa Kudrow
“In ‘Grace and Frankie’, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin star as two women whose lives are suddenly turned upside down when their husbands reveal they are gay and leave them for each other. Both sparring partners and partners-in-crime, they form an unlikely bond to face an uncertain future together and discover a new definition of “family,” with laughter, tears and plenty of mood enhancers along the way.”
Season 4 sees “Friends” star Lisa Kudrow as a recurring character. Kudrow plays Grace’s manicurist Sheree. The 4th season mainly tackles the realities of ageing. Having said that, Fonda tells Variety, “The fastest growing demographic in the world are older women. I think it’s one of the reasons that the show is popular because Lily and I are old, and we show that it doesn’t have to be all bad.”
2. “Marvel’s Jessica Jones” Season 2
- Network: Netflix
- Released Date: March 2018
- Cast: Krysten Ritter, Rachael Taylor, Carrie-Anne Moss, Eka Darville, Janet McTeer and J.R. Ramirez
“New York City private investigator Jessica Jones is beginning to put her life back together after murdering her tormenter, Kilgrave. Now known throughout the city as a super-powered killer, a new case makes her reluctantly confront who she really is while digging deeper into her past to explore the reasons why.”
The 11 episodes of “Marvel’s Jessica Jones” Season 2 delves into darker and more difficult territories. As Vulture writer Matt Zoller Seitz points out, this latest drama series “gets closer to realistic psychology than most superhero stories”. It takes its time in exploring the character’s emotional interiors rather than rushing through the plot. This season is very much about the question of “who am I?”
3. “Annihilation”
- Network: Netflix
- Released Date: March 2018
- Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Natalie Portman, Tuva Novotny, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, Oscar Isaac
“Lena (played by Natalie Portman), a biologist and former soldier, joins a mission to uncover what happened to her husband inside Area X – a sinister and mysterious phenomenon that is expanding across the American coastline. Once inside, the expedition discovers a world of mutated landscape and creatures, as dangerous as it is beautiful, that threatens both their lives and their sanity.”
Directed by Alex Garland, “Annihilation” is a hard sci-fi thriller that is constantly making the audience wonder and trying to figure out what is going on. On top of that are stunning visuals and a dash of horror by an exciting female-led cast.
4. “Glam Masters” Season 1
- Network: Lifetime
- Released Date: April 2018
- Judges: Laverne Cox, Mario Dedivanovic, Kandee Johnson, Zanna Roberts Rassi
Kim Kardashian has combined her entrepreneurship, beauty influence, and products to produce a reality-series that is similar to “America’s Next Top Model”. The result is “Glam Masters”. The four judges on the show are actress Laverne Cox, celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic, Kandee Johnson (a YouTube personality and beauty vlogger with roughly 4 million subscribers), together with beauty and fashion editor, Zanna Roberts Rassi. In the end, only one with the most talent, charisma and vision with emerge as the Glam Master of the beauty world.
5. “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 2
- Network: Hulu
- Released Date: April 2018
- Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Samira Wiley, Alexis Bledel, Ann Dowd, Max Minghella, Madeline Brewer, O-T Fagbenle, Amanda Brugel
“The Emmy-winning drama series returns with a second season shaped by Offred’s pregnancy and her ongoing fight to free her future child from the dystopian horrors of Gilead. ‘Gilead is within you’ is a favorite saying of Aunt Lydia. In Season 2, Offred and all our characters will fight against – or succumb to – this dark truth.”
If you thought Season 1 was dark, the dystopian drama is about to get even darker. The trailer above unveils a couple of brutality. Offred is wearing white but she’s covered in blood; Moira, who managed to escape Gilead, is sobbing uncontrollably; Ofglen is shown looking absolutely terrified.
What takes it up a notch, is Offred’s narration – “Wear the red dress. Wear the wings. Shut your mouth. Be a good girl. Roll over and spread your legs. Less ma’am. May the Lord open. Seriously? What the actual f**k?”
6. “Sharp Objects”
- Network: HBO (Astro Ch411/ HD431)
- Released Date: TBA
- Cast: Amy Adams, Patricia Clarkson, Chris Messina, Eliza Scanlen, Elizabeth Perkins, Matt Craven
Based on a 2006 novel by American author Gillian Flynn, “‘Sharp Objects’ tells the story of reporter Camille Preaker, who, after a brief stay at a psychiatric hospital, returns to her small hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. Trying to put together a psychological puzzle from her past, she finds herself identifying with the young victims a bit too closely.”
Flynn’s other novel, “Gone Girl”, has been adapted into a critically-acclaimed film. But the best-selling thought that the psychological drama and crime in “Sharp Objects” was best suited for a miniseries. “I was really nervous it would just turn into a horror movie and lose a lot of the nuance. The mystery is as much about who Camille is and what happened in this town as it is about the murders,” she told Entertainment Weekly.
Sources: BookBub, Coming Soon.
