Hands up who’s been watching a LOT of Netflix lately? Go on, don’t be shy. I certainly have. At times during this bloody year, it’s been one of those small parts of my day where I can escape the dreaded news and just immerse myself in something fun. I watch a lot of Netflix but lately, I’ve been loving the female led shows on the platform!
In general, I prefer watching movies and shows with female leads. I always have done. Knowing it has a female lead always draws me in much more and I’m always interested in the way female characters are portrayed and their often complication lives and fascinating story arcs.
So today I wanted to share with you 7 recommendations of female led shows that you should add to your Netflix watch list! Some of these are very female led, whereas others have generally a wider range of female characters in the mix.
But within all of them, you’ll find strong female characters with incredible stories and fascinating lives who are part of a great series! Before we get into the post, if you want some more series and film recommendations, check out these additional posts:
- My Favourite Series I Watched In 2020
- 8 Things To Watch On Disney+
- 10 Horror Movies To Watch on Amazon Prime
Here are 7 female led Netflix shows to add to your watch list today!
Orphan Black
This post wouldn’t be right without first mentioning Orphan Black and Queen Tatiana Maslany. If you’re looking for a female led show, you can’t go wrong with one where the main actress plays the main character as well as more than 5 additional supporting characters too. Sci-Fi, clones, genetic engineering and an absolutely incredible set of characters.
The Queen’s Gambit
The world has gone crazy for The Queen’s Gambit since its release and if you’ve seen it, you’ll understand why. If you haven’t seen it, what on Earth are you waiting for? Anya Taylor-Joy is spectacular in every single way possible in this series and is an extremely strong female led show that you literally won’t be able to stop watching.
The Haunting of Bly Manor
Compared to it’s predecessor, The Haunting of Hill House, which had a fairly even distribution of focus between the male and female characters, Bly Manor is definitely more female led in the characters and storyline, especially with Dani and Jamie being the main lesbian couple of the show too. Although I preferred Hill House for it’s scare factor, Bly Manor is beautifully haunting.
Grace and Frankie
The thing I love about Grace and Frankie, is that it shines a light on older people, with both lead actresses being in their 80’s now. It shows us that people over the age of 70 can still have fun, experiment, change their path and create new romantic relationships in their lives. Plus it’s so freaking funny.
How To Get Away With Murder
Annalise Keating. Need I say more? Despite having an incredible mix of characters in this series, our main point is always Annalise. The series simply wouldn’t be the same without her. Viola Davis is one of my favourite actresses and has the ability to captivate anyone and everyone watching her. As well as her character Annalise, there are also various other strong female characters, such as Michael and Tegan in this show too.
Away
This is one of the most recent ones I’ve watched in this list and I’m gutted it’s not being renewed for a season 2 but still worth a watch, nonetheless. Although Away isn’t solely focused on the main character, Emma Green, it’s still an amazing show whereby a woman has the highest status in a potentially life-threatening mission to Mars. Hilary Swank is incredible and this show demonstrates female leadership incredibly.
Jane the Virgin
Ending with a more light-hearted one. I absolutely loved Jane the Virgin when I watched it a few years ago and it’s stuck with me ever since. As well as the main character being Jane, the show itself focuses heavily on female relationships within family ties, bonds between mothers and daughters as well as going after what you want.