Fleabag to Mrs Maisel: Shows For Feminist Souls During Lockdown

If you are finding yourself in need of some positive and progressive stories, look no further than these shows.

If you are finding yourself in need of some positive and progressive stories, look no further than these feminist series.

(Photo: Arnica Kala/The Quint)

Let's admit it. It has been an exhausting week for all of us – given the worldwide battle against the coronavirus pandemic. And for us Indians, this is just the beginning of the 21-day lockdown imposed by the central government to contain the spread of the virus.

So, if you are finding yourself in need of some positive and progressive stories, there's no better place to turn to than the many feminist series, streaming right now on laptops and mobile phones near you.

1. Grace and Frankie

This Netflix show is all about celebrating female friendship. It revolves around two 70-year-old women living life to the fullest. They are out drinking, supporting each other in grief, creating art and simply being there for each other. The Jane Fonda-Lily Tomlin starrer is 6 seasons long, and it will make you video call your girlfriends multiple times.

2. Bletchley Circle

Set in the post World War 2 era, Bletchley Circle tells the story of four women mathematicians who have just returned to ‘civilian life’. One of the protagonists, Susan, notices a pattern to the murders of several women and enlists her fellow cryptographers to help investigate.

This miniseries is brief, perfect for a one-day Netflix binge, and will leave you motivated.

3. Fleabag

Women are flawed. Women are complex. And Phoebe Waller-Bridge brings a part of ‘us’ on screen, in and as Fleabag. It revolves around a character who tries to navigate through love and life in London, all while coping with a myriad of emotions.

There is a high chance that most of you have already watched this crowd favourite on Prime Video. But then again, there is no reason why you should not rewatch it – for the laughs, the sobs and the general feels.

4. Marvelous Mrs Maisel

This show will probably go down in history as an all-time classic.

The three-season comedy-drama series on Prime Video is based on the fictional character of Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel, who thought she had everything she ever wanted — until she discovers that she is a kick-ass stand-up comedian. Set in the New York of the 1950s, this story is about how Mrs M’s professional choices turns around her personal life — and vice versa.

5. Orange Is The New Black

This is the show you have heard a lot of people talking about, has been on your list for eons but you probably never really got around to seeing it. And now is as a good time as any.

Orange Is the New Black is based on the memoir of Piper Kerman, a real-life former prison inmate who had ended up behind the bars for drug trafficking and money laundering.

Dealing with the violence against, the inside politics and the rights of women prisoners, mostly women of colour, OITNB has been described as “great feminist television” because it brings to life “culturally invisible women”.

6. Killing Eve

Killing Eve is a British spy thriller you've been waiting to watch. It is funny, fierce and has irresistible female leads. It revolves around two flawed but flawless women – one spy, one assassin – and how their lives become extensively interlinked. Starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, you can catch the two-season series on Hotstar.

7. Sex Education

At first glance, it seems like a British recreation of those formulaic American high-school rom-coms, but dig a little deeper and there’s much to be appreciated in Netflix’s Sex Education. The story revolves around 16-year-old Otis who sets up an underground sex therapy clinic at his school with batchmate Maeve Wiley. The show talks about safe sex, body positivity, emergency contraception, abortion and a myriad of ‘taboo’ topics. A few episodes in and the story-arc of Eric’s character (a member of the LGBTQ community), free-wheeling in one scene and suffering in another, becomes endearing.

Watch the show for the intersectional feminism we need in life.

8. Gilmore Girls

This show has a cult following, especially among the ‘90s kids’. It is like chicken soup for your tired soul.

Gilmore Girls follows the lives single mother Lorelai Gilmore and her teenage daughter Rory, whom she had when she herself was 16. The show endorses strong female characters, female friendships, highlights vulnerability – in short, celebrates women and womanhood. It ran between 2000 and 2007 but you can now catch over a hundred episodes on Netflix.

If the quick, witty exchanges between the mother and daughter duo remind you somewhat of the back-and-forth of Mrs Maisel and her agent Susie, don’t be surprised – both these epic feminist shows come from the same writer-director, Amy Sherman-Palladino.

9. Good Girls Revolt

Set in 1969-1970, the Good Girls Revolt tells the story of a fictional magazine 'News In Week' where women employees are barred from being reporters. It revolves around how the protagonist inspires other women to fight for their due credit. With just 10 episodes, the show ends in a cliffhanger. Why Prime Video failed to renew the show is another story altogether.

10. Anne With an E

This series is a coming-of-age story of an orphan who seeks love, acceptance and a sense of family from a brother-sister duo. In 13-year-old Anne, you will see a feminist icon – she is assertive, intelligent and ambitious. She is proof that you don’t have to be ‘cool’, you just have you be yourself.