Taking the Lead: Women and the Changing Face of Television Drama

From Elana Levine:
University Satellite Seminar Series
Museum of Television and Radio

Taking the Lead: Women and the Changing Face of Television Drama

Thursday, December 8, 2005
7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Bolton B-60

Today’s television landscape is fertile ground for female-led prime-time dramas; a cursory glance at the schedule yields the likes of Veronica Mars, Medium, Commander in Chief, The Closer…

Such was not always the case. In the era before the groundbreaking series Cagney & Lacey, hour dramas with female leads were rare indeed, the occasional escapist fare such as The Bionic Woman or Wonder Woman notwithstanding.

This seminar will trace the evolution of the female-led television drama, from its embattled past to its current ascendancy. What was the rationale for the network’s historical reluctance to launch such shows? What accounts for their current ubiquity? How have audience expectations changed? And where does the genre go from here?

Panel:
Barbara Corday, Cocreator, Cagney & Lacey
Susanne Daniels, President, Entertainment, Lifetime Entertainment Services
Jill Hennessy, Crossing Jordan
Jane Seymour, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Jenji Kohan, Creator, Weeds

Moderator: Cynthia Littleton, Deputy Editor, The Hollywood Reporter

This seminar is part of the Museum's She Made It initiative.