tv shows that pass the bechdel test tv shows that pass the bechdel test

Should it be dismissed entirely? 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.. But there's no back-and-forth dialogue that actually amounts to a conversation. Id think similar reasoning would apply to the Sopranos, the Wire, The Shield, etc. How it passes: The two leads, and indeed the majority of the cast, are women and the only time they really talk about men is when they briefly explain their crimes or discuss trying to get Geres Billy Flynn to represent them. Journal Media does not control and is not responsible for user created content, posts, comments, In order to pass, the film or show must meet the following criteria: It includes at least two women, note who have at least one conversation, note about something other than a man or men. 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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. The sparkling, progressive dialogue pretty much consists of, He doesnt need you, he has me., And Andrea the android talks to Nurse Chapel about a man in What Are Little Girls made of. Gomer Pyle, Sgt. Yes, but her relationship with French agent Lasalle is significantly more interesting. With Kristen Wiig and Rose Byrne going head-to-head in this hilarious bridesmaid-off, expect a lot of laughs and plenty of super awkward moments. 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. Her character, Cassie, is a fun-loving flight attendant who gets into a huge problem. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, the critically-acclaimed reboot of the beloved 80s animated series, is a shining example of how to pass the Bechdel test. Despite all the bitchy girl-on-girl crime that goes on though, at its heart this film is about female friendships and how complicated they can be. It shows what women can do when theyre on the same side with the same goal. We all play a part in creating a more equitable and just workplace and world. Mary Berry Cooks / Headline Publishing Group / Headline Publishing Group. Please note that uses cookies to improve your experience and to provide This special show gives us hope, makes us feel good, and reminds us that aging doesnt have to be awful (despite all those anti-aging ads). I have compiled my ten movies and tv shows that have crushed the Bechdel test. While theres been some improvement, much work is left to do. 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. 1. As the title lets on, Dead to Me isnt a light-hearted show. According to the . You can see most of the code used for this and the previous post here. New Line Cinema. About something other than a man. To join our community, just fill out the form below. Pipers boyfriend talks to his dad, but usually about Piper. Thank goodness theres one more season to go. Marvel Studios. Big Little Lies was produced by Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, two women who were sick of seeing women portrayed in a one-dimensional 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. How to use Bechdel Test in a sentence. Her best friend and coworkers are there for her, even at her lowest. So viewers would expect it to pass the Bechdel test with flying colors - and it does. The Wheel of TimeIn a rare turn of events, we have one of two fantasy series on the list! Content copyright Journal Media Ltd. 2023 Registered in Dublin, registration number: The movie: Jess loves football, but she comes from an orthodox Sikh background, which means her traditional parents want her to give up playing and go to university, become a doctor, and marry a nice Indian boy. Pen15 might give you flashbacks to being a preteen. Because representation matters, and many of the people writing, directing, and producing are still majority men. Example: A woman has only one minor female friend, all other characters are male. 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. Kate McKinnon was everything. In order to pass the test, a film must feature at least two women who speak to each other on a subject that does not revolve around men. The Bechdel test is one of the most common ways that a movie or TV show's female representation can be judged. And it definitely passes the Bechdel test, with a diverse cast of women focusing on their careers and friendships. 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. The Marvelous Mrs. MaiselYou must have been living under a rock if you havent heard of this one. Beyond the central relationship between those two women, any time theres a moment between women features the show at its best. . The series begins with the three of them working at Scarlett magazine (inspired by Cosmopolitan), and four seasons later, theyre still best friends and bonafide badasses. 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. Its pass rate drops dramatically at steps 2 and 3. There is no clear correlation between the budget or revenue of a movie and its Bechdel score. 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. Your home for data science. supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Lauren OCallaghan. Creators, writers, and stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle portray versions of themselves in the year 2000. They might as well be talking to themselves (or, more likely, the audience). Hidden FiguresThis top box office earner deserves every bit of its acclaim, and easily passes the Bechdel test. 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 . Fox Searchlight Pictures. Swedish cinemas take aim at gender bias with Bechdel test rating Movies need to pass test that gauges the active presence of women on screen in bid to promote gender equality Jennifer. The film follows three different possible outcomes for her actions and explores her relationships and interactions with the people and the world aroundher. Alison Brie's Ruth . 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. In fact, no two female characters actually even speak to each other. Fail. Why are youhere? (will pass the test, but female characters are still underrepresented) posts, comments and submissions available. Whats not to love? The Bechdel Test is a measure of gender bias in movies. Big Littles Lies also brings drastically different women together who have one thing in common: Their kids are in the same class. Congratulations to Fast & Furious 7: Furious 7 for becoming the fifth movie in Big Stupid Movie Month to pass the Bechdel test. Its not always pretty, but its a true representation of female relationships. Each of the 12 districts must send one boy and one girl into the fight, and our heroine, Katniss Everdeen, actually volunteers to be the female tribute for Sector 12, in place of her younger sister. And as a sidenote, can we just say, basically anything that Laura Dern does is freaking gold. They trade quips a few times, like when Prof. McGonagall makes a comment about always wanting to use that spell to Mrs. Weasley when she brings the stone statues to life, or when Mrs. Weasley calls Bellatrix a bitchbut no one actually responds and, yknow, talks. Broad City created by Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson super modern and funny. A hobbit gets caught up in a huge war when he has to take a magic ring right to the bad guys front door. To pass the Bechdel test, a movie must follow three rules that are supposed to show if the story has a good representation of women. del test/n. The Bechdel (pronounced beck-dell) Test was first created in 1985 by cartoonist Allison Bechdel. InsecureThe real love between Issa and Molly gives us all the feels like all of them. Girls TripGirls Trip is everything. SuperJail, unless JailBot is female. The movie: Following the careers of the human computers Katherine Goble, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughn, Hidden Figures explores the rampant racism (and sexism) the three figureheads endured during their time working at NASA during the space race. The Bechdel Test is a simple test which names the following three criteria: (1) it has to have at least two women in it, who (2) who talk to each other, about (3) something besides a man. Toy Story 1 & 2. To pass, the work simply has . Eat Sleep Die (2012) She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Alex and Bradley, newly brought together co-anchors for The Morning Show, have a complicated relationship. 3. for more than one minute of screen time. Aw, Sorkin, you charmer,you. Ghostbusters (The one with all the women)We loved the 2016 Ghostbusters. How it passes: This ones obvious. The only problem is, theres another bridesmaid trying to muscle in on her territory. She+ Geeks Out was originally founded on land that is the traditional territory of the Massachusett and Pawtucket tribes, and which is still home to descendants of these peoples. Although there is some discussion about the beauty of Chris Hemsworths character at some points - and how ditzy he is. 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. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, This Canadian-made comedy about friends navigating motherhood will have you laughing out loud. The single episode with the most Nurse/Nurse interaction, they were basically spending the episode bitching about Maj. Hoolihan. The Bechdel test ( / bkdl / BEK-dl) [1] is a measure of the representation of women in film (and, by extension, in fiction in general). We are now operating in a virtual space, but we can still honor and name the physical spaces we all inhabit. As explained above, this can happen when the storylines pair characters of different gender together. The Bechdel test was designed by cartoonist Alison Bechdel in 1985. Well, if you're looking for a female fish in the sea you'd be hard pressed to find one in Nemo's world. 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. And this is despite the fact that Cate Blanchett is Liv Tyler's grandmother in the film, so it would have been completely possible for them to schedule some sort of visit together to say goodbye in case Middle Earth went down in flames! Killing EveVillanelle and Eve are the two stars of this thriller series and have a relationship like weve never seen before. This method probably fails to catch some cases where the topic of conversation was, broadly speaking, a male character, but a three-line sequence occurred without mentioning him by name or pronoun; but it seems too harsh to throw away the whole scene if a male is mentioned anywhere in the scene, since often scenes can involve multiple conversations between different groups of characters. In non-pandemic years, an average 600 or 700 films have been added to the archive annually since 2006. Rate. On June 30th, 2008, Jennifer Kesler . Advertisement How to. Growing up, TV was mostly used as a way to entertain oneself. Did you see that fight scene where there was no music and she was just fighting and it was painful and awful and brilliant? Did it miss the mark on some topics? England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Enter search term: Or, you can show the list for one or more years: 4. It uses the same lines identified above as part of a back-and-forth between two characters, and sums these by the gender of the pair of characters involved: female-female, male-male, or male-female. * I cant remember Uhura ever talking to Rand or Nurse Chapel.**. American supervillain. All the Charlize Theron. So, love them or hate them, you can probably relate to at least one of them. The test is named for Alison Bechdel, creator of the comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For, who made it known to the world with this strip. 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. The Duchess of York casts "no judgment" toward her nephew. 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. 1. A movie is typically no more than 2-3 hours long, while the complete run of a successful TV series could add up to over 100 hours. 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. We can look at the results for each show, broken down by test step. Euphoria doesnt shy away from topics that would never have been included in a teen show ten years ago. In fact, theyre kinda just flat characters who the male characters ignore or bang in bathrooms when its dramatically appropriate. And to be clear, passing doesnt mean the movies good or bad. 5. Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, When she meets Jules, a fellow female footballer, she cant help but join the local womens football team, but this causes major problems for her home life and Jess finds herself torn between what she wants and her familys expectations. Sam Loveridge. Wire service provided by AFP and Press Association. The measure sometimes is enhanced by adding that the two female characters be named in the film. As with previous Ghostbusters movies, the busters are tracking down some ghosts who are wreaking havoc in New York. 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. I think it's a show that has great female characters. Avatar (2009) James Cameron's 2009 blockbuster movie does have strong feminist themes but fails the Test in one key aspect: its strong female leads Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and Dr. Grace Augustine . This may feel a bit more like a soap opera than a drama, but it absolutely passes the test! 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. We've managed to find 25 of the best movies that pass the Bechdel Test. The singer reveals how grueling life was on the road. It's worth noting though that this is in a series that shows women's asses at every opportunity & had gold-painted dancing girls earlier. As well as showing that they kicked ass at the lab at the same time. Will and Grace also scores highly, through Grace-Karen and to a lesser extent Karen-Rosario conversations. Toy Story is such a beloved film to so many, but it unfortunately doesn't pass the test. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: PartII. The movie: Annies best friend is getting married so naturally shes Maid of Honor. I assume Yeoman Rand and Sulu dont count. The test and its rules were first mentioned in Bechdel's 1985 comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For and has three (and later added four) simple rules: Employment is overrated. Absolutely. Most of them fail, even ones full of female characters. Her pregnancy is discussed with the surprisingly sympathetic assassin Karen Kim, plus her last talk with O-Ren Ishii in the snow in particular is touching as they gradually admit their respect for each other. First, the film must have at least two female characters. And so are five other '90s tattoo styles. This is a function of the number of main characters of each gender available to take part in storylines: in the extreme case of Will and Grace, if the characters were split into two pairs, the only combination that allows same-gender conversations is Will-Jack and Grace-Karen, whereas as the other two possible pairings involve different-gender conversations. Emma Stone chills, sings, dances and colour-coordinates her outfits with her three gal pals, buuuut the friends themselves are never named. The Bechdel Test is a metric used for measuring how women are represented in a given film. Big Little Lies was produced by Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, two women who were sick of seeing women portrayed in a one-dimensional way. Younger is a marathon-worthy series about a fortysomething who pretends to be in her twenties in order to break back into publishing. Paramount Pictures. At a time when toxic masculinity is still very much alive and well, this entire show is a breath of fresh air. The movie: When Princesses Elsa and Annas parents die, Elsa must become Queen, but during her coronation party everyone finds out that shes been secretly hiding powers (which she can use to freeze anything) all this time. Zoe Delahunty-Light. She joined GamesRadar+ in 2017, revitalizing the news coverage and building new processes and strategies for the US team. 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. The Wire had a lesbian couple, but they werent a focus. Let us know! It has a lot of well written three dimensional women, but theyre spread far apart from each other. There were several recurring nurse characters who had names, but when they talked to each other then IIRC it was usually about the male characters. Here's 10 from the past 25 year that may surprise you. Theres maybe 3.5 major female characters (Skyler, Marie, Lydia who came in late, arguably Andrea) and they rarely talk to each other. The Bechdel Test is a test for whether a movie contains: Its commonly used as a commentary about the lack of female representation in Hollywood. While Im pretty sure their husbands/boyfriends back home, and the 4077s doctors did come up, it was mostly about Margaret. Bath The actor describes Harry Styles as "a very kind guy.". Are there any TV shows that fail the Bechdel Test. Hilary Duff? If there were ever a female landing party member and a love interest for Kirk in the same episodethey usually just glared at each other. The Bechdel test has three stipulations: two named women characters need to have a conversation about something other than a man. Registered office: 3rd floor, Latin Hall, Golden Lane, Dublin 8. Shes also right pretty much all of the time and her male captains need to listen to her more often. If you havent, then youre missing out on the creative genius that is Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. 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. Mrs. Maisel is about a woman who is getting a divorce from her husband who cheated on her and finds her voice as a comic in the 1950s/60s and to be clear, she is definitely seen as a female comic. None of the female characters in the film actually have a conversation. Stay tuned by signing up for our newsletter! The test is named after and . 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. Does she have an interesting relationship with McAvoy? 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. In 2020, the archive shows that 78 films passed the Bechdel Test out of 329 films released in the U.S. and Canada. Its 2019, high time to get all underrepresented groups in significant numbers behind and in front of the camera! By role, women accounted for 17% of writers (even with 17% in 2020), 26% of executive producers (up from 21% in 2020), 32% of producers (up from 30% in 2020), 22% of editors (even with 22% in 2020), and 6% of cinematographers (even with 6% in 2020).. Third, that conversation must be about something other than a man. 1. While Enid occupies herself with finding him a girlfriend, she and Becky grow further apart. and RollingNews.ie unless otherwise stated. Basically, theres a lot to talk about other than men. Seriously, George, why is the whole galaxy a sausage fest? Sounds simple, right? Needless to say, a lot of superhero movies fail the test. There's only two named female characters in the whole of the 2008 Oscar winner of Best Picture: Jamal's mother (who dies early on), and Jamal's love interest. All Rights Reserved. Issa Rae embodies all of these qualities in her character, Issa. Were trying to be conscious of not just meeting this bar. It doesn't cover the case when the lead character is female. Friends, Will and Grace, and Married With Children had more conversations between different gender characters than same gender. Im not completely certain, but possibly the original Star Trek? The Flight AttendantWe arent Big Bang Theory people, so we didnt have much of a frame of reference for Kaley Cuoco, but wow does she and her castmates do a spectacular job. Paramount Pictures So if you want to watch a TV show that passes the Bechdel test and shows the full picture of what it means to be a woman, try turning on one of these TV shows about female friendship below. pic.twitter.com/rW4NDxMObf Seamus Ryan (@meanderingtripe) March 1, 2021 To pass the Bechdel Test, two female characters who have names must have a conversation with each other about something other than a man. 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. Its much more about familial love and, you know, surviving. CONTACT. If you need a reminder of how strong women are, then turn on Glow. But seriously, I cant remember two female characters even talking to each other. Oh and hey, Meryl Streep is going to be in Season 2. Don't get too bogged down in the requirements of the Bechdel Test test though because even if you're not sure what it means, every film on this list is a great movie in its own right, so you won't be disappointed. 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). 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.