tv shows that pass the bechdel test

There were a few named female characters, but they were all minor enough that its plausible that they never talked to each other. 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. 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. 3. 10 Movies That Definitely Don't Pass The Bechdel Test - TheThings The Social Network stars Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin . Its exciting to see them roll up with their emotional Away bags and yet be really nervous to unpack them in front of each other. It also crushed the Golden Globes in 2017. One of the biggest movies of the 21st century features no dialogue between two named female characters. This evil stepmother figure in Disneys 1998 remake is finally receiving the appreciation she always deserved. 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. Are there any TV shows that fail the Bechdel Test? Marvel Studios They each have their own baggage which we learn about over time (and theres definitely more to unpack). 11 The Imitation Game Based on the 1982 biography Alan Turning:. The movie: In this particular post-apocalyptic world, children are sent to battle to the death on TV. 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. A lot of Hollywood films fail this test miserably and portray women in a sexist and unfair way. We all play a part in creating a more equitable and just workplace and world. Did you see that fight scene where there was no music and she was just fighting and it was painful and awful and brilliant? Ghostbusters (The one with all the women)We loved the 2016 Ghostbusters. Um, no. The Office increased its pass rate during its run, as did Seinfeld and Frasier, with the exception of their final seasons. 12 TV Shows About Female Friendship That Pass the Bechdel Test But not dwelling on that, the show quite obviously passes the Bechdel Test, with a strong . But while the entertainment industry still has a lot of work to do, there seems to be a positive shift happening when it comes to female-led shows. Hollywood fails to pass the Bechdel Test | SBS Voices Zoe Delahunty-Light. On the list of TV shows I regularly watch, the only one I can point to that definitively fails is HBOs Looking. Animated films that pass the Bechdel test - Letterboxd Red flags that you're dealing with a man-child. Or if they did have semi-important male characters, but the only topics of conversation they had were about the women in their lives? Besides Friends, Will and Grace, and Married With Children, the other shows have a lopsided number of male characters, so are unlikely to be left without a male-male storyline. Alison Bechdel Has Amended the Bechdel Test Just for 95 percent of the characters are female, and they communicate with each other constantly throughout the series about non-male-centric topics. Breaking out the results by show and season and plotting against broadcast year, there is some sign of an upward trend. Its 2019, high time to get all underrepresented groups in significant numbers behind and in front of the camera! Having acquired hundreds of sitcom episode transcripts, I can apply the test programmatically to each episode of these sitcoms, to compare the shows and track changes over the course of their runs. How Accurate Is 'Cocaine Bear'? We Went to See it. Even shows that are deemed feminist sometimes dont pass the testand, frankly, its frustrating. 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. It could have been so easy to write just ONE more female into the story. It gets uncomfortable at times, but their stellar performances keep us glued. 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). Most of them fail, even ones full of female characters. 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. 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. Please know that these are only a portion of the new television series passing the test. I assume Yeoman Rand and Sulu dont count. How it passes: The Hunger Games (opens in new tab) actually passes the Bechdel Test in the very first scene. We are now operating in a virtual space, but we can still honor and name the physical spaces we all inhabit. How it passes: Both the main characters are named women, who talk to each other a lot about football, their families, and yes, occasionally boys. 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. The dramedy follows Issa, her best friend Molly, and their other girlfriends as they navigate life in Los Angeles. Nope. Director and Producer James Cameron first wrote the script in 1994 and it took a whole 15 years before the film was made and released. 4. 1. In three films, none of them says a word to each other. 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. 6. She joined GamesRadar+ in 2017, revitalizing the news coverage and building new processes and strategies for the US team. 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. (Episodes with scene breaks not properly detected are excluded from the step 1 calculation; this applies to all The Office episodes, so no step 1 point is drawn.). Employment is overrated. I remember Skyler and Marie in early seasons arguing about Maries shop lifting. It doesntmatter. Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, adapted from Margaret Atwood's critically acclaimed novel of the same name, does justice to the book which cannot be said about most TV/film adaptations out there. Summit Entertainment. EEEP! 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. REVIEWS. unless otherwise stated. del test/n. The Bechdel Test (BT), which checks for a rudimentary level of female-centricity in media, has elsewhere been covered thoroughly for movies, with a crowd-sourced manual approach, but not, to my knowledge, for television, except at a high level or in very selected cases. Have you ever had someone comfort you after a break up by saying "There's plenty more fish in the sea?". Bilko, and those already mentioned, have a good chance of failing. Probably because, well, just have a look at this article to see who sits behind the camera. Atomic BlondeYes, please give us more Charlize Theron! 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. Bechdel Test | Know Your Meme Despite having three strong female characters in Arwen, Eowyn, and Galadriel, theyre all in completely different parts of Middle Earth and they never even meet, much less talk to each other. The Bechdel Test and the Television Shows That Pass - ENTITY In 1985, American cartoonist Alison Bechdel. 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. 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. 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). TL;DR: Some episodes do, some d. None of the female characters in the film actually have a conversation. While the show is problematic in a few important ways, it does move the needle, but frankly its just nice to watch fantasy with less cleavage for a change. Rise Together is key to creating greater opportunity by providing you with the support, knowledge, and community to break through barriers. Lers kick things off with a choice that surely wont disappoint. 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. Paramount Pictures. 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 movie's total kill count of . This usually occurs when Elaine overlaps briefly with a minor female character in a scene. They confront him, defeat him, age weirdly, and everyone lives happily everafter. In fact it can be pretty spectacular, especially when youre hanging out with other women! Testing the Bechdel Test - Portland State University Search - Bechdel Test Movie List services and Most people probably werent as mindful of the cringe-worthy storylines, one-dimensional characters, and lack of diversity that was, unfortunately, part of the norm before the early 2000s. Bechdel Test: Which 2016 Movies Passed (And Failed)? - The Hollywood If you havent, then youre missing out on the creative genius that is Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. Despite Lola being considered one of the most well-rounded female characters ever put to film, Run Lola Run still fails The Bechdel Test for one simple reason Lola never has a conversation with another female at any point in the movie. On June 30th, 2008, Jennifer Kesler . Zoe Delahunty-Light. Great movies that pass the bechdel test - IMDb 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 . Pen15 might give you flashbacks to being a preteen. Although nearly the entire show involves interactions strictly between men. 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. Over the years, there has been an increasing number of movies that pass the Bechdel test. Its a must watch! Mark Zuckerberg and his buddies spend two hours screwing over each other and everyone else around them in pursuit of Facebook billions, apparently in an attempt to prove that nerds cant havefriends. 483623. 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. 1. 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. Absolutely. Dead To MeJen and Judy are complicated. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). 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. 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. As the first woman to become pregnant in years, she carries an extremely precious cargo and faces danger on all sides. Anyone else feel like going for a little drive? The only problem is, theres another bridesmaid trying to muscle in on her territory. The TV shows that have captivated audiences in lockdown include Unorthodox, Normal People, Killing Eve and I May Destroy You. To pass, the work simply has . The twentysomething BFFs navigate life in New York City while getting into the most bizarre yet weirdly relatable situations. More than that, all the women are fiercely strong and morally questionable, presenting a version of women not often seen in the cinema. 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 . TV shows tend to run far longer than movies and thus, most of them end up passing the Bechdel Test. While there are two female characters, Snow White and the Evil Queen, the latter is not given a name in the film. Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, The Bechdel Test is a simple test to see if a work of fiction passes the feminist [] I cant remember a landing party with more than one female. Movies That Fail The Bechdel Test But Have Feminist Themes - Bustle Despite having two kickass female characters who are named, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) a.k.a. 10 Films and TV Shows that pass Bechdel's Test. 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. The test is named after and . 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. Now, thats not to say that theyre all friends or even that their relationships are all healthy. This test is otherwise known as the Bechdel/Wallace test or the Bechdel Rule or Mo Movie Measure and is marked as a measure of gender depiction in the films. (Lets ignore the fact that the alien was a walking penis-monster, as this was before the Xenomorphs had established sexes the Queens werent introduced until 1986sAliens.). While theres been some improvement, much work is left to do. The Bechdel Test is a metric used for measuring how women are represented in a given film. The WitcherAnd our second fantasy series is The Witcher, which, despite a lot of male energy (wayy more um, cleavage, in this one), does indeed pass the Bechdel test a few times Yennefer and Tissaias complicated relationship, as well as Ciri and Eithns short time together, and honestly probably more but were still working our way through this story (hey, we still have pandemic time to watch!). Honestly, if you dont know this, then I hope that 35-year coma was really peaceful andlovely. Friends performs the best on the BT, and passes the full test in almost every episode. Her character, Cassie, is a fun-loving flight attendant who gets into a huge problem. It is important to note that many fans refer to the queen as Queen Grimhilde, so she may in fact have a name. To join our community, just fill out the form below. At a time when toxic masculinity is still very much alive and well, this entire show is a breath of fresh air. There arent enough shows that embrace female insecurities. 2022 Galvanized Media. News images provided by Press Association 1. And, apparently, successfully robbing banks is one of the things they can accomplish together. About something besides a man Movie list 2023 (5 movies) Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Infinity Pool Missing Pathaan Reflect 2022 (153 movies) The 355 A Fada do Lar A Man Called Otto The Adam Project All the old knives However, its not the case that these shows were full of male-male conversations without female involvement: as seen by the fact that no show lies below 0.8 on the y-axis, these shows had as many, or almost as many, male-female conversations, as male-male conversations. How it passes: Ghost World (opens in new tab) is basically all about the friendship between super sarcastic teen Enid and her best friend Becky. By continuing to browse, you agree to the use of cookies. Broad City created by Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson super modern and funny. How it passes: This ones obvious. 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. When Ive seen people discussing the Bechdel test with regard to television, theyre usually talking about individual episodes and not the series as a whole. You can change your settings or, 10 surprising films that fail the feminist Bechdel test, Mary Berry Cooks / Headline Publishing Group, These women have a conversation with each other. And its been surprisingly challenging for movies and TV shows to pass this basic test. Henry V. Surprisingly enough, this classic Shakespearean History passes the Bechdel Test. Disney Plus. Failing the test doesnt mean the movies evil or anti-woman, or that passing makes it some sort of strongly feminist movie. Data scientist and former climate physicist, with special interest in politics and sports analytics, Having acquired hundreds of sitcom episode transcripts. Sounds simple, right? The movie, which tells the story of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, features a few female characters, but they never talk to each other. She later also attributed the idea to her friend Liz Wallace and to Virginia Woolfs writings. Where this show shines with regard to the Bechdel test is her relationship with her first captain Philippa Georgiou, and then further on with Captain Tilly. You will have a very real assessment of how much screen time this element has. Pretty sure Peep Show passes the Bechdel test. We've managed to find 25 of the best movies that pass the Bechdel Test. 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. Hilary Duff? Seems simple enough, right? Currently, only the titles of the movies are searchable. It doesn't cover the case when the lead character is female. Creators, writers, and stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle portray versions of themselves in the year 2000. In a world where superhero movies reign supreme, it's hard to imagine any of them not passing the Bechdel Test. Finally, There's a Bechdel Test for Muslim Representation - Vice But the show is very, very real. and TV shows. The Best Movies That Pass The Bechdel Test | GamesRadar+ 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. 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. This was probably intended to refer to a one-on-one conversation, but in sitcoms often a larger group of characters are present in a scene. 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. As with previous Ghostbusters movies, the busters are tracking down some ghosts who are wreaking havoc in New York. The trilogy is over 10 hours long but Arwen (Liv Tyler), Eowyn (Miranda Otto) and Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), all strong female characters, do not meet even once.