By Rose Graner
Entertainment Editor
An unprecedented amount of television shows that have been picked up for the fall season have female leads—at least 10 so far. Although this may not spell out a lasting trend, it is an extremely heartening indicator that casual sexism in entertainment fields is finally beginning to fall by the wayside.
Of course, sexism has not disappeared entirely from modern American society. Accordingly, some of these shows are standard cheesecake fare and not at all revolutionary; a “Charlie’s Angels” reboot is in the works and Sarah Jessica Parker is producing what is essentially a D.C.-flavored version of the television series “Sex and the City.”
However, for each demeaning and simplistic portrayal of women in the upcoming television season, there is one show that promises to appeal to basic feminist sensibilities. For instance, J.J. Abrams (of “Lost” and “Fringe” fame) is known for featuring well-rounded, strong female characters, and he has had not one but two female-led pilots picked up for fall.
The fact that studios are willing to sign two female-led shows from the same high-concept, high-budget creator means that the industry has at least some faith in television viewers’ ability to prize good entertainment over all-too-prevalent vestigial sexism in our culture.
The trend of increasing gender equality in television programming is not limited to shows featuring Abrams’ particular brand of sci-fi drama programming. Though Jon Belushi remarked openly and often that women were unfit to be comedians, the success of female-led comedies like Tina Fey’s “30 Rock” and Amy Poheler’s “Parks and Recreation” have initiated the breakdown of this stereotype.
As a result, many major studios have picked up comedies with female leads—most notably a series based on Chelsea Handler’s highly-acclaimed and startlingly irreverent memoir “Are You There, Vodka, It’s Me, Chelsea,” which features a dynamic and independent female lead actress.
Indeed, increased representation of female performers and writers is not limited to just television. Producer Judd Apatow (“Superbad,” “Pineapple Express”) has a spotty track record with feminism. He tends to portray male characters as loveable oafs whose casual sexism is charming rather than offensive and has been known to make female characters whiny, petty creatures.
The most effective creative forces can change with the times, though, if the way that Apatow has stepped up recently on the feminist front by producing the female-written and acted ensemble comedy “Bridesmaids” is any indication.
In short, the upcoming fall season’s crop of women in television is extremely promising. It suggests that women are gaining recognition as performers and writers that even 20 years ago they would not have been societally capable of achieving. Sexism still affects many aspects of life, but it is actively losing its grasp on popular culture, to the benefit of television and film producers and consumers alike.
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