Stop what you are doing and WATCH GLOW

where to watch Seasons 1-2 available on Netflix. Season 3 is OUT TODAY!

when to watch You’re in the mood for a really good TV show. So basically, any time.

tl;dr Set in the 1980s, GLOW is one of the best written TV shows I’ve ever seen. It follows about twelve women as they make a wrestling TV show.

you should note Very bingeable. A lot of women direct episodes. Relatively diverse cast as well.

UPDATE OCT 2019: GLOW has been renewed for a fourth and final season!!

It’s a Saturday afternoon. I finally have some free time, so I open Netflix on my laptop. Let me rewatch a couple episodes of GLOW, I think to myself. So I can blog about it.

Cut to: One week later, I have raced through all two seasons again, and still not started my review

Yes, it really is that good.

I always knew I was going to write about GLOW for this blog. In fact, if someone were to ask my why I started “Next Time On” in the first place, I’d have to say it was because of this show.

GLOW is easily one of the best shows I have ever seen, and yet most people have never heard of it. It is Emmy and Golden Globe nominated, very critically acclaimed, and everyone I know who has seen it loves it.

And yet, most people have never heard of it.

In case you, dear reader, happen to be unlucky enough to fall into this category, allow me to clue you in.

the premise

Imagine this: It’s 1980s LA. The hair is big, the jeans are tight, and good TV roles for women are nonexistent.

Enter GLOW, the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling.

That’s right, GLOW is a TV show about making a TV show. But not just any TV show—a women’s wrestling show. (It’s actually based on a real show of the same name)

Scene from Season 1 of GLOW

We meet a cast of about 12 main female characters that will eventually become the characters and wrestlers on this kitschy, ridiculous, mildly offensive wrestling show. These women come from all kinds of backgrounds—struggling actresses, successful actresses, hairdressers, med students, bored rich girls, and everything in between. Along with them, there is Sam Sylvia, a washed-up director who used to make experimental films, and Bash Howard, the rich, naive, idealistic producer.

The protagonist Ruth, played by Alison Brie (you may know her as Trudy from Mad Men), is my favorite TV character ever. She is earnest to a fault, yet makes difficult and sometimes outright bad choices. She’s complicated, but trying her best. And couldn’t you ultimately say that about anyone?

this show is television writing at its finest

Every character is rich and fully realized; they feel like real people. Aside from the basic premise that these people are making a wrestling TV show, there is very little “plot.” Everything that happens is entirely relationship and character driven. Because the show takes the time to ground itself in relationships, every conversation and every decision feel natural.

Over the course of 2 seasons, viewers get to fall in love with Ruth, Debbie, and all the other women on the show. We get to see these women form deep bonds, deal with the difficulties of working in an incredibly sexist industry, and help each other get through everything life throws at them. The way the women interact feels authentic, even though the idea of an 80s wrestling show is so incredibly foreign to me. This is no surprise, of course—the show is created, written, and even frequently directed by women.

But it’s not just the women that are well-written. Sam and Bash, the two main male characters, are also given complexity and depth. Sam is cranky, yet endearing. Bash is slightly delusional and pretty clueless, but his heart is always in a good place.

Between the incredible writing, the eye-pleasing 80s aesthetic, and GLOW’s perfect balance between touching and funny, anyone not watching this show is missing out.

The best part? Season 3 comes out TODAY!

Get watching! Support an amazing show and women behind-the-camera! Tell Netflix we want more!

find more on Netflix

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