6 of the Best Shows Made by Women, Starring Women on Prime Video

In between Abbi Jacobson’s A League of Their Own and the latest season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, 2022 has been a great year for television made by, for and starring women. But why limit ourselves to just one year? Prime Video has an incredible library of shows led by women, from Phoebe Waller-Bridge to Lizzo and even some Australian icons. We’ve rounded up the best shows made by women, starring women that are streaming on Prime Video. (Aka I looked at my watch history and pulled out the most recent titles.)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Made by Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of Gilmore Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel follows New York housewife Miriam “Midge” Maisel who discovers she has a talent for stand-up comedy. But building such an prominent career in the 1950s and ’60s is no easy task for a woman, and Midge, together with her manager and friend Susie, is faced with challenges ranging from competing comedians to cheating husbands. As you’d expect from Sherman-Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a hilarious, poignant and gorgeous show about women chasing the dreams.

A League of Their Own

Made by Abbi Jacobson and Will Graham, A League of Their Own is an adaptation of the 1992 movie of the same name. Jacobson plays Carson Shaw, a housewife who sneaks to Chicago to try out for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. There, she meets other women who share her love of baseball, and has a sexual awakening when she meets Greta Gill (D’Arcy Carden).

Not only is A League of Their Own funny as hell, it’s also empowering and was widely celebrated for its diverse representation. Max Chapman (Chanté Adams) is an incredibly talented pitcher who’s forbidden from playing because she’s Black. The fierce Mexican-American pitcher Lupe García (Roberta Colindrez) is given the nickname “The Spanish Striker”. And Jo DeLuca (Melanie Field) is repeatedly told to be more “feminine” to appeal to the fans.

a league of their own (2022) is such solid proof that queer people making queer media makes a huge difference like i have never felt as seen as i do when i watch that show

— ryan (@mariasmarvels) November 10, 2022

Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls

It doesn’t get much more “by women, for women” than Lizzo, especially in her new reality show Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls. It follows the singer as she auditions backup dancers for her next tour, and features an inclusive, diverse and incredibly talented cast of hopefuls who have serious moves.

“Girls that look like me don’t get representation,” Lizzo says in the trailer. “Time to pull up my sleeves and find them myself.”

In between the drama of the competition (of which there’s plenty — it won an Emmy for Outstanding Competition Program) Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls sends a message about loving yourself “in a world that doesn’t love you back.”

Fleabag

Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag is the story of a charming, messy and self-destructive woman who breaks the fourth wall, gets off watching Obama speeches and tortures herself over the death of her best friend. Over the course of two perfect seasons, the show follows her as she comes to terms with her grief, repairs her strained relationship with her sister and falls in love with the Hot Priest (Andrew Scott). It’s also wickedly funny and poignant, full of situations straight out of a sitcom and stars Olivia Colman as a psychotically passive aggressive step mum.

Fleabag is a celebration of messy women and a reminder that, no matter how bad or frequent our fuck ups, we’re not alone.

Rosehaven

One of the best comedies to come out of Australia, Rosehaven is made by Celia Pacquola and Luke McGregor who also star as codependent best friends Emma and Daniel. When Daniel returns to his childhood home in Tasmania to help his mum run the family business, Emma shows up at his door after being dumped on her honeymoon. Together, they deal with the hilarious ins and outs of running a small town real estate and help each other overcome their childhood bullies, garbage exes and self-doubt.

Real life best friends Pacquola and McGregor have an easy charm together on-screen; often the funniest moments in the show simply involve Emma and Daniel sitting on a couch debriefing after a long day. The show is full of oddball characters, bizarre town traditions and memorable quotes that will hit close to home for anyone who grew up in rural Australia.

Little Fires Everywhere

Based on the best-selling book by Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere stars Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, who were also executive producers. They play two very different women who are thrown together in suburbia and clash over their very different ideas of motherhood. Elena (Witherspoon) presents as the head of a picture-perfect family while Mia (Washington) is a single mum and free-spirited artist. The conflict between them leads to Elena’s house being burnt down, with each episode slowly unravelling the family secrets that led to disaster.

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