Comments on: Where Are All The Heroines On TV? https://www.thestorydepartment.com/heroines-tv/ Story. Screenplay. Sale. Tue, 06 May 2014 08:18:09 +0000 hourly 1 By: Steven Fernandez https://www.thestorydepartment.com/heroines-tv/#comment-68840 Tue, 06 May 2014 08:18:09 +0000 https://thestorydepartment.com/?p=31390#comment-68840 Firstly, in my view, the individual psychological depth and complexity of any given protagonist is far more important than what gender or minority group they may happen to belong to. I am not in favour of a blanket affirmative-action-style policy that dictates that 50% of characters must suddenly be female just to meet political correctness quotas. (Do we really want cardboard assualt-rifle-lugging action characters who just so happen to have lady parts? Is that a satisfactory “representation” of women?).

Secondly, I’m not so sure that the general populace is as ready to accept hard-hitting and blood-letting female protagonists as Hayley McKenzie supposes. (Have we forgotten the furore that erupted over the character of Hit Girl in “Kick Ass 1”?)

Thirdly, I have noticed a recent trend in TV to present solid female characters that are “just as good as” their male colleagues. For example, 2 pistol-shooting women in “Persons Of Interest”, and 2 scientifically smart girls in “The Big Band Theory”. Granted that these capable gals tend to be introduced later in a TV series (around Season 2 or 3), the trend is still there.

(For the record, Yours Truly routinely writes solid female characters. And not just for the sake of ideological appeasment: Smart and assertive female characters are just plain INTERESTING!)

]]> By: Miriam https://www.thestorydepartment.com/heroines-tv/#comment-65781 Sun, 04 May 2014 07:20:17 +0000 https://thestorydepartment.com/?p=31390#comment-65781 I very much agree with your proposal, there are definitely not enough female leads around in narrative tv shows. There’s one (and an amazing one at that) exception though – Orphan Black. Tatiana Maslany is acting as several versions of herself as they’re all clones. Many different female lifestyles – the suburban mother, the hippie (lesbian) scientist, the con-woman, the cop…. – are presented in so many great ways. A must-see :)
I really wish there’s more of where that came from.

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