Credit: Apple TV
Under Her Eye
6 best female-led workplace dramas to watch if you love The Morning Show
By Jess Bacon
2 years ago
4 min read
Apple TV+’s leading workplace drama The Morning Show is back for a third outing. If you just can’t get enough of these weekly new episodes, here are six other female-led dramas to marathon-watch in the meantime.
After what feels like decades since the explosive season two finale, The Morning Show is back with a third instalment and we’re already obsessed.
It picks up two years after season two with Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, who return as UBA anchors Bradley Jackson and Alex Levy. The duo, who work across morning and evening news now, have become the face of ‘trust’ and ‘truth’, as they help the US public navigate the aftermath of the pandemic in 2022.
The nature of the newsroom drama opened up a unique opportunity to explore the Covid-19 outbreak, as it happened, on live TV. It’s a surreal, brilliant examination of how daily news programmes quickly became our lifeline to the outside world, feeding us information and support during the uncertain and bleak time. Similar to Grey’s Anatomy when Seattle Grace faced an onslaught of patients with the unknown (at the time) virus.
With weekly instalments on the way, there’s plenty of time to dive into other female-led workplace dramas to hit that career-based TV fix. Here are our top six female-led workplace dramas to watch this week if you love The Morning Show.
Grey’s Anatomy
Credit: Disney+
This long-running medical drama will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Way back in 2005, Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang and Izzie Stephens burst onto our screens as surgical interns at the bustling Seattle Grace Hospital.
Since then, the ensemble cast has welcomed and lost a whole host of strong female characters, even Ellen Pompeo’s titular star in season 19 – though we’re assured that she’ll be back… one day.
It’s an intense phenomenon that is unrivalled in its genre and is certain to break your heart, no matter how many times you rewatch it.
Scandal
Credit: Disney+
Another Shonda Rhimes masterpiece is the political thriller Scandal. Fronted by Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope, all seven seasons follow the former media consultant as she runs her own crisis management firm.
The acclaimed series is ideal for fans of the West Wing, Designated Survivor or The Diplomat, as it explores the political landscape of the White House and its wider hub, Washington, DC.
There are over 120 episodes to get through, so what are you waiting for?
The Good Wife
Credit: Paramount+
The Good Wife is another legal and political drama that focuses on Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) as she returns to work following a notorious scandal. Her husband, Peter, who also happened to be the breadwinner, was put into prison after he was involved in a high-profile sex and political corruption scandal.
After over a decade as a stay-at-home mother, Alicia revisits her law career and becomes a litigator to support her family. The acclaimed show ran for seven seasons, with over 156 episodes in total and a whole host of overlapping storylines.
If it passed you by when it first aired, you’re well overdue a dive into Alicia’s world.
Watch The Good Wife on Paramount+.
How To Get Away With Murder
Credit: Netflix
Annalise Keating’s criminal law 101 – aka ‘how to get away with murder’ – class is certainly not for the fainthearted. In fact, students frequently have to test their skills outside of the classroom to cover up real murders.
Academy Award winner Viola Davis leads this outstanding legal crime drama that had us hooked from start to finish (though season one remains our all-time favourite instalment).
It mainly follows the so-called Keating 5, Annalise’s favourite students as they navigate being in the centre of a string of accidental deaths, all while they try to pass the class and solve real-world legal cases for their clients.
Happy Valley
Credit: BBC
If you haven’t already devoured all 18 episodes of the Sarah Lancashire-led series, tune in to see police officer Catherine Cawood attempt to bring a criminal who has haunted her for years to justice.
It’s an emotional ride with twists and unexpected turns. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Karen Pirie
Credit: ITVX
In 2022, ITV released Karen Pirie, a three-part crime drama, It follows DS Pirie as she leads a cold case into the murder of teenager Rosie Duff.
As much as the show gives us that murder mystery fix, it’s also a hard-hitting examination of the reality of being a woman in a male-dominated workforce.
Though Karen is the lead detective on the case, it’s made clear she’s brought it for the ‘optics’ of having a woman onboard the team of officers. It’s a small, but mighty series that we’re hopeful might have another outing in the future.
Images: Apple TV; Disney+; Paramount+; Netflix, BBC; ITVX
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