tv shows that pass the bechdel test
Enter the Bechdel Test, which was created in 1985 by cartoonist Alison Bechdel in a now-famous comic strip.Essentially, the Bechdel Test is a metric which determines whether a movie or TV series pays ample attention to its women characters. Couldn't have used all that time to write in a conversation between two female characters that wasn't Neytiri and her mother discussing Jake, about, I don't know - like the fact that their whole planet was under threat of being destroyed? Seinfeld has only one female character in its main cast, so was bound to do badly in this test; however, it does pass step 1 in almost 90% of episodes. We can look at the results for each show, broken down by test step. For more information on cookies please refer to our cookies The label of his particular examination is taken after a caricature artist, Alison Bechdel. 5. And, apparently, successfully robbing banks is one of the things they can accomplish together. The Bechdel test is too incomplete to be effective. We love this list and think many of them go farther than just passing the Bechdel test. What Insecure does better than most shows is showcasing real vulnerability and raw honesty, and therein lies its beauty. Theres glitter, spandex, and a lot of fighting. City Lights (1931) G | 87 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance 8.5 Rate 99 Metascore The movie, which tells the story of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, features a few female characters, but they never talk to each other. At a time when toxic masculinity is still very much alive and well, this entire show is a breath of fresh air. Grace and FrankieHow often do we get to see older women rise up against adversity with a whole lot of laughter and a whole lot of love? Others such as Bridgerton, The Nevers, and Yellowjackets make the list, too. There are only three named female characters in the original trilogy with speaking roles Princess Leia, Aunt Beru, and Mon Mothma, one of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance. Having a lot of lines between different gender characters makes it harder to pass the BT; from this perspective, it is better to concentrate the male characters in one storyline/scene, and the female characters in another. Aaron Sorkin, the films writer, actually commented on the lack of three-dimensional female characters in an interview with Stephen Colbert, saying that the women are prizes. Why? As with previous Ghostbusters movies, the busters are tracking down some ghosts who are wreaking havoc in New York. Entertainment News. Journal Media does not control and is not responsible for user created content, posts, comments, Most are finally passing the Bechdel test, aka a test that analyzes a scene where two or more women talk about anything else other than men. Atomic BlondeYes, please give us more Charlize Theron! PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1890 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie. The rise in the overall number is due to increases in the percentages of women working as executive producers and producers. It gets uncomfortable at times, but their stellar performances keep us glued. Refine See titles to watch instantly, titles you haven't rated, etc 79 titles 1. GLOWThis Netflix series on its second season features a fictionalized account of how GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) came to be a cultural phenomenon in the 1980s. Seinfeld, Frasier, and The Office have more male than female main characters, so inevitably there are many more male-male than female-female conversations. I remember Skyler and Marie in early seasons arguing about Maries shop lifting. To pass the Bechdel Test, two female characters who have names must have a conversation with each other about something other than a man. It doesn't cover the case when the lead character is female. There must be two female characters in the scene. Why? The movie: This dystopian movie paints a bleak picture of a future where humanity has lost the ability to reproduce. Some of the most popular films of all time fail The Bechdel Test, and often for reasons you may have never considered. although I'm pretty sure Megillat Esther does not pass the Bechdel Test), the . She talks to her father, her boyfriend, the security guard at her fathers bankand not a single woman. They each have their own baggage which we learn about over time (and theres definitely more to unpack). Big Littles Lies also brings drastically different women together who have one thing in common: Their kids are in the same class. Rise Together is key to creating greater opportunity by providing you with the support, knowledge, and community to break through barriers. Irish sport images provided by Inpho Photography "Glitch" is a drama that has earned its rightful place in any discussion about feminist science-fiction. All rights reserved. 2. Who talk to each other. The Bechdel Test is a simple test to see if a work of fiction passes the feminist [] Here's 10 from the past 25 year that may surprise you. You can see most of the code used for this and the previous post here. Well, surprisingly hard to manage it seems, with up to 50% of films failing the test. Despite having two kickass female characters who are named, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) a.k.a. Most any military-based show. A scene fails this step if any of the three lines in the back-and-forth mention any of the main male characters by name, a male pronoun like he or his, or any of a short list of other male identifiers, such as men, boyfriend, dad, or mr. Happily there have been some absolutely stellar standouts as of late which not only pass the Bechdel test, but also move beyond this low bar into portraying powerful and moving performances with real substance and impactful storytelling. That means having at least two, named, female characters in the movie, who talk to each other about something other than men. While they both grapple with these feelings, we get to see how gorgeously complicated the human experience is through the lens of this intense and beautifully acted series. The dramedy follows Issa, her best friend Molly, and their other girlfriends as they navigate life in Los Angeles. Broad City created by Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson super modern and funny. How it passes: Although we dont hear The Brides real name until about halfway through the second movie, her codename is enough to set her apart as a named character. The show takes place in the beautiful town of Monterey, California, and follows three moms: Madeline, Celeste, and Jane. Movies with female directors have higher Bechdel scores. 6 'The Social Network'. Her best friend and coworkers are there for her, even at her lowest. ), and there werent as many scenes that passed the Bechdel test in this season as there were in its first, but its absolutely still worth mentioning. services and And so are five other '90s tattoo styles. 2.3 OTHER DIVERSITY TESTS At the time, hardly any films could pass it, and many forms of media still struggle to pass it today. Big Little LiesSpeaking of Laura Dern, lets talk about television for a moment. In fact, no two female characters actually even speak to each other. The show is set in the world of 80s womens wrestling and follows an out-of-work actress who decides to achieve fame by wrestling. 483623. *WaitShore Leave has two women on the planet at the same time. The movie: Best friends Enid and Becky spend the summer after high school trying to figure out what theyre doing with their lives and along the way they meet a lonely, middle-aged man named Seymour, who Enid strikes up a friendship with. Its 2019, high time to get all underrepresented groups in significant numbers behind and in front of the camera! posts, comments and submissions available. And as a sidenote, can we just say, basically anything that Laura Dern does is freaking gold. Yes, but her relationship with French agent Lasalle is significantly more interesting. (will pass the test, but female characters are still underrepresented) The three female mathematicians in the 1960s (played masterfully by Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae) rarely talk about a man, focusing instead on their goals, their work, and the obstacles that they overcome every step of the way. Theyre primarily white and primarily male and it makes sense that those who control the stories, will ensure they reflect their own world views. 1. Gomer Pyle, Sgt. Even shows that are deemed feminist sometimes dont pass the testand, frankly, its frustrating. 1. InsecureThe real love between Issa and Molly gives us all the feels like all of them. (Episode III does still fail, though. The TV shows that have captivated audiences in lockdown include Unorthodox, Normal People, Killing Eve and I May Destroy You. This test attempts to acknowledge the disparity between female and male characters in media. Thankfully, by Toy Story 3 Pixar had included a conversation between female . Easily passing the Bechdel test, Dead to Me brings together two women with completely different ways of being in the world together to deal with some wild bananas weird stuff. The Bechdel test is the most popular tool for assessing female representation in film. How it passes: Its easy to see how Bridesmaids (opens in new tab) passes the Bechdel Test - all the main characters are women and they talk about almost everything but men - but on the surface, it doesnt seem that female positive. Third, that conversation must be about something other than a man. A Medium publication sharing concepts, ideas and codes. The single episode with the most Nurse/Nurse interaction, they were basically spending the episode bitching about Maj. Hoolihan. You were so very close, JamesCameron. Miramax Films The percentage of women working as directors on the top 100 films retreated from 16% in 2020 to 12% in 2021. Theyre flawed, complicated, and sometimes make horrible decisions. Its just something that makes you think how few fully developed female characters there are. Probably because, well, just have a look at this article to see who sits behind the camera. Votes: 13,610 | Gross: $1.60M. There are also a handful of episodes that do not pass either test (grey). American supervillain. Mary Berry Cooks / Headline Publishing Group / Headline Publishing Group. It's a quiz developed in 1985 by graphic novelist Alison Bechdel and her friend Liz Wallace that reveals just how sexist (or not) any given work of fiction might be. It's commonly used as a commentary about the lack of female representation in Hollywood. 3. Whats not to love? Its authentic to life, and theyre all trying to make their way in New York. Seems simple enough, right? Killing EveVillanelle and Eve are the two stars of this thriller series and have a relationship like weve never seen before. As a reminder, the Bechdel test is named after Alison Bechdel who introduced the concept as part of her Dykes to Watch Out For comic series in 1985, but she attributes it to her friend Liz Wallace, who attributed it to Virginia Woolf. A lot of Hollywood films fail this test miserably and portray women in a sexist and unfair way. Nope. But the Internet commenters can still find things to get upset about - go ahead, get angry! Washington Post, many films and TV shows fail the Bechdel Test (Rosenberg, 2015). There is no clear correlation between the budget or revenue of a movie and its Bechdel score. Zoe Delahunty-Light. 4. Younger is a marathon-worthy series about a fortysomething who pretends to be in her twenties in order to break back into publishing. An extra big kick in the nuts to Star Wars fans: The prequel trilogy actually passes the test (partially). If you havent, then youre missing out on the creative genius that is Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. 11 The Imitation Game Based on the 1982 biography Alan Turning:. The characters must talk about something other than a male character. Pretty sure Peep Show passes the Bechdel test. The data Im using are the same as introduced in this previous post: episodes transcripts for most episodes of seven major sitcoms from the last 30 years. I assume Yeoman Rand and Sulu dont count. Most of the cast is female. Sex and drugs are a large part of the show, but so are friendships, as Rue, Jules, Lexi, Kat, Cassie, and Maddy dominate the series. There's a third named female character, Agent Maria Hill (Colbie Smulders), but she only directs orders to her staff and there's no dialogue. During the comic relief French Lesson scene (Act 3, Scene 4) Alice teaches Katherine how to speak French and there is no mention of men whatsoever. REVIEWS. All the Charlize Theron. So real. There are a couple guys on the prison staff, but they tend to talk about the prisoners or their boss Fig, who is a woman. So viewers would expect it to pass the Bechdel test with flying colors - and it does. But times are changing and there are a handful of incredible examples of ladies crushing mainstream media. Were ready for Season 6! Now, thats not to say that theyre all friends or even that their relationships are all healthy. How it passes: Dont let the name fool you, Children of Men (opens in new tab) passes the Bechdel Test with flying colours. A hobbit gets caught up in a huge war when he has to take a magic ring right to the bad guys front door. Congratulations to Fast & Furious 7: Furious 7 for becoming the fifth movie in Big Stupid Movie Month to pass the Bechdel test. Yes, Good Girls is about three women who find themselves caught in an organized crime ringyet its not that dark (except for a few scenes). Other than that every conversation I remember was about Hank or Walter. The movie also includes Jess sister Pinky and a whole host of other named women on the football team, and besides that, the basic message of the movie is that women can do anything even become professional footballers. A few years ago, we compiled a list of recent TV shows and movies that pass the Bechdel test and thought it was time to revisit this with a focus on TV we live in a golden age of television! Like Harry Potter, there are a few brief moments where female characters say a single line at each other, but they dont actually hold a conversationexcept in one scene, where Neytiri and her mother have a drawn out discussion. Heres how the test works a piece of fiction has to satisfy three requirements: Thats it. A kid on a distant planet finds out about a magical force from an old man and he learns to be a Jedi and they fight against the Empire and yada yada. SuperJail, unless JailBot is female. Despite having an array of fierce and funny female characters, the last movie of the Harry Potter installments disappointingly doesn't feature a single conversation between the women. men. The women of this show are complex and the show does a wonderful job of passing the Bechdel test, focusing on their friendships, their careers, their kids. Im not completely certain, but possibly the original Star Trek? Example: A woman has only one minor female friend, all other characters are male. It made history, being the first all-Black starring cast to cross the $100 million threshold at the box office. It has a lot of well written three dimensional women, but theyre spread far apart from each other. Disney Plus. News images provided by Press Association "Glitch". In fact, the example Bechdel gave as a film that passed the test was Alien, simply because Ripley and Lambert have a brief conversation about the alien. Padme speaks to Shmi Skywalker in Episode I and to her handmaidens at various points in Episode II, and in both cases, they discuss things other than men. I dont think its really within the spirit of the test to count a brief conversation in a single episode of a TV series that ran for years as a pass. Lauren OCallaghan. Hilary Duff? Thank you for subscribing to ENTITY. But it goes much further than this, with Katniss having a variety of conversations with other women, ranging from her mother and Rue, to the delightfully colourful Effie Trinket, and only once does a romance get mentioned in one conversation between Katniss and Rue. In some cases, my processing couldnt pick up the scene breaks, or the transcripts didnt contain any; these episodes are each treated as one long scene, which makes it easier to pass this first step, but only slightly easier to pass the other steps than when scenes are properly detected. The movie: The Bride is hellbent on - surprise surprise - killing Bill because he and his assassins tried to kill her and her unborn child many years ago. Imagine how tedious it would be if half of all of the films you watched never had any men who were important enough to be named in them? Does she have an interesting relationship with McAvoy? Star Trek: DiscoveryThe latest addition to the Star Trek universe is soooo goooooood. Note: Your privacy is important to us, so please know that your information will always remain confidential! Movies that pass the Bechdel Test "Wonder Woman 1984" behind the scenes Courtesy Warner Bros. Movies that do pass the test include: "Kill Bill" Volumes 1 and 2 (2003-2004) "Frozen" (2013). 20th Century Fox. The movie: The 2016 Ghostbusters (opens in new tab) film is technically the third film in the franchise, but actually serves as a reboot, replacing the four main male characters with female alternatives - played by Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. To pass this step I looked for a three-line sequence. Then again, its possible that the nurses exchanged at least a few lines complaining about their living conditions, talking about the war, etc., and a conversation about treating a patient who happens to be a man is arguably not really a conversation about a man. On the list of TV shows I regularly watch, the only one I can . Lauren OCallaghan. And, sure, maybe its not realistic to have female characters in historically accurate movies set on ships in the 18th century, such as 2003sMaster and Commander with Russell Crowe, which features zero females. New Line Cinema. Did it miss the mark on some topics? #ForeverAlone. The Bechdel test ( / bkdl / BEK-dl) [1] is a measure of the representation of women in film (and, by extension, in fiction in general). The Bechdel is a good test to show general representation of women in film/tv, and should not be used to critique the value or lack thereof, of any specific film/tv. Hidden FiguresThis top box office earner deserves every bit of its acclaim, and easily passes the Bechdel test. The singer reveals how grueling life was on the road. This may feel a bit more like a soap opera than a drama, but it absolutely passes the test! Land acknowledgements are a way for us to reflect upon the duality of our work while we work within our team, our community, and our client organizations to promote greater inclusivity and abolish inequities, we ourselves still perpetuate and contribute to various forms of historical and present oppression. Have you ever had someone comfort you after a break up by saying "There's plenty more fish in the sea?". And you know when else Insecure passes the Bechdel test? The test has three criteria: 1. the movie must have at least two female characters, 2. who talk to each other about something other than a man, and. How it passes: This ones obvious. They might as well be talking to themselves (or, more likely, the audience). This test is passed much more frequently: almost every episode of each show passes (blue plus purple, below): However, Friends, Will and Grace, and Married With Children do show some episodes that pass the BT but not the male version (orange). submissions or preferences. And by god, is she an unforgettable one. Overall, women accounted for 25% of those working in key behind-the-scenes roles (directors, writers, executive producers, producers, editors, cinematographers) on the top 250 grossing films in 2021, up from 23% in 2020. How it passes: Brilliantly, theres not a romantic relationship in sight in Ghostbusters. To pass the test, a film needs to meet 3very simple criteria. Content copyright Journal Media Ltd. 2023 Registered in Dublin, registration number: Alison Brie's Ruth . Leia and Rey have more agency than weve seen women have in previous movies, and one of our favorite scenes is when Laura Derns character (Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo) and other female soldiers were discussing their next military move. The Morning ShowOof this last season was a toughie (hello, news media + New York + #MeToo + Covid = messy! In fact, theyre kinda just flat characters who the male characters ignore or bang in bathrooms when its dramatically appropriate. That doesnt mean its not funny, though! To pass the Bechdel test, a work of fiction must fulfil the above criteria at least once. Finally, although we can guess what the result will be, I computed the male equivalent of the test: two male characters must talk about something other than a female character. Books? 1. Women make up more than half of the population, but it seems that theres still a problem with representation in films and on television. We encourage you to, Nine Recent TV Shows and Movies That Pass the Bechdel Test, have a look at this article to see who sits behind the camera, Ghostbusters (The one with all the women), How to measure the impact of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training, Understanding Social Identities in the Workplace. Of course, people watch movies for the simple pleasure that the story brings. In 1985, American cartoonist Alison Bechdel. Eat Sleep Die (2012) Lauren OCallaghan. Starring the super brilliant Sonequa Martin-Green as First Officer Michael Burnam, she was raised by Vulcans, though is human, so shes a fascinating character to watch. 3. for more than one minute of screen time. Miramax Films. Alex and Bradley, newly brought together co-anchors for The Morning Show, have a complicated relationship. Wikipedia says that Ms. Bechdel prefers the name "Bechdel-Wallace test". She later also attributed the idea to her friend Liz Wallace and to Virginia Woolfs writings. Creators, writers, and stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle portray versions of themselves in the year 2000. Theres a 99% chance youve seen at least one episode of Broad City. Absolutely. Its a must watch! Here are our favorites! HBOs teen show Euphoria shocked viewers with its extremely adult storylines. Sam Loveridge. Go ahead and watch a few episodes while at work. Its about a group of young gay men in San Francisco and the only named female character is Doris. Married With Children (Peggy-Marcy and Peggy-Kelly) and Scrubs (mostly Elliot-Carla) fall down between steps 2 and 3, meaning they often had female characters talk to one another, but in many cases this was only about a male character. Most are finallypassing the Bechdel test, aka a test that analyzes a scene where two or more women talk about anything else other than men. The readers of Dykes to Watch Out For (where the test originated) probably love this show. Here are ten television shows today that pass the Bechdel Test. The only problem is that the conversation is about Jake, who, you probably noticed, is a man. 5. As well as showing that they kicked ass at the lab at the same time. . To pass the Test, the movie must include at least two women, who have names in the film, and that have a conversation with each other about something other than a man. HelloGiggles.com is part of the Dotdash Meredith Beauty & Style Group. The three women talk about their work launching Project Mercury into space (ranging from aerospace engineering, to analytical geometry, to calculating trajectories, to phenomenally advanced maths), as well as about the professional obstacles in their way due to the prejudiced attitudes of their male, white co-workers. Popularized by cartoonist Alison Bechdel in a 1985 strip called Dykes to Watch Out For and inspired by Virginia Woolf, the test measures the representation of women in film, television, books . But, even though this movie passes the Bechdel Test, it doesn't pass the Dangerous Bear Trope Test. Stay tuned by signing up for our newsletter! Its not always pretty, but its a true representation of female relationships. Star Wars: The Last JediWhile Carrie Fisher has always been a strong female presence in the Star Wars series, The Last Jedi takes female interaction to a whole new level. Cartoonist and graphic novelistAlison Bechdel came up with a test when she was younger that a movie had to have: For her to see the movie, it had to pass these three standards, and this test was first featured in her 1985 column Dykes to Watch Out For.. ABOUT. It gets uncomfortable at times, but their stellar performances keep us glued. Easily passing the Bechdel test, Dead to Me brings together two women with completely different ways of being in the world together to deal with some wild bananas weird stuff. Fox Searchlight Pictures Bilko, and those already mentioned, have a good chance of failing. Rachel Weber is the US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+ and lives in Brooklyn, New York. The Bechdel Test is a test for whether a movie contains: Two named female characters, who talk to each other, about something besides a man. Or if they did have semi-important male characters, but the only topics of conversation they had were about the women in their lives? Spoiler alert: Her secret doesnt stay a secret, and when her real age is revealed, she has to figure out how to repair broken relationships. Ted LassoWhile it may be a mans name in the title, this might be one of our favorite TV shows that passes the Bechdel test with flying colors. It shows what women can do when theyre on the same side with the same goal. It doesn't hurt that Rapunzel gets to do her fair share of saving the day. Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. Okay, so, right, Atomic Blonde stars Theron as an MI6 agent who travels to Berlin as the wall is about to fall in order to retrieve a priceless dossier to take down an espionage ring. Growing up, TV was mostly used as a way to entertain oneself. None of the female characters in the film actually have a conversation. She is complicated and shes funnier than most (all?) The Bechdel Test, also known as Mo Movie Measure and The Bechdel-Wallace Test, is a method used in media criticism to gauge the degree of representation and development of female characters within a work of fiction, and therefore, any gender bias against women that may be present in it. How about Girls? Sam Loveridge. How it passes: Its true that Frozen (opens in new tab) only has two named female characters, but the movie is literally about them and their relationship to each other. Marvel Studios Women are not always these well-dressed, confident, and successful creatures; sometimes were just uncomfortable in our own skin. 5. Youll fall in love with these badass Black women who justget it. Basically, theres a lot to talk about other than men. For a movie to pass The Bechdel Test, it must contain just one thing - a. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Fox Searchlight Pictures. As the first woman to become pregnant in years, she carries an extremely precious cargo and faces danger on all sides. Proving that women . BA1 1UA. YAS! This site uses cookies. New York? Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled. for the content of external websites. As explained above, this can happen when the storylines pair characters of different gender together. The comic strip that popularized the test was titled "The Rule," and it says that to pass the test the movie must have three things. I cant remember a landing party with more than one female. TH3 RUNDOWN. 2022 Galvanized Media. None of the women in the movie ever talk to each other. Breaking out the results by show and season and plotting against broadcast year, there is some sign of an upward trend. Id think similar reasoning would apply to the Sopranos, the Wire, The Shield, etc. Movies that fail the Bechdel test tend to have higher IMDB ratings. All Rights Reserved. At this point in time, the SGO team is fully remote, and we are located across the United States. The test is named after and . Please note that uses cookies to improve your experience and to provide
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