Ah, the midseason hiatus. You catch up on the shows you’ve been behind on, but then what? Come closer, my dears, and let me help you. I have for you three shows that have earned my love and have loved me in return and I want you to share in that. Two of the three shows have bisexual leads. Two of the three have woman of color protagonists. All three have excellent female characters. Trust me, these shows are worthy of your time.
THE 100 (Thursdays at 9/8c on The CW, returns January 21)
This is the easiest one to catch up on, as both seasons are on Netflix. The 100 is a curious little show. Earth was soaked in radiation and the survivors of the various space stations banded together to wait 100 years until Earth was inhabitable again. 97 years into that plan, they are running low on resources, so the underage young offenders are sent to Earth to see if it can withstand life again. It’s a survival story with some deep character study about those who want to become leaders and those who end up becoming the leaders, and what it means to be that person. This show also has a really fun fandom with a ton of fanfic if you’re looking for a new fandom to jump into.
JANE THE VIRGIN (Mondays at 9/8c on The CW)
I wrote something on tumblr about why this show deserves your attention and love. It’s one of the most unabashedly fun shows in recent memory. It has a similar heart and tone of Pushing Daisies, but with a splash of telenovela. After I watched the first promo, I was turned off to this show (“What an absurd premise!” “Not even our pregnant characters are allowed to have sex?”). After I watched the first episode, I was wholly convinced this show was a gem. This show knows its premise is ludicrous. This show doesn’t have a 7th Heaven abstinence-only mindset. It knows what it is and draws heavily from telenovelas, which leads to the central premise being the titular Jane being accidentally inseminated with the sperm of a man she kissed five years ago. But that’s not what the show is about. The show is focused primarily on Jane’s relationship with her mother and grandmother (there’s a rather boring love triangle, but I promise you, the key relationship focused on is her familial relationship). Give this show two or three episodes to see if it’s for you. It might not be, but few shows have made my heart beat with love and my eyes dance with the gorgeous visuals the way Jane the Virgin does. The first season of this and the next show are available on Netflix and to catch up on this season, I’d keep an eye on Hulu. They usually cycle through the season during hiatus.
HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER (Thursdays at 10/9c on ABC, returns February 11)
The ratings on both this and Jane the Virgin are starting to fail and I am not giving these shows up without a fight. Viola Davis and Her Murder Children is an incredibly compelling show with central half-season mysteries that unspool in fascinating ways. Viola Davis is a phenomenal actress who anchors this show beautifully. Shonda Rhimes is an executive producer, which tells you this show understands feminism. A lot of the case-of-the-week stories tackle racial, trans, queer, and women’s issues. And they do it well! I did not binge watch this show, but I’m positive it’s incredibly ripe for it.
Honorable mention goes to Supergirl, but 90% of this blog is Supergirl recaps, so I’m guessing you already watch that.
You can follow Prison Cats on tumblr at theprisoncats. You can follow Molly on Twitter @mollycady and on tumblr at mollysmonsters.
The Prison Cats 