Throughout my journey here on this platform, I have had the privilege of finally getting the opportunity to write articles about what I love and care about. Shining a light on the disenfranchised, the unseen and the diversity and inclusion in the entertainment world has been my mission throughout this whole school year. It was the first time I ever got to publish these article ideas and I’m so thankful to have made them a reality on this platform. For my final article for the school year, I want to celebrate women (especially as the sole male team member on the HC Ryerson team) the best way I can by writing about the most significant female-led TV shows of the past decade.
The selections on this list will be based on my personal choices based on the shows that I have seen, from least to most favourite, but all notable picks still. I haven’t watched every female-led show, but I am confident there will be at least one title on this list that catches your attention. I aimed for a variety of genres as well from dramas, comedies, thrillers, etc. There are big named prestige shows as well as highlighting some that may have gone under your radar. Without further ado, here are ten decade-defining female-led shows of the 2010s.
Honourable Mentions: Dickinson (I wrote a whole piece on the first season in anticipation for season two and spoiler alert, season two is just as, if not more, amazing than the first). Jane the Virgin, One Day at a Time and Vida (Wrote about all these shows on my Latinx listicle). Pose and Orange Is the New Black (I wrote about both shows on my trans female performances listicle). Other notable mentions include Killing Eve, Little Fire Everywhere, Glow, Unbelievable, The Baby-Sitters Club (Yes, the Netflix 2020 version that is actually amazing).
- A Black Lady Sketch Show
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Sketch comedy shows for the longest time have mainly been created by and starring men. Classics such as Kids in the Hall and Monty Python’s Flying Circus have paved the way for how sketch comedy series can be successful but were dominated by white male creators and stars. In recent years, there’s been more sketch shows made by Black creators, Key & Peele is a prime example, launching the careers of its stars to new heights. Unfortunately, there was never one that centred primarily on women.
That wasn’t until A Black Lady Sketch Show came along and changed that. Its creators and stars are not just all women but specifically Black females. The show premiered in 2019 on HBO and was touted as being the first sketch comedy show centring on a cast of Black females. The cast comprises six talented Black female comedians, with its head showrunner Robin Theade proving she is multi-talented and deserves to be watched. Each of these women bring versatility and energy to every new character that they play, giving it their all. What I love about the show is the way it showcases all elements of Black culture, with sharp humour and writing in a lot of its sketches. Like almost all sketch comedy shows, however, some are better than others but the achievements that this show brings should not be missed.
Best Sketches: The most popular sketch from the show is the Bad B*tch Support Group sketch, which is a hilarious premise of women discussing the difficulties of being, well, a bad b*tch. It is expertly layered by dissecting beauty standards with racial and gender expectations. With a cast that has Angela Bassett and Laverne Cox though, it’s a standout. Another sketch I love is the Basic Ball sketch, which sees Rupaul’s Drag Race star Bob the Drag Queen who serves it as an MC on this unique spin on ballroom culture. It lovingly pays tribute to the scene while bringing the gay’s hilarious exaggerated categories to this basic ball.
Watch the trailer for the first season here.
The show premiered its first season on HBO and is available to watch on Crave TV with the HBO+Movies add-on.
- Girls
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This may be a controversial pick on a list of best female-led comedy shows, mostly due to the reputation of its creator and star Lena Dunham. No matter what sort of controversy she has faced in the past, however, the influence Girls had on female-centred shows back when it first aired in 2012 is undeniable. The show following four rich, white, snobby 20-somethings trying to make a life for themselves in New York, was groundbreaking at the time. Lena Dunham wanted to make a show about flawed women in a time of their lives that wasn’t yet explored in mainstream television. Shows about women were usually either about their teenage years, growing up and finding first love, usually in a high school setting. On the other end, shows about older women were akin to Sex and the City, where they are set in their careers and looking for marriage and family. Girls was more interested in exploring women in their awkward 20s, trying to start up their careers and goals, both personally and professionally.
Girls has been criticized for being too white and not representing the diversity of New York City, which is understandable. The show is too white and these women are not the easiest to root for but that’s honestly the point. Dunham wanted to write characters that catered to her own experiences, rather than trying to write from a perspective she has no right to speak on. She knows these women are selfish and privileged and she doesn’t praise them for it. It’s a commentary on these archetypes and as somebody who is so far away from this lifestyle, it’s entertaining to watch.
Watch the trailer for the first season here.
Girls premiered its six seasons on HBO and is available to watch on Crave TV with the HBO+Movies add-on.
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
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Ever since seeing the poster of this show on Amazon Prime when it first premiered. An image of the titular Midge Maisel standing out amongst a crowd of men, I knew what this show was going for and I wanted to watch it immediately. Set in the glamorous, vibrant world of 50’s New York, The Marvelous Ms. Maisel is one of the most fun, funny and beautiful shows available to stream. The story follows Miriam “Midge” Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan), a New York housewife who had mapped out what she thought she wanted out of life. Go to college, find a husband and have kids. Her life takes an unexpected turn however when her husband Joel (Michael Zegen) suddenly leaves her and in a drunken bender, she stumbles onto the stage of a nightclub and gives a hilarious stand-up performance, discovering her comedic skills. This sets the series off where Midge decides to pursue stand up as a career, with the help of her new manager Susie (Alex Borstein), taking on tours and gigs while trying to balance her personal life at the same time.
Maisel is a delightfully vibrant and hilarious comedy about a woman trying to make it in a heavily male-dominated industry. Seeing Midge overcome the obstacles of being a woman in the 50s trying to make it in a tough industry such as stand-up comedy is empowering but also addicting to watch. Rachel Brosnahan injects so much charisma to this character. Creator Amy Sherman Palladino (who also served as showrunner for the iconic Gilmore Girls) serves up the wittiest lines and fast-paced dialogue through her excellent writing. Nearly everything about Mrs. Maisel is entertaining to watch. Each character has their own sense of humour. The sets, costumes and cinematography are some of the best from television in recent years. The show brings you into that 50s fantasy which is a historical era that I love sucking myself into. Midge and Susie have a friendship that’s so unique but works so well. Whereas Midge is rich, preppy and privileged, Susie rejects typically feminine clothing and is rougher around the edges. They perfectly contrast each other but they’re both so funny, dynamic and strong both together and on their own terms.
Watch the trailer for the first season here.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is available to watch now on Amazon Prime Video.
- I May Destroy You
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Michaela Coel is an auteur on the rise and someone that more people should be keeping their eye on. I May Destroy You follows Arabella (Michaela Coel) a burgeoning writer who is stuck in writer’s block one night while a draft of her book is due (very relatable for all the writers, myself included). She decides to go out for drinks with some friends but soon gets her drink spiked, leading to a sexual assault incident. Arabella wakes up the next day, not remembering anything, setting up the 12 episode mini-series where she tries to piece together the events of that night while navigating her trauma.
Coel is a showrunner, writer, producer and actor who knows how to capture the minds of what women go through in contemporary dating life. She did this with her first show Chewing Gum, which is also highly recommended. Whereas that series was more of a straight-up comedy, however, I May Destroy You is more of a drama. It digs into the complexity of how one comes to terms with trauma, abuse and assault, all with compassion and heart. Some moments are difficult to watch and moments where difficult questions are asked throughout the show. What I loved about this story was what it was saying about relationships, the meaning of consent and dating in the digital world. An underrated element of the show is the supporting cast, particularly Arabella’s two best friends Terry (Weruche Opia) and Kwame (Paapa Essiedu). Not only do they help Arabella out with everything she is going through but we see how they navigate dating in their own way. Kwame in particular, as a gay Black man, gets himself involved in hookup culture on apps like Grindr, something too rarely seen on TV. It’s relatable, real and authentic.
For a story that does deal with such a heavy topic, the show isn’t “misery porn” as they call it. There’s a biting sense of humour that’s injected, especially through the chemistry between Arabella and her friends. It also satirizes our society’s current obsession with social media, like when Arabella becomes a sort of feminist influencer which becomes a major plot point in one episode. It is seen as nightmarish as well, tapping into Arabella’s growing obsession with this newfound fame as a way to cope with her trauma. There are so many layers to this show, it’s heartbreaking and from a personal point of view from Coel who based the show off of her own experience with sexual assault. With an incredible finale, this is a show that will stick with you and make you think long after the credits roll.
Watch the trailer for the mini-series here.
I May Destroy You premiered on HBO and is available to watch on Crave TV with the HBO+Movies add-on.
- Fleabag
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I am most likely in the minority when I say that I did not love Fleabag in its first season. Maybe I just didn’t get what it was going for, maybe I need a rewatch. What I did admire was how bold and unique the style was. Fleabag herself (she actually remains nameless throughout the whole show) is a woman who is trying to navigate grief, relationships and keeping her life together in London. Season one was all about Fleabag coping with this trauma and felt more like a series of vignettes in this person’s life. The second season, however, is where the show came into its own, bringing the show to new heights both culturally and creatively. With a more biting sense of humour, deeper themes on religion and relationships, the second season was a juggernaut during awards season and deservedly so. Fleabag is another show on this list that is created by and starring a talented woman in Phoebe Waller Bridge. The show breaks the fourth wall throughout the whole series, adding to the show’s brand of originality as it delves into the psyche of this woman’s inner thoughts. Waller Bridge plays a woman who balances beauty and messiness with charm and wit. Did I also mention that there’s a hot priest? How could I not mention Andrew Scott as the hot priest? If anything, watch it for him and Waller-Bridge’s chemistry and you will see how special this show really is.
Watch the trailer for the first season here.
Fleabag’s two seasons are available to watch now on Amazon Prime Video.
- Younger
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Younger is a show that you may not have heard of but are definitely aware of its creator. The series creator is Darren Star, known for his hit HBO series Sex and the City and his most recent show, Emily in Paris on Netflix. Although those shows reached a wider audience than Younger did, they have been criticized for being overly cliché, sexist and problematic in many ways.
Younger does not commit those same mistakes and it’s a shame that it’s so criminally underrated because it is one of the best female-led sitcoms in recent years. The show follows Liza Miller (Sutton Foster) a 40-year-old mother who decides to go back into the workforce after divorcing her husband and sending her daughter off to college. Unfortunately, due to the blatant ageism in the workplaces that Liza applies to, she needs to come up with a new plan to get what she wants. As a book lover herself, Liza applies to a publishing company and decides to lie about her age, claiming that she is in her 20s rather than in her 40s. It helps a lot that Liza looks like she could be in her 2os and has to deal with all the crazy drama of moving up in her career, creating new relationships at the company, while trying to hide her real age. Liza also has to hide her age from her much younger boyfriend Josh (Nico Tortorella), with her confidante and long-time best friend Maggie (Debi Mazzar) being the only one who knows of Liza’s lie.
I started watching this show with my parents during the early months of quarantine and we could not get enough of it, bingeing six seasons in the span of less than a month. Younger is a show that is consistently entertaining from start to finish. Unlike Darren Star’s other female-driven shows, the women in the show are strong, resilient, likeable and easy to root for. At empirical publishing, the company Liza works for, she meets a younger, smart and ambitious woman in Kelsey (Hilary Duff) where they form a strong bond that defies the age gap between them. It teaches audiences that age is just a number and that no matter how old you are it’s never too late to start achieving your dreams. Younger shows this through Liza Miller, who is one of the most underrated female protagonists in television. Liza, with her best friend Kelsey, are aware of the structures that make it harder for them to succeed as women and their friendship is a rare beauty as they support each other in their successes.
There’s juicy drama throughout, with Liza not being able to keep up her lie for too long. There are love triangles, dramatic story arcs and scenarios but grounds itself in real issues and themes. The show even parodies famous real-life authors, most notably Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin who is satirized in the show as being a little too lecherous. With its final seventh season airing, this is a show with loveable characters and a perfect fun escape for the spring/summer season.
Watch the trailer for the first season here.
Younger currently has its first six seasons available now on Amazon Prime Video.
- Insecure
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Insecure is quite possibly the best show centring on Black females not just of this past decade but of all time. It’s a show where its inception is just as fascinating as the product itself. Creator, writer and now multi-hyphenate Issa Rae launched her own web series Awkward Black Girl on Youtube with collaborators she met at Stanford University in 2011. She worked outside the lines of how to make a name for herself in the entertainment world, with the series becoming an internet success. Rae then took the idea of Awkward Black Girl and was able to make the necessary connections to pitch a new show to HBO, which became Insecure. The show is another one of those slices of life dramedies that is based on the persona of its creator, akin to something like Girls earlier on the list. The story simply follows Issa Dee (Issa Rae) and her best friend Molly Carter (Yvonne Orji) navigating their 20s both in their professional and personal lives as modern-day Black women. Another show made by and for Black women, it’s nonetheless hilarious and entertaining no matter who you are. Issa is a character that doesn’t always make the best decisions, but you still understand her motivations.
The show deals with friendship uniquely and realistically too, particularly between Issa and Molly. It navigates the universal but subtle complexities of what it means to be in a relationship, whether that’s with a partner or with your best friend. With its final fifth season coming up, now is a perfect time to dive right into the sunny LA world of Insecure.
Watch the trailer for the first season here.
Insecure’s four seasons aired on HBO and is available to watch on Crave TV with the HBO+Movies add-on.
- The Queen’s Gambit
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The unexpected hit of 2020 that took the streaming world by storm, The Queen’s Gambit has this reputation for a reason. If you haven’t already watched the show, the story follows Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor Joy) who, after a tragic accident, becomes an orphan in the 1960s. In the orphanage, she develops an interest in the game of chess and discovers that she has a natural talent for it and becomes a child prodigy. At the same time, the orphanage is giving out tranquillizers to the children as a way to sedate them, a method that was actually used during those times. While Beth discovers her newfound talent, she develops a volatile addiction to drugs and alcohol that follows her throughout her adult life. The Queen’s Gambit is one of the most addictive shows on Netflix and it’s one of its most well-made original series as well. In the span of just seven episodes, the show sees Beth taking on large-scale chess tournaments, meeting the best of the best while trying to become one herself.
Beth Harmon is an empowering character who easily thrives in a male-dominated sport like chess. Watching her beat these men with such ease, beauty and grace is engrossing to witness. Beth is seen as extraordinary, a woman that not just female audiences can look up to but that the supporting male characters in the show look up to as well. She is constantly one step ahead of them in the world of chess and it’s thrilling to watch. Each relationship she has with the various men she meets in the series is also well developed and it’s refreshing to see a group of men look up to a woman and support her to succeed.
The show also sports incredible production value. The period setting is fully realized and part of the show’s appeal is that even though it’s a show about chess, it’s presented thrillingly. It’s so accessible to anyone regardless of their knowledge of chess. This is because it’s all about the characters’ facial expressions and the movement of the camera and editing that keeps the audience entertained. Beth’s addiction is also explored, adding to the layers of complexity this show explores. With over 63 million households viewing the show, The Queen’s Gambit is the perfect period drama to watch.
Watch the trailer for the mini-series here.
The Queen’s Gambit is available to watch now on Netflix.
- Big Little Lies
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When you put Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley and Zoé Kravitz all in one show together, I knew it was going to be special. The show hooks the audience right off the bat with a mysterious crime scene at a party. We see how it all started and the show slowly unravels its secrets until it connects to that same party in the final episode. What is so great and empowering about Big Little Lies is that each of the Monterey Five (which is what these women are infamously called) have their own backstories, personal drama and distinct personalities. Each of these powerhouse actresses are at the top of their games, bringing it their all.
I like to describe Big Little Lies as the Real Housewives of Monterey but within the suspenseful thriller genre. These women are all filthy rich, married, with kids, or both and all get into catty but entertaining conflicts with one another. By the end of the season, however, these women come together and support each other. They finally see the value in sticking together and protecting one another from the struggles they each face. It’s a beautiful image and message to send to female audiences, which is what makes the show go above and beyond even by prestige drama standards. The second season isn’t as strong as the first. It’s a little messier and not as consistently entertaining and strong. What it does however is Meryl Streep and her addition with an already iconic cast is still absolutely worth the watch.
Watch the trailer for the first season here.
Big Little Lies premiered its two seasons on HBO and is available to watch on Crave TV with the HBO+Movies add-on.
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
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Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a show where on the surface, it’s as anti-feminist as it can possibly be. The story revolves around Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) who lives her life working at a mind-numbing law firm in New York, struggling to keep her mental health in check. One day at work, Rebecca bumps into her old ex-boyfriend Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III) and decides to impulsively change the course of her life by moving to West Covina to pursue him.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is an original musical comedy series that subverts almost all the expectations you have with ‘crazy ex-girlfriend’ archetypes. Rebecca Bunch is a character that is unapologetically weird, messy and dysfunctional, but she is endearing nonetheless. Rebecca’s character is treated with care, empathy and likeability. That’s with all the characters as well. It doesn’t just pit Rebecca simply as the weird one but all the supporting characters are just as odd, dysfunctional and charming in their own way. Its diversity is also something that I wish more people paid attention to in this show. As a queer Filipino, seeing Josh Chan, who’s played by an outwardly gay Filipino actor, was huge for me. It’s one of the only shows to represent Filipino characters in mainstream TV. The show dives into Rebecca’s mental health as the show reveals itself to be much more than a comedic rom-com satire. There’s proper bisexual representation, it’s inclusive and does it all without pandering. As an original musical comedy, the show parodies every musical genre you can think of and there’s rarely ever a dull song in the mix.
The show went through a rollercoaster ride of a series run. Despite it not faring well in viewership on The CW network, its award nominations and consistently high critical praise kept the show going. It lasted for a near-perfect four seasons and ended the way it wanted to. I believe this is a show destined to become a cult classic decades to come and it’s my pick to end off this list of decade-defining female-led shows.
Best female ensemble songs in the show: Let’s Generalize About Men (a scathing takedown of toxic masculinity that’s also hilariously exaggerated and satirical), Friendtopia (a fun, pulpy sci-fi meets Spice Girls parody), Put yourself first (a fifth harmony parody on feminist messages that aren’t exactly empowering and a little contradicting).
Watch the trailer for the first season here.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend aired its four seasons on The CW.