A primetime comedy about a diverse (physically and emotionally) cast of characters who also happen to be cops.
PoC: Yes!!! Not only are the majority of the main characters not white, they also hold positions of power!
LGBTQIA+: YES AGAIN! And AGAIN, someone in an authority position!
Disability Presence: No
Basically: Detectives and employees of a NYC police precinct work to improve themselves as individuals while also working together on their interpersonal relationships and occasionally solving crimes.
Woo!: One of my favorite things about this show is how REFRESHING it is to be watching a primetime cable comedy and see Black men depicted as sensitive, smart, compassionate, and working in positions of authority! The Latinx characters are also given depth beyond their stereotypes and ALL the characters are developing and growing as people! The jokes are mostly tasteful, rarely offensive. There are some multi-episode story arcs but you can easily put on a random episode and get the gist of it, while probably laughing out loud multiple times.
Ugh: COP SYMPATHY. And the two fat characters are very blatantly depicted as repulsive dimwits and frequently made fun of. BUT, in season 3 they are given a little more credit and appreciation.
But is it funny?: Yes! Frequently! Silly, absurd, quick-witted and sharp-tongued humor.
How many seasons/episodes?: 4 seasons, 22 episodes each and season 5 starts in September 2017! All episodes currently available on Hulu.
Anything else?: “It’s fun to laugh AT cops!” -Nick
Overall: I like this show a lot. The stories move quick enough to keep my interest without overwhelming me and the characters are all interesting and funny for their own reasons. It’s become a go-to chill out show for me, good for high times, friend visits, or post-scary-movie-regrounding purposes.
An HBO comedy about 5 friends (most of the time) who struggle to build, promote, and manage a potentially world-changing algorithm and the business surrounding it. Based in/on the madness of being a tech start-up in northern California.
PoC: Kumail Nanjiani plays a main character, but otherwise p much everyone is white.
LGBTQIA+: No
Disability Presence: No
Basically: A seemingly realistic fiction about some coders who develop an algorithm that makes them a hot commodity in Silicon Valley. A saga of tech start-ups.
Woo!: It depicts a culture I knew very little about before watching this show, and seems to be a fairly accurate representation of it. There are some pretty funny jokes and the story moves along quickly. Several of the characters are truly loathsome, but unarguably well portrayed. After the first season there are 2 female characters who occasionally pass the Bechdel test, but more importantly I was grateful they weren’t instantly made into romantic interests. There are a few times when the dialogue delves into modern social issues and I appreciate that.
Ugh: It’s definitely very bro-y at times, and always nerdy. Most of the characters struggle to talk to women or to take social cues at all. There are some really cringe-worthy moments, but sometimes they’re funny. Don’t watch it if you have zero tolerance for toxic masculinity.
But is it funny?: Yeah, there are some pretty good jokes throughout.
How many seasons/episodes?: 4 seasons, 10 episodes each. Available on hbogo
One more thing: Jared is my favorite character and sometimes my favorite part of the show. He’s very sensitive and articulate - things I aspire to.
Overall: I NEVER came to like the main character lol but I enjoyed the story and some of the relationships. I also feel like I have a much better idea of how apps and startups and technology become marketed products, which I guess is neat.
A “loose retelling” of one of the first eBay success stories, lived by Sophia Amoruso. A show about a 20-something girl who’s NOT totally floundering and desperate for male attention!
PoC: None of the mains, but a few minor characters.
LGBTQIA+: No
Disability Presence: No.
Basically: Sophia starts selling vintage clothes on eBay and becomes successful enough to have it be her only income. She has to deal with other sellers, her friends, her parents, and of course, her customers.
Woo!: This show depicts honest girl-friendships, including disagreements that aren’t about a boy and don’t end in catfights! Sophia faces her self and her past, learns from her own AND OTHERS’ mistakes, and strives to live up to her own idea of how she should be. The romantic and family relationships are realistic too, showing ups and downs and how people deal with themselves and each other. Plus it’s a SUCCESS STORY about a WOMAN.
Ugh: The first episode or two are a little off-putting, showing the more typical young adult female trope of the care-free-but-selfish-and-stubborn-snob but it definitely gets better. She never really stops appropriating AAVE, using it as "hip” slang. Even though it's based on a true story set in the 90s when such behavior was less talked about, they could have updated the character ever so slightly to avoid that cringe-worthy shit. Instead, this reinforces the idea that that’s ok and even cool. It’s very cool to see a positive role model for girls/women but she’s still a middle-to-upper class white-passing woman with a lot of advantages that many people don’t have.
But is it funny?: At times, yes. Sophia is quick-witted and smart, I just really wish she didn’t use AAVE.
Overall: The good definitely outweighed the bad for me, and not just because I also sell things online. The characters are real people, literally and figuratively, and that’s an encouraging thing to see. I’m looking forward to season 2.
A half-magic, half-human boy is being raised by three magical beings who are the best friends of his mom, who gave up her physical form so that Steven could exist. And his full-human dad lives nearby. It’s fun! It’s neat! It’s weird!
PoC: Yes! There are multiple families of color, one of which includes Steven’s best friend. Also Garnet is voiced by Estelle.
LGBTQIA+: It’s subtle at times, but yeah, this show is definitely queer.
Disability Presence: No.
Woo!: Steven is a sensitive, kind, curious, excited boy and each of the crystal gems (the ones raising him) have wisdom, lessons, and stories to share with him. But Steven teaches them, too, as he does things less conventionally but still (sometimes) with desirable results. There’s a lot about learning who you are and working that fluctuating identity into the positive and supportive relationships you create with others whose lives are also in flux – VERY COOL. There’s a lot about different kinds of families and how people become your adopted/adapted family – some of which could be applied to talks on polyamory. There are all kinds of people of varying backgrounds in the town and Steven finds ways to be friends with and show consideration for all of them. Season 1 is a lot of world-building, then it starts giving us more of the background and how they all came to be in their present situation. It’s also visually BEAUTIFUL, with pastel purples and pinky blues and soooo many crystals, though I am admittedly biased toward this aesthetic.
Ugh: I really have no complaints about this show… maybe could include more about disabilities but most of the things they talk about, however obscured by the nature of their universe, are metaphorically applicable to a lot of real life situations, possibly even including disabilities.
But is it funny?: Yes! Mostly silly humor, puns and other fun jokes.
Overall: Definitely watch. Plus the episodes are only 11 minutes long so they’re perfect for when you don’t have time for a longer show but really want to watch something and feel good.
Where to watch: Hulu, and Cartoon Network for new episodes.
A short-lived comedy (only 2 seasons) about the soul-sucking work done for a paycheck from a soulless corporation.
PoC: One token black guy and then a few minor characters without their own stories
LGBTQIA: None of the characters are, but Portia de Rossi is irl.
Disability Presence: Nope.
Woo: It is wonderfully absurd and self-aware. It’s satire, but sometimes so subtle that it seems sincere. The main character, despite being a straight cis white man, is made slightly more dynamic by being a single father – a situation not often depicted on TV. The comedy is very silly and for the most part, not derogatory. De Rossi’s character is so strange and fantastic, very well acted/written. The dialogue is probably the best part although the situations are pretty dang funny too.
Ugh: It’s an upper middle class white-centric show. The women do the emotional labor (even the dude’s 8yo daughter!). Doesn’t pass the Bechdel test.
But is it funny?: Yes
Overall: It’s not doing much to make us into better, more sensitive humans, but it does affirm distrust in corporations. And it’s laugh-out-loud quick-humor funny. Good for high times.
Another ABC Family/Freeform drama, this time delving into all the imaginable scenarios faced by two families whose kids were, duh, switched at birth. The kicker is, one of them is deaf and uses American Sign Language (REGULARLY! THROUGHOUT THE SHOW!)
PoC: Kind of? One of the families is depicted as Latinx but I don’t know whether the actors are so themselves. There is a minor recurring black character in season 2.
LGBTQIA: The first mention of anyone not hetero is in season 2 and 6 episodes in, it’s still not really been discussed.
Disability Presence: Yes! Like half the cast is Deaf and uses ASL. There is plenty of discussion of Deaf culture and the interactions of Deaf and hearing people. Also, alcoholism.
Woo: It’s very awesome to see ASL and Deaf culture and Deaf actors. They do a good job of addressing issues faced by Deaf communities (like the school board defunding an all deaf school) and explaining why certain stereotypes and typical behaviors towards Deaf people (exaggerated talking, assuming a role as interpreter, hearing parents of deaf kids who don’t learn to sign, the cochlear implant debate) are obnoxious or hurtful. The whole nature vs nurture (whose parental rights or advice will prevail?!) discussion is interesting. I like that the adults have their own stories and two of them are a long term couple who are still into and supportive of each other. There’s a lot of teen relationships going on, too, (naturally?) which can be enjoyable if you’re into drama. The switched girls struggle with their identities in relation to their lived lives and their coulda-been lives which was intriguing, considering the different races and classes involved.
Ugh: One of the families is very rich white people and the other is very poor latinx people. The dichotomy is annoying. But there are frequent call outs of white savior behavior – though the call outs don’t always stop the actions. There’s also a weird thing when they’re trying to figure out who someone’s talking about and say “is she African-American, pretty?” and “was it an African-American woman, beautiful?” like… if you were describing a white woman, would “pretty” or “beautiful” be enough of a distinguishing feature? Is it distinguishing in this case because the first descriptor, African-American, implies not pretty or beautiful? I could be reading too much into it but idk, they coulda said any number of objective adjectives like tall, thin, young, perfect eyebrows, big curly hair, etc. that wouldn’t make me squint when I heard them.
But is it funny?: Not really. I should probably watch more comedies to write about on my comedy blog. Or change my blog’s description.
Overall: If you like teenage/family/relationship drama and binge-able tv, this is highly recommended. And with 5 seasons of hour-long episodes, this will keep you occupied awhile.
New Netflix original series about someone becoming a living-undead person and how they and their family figure out how to work that into their lives.
PoC: A few of the neighbors and later characters are, but the main family is white
LGBTQIA: Nope
Disability Presence: None
Woo: Despite being based around a middle-aged hetero couple, it’s NOT about how much they hate/put up with each other, it’s actually the opposite: they are very much in love, faced with a new challenge, and trying to get through it together. It’s a very cute and bright and sweet show, but with the dark twist of the whole undead thing.
Ugh: There are some shitty tropes, like the geeky boy in love with the girl but they’re just friends but he wants to be more but she doesn’t. There’s some little f-you’s to sexism and misogyny but it felt very obvious, to me, that it was written by a man who doesn’t really know or believe in the weight of those issues.
Umm..: Some criminals are introduced, and they’re mostly PoC, which is ugh but then they’re given more dimension and unusual characteristics with their funny dialogue, which is woo, but then… I wonder if it’s funny because we don’t expect PoC characters to have intelligent dialogue? Which is ugh, but at society and not just this show.
But is it funny?: Yeah, it actually is, and not for mean or exclusionary reasons. It’s that straight-faced-reaction-to-the-absurd kind of humor with concise dialogue.
Overall: I liked it, though I don’t like it on paper much. The story has a good ratio of fantasy-to-realism and for the most part the characters seem to be decent people.
THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE SHOW. IT BREAKS YOUR HEART AND THEN TEACHES YOU HOW TO BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR PUTTING IT BACK TOGETHER. Every hot-button issue, every teen dilemma, relationship problem, and family struggle is discussed. And I’m continually impressed by the sensitivity involved in every resolution.
PoC: Yes, close to half the cast (it fluctuates) is not white.
LGBTQIA+: Yes! Lesbian moms, gay teens, a trans person played by a trans actor – all great to see.
BASICALLY: A bi-racial lesbian couple has one biological son, an adopted son and daughter, and a new foster daughter – all teenagers. Trigger warning for like, everything. This show is a DRAMA. But so unbelievably full of love.
Woo!: Every topic they cover – from black identities, to the broken foster system, to biological vs. adopted parents, to abuse and assault, to religious views of homosexuality, to consensual teen sex, to police brutality, to suicide – is dealt with so honestly and sincerely. It’s like the perfect rebuttal to every point I’ve ever heard from a conservative bigot. The diversity in the cast allows for a lot of conversations to happen between characters that reflect talking points from real life. So much feelings and thoughtfulness and caring for each other and taking responsibility for mistakes and forgiveness when warranted! AHHH!
Ugh: The oldest son annoys the shit out of me and every time he appears on screen I want to punch my computer.
But was it funny?: Ok, no. It’s not really funny. (But the Autostraddle recaps are…) Occasionally there are some funny lines but this is really a drama more than anything else. I cry.
Overall: Totally, absolutely, 100% worth getting into. Let your heart be warmed and you might learn some things too. Plus they’re hour long episodes and there are 4+ seasons. Get bingin’ bb!
Juicy, gossip-worthy, and often outrageous drama created and exacerbated by about 10 main characters. But they’re all so well developed you can’t help but empathize with them. And it’s way better than the UK version.
PoC: Minimal. Of the main characters, two are black and one of those is a baby. But the other is a porn actor sooo…???? No that doesn’t really balance it out. A couple other PoC characters phase in and out.
LGBTQIA+: One of the main characters is gay so they do deal with some gay issues and later on even some trans issues.
Disability Presence: Several characters have mental illnesses and season 6 introduces a character in a wheelchair.
BASICALLY: An alcoholic and drug-addicted couple had 6 six kids (ages 21 to 2 years old) who are now trying to raise themselves/each other in a poor neighborhood outside Chicago. The parents come and go, always wreaking havoc. Lots of engaging and frequently shocking drama – after all, it is called “shameless.”
Woo!: Boobs and butts galore! Definitely NSFW unless you have A Super Cool Job. Also Joan Cusack’s character is super kinky and into butt stuff. The eldest daughter Fiona is a fierce and strong female role model – even in real life. Most of the characters are endearing, despite their critical flaws and repeated fuck-ups. They face not-so-pretty Real People issues like terminal illness, unplanned pregnancies, mental illness, imprisonment, addiction, waning friendships, government assistance, etc.
Ugh: The first few seasons are not as good as the later seasons. Seasons 5 and 6 and the currently airing 7 have a lot more social commentary (I’m into that) and diversity in the cast. Maybe they were taking too many cues from the UK original at first? Once it veered from those stories, it got much more engaging.
But was it funny?: There are lots of funny/amusing/revolting parts but I wouldn’t say comedy is the main goal of the writers.
Overall: If you like an almost confusing number of characters and ongoing plotlines; gross and desperate motives; and situations you hope you’ll never find yourself in, this is definitely worth watching. As a Gemini *hair flip* I love all of these things and this show. I’m emotionally attached to all the characters and can’t wait for the next episode.
Netflix could have a whole category for Offensively Titled Shows Featuring a Female Lead. They shouldn’t, lest anyone name future shows to fit the bill, but they could.
The first time I heard the concept for this show – a virgin gets accidentally artificially inseminated – I rolled my eyes so hard that my contacts popped out. I was a lot more sensitive back then.
PoC: Yes, chalk full of ’em!
LGBTQIA+: A minor character is gay, and the partner is evil.
BASICALLY: The reason the concept for this show is so ridiculous, is because it is a nod to the Telenovela genre – like a Spanish soap opera. The entire plot just gets more and more twisted and bizarre; every turn makes you gasp, even when you think you’re immune to the surprises. I was lucky to be able to watch the first two seasons all together because waiting between cliffhangers each week (like I am now as season 3 is airing) is brutal.
Woo!: Glory hallelujah, this show has some real diversity in race, religion, and home life! Jane lives with her mother, Xiomara, and grandmother, Alba. They all speak Spanish, and Alba does not speak English. Whether she can’t or just doesn’t, I don’t know, but she speaks Spanish and the other characters answer her in English. Yes, there are some subtitles, DEAL WITH IT. Alba is a hardcore Catholic widow. Xiomara is a single mother. Jane is also a devout Catholic, hence her whole virgin-until-marriage thing.
The characters are real people trying to make sense of a chaotic world and maintain their values. They sacrifice and adjust and take care of each other, especially in Jane’s home. It’s both comforting and inspiring to watch.
But is it funny? It is laugh-out-loud funny at times. Most of the comedy comes from the narrator and the VH1-Pop-Up-Video-esque tidbits that are sprinkled throughout the series. And from the absurdity of the next plot twist.
Overall: This show is captivating, funny, and unique in mainstream TV. It isn’t typical of telenovelas to have multiple seasons, so I’m glad this show’s tribute to that genre stops there. I can’t wait for more!
I was turned off by this show from the first time I saw it advertised, back in 2011; I don’t trust any primetime use of the word “bitch”. But thanks to the enormity of Netflix, I finally gave it a try in 2016. Glad I did!
PoC: A couple.
LGBTQIA+: No.
BASICALLY: The pilot episode revolves around the title: the “b—-” is so called because of her scamming of potential and previous roommates. Chloe, the b—-, takes advantage of a small-town NYC newcomer, June. After the first episode though, the horribleness of Chloe is only a part of her character.
Woo!: Much to my surprise, and delight, this show depicts some real human moments, especially in the world of female friendships. It DOES actually pass the Bechdel test, after the first episode or two, anyway. The humor does not depend on making individuals the butts of jokes, instead valuing the unexpected comeback or absurd character (James Van Der Beek plays Chloe’s best friend, as himself).
There is only minute discussion of race in the first season, mostly in the form of tongue-in-cheek one liners from Eric Andre’s character. But a female Korean pastor with a recurring role does not speak with a crude accent. These are minor steps toward honest representation of diverse and complex characters, but I was grateful to see SOMETHING other than the same ol’ s—.
Ugh: Call it something else!
But was it funny?: There are some surprisingly laugh-out-loud funny moments, mostly witty comebacks. The writers do a good job of building you to anticipate one thing and then knocking a laugh out of you with something else.
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