Ally McBeal
Another, perhaps lesser known, series from the 90s starred Calista Flockhart as the titular Ally McBeal, a female lawyer working at a fictional law firm in Boston. This series is an early example of a legal comedy-drama; whilst the events of each episode revolve around various legal cases, a lot of emphasis is put on a more comedic approach. A much more modern and less eccentric example of this type of show would be Suits, where the comedy is less about a character being ridiculous and more about situational, or even language-based, witty humour. Ally McBeal also dealt with the sexist environment and the so-called female ‘need’ to follow the biological clock and settle down. The show received some criticism for its approach on this matter, especially from feminists claiming that Ally herself was a demeaning example for professional women. These questions are still very relevant today, and even though those watching Ally McBeal today might argue that it’s a misogynistic representation of women, it also highlights many of the issues women face nowadays.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy was a great example of rethinking a well-known TV trope. ‘Helpless ditzy blonde’ could be used to describe sixteen year-old Buffy Summers as we first meet her in the pilot, however, we soon realise that she is anything but the damsel-in-distress. Watching her fight monster after monster, we become engaged in the silly teenage drama and love triangles in her life, and fall in love with the friends she makes on the way. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is packed full of metaphors and life lessons, and still to this day has one of the biggest TV fan-bases, with devoted fans creating fan-art and picking apart the mysteries of the show. Besides the feminist ideals of a strong female protagonist, the character of Willow was an early example of positive LGBTQ representation in television. Although the storyline wasn’t altogether perfect (*cough* Kennedy…), the way they handled Willow’s sexuality was subtle and organic, and something they should truly be praised for.