This year will see a multitude of female-written TV shows arrive on our screens, and what better time to celebrate everything we have to look forward to than on International Women’s Day?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe will be adding to its roster of female superheroes, with the introduction of both Ms Marvel, its first Muslim superhero, and She-Hulk, both of whom will have their own introductory Disney Plus series, penned by female screenwriters.
Meanwhile there’s the returning Gentleman Jack, the much-loved BBC series created by Sally Wainwright, about real-life gay landowner Anne Lister, whose self-styled marriage to Ann Walker in 1834 marked the season 1 finale.
We also have plenty of upcoming book adaptations arriving on the small screen, from period drama The Essex Serpent to Pachinko on Apple TV+, based on Min Jin Lee’s bestselling book.
Read on for the best female-written TV shows coming to our screens this year.
The Essex Serpent
!["The-Essex-Serpent-Claire-Danes-21b71bd-e1618411359827"]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/03/The-Essex-Serpent-Claire-Danes-21b71bd-e1618411359827-c8923ce.jpg?quality=90&resize=591%2C382" "\"The-Essex-Serpent-Claire-Danes-21b71bd-e1618411359827\"")
Written by Anna Symon and based on the book of the same name by Sarah Perry, The Essex Serpent is an upcoming period drama directed by Clio Barnard for Apple TV Plus, and expected to air in 2022.
Claire Danes plays the heroine Cora Seaborne, a widow who arrives at the small village of Aldwinter in Essex, and becomes intrigued by a local superstition about a mythical serpent. Loki star Tom Hiddleston joins Danes in the role of Will Ransom, a local leader and man of the cloth, while Cleménce Poésy (Tenet) will play Stella Ransom, wife of Will and close friend of Cora.
Everything I Know About Love
!["Dolly]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/03/Dolly-Alderton-94d5086.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C400" "\"Dolly-Alderton\"")
The bestselling memoir Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton will get a second lease of life in an upcoming BBC adaption inspired by the book, with the scripts penned by Alderton herself.
Set in a London house-share in 2012, the series will follow longtime best friends Maggie, played by Emma Appleton (The Witcher), and Birdy, played by Bel Powley (The Morning Show), whose platonic love provides the beating heart of a series about messy relationships and heartbreak. The series is also helmed by a female director, China Moo-Young, who said: “We have a sublime cast for Everything I Know About Love and I’m so excited to see them bring all the heart and humour of Dolly’s scripts to life on screen.”
Gentleman Jack season 2
!["Gentleman]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/02/2.-Suranne-Jones-as-Anne-Lister-in-Gentleman-Jack-series-2-coming-to-BBC-One-and-iPlayer-this-Spring_final_24347502_24347490-b0c4951.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Gentleman")
Directed and written by women, Sally Wainwright’s hilarious BBC comedy-drama about real-life “Gentleman Jack” Anne Lister returns for a second season this year, once again starring Suranne Jones (Doctor Foster) in the title role.
Set in the 1800s, Gentleman Jack season 2 picks up where the first left off, following the self-styled marriage of Yorkshire landowner and the “first modern lesbian” Anne Lister to the shy, wealthy heiress Ann Walker (played by Sophie Rundle in the Gentleman Jack cast), following a long, fraught courtship during season 1.
The Baby
!["The-Baby"]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/03/The-Baby-4f08169.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C400" "\"The-Baby\"")
Upcoming eight-part horror series The Baby is penned by an all-female writers room, headed up by Siân Robins-Grace and Lucy Gaymer, and starring Michelle De Swarte, Amber Grappy and Amira Ghazalla.
The Sky Atlantic synopsis reads: “When 38-year-old Natasha is unexpectedly landed with a baby, her life of doing what she wants, when she wants, dramatically implodes. Controlling, manipulative and with violent powers, the baby twists Natasha’s life into a horror show. Where does it come from? What does it want? And what lengths will Natasha have to go to in order to get her life back? She doesn’t want a baby. The baby wants her.”
Queenie
Author Candice Carty-Williams will penning the screenplay for the upcoming Channel 4 adaptation of her hit novel, Queenie, about Jamaican British woman Queenie Jenkins.
In a statement, the author said it was a “privilege” to be able to adapt to book for the small screen: “Being able to bring Queenie, her family and of course the Corgis to the screen is so exciting to me. And to do that with Channel 4, who has always set the tone for what television is about by pushing the boundaries of what we watch, is an added bonus.
“It’s clear to me that Queenie, a character whose story came to me when I was battling my way through my own messy twenties, is still so relevant today, and it’s about time that a show like this can explore why. To adapt and breathe new life into a story that has been talked about across the globe, and to bring Queenie, our problematic fave, to a whole new audience, is such a privilege.”
Heartstopper
!["Heartstopper_Netflix-544e2aa"]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/03/Heartstopper_Netflix-544e2aa-c6214b1.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Heartstopper_Netflix-544e2aa\"")
Netflix series Heartstopper is set to air later this year in 2022, adapted from the graphic novel of the same name by Alice Oseman, and penned by Oseman herself.
The coming-of-age series stars Joe Locke as Charlie Spring, and filming for the eight-parter wrapped last year, with shooting taking place in the UK seaside town of Herne Bay.
She-Hulk
Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as She-Hulk, the cousin of our very own green hero, The Incredible Hulk.
The series, which is expected to premiere sometime in 2022, follows an accomplished lawyer named Jennifer Walters, who gets an emergency blood transfusion from Bruce Bunner (played by a returning Mark Ruffalo) and becomes a superhero herself.
Jessica Gao will serve as the lead writer of the Disney Plus series, following her Emmy win for penning Rick and Morty’s famous “Pickle Rick” episode.
Ms Marvel
This summer the Marvel Cinematic Universe is welcoming its first Muslim superhero in the form of Ms Marvel, in a new Disney Plus series penned by Bisha K Ali (The Baby), who leads the show’s writers room.
Iman Vellani will play the titular teen superhero, a fan favourite, and the character has already been confirmed for an all-female superhero team-up in Captain Marvel 2, aka The Marvels. The character will also provide another youthful female heroine for the franchise, alongside the likes of Hawkeye’s Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) and Black Widow’s Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh).
Fleishman Is In Trouble
Journalist and author Taffy Brodesser-Akner is adapting her hit novel Fleishman Is In Trouble into a TV series, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Claire Danes, and Lizzy Caplan.
The series, as with the novel, with follow Toby Fleishman (Eisenberg), recently divorced from ex-wife Rachel (Danes) and enjoying his newfound single status until she goes missing, leaving him to raise their children on his own. Executive producer Valerie Faris is among the slate of directors lined up for the series.
Shining Girls
Written by Silka Luisa, and adapted from the book by Lauren Beukes, upcoming Apple TV Plus adaption Shining Girls stars Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale) in the lead role of Kirby, with the series set to premiere in April 2022.
The synopsis reads: “Years after a brutal attack left her in a constantly shifting reality, Kirby Mazrachi learns that a recent murder is linked to her assault. She teams with veteran reporter Dan Velazquez to understand her ever-changing present—and confront her past.”
Pachinko
!["Pachinko"]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/03/Pachinko-8024206.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C400" "\"Pachinko\"")
Min Jin Lee’s New York Times bestselling book is being adapted by Soo Hugh, with Pachinko set to arrive on Apple TV Plus on 25th March 2022.
Following four generations of a Korean immigrant family, the highly anticipated series will feature an ensemble cast, led by Oscar-winner Youn Yuh-jung (Minari) as protagonist Sunja.
The Changeling
Kelly Marcel (Cruella) adapts The Changeling, based on Victor LaValle’s best-selling book of the same name and starring LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and The Black Messiah).
Queen & Slim’s Melina Matsoukas directs the Apple TV Plus series, billed as a nightmarish fairytale for grown-ups and following struggling bookseller Apollo (Stanfield), whose son Brian is born on a subway train in New York.
Visit our Drama hub for more news, interviews and features, or find something to watch with our TV Guide.
The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.