I’m sure I’m telling you nothing new by saying that powerful, strong female characters are a rarity on television these days. But (thankfully) we do have a few of them. They’re detectives, doctors, attorneys, and heck, they’re even pot-dealing soccer moms.

But regardless, they’re scarcer than they should be, and what’s worse — their characters are often overly flawed. (See the linster’s post about In Plain Sight for a ridiculously spot-on example.) Additionally, their characters are usually either sexless (see: Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU) or their storylines are based almost solely on their love-life (see: Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy).

These issues, among others (see: far too few queer women on TV), are concerns that we’re all too familiar with at AfterEllen.com; the problem seems to lie in the fact that no one else recognizes it. Or, at the very least, no one with the power to do so does anything about it.

So, the other day, when I stumbled upon an article by Stuart Levine on MSNBC titled, “Powerful TV women must face backlash,” I smiled a little bit on the inside. I couldn’t help but think — for a fleeting moment — that things are turning around. After all, if you’ve glanced through Malinda Lo’s "TCA Diaries" lately, you’ve read all about some fantastic shows currently on TV that accurately and responsibly portray strong female leads. It was in this vein that I gleefully opened the article, ready for a poignant look at women in television. What I got, quite simply, was a big pile of nothingness. … continue reading

My second day at the TV critics' press tour could hardly be expected to measure up to day one, but here's a preview: Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Drea de Matteo, Bonnie Hunt and Christina Hendricks (Mad Men).

First up yesterday morning was a press conference with FX's president and general manager, John Landgraf, who announced that Nip/Tuck just finished production on Season 5, which will premiere in January 2009 (no word on whether any "lesbian" characters will be involved, although Katee Sackhoff will be there). FX has also ordered a 19-episode final season, which will air in early 2011.

He also noted that Marcia Gay Harden will be joining the second season of Damages, which was the first FX show to take to the stage on Tuesday. I absolutely loved Damages last year, and I can't wait till it's back (sadly not till early 2009). I've never really been a fan of lawyer shows, but this is the first lawyer show I've seen in which the lawyers seem both evil and totally sexy. That's due in no small part to this amazing woman:

Glenn Close

Photo credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Close said that she actually watched the first season of Damages on TV with her family in Montana, and the TV critics seemed shocked that she wouldn't have asked for screeners in advance. We were shown a few clips from the upcoming second season (minor spoiler alert!) and though most of it was vague, I can tell you this much: Ellen (Rose Byrne) joins a grief counseling group in the wake of her fiance's death, and she goes undercover to investigate Close's character, Patty Hewes.

Rose Byrne

Photo credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

After the panel I talked with series creator Daniel Zelman and asked him whether he and the other creators, Todd A. Kessler and Glenn Kessler, had any particular inspiration in mind when they (three men) began writing about this struggle between two women. Zelman said that the concept "was based partly on our lives, our own experiences." … continue reading

Have you ever wondered which TV shows came thisclose to getting an Emmy nomination and never did? No? Well regardless, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (aka the people that give out the Emmy awards) are now letting us know who those losers shows will be.

Recently they announced the official Top Ten Finalists for both Outstanding Drama Series as well as Outstanding Comedy Series — with no official mention of the actors or actresses, supporting or otherwise, that may be in contention. Who knew Emmy could be such a tease?

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Academy released this information: “In an unprecedented move designed to head off the kind of cyberspace leaks that have played havoc with the nomination process the past two years.”

Really? There has been internet “havoc”? And by "havoc" do they mean public speculation? Forums on discussion? Emmy buzz? I thought these were all good things that would inevitably lead to getting people to actually sit through three hours of Emmy award distribution. Clearly I know nothing about award shows.

Here is a peak at the nominees that may get nominated, or may not get nominated (in case you are a "glass half-empty" kind of person.)

Top 10 Comedy Series Semi-Finalists

Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
Family Guy
Flight of the Conchords
The Office
Pushing Daisies
30 Rock
Two and a Half Men
Ugly Betty
Weeds

Out of this list, only five will go on the hopes of becoming America’s Next Top Emmy Finalist — or something like that. If I had to guess who those lucky final five would be, my money would be on 30 Rock (because Tina Fey is amazing and deserves all the Emmy gold they can dish out), The Office, Weeds, Ugly Betty and Two and Half Men (because they always seem to nominate this show. Does anyone out there watch this? Seriously, I’m asking.) … continue reading

So you're watching a scary movie, and the expendable female character, who is probably blonde, is about to die. You know this because of (a) the Psycho-esque shrieking music, (b) the food, either in the microwave or stove, that is beginning to burn, or (c) it is starting to rain outside, and said female is trying to escape from her car but cannot hold onto her keys. The correct answer? Any or all of the above.

Ah, movie and TV clichés. We all know the things that happen only in the movies or on TV. If you've ever lived in a large city, you know that the Sex and the City girls had to be wearing some sort of taxi-attracting pheromone. That is, unless they were in danger, or having a bad day, or needing rescue by a man, in which case no cab would be available. Then they would have to walk, most likely in the rain.

This month, TVsquad.com and its readers have been tracking some favorite clichés. The lists made me chuckle enough that I thought I should share. Here are some of my favorites and my nominations.

Here's one that's bugged me for a while: “In bedroom scenes, men have sheets that reach their waist, but women have L-shaped sheets that come up to their chests.” No kidding! This is especially true on American TV. Heaven forbid we have a wardrobe malfunction and expose the country's children to the evils of the female body. (I know, some of this has to do with actresses who won't do nude or charge for it. But still. Double standard.) … continue reading

Whenever I see someone with one of those “Kill Your Television” bumper stickers, I feel two distinct emotions. One, shut up, Smuggy McSmugerson. I bet you don’t read the copies of The New Yorker in your bathroom either. And two, yeah, sometimes I do feel like taking a 12-gauge to the old idiot box. This year I got my usual mix of joy and pain from my television. The highs were so very fantastic. The lows so very sucktastic. Here's a rundown of my top and bottom five TV shows for 2007.

Five I Loved:

1) 30 Rock: Everything about this show, well, rocks. It’s smart, funny, geeky and good to the gays — just like its creator, Tina Fey. She is the antidote to the mediocrity that keeps trying to choke our culture into submission. This show alone is reason enough to own a television. … continue reading

The nominations for the 2008 Golden Globe Awards were announced this morning, and there are many AfterEllen.com favorites among the nominees. Here are the highlights:

MOVIES

• Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
• Julie Christie, Away From Her
• Jodie Foster, The Brave One





• Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
• Keira Knightley, Atonement

I'm thrilled to see Jodie on that list (especially considering the lukewarm reviews for The Brave One), but I'm even happier about Angelina's nomination. A Mighty Heart deserves a bigger audience, and Angelina deserves much more credit for her performance in it. I thought it was some of her finest work yet. Meanwhile, I can't wait to see Atonement — everybody's raving about it. … continue reading

This is going to be a little spoilerish, so let me get to the point first. Damages has been renewed for two more seasons. That's right — two.

Now, to give those of you waiting for the season on DVD or not yet caught up with your DVR a chance to skedaddle, here's another look at one of the best promotional photos ever.

**Did I mention spoilers ahead?**

I have to say that even with Damages' ups and downs over its first season, I think it's one of the best shows to come along in years. And not just because Glenn Close in a power suit is as close to perfection as a mere human will ever be. … continue reading

Whenever I turn on my TV these days, I get the strange urge to pull a Paul Revere in my living room and start screaming, “The British are coming! The British are coming!” Until I realize, oh wait, they’re already here. This season a brigade of British actresses are breaking out their best American accents to star in new prime-time shows. Among them are a bionic woman, an undead girl, a Terminator fighter and a vampire helper. Here's a look at the U.K. actresses making time on American TV screens.

I think you’ve already met Bionic Woman Michelle Ryan and her abs. In the last episode, they put her real accent to good use undercover as a British exchange student. An Englishwoman playing an American girl pretending to be a British student? It was like Victor/Victoria with accents instead of gender. … continue reading

So, was it good for you? Damages ended its first season last night and those (sadly, few) of us who sat through every twist and turn of this exquisitely twisty, turny legal thriller finally got to see all the pieces of this complex moral jigsaw puzzle fit into place. Stepping back and looking at the finished whole, I have to say wow.

***Spoiler alert, so if you haven’t finished watching, what are you waiting for?*** … continue reading

It's been a bumpy first season for Damages. I've eagerly anticipated every episode, and I've even felt reasonably satisfied each time the credits have rolled — especially if I've been treated to a gratuitous shot of Glenn Close strutting in her perfectly tailored trousers.

So I'll be sad to see it go, but I'll be really, really glad to get some answers. Did Patty Hewes get her hooks into absolutely everyone, including Rose Byrne's character's husband's stalker? (Ouch, sorry about that.) Does Patty have any kind of moral center? Has Ellen Parsons become just as heartless and evil? And above all, what the hell are they going to do next season?!

The finale is tonight on FX — it airs twice back-to-back, so watch it and then watch it again. You know, for the eye candy if nothing else.

Choosing a favorite television character seems a little like choosing a favorite child. I don’t have kids, but I have cats — same thing, right? My favorite varies according to which one wakes me up at 4 a.m. or which one insists on sitting on my keyboard when I have a lot to do or which one throws up in my shoe.

Yet, the brave writers at Slate inspired me with a list of the characters they were most happy to see again in the new television season. Some of their choices make sense.

Others make me scratch my head. … continue reading

For couch potatoes in the States, this week kicks off a courting period with our televisions. This week, the new and returning shows start premiering in all their finery in hopes of winning a spot on our dance card for the season. Who will stay and who will go? Well, much like real dating, for some it will take repeat viewings, and for others it will only take that first episode to know whether they’re all right or all wrong. I though I’d share my dating watching game plan for the new season. Yes, even the embarrassing stuff. I'm sticking to mostly broadcast though, 'cause cable is way too embarrassing. Yes, I'm talking to you, The Girls Next Door.

MONDAY:
8 p.m.: Chuck (NBC) I’m going to give this computer geek and the CIA superspy odd-couple comedy a shot. I’m not in love with its cutsie premise, but what the hell, it’s Monday. Why not? And that’s it. I don’t watch Heroes. I know, audible gasp. While you’re at it, go ahead and gasp some more — I don’t watch Lost either. … continue reading

Ah, it's September: Time for the new fall TV schedule. It's always an exciting time in TV land, high with expectations and anticipation. New shows arrive and old favorites pick up where they left us hanging from a cliff the previous season. Yay to new TV! But uh-oh: This new TV season has a cloud hanging over its head. The writers may strike, and that may force TV and film production in the U.S. to shut down cold in October. Boo to that possibility. Networks are now dealing with a bad case of the "what ifs," as this article explains.

A strike would leave the major U.S. networks with only a fraction of the episodes completed for the various shows scheduled to air in prime time. What's a network to do? If TV creativity comes to a screeching halt, what will be the replacement? Even more non-scripted reality shows? Game shows? Nighttime news programming? Quelle horreur! The networks need a plan quick, and they are looking to international productions, independent productions and maybe even their own cable networks for a few loans. I must admit that I find the idea of pilfering from cable somewhat intriguing. It's not that I want a strike, believe me. But if it happens, just think of the exposure and boost some of our favorite shows with our favorite women might get if their parent networks were to showcase them as regular programming.

NBC owns USA, Bravo and Sci-Fi. With USA's Burn Notice (featuring Gabrielle Anwar), NBC could actually show a relatively new program with decent reviews. Sci-Fi channel could offer Battlestar Galactica, and just like that, true intergalactic science fiction could return to a major network at no real added cost.

And rather than creating more reality programming, NBC could air Bravo's Project Runway and Top Chef. Oh my, Padma Lakshmi in prime-time network glory? Be still my Padma-loving heart.

ABC is owned by Disney. Goodness, do they have an array of programs to choose from. Hannah Montana has 5 million viewers on the Disney Channel! Oh, and do not rule out a nice ABC ratings boost with as showing of High School Musical and High School Musical 2. Disney is also in a joint partnership with Hearst, making the Lifetime channel possible: Is there an Army Wives in ABC's future? … continue reading

So, you’re watching Damages, right? Right? Well, if the drama has somehow slipped your radar and you fear jumping in now might render you hopelessly, helplessly lost, you’re in luck. On Monday (otherwise known as Labor Day for us U.S. Americans), FX will run the first five episodes of the season season from 3-8 p.m.

The marathon is the perfect opportunity to get caught up on all the twisty, turny treachery in the world of high-stakes litigation at Hewes & Associates. I’ve been riveted since the first episode, and not just by the exquisite cut of Glenn Close’s power suits (though, gosh, they are awfully nice).

… continue reading

Sure, some of the twists and turns have been, shall we say, a little unusual. (A hand grenade, really?) But overall it’s the show’s timeless central question that keeps me coming back week after week. That question being, simply, “Who can you trust?”

Leading off the first segment of our video blog this weekend, Lori and I detail the many reasons we hated the pilot Lipstick Jungle (NBC), the mid-season drama from Sex and the City's Candace Bushnell that stars Lindsay Price, Brooke Shields, and Kim Raver as high-powered business women who "aren't looking for Mr. Big, they are Mr. Big" (we wish!).

Then we discuss the latest episodes of Damages (FX), The Closer (TNT), and The Best Years (The N), the South of Nowhere (The N) season premiere, and what we'd do if we had Ashley's $12.5 million inheritance. … continue reading