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Why funny women are taking the lead on TV

The return of the wholesome Gilmore Girls rounds off a year of female-centred television

by Lucinda Smyth / November 25, 2016 / Leave a comment
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©Saeed Adyani/Netflix

Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel) ©Saeed Adyani/Netflix

Nine years after the last series ended, Gilmore Girls returned to screens today with four 90-minute episodes on Netflix. The sitcom follows Lorelai, a sharp-tongued, free-spirited single mother, bringing up her gifted daughter Rory—the result of a teenage pregnancy. Over seven series, amid a swirl of fast-paced dialogue, we saw Rory (Alexis Bledel) grow up in real time. In the new season, entitled “A Year in the Life,” Lorelai (Lauren Graham) is now 48, and Rory is 32—the same age her mother was in series one. It’s a nice touch of symmetry that makes the revival seem particularly well-timed.

The new episodes are timely for a different reason: 2016 has marked a significant year for female-centred television comedy. We saw the wildly successful premiere of Fleabag on BBC Three, as well as the new series ofBroad City, Girls, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Inside Amy Schumer. All these shows feature funny women in lead roles, and are specifically concerned with female issues—a trend that even five years ago would have been highly unlikely.

Just because they feature women in the lead, doesn’t preclude a strong male following. According to a poll published in Vulture, 56 per cent of live viewership for the first season of Girls were men (22 per cent were men aged over 50). In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Ian Hislop mentioned that he found Fleabag “incredibly funny.” That a show about a dry-witted female sex addict should be endorsed by a caustic m…

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Comments

  1. Rolando
    October 3, 2017 at 15:05
    Actually, people like funny characters and fun based shows. As far as female funny characters are concerned, these are very popular among masses. The momo character in Bulbaly drama series telecast on ary news live is very appreciated among masses. Momo character is performed by top tv actresses.

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About this author

Lucinda Smyth
Lucinda Smyth is a writer living in London. Her first novel will be published in 2019 by HarperCollins
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