Glow is one of the best new shows of the year (Picture: Netflix)

Fancy girl power, 80s anthems and wrestling wrapped into a comedy-drama? Netflix’s latest original is a smart, hilarious and surprisingly moving chokeslam which stands as one of the platform’s best shows.

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Depicting the birth of women’s professional wrestling in the very-real Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling (GLOW), the show follows a group of women clinging to their last chances – with Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie) being the initial focus as a struggling actress who decides to steer her dream in a different direction.

What unfolds is a vibrant ensemble piece, featuring Nurse Jackie’s Betty Gilpin and a wonderfully weird turn from singer-songwriter Kate Nash, which is about discovering power and identity in a world which doubts their every special move.

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Of course, there’s emotional scrapes along the way. Ruth and Betty’s paths collide in the ring under pretty dire circumstances, while the struggle to find their wrestling character stereotypes and lift GLOW off the ground is laced with each individual’s own personal journey in surprising ways.




The wrestling itself could have easily become a backdrop gimmick, but there’s genuine affection for the art-form pulsing between the questionable accents and glitzy spandex. The intense training for perfect body slams and hilarious backstory concoctions are expertly woven into the drama, with actual professional wrestlers like Kia Stevens (aka Awesome Kong), Christopher Daniels and Joey Ryan all being part of the cast.

Alison Brie is a standout as Ruth Wilder (Picture: Netflix)

If the above names leave you scratching your head, GLOW is thankfully a show which doesn’t require an interest in wrestling to entice. Alison Brie is the show’s biggest hook – whether bulldozing her way through an hysterical Russian accent as a wrestling USSR authoritarian or teetering on emotional wreck in her personal life – her layered performance unravels as the show goes on in an expert dance from wannabe actress to snarly diva.

Fiery, sarcastic director Sam Sylvia (Marc Maron) is also a standout source of the show’s comic chops, as well as being the surprising soft centre – acting as both a beam of support and quippy disdain for all the women bound by their new fighting passion.

Marc Maron is comical dynamite (Picture: Netflix)

While there’s some expected cases of underdeveloped characters amid the ensemble, it does little to diminish the show’s expertly balanced writing and concise upward thrust. Over the course of one season, GLOW snowballs from great drama into a towering escape – with the immensely satisfying, glittering climax leaving us launching off the ropes for a second round.

You can catch GLOW streaming on Netflix from June 23rd.

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