tv shows that pass the bechdel test
The Bechdel Test is a test for whether a movie contains: Two named female characters, who talk to each other, about something besides a man. The actor describes Harry Styles as "a very kind guy.". 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. 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. Id think similar reasoning would apply to the Sopranos, the Wire, The Shield, etc. According to . 2. Who talk to each other. That doesnt mean its not funny, though! 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. 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. 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. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, The Duchess of York casts "no judgment" toward her nephew. Although nearly the entire show involves interactions strictly between men. Pixar. 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. Whether related to law, business, or politics, Diane, Lucca, Marissa, and Liz in particular had stunning moments of grace, confidence, and jaw dropping cool that we simply loved watching. Lauren OCallaghan. 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. Does she have an interesting relationship with McAvoy? 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. She works closely with Abbey Whalen (Darby Stanchfield), and has numerous confrontations with First Lady (Bellamy Young). The twentysomething BFFs navigate life in New York City while getting into the most bizarre yet weirdly relatable situations. So viewers would expect it to pass the Bechdel test with flying colors - and it does. Miramax Films. Here are ten television shows today that pass the Bechdel Test. They confront him, defeat him, age weirdly, and everyone lives happily everafter. Lauren OCallaghan. 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. 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. As the title lets on, Dead to Me isnt a light-hearted show. Second, the women must talk to each other. Are there any TV shows you can think of though that fail the Bechdel Test? To pass this step I looked for a three-line sequence. That said, I wouldnt be terribly surprised if MASH** didnt pass even that loose version of the test. If youve never seen Workin Moms, stop what youre doing right now, open Netflix, and cue up an episode ASAP. On June 30th, 2008, Jennifer Kesler . It could be about dog poo. Imagine how tedious it would be if half of all of the films you watched never had any men who were important enough to be named in them? Frasier performs similarly badly; although it had two female characters in the main cast, Roz and Daphne interacted relatively rarely (this pairs conversations passed the BT in only 14% of episodes). Its just to get people thinking about gender and how its presented in film. Especially the last season, with its female villain. How it passes: The Hunger Games (opens in new tab) actually passes the Bechdel Test in the very first scene. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Henry V. Surprisingly enough, this classic Shakespearean History passes the Bechdel Test. 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. 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. Marvel Studios. Like Harry Potter, there are a few brief moments where female characters say a single line at each other, but they dont actually hold a conversationexcept in one scene, where Neytiri and her mother have a drawn out discussion. Its authentic to life, and theyre all trying to make their way in New York. (will pass the test, but female characters are still underrepresented) Toy Story 1 & 2. After a chat of what The Hunger Games actually means, Katniss comforts her sister Primrose, whos had a bad dream. One of the biggest movies of the 21st century features no dialogue between two named female characters. 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. Should it be dismissed entirely? Definitely not. Despite having an array of fierce and funny female characters, the last movie of the Harry Potter installments disappointingly doesn't feature a single conversation between the women. Now, thats not to say that theyre all friends or even that their relationships are all healthy. The film follows three different possible outcomes for her actions and explores her relationships and interactions with the people and the world aroundher. Grace and FrankieHow often do we get to see older women rise up against adversity with a whole lot of laughter and a whole lot of love? Refine See titles to watch instantly, titles you haven't rated, etc 79 titles 1. About something other than a man. Enter search term: Or, you can show the list for one or more years: Black Widow, the two characters never interact to have a conversation. Have we missed anything? 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. Big Littles Lies also brings drastically different women together who have one thing in common: Their kids are in the same class. In 1985, American cartoonist Alison Bechdel included the idea for the Bechdel test (also known as the BechdelWallace test) in a comic strip called The Rule. It shows what women can do when theyre on the same side with the same goal. To pass, a movie must have two named women converse about something other than a man. Sounds simple, right? The Bechdel test ( / bkdl / BEK-dl) [1] is a measure of the representation of women in film (and, by extension, in fiction in general). The movie, which tells the story of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, features a few female characters, but they never talk to each other. 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. Why? Issa Rae embodies all of these qualities in her character, Issa. Sex and drugs are a large part of the show, but so are friendships, as Rue, Jules, Lexi, Kat, Cassie, and Maddy dominate the series. Her best friend and coworkers are there for her, even at her lowest. It made history, being the first all-Black starring cast to cross the $100 million threshold at the box office. The only problem is that the conversation is about Jake, who, you probably noticed, is a man. The Bechdel Test is a type of sexism test in the bracket of films. Zoe Delahunty-Light. Its won all the awards, and for good reason. The Bechdel Test, if you're not familiar with it, is a benchmark for movies developed by Alison Bechdel in 1985. According to the . If you havent, then youre missing out on the creative genius that is Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. Of course, people watch movies for the simple pleasure that the story brings. But there's no back-and-forth dialogue that actually amounts to a conversation. The Social Network stars Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin . Fail. The Legend of Korra might regularly fail both because of the ensemble, but later seasons have a majority female cast. Considering the fact that the entire population of New Zealand is in these movies, it kinda seems statistically impossible. While there are two female characters, Snow White and the Evil Queen, the latter is not given a name in the film. 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. Sam Loveridge. created content and their own posts, comments and submissions and fully and effectively warrant It is important to note that many fans refer to the queen as Queen Grimhilde, so she may in fact have a name. 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. Having acquired hundreds of sitcom episode transcripts, I can apply the test programmatically to each episode of these . Others such as Bridgerton, The Nevers, and Yellowjackets make the list, too. Dead To MeJen and Judy are complicated. In order to pass, a film must feature at least two women on screen talking to each other about. If you were ever looking for a film that could pass the Bechdel Test, this would be it. Zoe Delahunty-Light. Pixar's record in general is pretty poor. Cocaine Bear is the latest in a long line of movies to portray bears as bloodthirsty beasts, clamoring for the chance to feast on innocent humans. And its been surprisingly challenging for movies and TV shows to pass this basic test, even in our current golden age of media consumption. (Episode III does still fail, though. For a movie to pass The Bechdel Test, it must contain just one thing - a. This may feel a bit more like a soap opera than a drama, but it absolutely passes the test! 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. TV shows tend to run far longer than movies and thus, most of them end up passing the Bechdel Test. del test/n. Theyre the kind of friends you can share all your embarrassing moments with because theyve seen (and done) it all. Basically, theres a lot to talk about other than men. 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. Rate. I think it's a show that has great female characters. 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. Were there any women on F-Troop aside from Wrangler Jane? Directed by Amy Poehler, Moxie is an overt rebellion against the toxic patriarchal systems that are rife in youth culture. We think its time to go beyond it. Well, if you're looking for a female fish in the sea you'd be hard pressed to find one in Nemo's world. 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. Seriously? 6 'The Social Network'. The show takes place in the beautiful town of Monterey, California, and follows three moms: Madeline, Celeste, and Jane. We are now operating in a virtual space, but we can still honor and name the physical spaces we all inhabit. In 1985, American cartoonist Alison Bechdel. The singer reveals how grueling life was on the road. The Bechdel Test is a measure of gender bias in movies. Finally, although we can guess what the result will be, I computed the male equivalent of the test: two male characters must talk about something other than a female character. The world has changed since the Bechdel-Wallace Test was created Hulu When The Bechdel-Wallace Test first appeared in 1985, the world was an entirely different place. And its been surprisingly challenging for movies and TV shows to pass this basic test. The best part about Girls is that the characters arent that likable. How it passes: Dont let the name fool you, Children of Men (opens in new tab) passes the Bechdel Test with flying colours. In a film about violence and mafiosos, Karen ( Lorraine Bracco) and Rosie ( Illeana Douglas) manage to squeeze in a Bechdel Test pass with a conversation about Florida. She quips that the last film she was able to go see was Alien in 1979. It's commonly used as a commentary about the lack of female representation in Hollywood. No, its not a T.V cooking show where Mary Berry judgesthe bestbechamel sauce for a lasagna, although that does sound like delicious competition Id wana be a judge on. Girls TripGirls Trip is everything. Holdo a total, er, force (RIP). Thats what makes it unique. 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. Get the best gaming deals, reviews, product advice, competitions, unmissable gaming news and more! Most of them fail, even ones full of female characters. This show might possibly be the highlight of 2017. Why are youhere? Anything, even if its something stereotypically feminine, like shopping or shoes. The readers of Dykes to Watch Out For (where the test originated) probably love this show. A Medium publication sharing concepts, ideas and codes. Often, the two women must be named, prominent characters to meet the criteria. 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 The Good FightWe were fans of The Good Wife, and when The Good Fight aired, we were excited to see some of our favorite characters back and connecting with each other in fascinating and exciting ways. 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. A hobbit gets caught up in a huge war when he has to take a magic ring right to the bad guys front door. The test has gained traction in recent years, but there's still some big-name films that don't meet the criteria. PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1890 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie. Scared her people will turn on her, she runs away and loses emotional control plunging the Kingdom into an eternal winter. Younger is a marathon-worthy series about a fortysomething who pretends to be in her twenties in order to break back into publishing. 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. Theyre flawed, complicated, and sometimes make horrible decisions. The Bechdel Test, if youre not familiar with it, is a benchmark for movies developed by Alison Bechdel in 1985. Are there any TV shows that fail the Bechdel Test. Mary Berry Cooks / Headline Publishing Group Although they spend a good portion of the film apart they still manage to have a many conversations about important things like their love for each other and saving their Kingdom from a perpetual winter. 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. Definition Of Bechdel Test. Summit Entertainment But the shows that dont pass the test are about men who already have established careers, and so the relationships between women fall to the wayside. although I'm pretty sure Megillat Esther does not pass the Bechdel Test), the . (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.). 11 The Imitation Game Based on the 1982 biography Alan Turning:. In 10 hours, not one interaction? The movie: Annies best friend is getting married so naturally shes Maid of Honor. This is straightforward, as the transcripts contain scene indicators, usually. Lauren OCallaghan. Lauren OCallaghan. To join our community, just fill out the form below. Kee talks to revolutionary leader Julian and her midwife Miriam at many points throughout the movie, and its almost never about a man. The Bechdel test is the most popular tool for assessing female representation in film. A scene fails this step if any of the three lines in the back-and-forth mention any of the main male characters by name, a male pronoun like he or his, or any of a short list of other male identifiers, such as men, boyfriend, dad, or mr. That means having at least two, named, female characters in the movie, who talk to each other about something other than men. Because representation matters, and many of the people writing, directing, and producing are still majority men. It also crushed the Golden Globes in 2017. The information needed to compute the BT for every scene and episode can be obtained from these transcripts with only a little further work. 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. Congratulations to Fast & Furious 7: Furious 7 for becoming the fifth movie in Big Stupid Movie Month to pass the Bechdel test. Lers kick things off with a choice that surely wont disappoint. 20th Century Fox. Its pass rate drops dramatically at steps 2 and 3. Okay, so, right, Atomic Blonde stars Theron as an MI6 agent who travels to Berlin as the wall is about to fall in order to retrieve a priceless dossier to take down an espionage ring. And so are five other '90s tattoo styles. Did you see that fight scene where there was no music and she was just fighting and it was painful and awful and brilliant? This Canadian-made comedy about friends navigating motherhood will have you laughing out loud. This evil stepmother figure in Disneys 1998 remake is finally receiving the appreciation she always deserved. RELATED: 10 Best 2019 Movies That Passed The Bechdel Test, Ranked After witnessing a series of inappropriate events at school - none of which are taken seriously by the staff - Vivian . Despite having two kickass female characters who are named, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) a.k.a. BA1 1UA. 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. Yes, theres boy drama and girl drama (Kat identifies as bisexual), but the show isnt about romantic relationshipsits about friendships. For a movie to pass The Bechdel Test, it must contain just one thing a scene in which two or more named female characters have a conversation (that is, back and forth dialogue) about anything at all besides men. Honestly, if you dont know this, then I hope that 35-year coma was really peaceful andlovely. for the content of external websites. 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. Or if they did have semi-important male characters, but the only topics of conversation they had were about the women in their lives? #ForeverAlone. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). But not dwelling on that, the show quite obviously passes the Bechdel Test, with a strong . The series based on Robert Jordans epic series begins with the premise of a world ruled by women who have to deal with a lot of very bad men. 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. Paramount Pictures The Bechdel Test - Everything You Need To Know No Film School 116K subscribers Subscribe 150K views 4 years ago This video essay is part of the "Everything You Need to Know" series created. Id guess most Orange is the New Black episodes would fail. At a time when toxic masculinity is still very much alive and well, this entire show is a breath of fresh air. Married With Children went in the other direction. Bath I cant remember a landing party with more than one female. Books? advertising. The Bechdel test was designed by cartoonist Alison Bechdel in 1985. 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. No females speak to each other in thatone.). 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. The movies follow The Bride as she kills her way through the list of assassins who targeted her, working her way up to Bill - their boss and her former lover. Remember the test was originally invented to help lesbians find movies theyd like. The movie: The 2016 Ghostbusters (opens in new tab) film is technically the third film in the franchise, but actually serves as a reboot, replacing the four main male characters with female alternatives - played by Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. note Additionally. Harry and his friends (several of whom are female) begin making their final moves to take down Lord Voldemort. In one installment of her comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For, one character informs the other that she will only go to see films in theaters that have adequate female representation. 5. How it passes: Its true that Frozen (opens in new tab) only has two named female characters, but the movie is literally about them and their relationship to each other. Content copyright Journal Media Ltd. 2023 Registered in Dublin, registration number: 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. The squads a little more preoccupied with ghost bustin than affairs of the heart, and casually saving the world from an evil menace. Wire service provided by AFP and Press Association. Women comprised 17% of directors working on the 250 top grossing films in 2021, down from 18% in 2020. But its still surprising to find out that some of the most popular films of all time fail the test, and often for reasons you may have never considered. Im not completely certain, but possibly the original Star Trek? Movies that fail the Bechdel test tend to have higher IMDB ratings. 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. For a movie or TV show to pass the test, it has to feature at least two women talking to each other about a topic other than a man. There are braces, acne, and lots of humiliating moments. SuperJail, unless JailBot is female. Even shows that are deemed feminist sometimes dont pass the testand, frankly, its frustrating. InsecureThe real love between Issa and Molly gives us all the feels like all of them. For example, the archive has almost 120 films passing for 2019 out of those couple hundred that were added. Your home for data science. The 25 best movies that pass the Bechdel Test with flying colors By Lauren O'Callaghan, Louise Blain, Zoe Delahunty-Light, Rachel Weber, Sam Loveridge last updated 6 May 2022 The best movies. Heres an excerpt on research conducted on film and gender in 2021: After reaching historic highs in 2020, the percentages of women directing top grossing films declined in 2021. Marvel Studios Please know that these are only a portion of the new television series passing the test. We can look at the results for each show, broken down by test step.
