While Hollywood still needs to achieve gender parity, we can choose what to watch. We’ve combed through Netflix’s streaming sprawl to find the best television shows and limited series from female creators for you to enjoy.
The common thread that all of the Netflix shows are on this impressive list is that they were written, directed, created or produced by women. That’s nothing to sniff at these days. This group covers everything from the award-winning to the comforting, the heart-wrenching to the absurd — and every single one of them is at the top of its game.
Women are amazing. TV is amazing. Television made by women is amazing. No further questions, your honor!
1. Grace and Frankie
After their husbands and long-term business partners announce they’ve been secretly in love for decades, high-strung Grace (Jane Fonda) and crunchy, hippie Frankie (Lily Tomlin) are forced into an unlikely friendship and roommate-ship when the only place they have left to live is the La Jolla beach house their families co-own. This is The Odd CoupleA comedy for the modern age that believes that everyone can have their fair share high jinks. (Wait till you see the episodes about vibrators for arthritis.
It’s a deeply charming, zany, and lovable show with a stellar cast featuring Sam Waterston, Martin Sheen, Brooklyn Decker, Ethan Embry, June Diane Raphael, and Baron Vaughn. Marta Kauffman was the co-creator. Friends!) Howard J. Morris and Grace and FrankieThis watch is the perfect companion and will make you feel like your best friend.
What to look out for: Grace and Frankie are streaming on Netflix.
2. Bridgerton
The best place to start is the Sexy, scandalous and ridiculous sensationThat is. Bridgerton? Regency-era Londoners in this period of dramedy seek love under the watchful eye of Queen Elizabeth and other courtiers while trying to avoid scandal. It’s Gossip Girl Meetings Downton Abbey With a How to get away with murder-type twist that makes it undeniably Shonda Rhimes. It will be a joy to consume, and you can plan to binge-eat it all at once. — * Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter
What to look out for: Bridgerton is streaming on Netflix
3. Maid
Created by Molly Smith Metzler and adapted from Stephanie Land’s bestselling memoir Maid: Hard work, low pay, and the Mother’s will to Survive, MaidIt is a punch in the gutThis will make you weep more than once. Margaret Qualley is excellent as Alex, a young woman struggling to leave an abusive relationship while continuing to care for toddler daughter; she’s paired with her real-life mother Andie McDowell, who is fantastic as Alex’s well-meaning but unreliable mom.
We follow Alex’s agonizing journey from navigating a women’s shelter to facing the baffling catch-22’s of the American welfare system (she can’t get state-sponsored child care without a job, but she can’t get a job without child care), and more. It’s a powerful meditation on perseverance, as well as a brutal examination of how incredibly short the United States falls in supporting those struggling to survive.
What to look out for: Maid can be viewed on Netflix.
4. The Baby-Sitters Club
Warm, funny and unapologetically positive This 2020 adaptationThis is a wonderful watch for fans of all ages of the immensely popular Ann M. Martin YA books series. Preteen girls from different backgrounds join forces to form a baby-sitting group in their community. The stories are funny, the friendships are strong and the lessons are profound. The Baby-Sitters Club is the smart but sweet show that celebrates girlhood in all of its many forms, one we wish we had when we were younger — but we’ll settle for it well into our adulthood, thank you very much.
What to look out for: The Baby-Sitters Club streaming on Netflix
5. GLOW
It’s the Gooorgeous Ladies of Wrestling!Created by Liz Flahive & Carly Mensch GLOWThis is one of those shows you just think about and it makes your heart smile. A masterful blend of rage-fueled ‘80s feminism and timeless comedic beats, this half-hour dramedy delivers everything you could want in great TV each and every episode throughout its three seasons. Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin lead an unparalleled ensemble in a journey we’ll never be ready to see end. Here’s lookin’ at you, Season 4. — * A.F.
What to look out for: GLOW is available on Netflix.
6. When They See You
Ava DuVernay’s 2019 Netflix project of cultural significance was the most significant. When They See YouThis case examines in detail the Central Park Five. Examining the wrongful convictions of five Black and Latino men for the rape of a woman in 1989 — for which they would be exonerated over a decade later — this poignant true crime miniseries offers a heart-wrenching look at the flaws in our justice system. This is not only a spectacular series, When They See You highlights the dangerous biases that plague society and put vulnerable people at risk. — * A.F.
What to Watch: You can stream When They See Us on Netflix.
7. Heartstopper
This is what you need to know if you haven’t already British show is impossible to resist!, please drop everything you’re doing and get to Netflix as quickly as possible. You don’t want to spend another second without this sweet love story in your life! Written by Alice OsemanBased on her popular graphic novel series of that name, HeartstopperCharlie is a gay high school student who struggles to make friends with Nick, a charismatic and seemingly straight rugby player at his school. At the beginning of the semester they sit next to each other and soon become inseparable. They’re just friends…Or are they?
HeartstopperThis movie is a triumph. The cast is magnetic, and the story is original. Love will keep you warm and bubbly throughout the day. Seriously, why aren’t you watching this yet?!
What to look out for: Heartstopper is available on Netflix.
8. Sense8
The Wachowski sisters and J. Michael Straczynski created it. Sense8 is, well, exactly as trippy as you’d expect a sci-fi drama created by those three to be. The series follows eight strangers who discover in quick succession that they’re linked by a single mind and soul, and that that makes them a target for certain mysterious forces. There are many thrills to be had, including deadly chases and sinister conspiracies as well as intricately choreographed fight scenes that were all captured and edited with stunning precision.
But what is the point? Sense8The emphasis on emotional connections makes this show truly unique. It’s a show that feels almost radical in its earnestness — in its plea for empathy, in its faith in humanity, in its celebration for love. It wears its tender, beating heart on its sleeve, and invites you to touch it, and then asks you if, perhaps, you wouldn’t like to open up your own heart to it, too. – * Angie Han, Deputy Entertainment Editor
What to look out for: Sense8 streaming on Netflix
9. Never Have I Ever
Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher wrote this clever, sweet coming of age story. most fulfilling new Netflix binges2020. It returned and wow us again. Again.
Lead Maitreyi Ramakrishnan will steal your heart as Devi, a high school sophomore reeling from the loss of her father the year before — but with big plans for a future as vibrant and fearless as she. It is as authentic and culturally significant as it can be. Never Have I EverIt serves as an important step RepresentativeIt’s also a dreamy, romantic teen rom-com that you’ll love. — * A.F.
What to look out for: Never Have I Ever streaming on Netflix
10. You’re in for a crash landing
A paragliding heiress from South Korea goes off-course and crashes into the North Korean DMZ. This story would be a fast execution for most people. Luckily, Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) is found by understanding North Korean army captain Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin) — and total dreamboat! The two of them navigate their precarious circumstances and deep cultural differences and form a connection that leads to them falling in love.
Park Ji-eun wrote and directed this smash hit drama series. You’re in for a crash landingThis is a must-see. It has been acclaimed in China and Japan as well as in the Philippines. *
What to look out for: Crash Landing On You streaming on Netflix
11. Russian doll
Russian dollThis is as close as you can get to a Netflix binge watching experience.
It’s short, with eight 30-minute episodes forming The first season was its inaugural.. It’s bold, covering themes of mortality, trauma, and human connection against the backdrop of New York’s East Village. And it’s flat-out hilarious to boot. Natasha Lyonne starred in the role of Nadia, a woman trapped in a time loop after she dies on her 36th Birthday. Nadia’s Groundhog Day-esque adventure becomes increasingly complex as the series progresses and she races against the loop to discover why she can’t stop dying — and what her loop has to do with Alan, an alleged stranger who’s experiencing the exact same cycle. — * Alexis Nedd is Senior Entertainment Reporter
What to look out for: Russian Doll streaming on Netflix
12. Jane the Virgin
Jane is a young woman in Miami who is deeply in love with her sweet, loyal boyfriend, and also, well, it’s there in the title, a virgin, so naturally she was pretty confused when she found out she was accidentally artificially inseminated during a routine gynecological visit. Now the religious Jane is pregnant with another man’s baby — specifically, the handsome playboy and married hotelier she used to have a crush on years ago. And we’re just getting started, folks!
Created by Jennie Snyder Urman (Gilmore Girls, 90210, Reign, Charmed), Jane the VirginWhile it parodies and uses telenovela tropes in the storytelling, it also takes the time to examine the real emotional implications of these bizarre plot twists. (JaneThis is loosely adapted to the Venezuelan Telenovela Juana la Virgen). It’s a delightful and captivating combination that sets JaneThis show is in a league of its own. A heartfelt comedy boasting both absurdity and grounded emotional depth — there’s simply no other show like it!
What to look out for: Jane the Virgin streaming on Netflix
13. The Chair
The Chair isn’t without its flaws, but you do get a lot for a little with this smart dramedy from creators Amanda Peet and Annie Julia Wyman. Season 1 of The Walking Dead is set on the campus at the fictional Pembroke University. The ChairAs Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim heads the English department (Sandra Oh), she struggles with a scandal involving Jay Duplass (Jay Duplass), her fellow professor. Choppy pacing, and some confusing messaging cancel cultureThis binge is imperfect but still worth it. You can watch six episodes in three hours. — * A.F.
What to look out for: The Chair can be viewed on Netflix.
14. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Tina Fey’s hilarious scripts and heightened reality are unlike anything else. Humorous. From 2015 to 2019, Unbreakable Kimmy SchmidtIt was co-created with the SNLThe actor was also an alumnus who appeared onscreen occasionally. Ellie Kemper is perfectly cast as Kimmy Schmidt, a young woman who spent most of her life in a kidnapper’s underground bunker and, now free, is trying to navigate the modern adult world with the life experience of an 8-year-old child with significant trauma. It’s silly, it’s wildly optimistic with a streak of dark humor, and it made the It’s impossible to be funnyTituss Burgess is the talented star he was meant to be. Plus, Carol Kane is Kimmy’s cranky landlord — what could be better?
What to look out for: Netflix has Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt streaming.
