Sister acts

Okay, they don’t have to be sisters, but I am quite happy about the number of brilliant series have been made in recent years that feature women – fully formed human beings and nobody’s idea of candyfloss. There may be some American ones. If so, I haven’t stumbled across them (feel free to let me know), but the Irish and the English are coming up spades.

First there was Bad Sisters – fantastic show about four sisters who decide their fifth sister’s abusive husband has to die.

It was darkly hilarious. Thank you, Apple.

Was the second series Sharon Horgan decided to write needed or as good? Perhaps not, but it was great craic anyway.

More recently, BritBox has been streaming Riot Women, a new show from Sally Wainwright about a group of middle-aged women who decide to start a rock band.

Given Wainwright’s track record of writing rock solid female roles, it’s hardly surprising that every woman asked leapt at the chance to join this band.

BritBox have recently done something annoying – introducing new shows and dribbling them out one week at a time unless you get a premium subscription, which you can only do if you cough up the annual fee up front, rather than paying monthly. Tolerable until Riot Women came along.

My partner and I are pretty good about just watching one episode a night of a show. (Unlike me when I was living alone and did a lot of bingeing.) After the first episode of Riot Women, we had to watch the second. After watching the third and fourth episodes (the only two available at the basic rates) the next night, we caved and coughed up the premium fee. That’s how good this show is.

It’s been hard finding anything that came close. The latest Lincoln Lawyer series definitely did not (although the ongoing mystery of why they decided to make Micky Latino remains). But being on Netflix for that did lead us to this trailer.

Thank you, Lisa McGee, creator of Derry Girls.

We’ve been good so far. One episode Wednesday, another last night. Not sure how long that will last. (Partner does require subtitles. Mind you, so did I for Dara’s opening speech.)

Women’s friendships often are sisterhoods, so I guess that’s what this should be about. Thank you Sharon, Sally and Lisa for these great women.

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Oh, and PS. You can’t mention Derry Girls to me without my mind going immediately to the surprise guest star in series three.