Shades closed, phone off, popcorn ready - time for a binge-a-thon! We brought you a bunch of eclectic characters, steamy eroticism, heartbreaking fates and tragic love stories. Beware, these shows are highly addictive!
The first lesbian* series thanks to which every second women started living their lives like Shane McCutcheon’s twin was just oil on fire: by the time The L Word got to its last season, the lesbian* society was hungry for good-quality series. Fortunately we didn’t have to wait for long: the writers of Pretty Little Liars, Grey's Anatomy, Orphan Black, and The Fosters realised what lesbian* women need on screen. We can definitely say that since The L Word aired, it’s not a taboo to show the love between two women on screen anymore. These days, it’s even considered to be a gesture of acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, which is a big thing after all, especially considering that back in the days it used to be like the typical case of the needle and the haystack: we were looking for it, but never found films that showed lesbian* love.
But let’s see the most addictive series, the ones that changed the attitude of the lesbian community towards itself forever and at the same time were even capable of making heterosexual women question their own sexual orientation.
The L Word (2004-2009)
A series that can be watched over and over again. Most likely every lesbian* has seen at least a few episodes (or now they will do so). Without watching this, you will never understand the black shirt+necktie feeling. The L Word was the first series for lesbian* women that didn’t only help us understand and express our own identity, but it also introduced a world that we hadn’t known much about. It made it clear for everyone: love, marriage and having a family is possible between two women and not only that, but all these things can function well. Good news that Showtime has ordered a new season so we can all prepare, because Shane will definitely return on screen!
Wentworth (2013 - )
This show doesn’t radiate lesbian sexuality, like Orange Is the New Black, but Wentworth breaks all the unwritten rules of a lesbian prison drama and puts everything in a new perspective in such a way that at the end of the episodes you’ll definitely need a few minutes to get yourself together again. The Australian prison drama hasn’t gotten a great deal of attention, even though it would’ve deserved the same amount of hype as OITNB. It’s a rarity to see such a perfectly done and lifelike character development. Besides the well written characters, the series has shocking and unexpected plot twists and a fantastic cast as well. If you start watching one show this week, this should be it. Believe me, at the end of each episode you will hastily start the next one.
Orange Is the New Black (2013 - )
In contrast with Wentworth's thrilling and deep scenes, this series is much easier to digest. It shows the love of two women, Alex and Piper, and the complications that come with it. There is no shortage of steamy, loving or heartbreaking scenes and interesting and funny characters: Alex Vasue's character is just perfect.
Jenji Kohan's dramedy, which is based on Piper Kerman's memoir of the same title, does not only lets us peep into what prison life is like, but also makes it easy for the audience to love the characters as it gives insight to every small detail regarding different people and stories. The best choice for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just a snack.
The Handmaid’s Tale (April 2017)
This show is not even close to the Hungarian border but once it arrives, we will surely love it. The surreal dystopia, which is based on the book written by Margaret Atwood, takes place in a religious fundamentalist state, where the main character is nothing else than a walking womb, a birthing machine. This is her only value in the eyes of the society, because she is one of the few of those whose womb has healthily survived radiation pollution. Fertile women are collected in re-education camps where they are only given one duty: to give birth to the next generation of the ruling class. This is where the complications start, because not everyone is who they seem. Some people hide terrible secrets and we can’t even imagine who they really are. This is also a must see and I’m counting back the days until the Hungarian premiere.
Translated by Ibolya Nagy
