5 Feminist Shows to Stream this Betwixtmas
It’s that strange week between Christmas and New Year where time is measured in number of Lindor consumed, and setting foot outside the safety of your lovely, lethargic lounge feels positively heroic. If you’re lucky enough to have this stretch of daily cold spreads off work, then rest assured we’re not here to galvanise you into action, but rather enable your annual slump. Here are some of our fave feminist shows to stream before the countdown to NYE begins…
Raising Dion
Where: Netflix
Image sourced here.
Dion is only eight years old, but he can move stuff (and people) with his mind. The latest in a string of superhero shows from Netflix, Raising Dion is based on a comic book of the same name by Dennis Liu, who also directs this adaptation.
So why should you watch it? It may be a break-out role for Ja’Siah Young, but Dion is mischievous, likeable and heart-wrenchingly unaware of his own strength. The nine-episode series follows his mother Nicole (Alisha Wainwright) as she struggles to work out a safe way to raise her super-son, and grieves her late husband Mark (Michael B. Jordan). It’s action-packed from the first episode, and there’s a whopping twist to look out for too!
Shrill
Where: BBC iPlayer
Image sourced here.
FINALLY, a funny show about fat women, without the icky body politics. Based on the taboo-busting memoir by Lindy West, Shrill pulls no punches when it comes to diet culture, fatphobia and people who claim that they’re “just concerned about your health”.
Shrill centres around journalist Annie (Aidy Bryant), who has a truly delicious self-esteem glow up over the course of the six-episode series. But somewhere between conquering her fear of swimwear and tackling her trolls, she gets a little too wrapped up in her own drama, leaving roommate Fran (Lolly Adefope) in the lurch.
YOU
Where: Netflix
Image sourced here.
Stalking, sex and a protagonist you’ll love to hate, YOU is a moreish binge-watch with plenty of shout-at-the-screen moments, based on a novel by Caroline Kepnes. We first meet Joe Goldberg in a bookshop he manages in Brooklyn; he’s handsome (enough), well-read and an easy liar, with the brooding, superior air of someone who has a secret soundproof cage for humans in their basement.
Joe quickly falls in love with Beck, and it soon becomes clear that when Joe is in love, he is a manipulative, murderous arsehole, who you can’t help but pity. Think The Talented Mr. Ripley, but with more performative hipsters. The second season premiered on Boxing Day, so strap in for another addictively creepy ride!
Unbelievable
Where: Netflix
Image sourced here.
A moving miniseries based on true events in Washington and Colorado, Unbelievable follows the investigation that takes place following a series of rapes, starting with the story of a vulnerable young adult named Marie Adler (Kaitlyn Denver).
Marie is coerced into retracting her own rape report by a disturbingly convincing pair of white male detectives – meanwhile, similar attacks are taking place in neighbouring counties. This is where detectives Karen Duvall (Merritt Wever) and Grace Rasmussen (Toni Collette) come in, determinedly checking every rape and assault case in the surrounding area for similarities, and treating every woman involved with gentle-but-firm respect.
Gratuitous violence is nowhere to be seen, and each victim is thoughtfully fleshed out with the context and time they deserve, so they’re real people to us, rather than faceless, unfortunate outcomes. Unbelievable is true crime written with women in mind, and the difference this makes is spectacular.
Gentleman Jack
Where: BBC iPlayer
Image sourced here.
A period drama that isn’t a twee heteromance?! Yep, you read that right. Gentleman Jack was adapted from the real diaries of landowner and industrialist Anne Lister, who wrote (mostly in secret code) about a series of lesbian relationships which dominated her short, spectacular life.
Sally Wainwright is the cunning screenwriter behind this revolutionary show; the plot manages to be equal parts radical and romantic, and the dialogue suitably scathing. Artfully cast Suranne Jones is both handsome and exuberant as Lister, bringing her to life with handfuls of gumption, and throwing us plenty of playful loaded glances to break the fourth wall.
What are you waiting for? Settle into your sofa, put up your festive-socked feet and ask the nearest problematic relative to pass the remote!
Title image sourced here.
