It’s a good time to be a woman holding the remote: We are supposedly in a renaissance of women producing, writing and starring in their own TV shows. There’s “Whitney,” produced by and starring comic Whitney Cummings; there’s “Two Broke Girls,” written and produced by Cummings and starring the amazing Kat Dennings; “Pan Am,” starring Christina Ricci; “Ringer,” starring Sarah Michelle Beller; “Hart Of Dixie,” starring Rachel Bilson; and “New Girl,” starring everyone’s favorite manic pixie dream girl, Zooey Deschanel. We’re told (by people who financially benefit from us watching “The Playboy Club“) that “The Playboy Club” is another win for feminism.
I’ve watched nearly all of the shows that debuted last week and enjoyed a couple of them. I suppose it was naive for me to think I’d love them all just because I’m a chick and, oh hey, Zooey Deschanel is a chick, too! I don’t mean to be a hater; it’s just that none of these comedies approach the cable TV raunchiness I’ve come to love from my beloved “Chelsea Lately.” Plus, I am skeptical that a bunch of TV shows starring gorgeous, skinny white women will be really that transgressive. Alas, there is one new show that seems more realistic than, say, Zooey Deschanel being single for longer than 36 seconds. It’s “Up All Night,” the new comedy on NBC starring Christina Applegate, Maya Rudolph and Will Arnett (aka Mr. Amy Poehler). It’s funny, it’s original, and I think it might just be the most feminist new show on television right now. Keep reading »
