Are you a woman who likes to travel? Do you want to swap travel-related tips and tricks and possibly find a travel buddy or two? Then join our fabulous private Facebook group, The Ethel On-The-Go, today. You'll love it!
I’m sure there are plenty of Ethels who love action heroes, gore and sci-fi, but I’m a sucker for a good cry or a cheap laugh. Summer’s must-watch-TV list takes us from 19th-century bloomers to modern-day granny panties, depending on what type of woman you’d like to meet.
Women in corsets: The Gilded Age, HBO Max, season three, new this summer
That conniving grand dame Bertha Russell gets her crinolines in a crunch trying to marry off her daughter, Gladys, in season three of Julian Fellowes’ The Gilded Age, set in 1880s New York. Bertha (played by Carrie Coon) even hires John Singer Sargent to paint Gladys’ portrait — a timely reference, since the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection includes Sargent’s infamous 1884 masterpiece “Madame X” and recently showcased it in a major exhibit.
Meanwhile, Bertha’s son, Larry, is wooing Marion, that modern-thinking young woman across Fifth Avenue. Marion’s friend, Peggy, has met a handsome doctor — but does Peggy impress the doctor’s mother, played by Phylicia Rashad? I’m hoping Rashad has a scene with Audra McDonald, who plays Peggy’s mother.
Fortunes and hemlines change — but human nature does not. That’s why anything written by Fellowes is full of snappy lines and class dynamics. Christine Baranski, playing Marion’s snooty Aunt Agnes, usually gets the finest quips, such as this biting observation: “Love seldom survives marriage.”
Fellowes also created Downton Abbey, the castle-and-caste phenomenon that takes its final bow on September 12, when the third film, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, hits theaters. The trailer for this film had me in tears, so if you’re a fan, I suggest getting the hankies ready and rewatching 2019’s Downton Abbey movie (streaming on Peacock) or the six seasons of the series (streaming on Prime).
Women in big panties: Leanne, new on Netflix
Comedian Leanne Morgan fills arenas with fellow 60-somethings who need “big panties and a sensible shoe.” Netflix describes her new sitcom this way: “The series begins as the titular character’s husband of 33 years leaves her for another woman. This unexpected turn sets up conflicts that will sound familiar to fans of Morgan’s stand-up: Starting over when you’re a grandmother and in menopause isn’t exactly what she had in mind, but with the help of her family, she will navigate this new chapter with grace, dignity and Jell-O salad.”
Women in suits: The Diplomat, two seasons now on Netflix, with a third season coming sometime this fall
Keri Russell plays Ambassador Kate Wyler, and her life is plenty explosive — but now she’s got to deal with President Grace Penn, played by Allison Janney, in this political thriller. Last season, Penn lashed out at Wyler for her haphazard grooming: “You probably think your hair says you’re too busy running the country to get a blowout. But it reads as bedhead, which sends a signal, I think, in this case, is best unsent,” Penn scolds. “Try a bra with a little padding … I know there’s not much to hide, but when your jacket opens, I’m getting headlights…”
Cool casting tidbit: In the upcoming season, Penn’s first gentleman is played by Janney’s West Wing co-star Bradley Whitford.
Women in uniforms: Will Trent, ABC, three seasons streaming on Hulu
I adore all the characters in this show about a dyslexic foster child who grows up to be a brilliant police investigator. But it’s Amanda Wagner, deputy director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Will Trent’s boss and mother figure, who commands the third season. Played by Sonja Sohn, 61, Amanda even gets a sizzling sex scene.
Author Karin Slaughter, who wrote the books on which Will Trent is based, said that she, too, was fascinated with Wagner.
“She’s such a ballbreaker, and every woman I know has known an Amanda Wagner at one point in their lives. She got to the top, and she pulled the ladder up after her. She’s harder on women than she is on men,” Slaughter said in an interview on curiositykilledthebookworm.net. “And, of course, I wanted to show her connection to Will, and how he managed to survive when all the odds were against him.”
The third season ends with a cliffhanger for Amanda … catch up before the fourth season starts in 2026.
Women in the meantime: Somebody, Somewhere, HBO Max, three seasons
My favorite show of 2024 stars Bridget Everett as Sam, a woman who moves back home to Manhattan, Kansas, when one of her two sisters dies. She loses her zest for life — until a quirky best friend, Joel, played by Jeff Hiller, helps her heal. Everett — one of the show creators, who actually did grow up in Manhattan, Kansas — describes it as “a show about the quiet moments between people.” I call that the “meantime,” that space between dramatic events where most of life happens. This quirky, tender and real examination of daily life is what gives this comedy-drama so much heart.
As Everett told Kelly Ripa: "Somebody Somewhere is about not giving up on yourself.”
If you’re looking for an uplifting gem, watch it. Or YouTube any scene from Schitt’s Creek featuring Moira Rose (played by Catherine O’Hara). That sitcom, like Friends, plays on repeat in my world.
What show are YOU binging right now? Let us know in the comments below.
AARP (ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection; HBO/Courtesy Everett Collection, 2; Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection, 2; Getty Images, 3)
Follow Article Topics: Entertainment
