Consulting Feminist's Fall Pilot Roundup

It’s that time of year again! Fall TV season has returned and viewers are awash in new shows. Thankfully, if you don’t have time to watch all of the pilots out there, I’ve tackled a few for you and I’m sharing my thoughts here from a feminist perspective and as a regular TV viewer. Here’s to the 2014 season!

Madam Secretary: I LOVE THIS SHOW. I loved it by the end of the pilot. Madam Secretary combines the intrigue of Scandal and House of Cards with the storytelling and dignity of The Good Wife and The West Wing. In Tea Leoni’s Secretary Elizabeth McCord, we find the oft-missing representation of a woman who manages to do it all, though, not without the realistic struggle. Madam Secretary does not continue to ask if a woman can have it all. Rather, it tells the story of a woman who does successfully balance work and family with grace. This is such a welcome departure from what I’m used to seeing on TV and I absolutely will be back for more. (CBS/ Sundays at 8/7c)

A to Z: A to Z is an interesting concept. Here we have essentially a romantic comedy told as a television series. Within five minutes we know exactly how long the two main characters, Andrew and Zelda, will date. Aside from one plot line that involved Andrew essentially stalking Zelda online to make a point, I had no major problems with the pilot, though only time will tell whether A to Z will be truly original or rely on outdated and sexist tropes. I’m willing to give it another chance and I’m curious about whether the concept will work out. (NBC/Thursdays at 9:30/8:30c)

The Mysteries of Laura: So done with “can she have it all” story lines and that is all that The Mysteries of Laura is. I was tired of it before the pilot was over. (NBC/Wednesday at 8/7c)

The Red Band Society: I have a lot of reservations about the way this show portrays chronic illness, especially one character’s eating disorder. That said, the storytelling is well done and Red Band boasts a relatively diverse cast. I’ll continue to watch and may take time to expand on some of my criticisms in a longer post once I’ve seen more of what The Red Band Society has to offer. (FOX/Wednesdays at 9/8c)

Selfie: Selfie was probably the funniest pilot I’ve watched so far and it’s not getting the viewership or reviews it deserves, but I hate the idea of another Eliza Doolittle. I feel like this has been done and, honestly, I find the whole Pygmalion concept a little bit creepy. The story of Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle is a quintessentially disempowering one for Eliza. She can only win the love of a man and a proper place in society when she ceases to be herself and bends instead to become purely an object of her male counterpart’s desire. If it lasts long enough, I hope Selfie turns this idea on its head and tracks the progression of a relationship in which both parties change and learn from one another. I hope Eliza continues to be Eliza and Henry continues to be Henry, but better together. (ABC/Tuesdays at 8/7c)

NCIS: New Orleans: I’ve genuinely enjoyed the first two episodes of the second NCIS spinoff. I quit watching the original about a year ago, but New Orleans brings back the spunk and charm of the NCIS brand, but with a Southern twist and the police procedural feel of NCIS’s early seasons. I’ve also been pleased that there’s no rush to pair off the characters of Lasalle and Brody as a couple and I hope to see their growing friendship explored more deeply. The cast could do with a little more diversity as the primary characters are 60% male and 80% white, which seems less than representative of the actual city of New Orleans. For now, I’ll say that I’ll be tuning in regularly. (CBS/ Tuesdays at 9/8c)

Forever: Forever presents an interesting twist on the crime procedural. This show could combine the success ABC has seen with fantasy like Once Upon a Time with a traditionally strong genre. It’s reminiscent of another ABC staple, Castle. However, as interesting as it is, the main cast is dismally male and dismally white. I would really like to see some more female regulars and greater diversity. (ABC/Tuesdays at 10/9c)

How to Get Away with Murder: Praise be to Shonda. That is all. (ABC/Thursdays at 10/9c)

I Love You, Leslie Knope

Parks and Rec returns tonight and I could not be more elated. I am absolutely thrilled that Parks and Rec returns from a relatively long winter hiatus because I absolutely and completely love Leslie Knope. I know am not the first person to say this and I certainly won’t be the last. That’s because Leslie Knope is awesome.

Leslie is exactly the kind of heroine we need more of on our screens. She is determined, she is funny, she is fearless, and she is flawed. Leslie represents a female protagonist who is neither broken beyond repair nor too perfect to be attainable. She is strong in her convictions and still a little silly. Her unbelievable dedication is matched by a propensity to overreact. It is exactly this balance that makes her real and believable. Even in her eccentricities there is something intrinsically relatable about her. Between that and the general hilarity of the show it is nearly impossible not to tune in each week to see what our favorite Pawneean is up to.

Leslie is one of the best examples of a feminist TV has to offer right now. She is proud of her feminist roots and unafraid to call people out on their sexist behavior. She talks the talk and walks the walk. From starting the Pawnee Goddesses, a scout like organization, when girls were shut out from the Pawnee Rangers to becoming a trash collector for a day to prove that women are just as capable as men, Leslie is a warrior for equality (which she has stated would be her stripper name if she were a stripper). Furthermore, Leslie’s belief in equality does not just crop up once a season like it might in other shows; rather, it represents a major theme of the show. Parks and Rec has not just blessed us with a female protagonist but has gifted us with one who proudly proclaims and lives her feminist beliefs and is not demonized for it.

Leslie is without a doubt my favorite TV character, but she is not the only strong point Parks and Rec has to offer. In addition to Leslie, the show offers us one of the most diverse casts on television in race, ethnicity, and body type and, for the most part, does not make cheap jokes about these aspects of identity. Instead it often uses comedy as a vehicle to call people out on everyday mishandlings of identity. A great example is when Leslie repeatedly asks Tom, her Indian-American coworker, when his answer of South Carolina doesn’t satisfy her curiosity. Tom’s eventual answer of “my mother’s uterus” serves to highlight the absurd behavior of bombarding non-white people with the question “Where are you really from?” The show also demonstrates a strength in its portrayal of female friendships. Instead of focusing mostly on relationships between men and women the emphasis on Parks is usually given to the relationships among the women, particularly the relationships between Ann and Leslie and Ann and April which makes it even more of shame that Rashida Jones, the actress who plays Leslie’s best friend Ann, is leaving this season. Needless to say, a great majority of the episodes of this show pass the Bechdel test.

Overall, Parks and Rec is the best that comedy has to offer. While it tends to be rather ridiculous, it still manages to be meaningful. For as many moments as I have laughed over the course of the show, I have also been pleased to see various societal flaws, particularly regarding women in power, called out. I’m excited to visit Pawnee again starting tonight and if you’re looking for a hilarious half hour with a killer female protagonist, then I hope you’ll join me.