7 women who run the show on Netflix

MANILA, Philippines – These days, bad-ass women rule the screen: from shows like HBO’s Big Little Lies, Netflix’s House of Cards and The Crown, and pretty much every series out of Shondaland, dynamic female characters and brilliant actresses drive the stories we can’t stop watching. 

Even off-screen, women run the show and Netflix is a case-in-point – gender pay gap notwithstanding. 

Tina Fey (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)

Tina Fey is the funnywoman responsible for some of the funniest shows and films in recent pop culture history (without her, there wouldn’t be Mean Girls and 30 Rock!). For Netflix, she created the wacky, feel-good Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, for which she has been nominated for 15 awards, including outstanding comedy series and comedy episode of the year.

Shonda Rhimes (How to Get Away with Murder, Grey’s Anatomy)

They don’t call her Queen Shonda for nothing. The TV producer and screenwriter built the TV empire known as Shondaland, which has spawned some of the most enduring and well-loved shows on the small screen: Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder, and Grey’s Anatomy.

Jenji Kohan (Orange is the New Black, GLOW)

Jenji is the brains behind runaway Netflix hit Orange is the New Black, the first series to be nominated for an Emmy in both comedy and drama categories. She followed it up with another critically-acclaimed series, GLOW, which revolves around the lives of women wrestlers from the 1980s. Jenji’s brilliance is not lost on the world – in 2014, she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Lena Waithe (Master of None)

Lena is a true trailblazer, making history as the first African American woman to win an Emmy, and for an episode that shed light on the under-explored coming out experience of queer women, no less. Her winning work, Master of None’s “Thanksgiving” episode, was based on her own experience of coming out.

Rachel Morrison (Mudbound)

Cinematographers are like the unsung heroes of TV and film – and female cinematographers even more so. But Rachel Morrison, who brought that magical, sun-worn feel to Mudbound, broke those boundaries and became the first female cinematographer to be nominated for an Academy Award.

Mary Harron (Alias Grace)

Mary Harron was in the director’s chair for every episode of Alias Grace – her first time directing a series from start to finish. The series is a worthy adaptation of a feminist classic by Margaret Atwood, and is loved by both critics and viewers. It earned Mary a best director nomination at the Canadian Screen Awards in 2018.

Francesca Delbanco (Friends From College)

As the co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer for Friends From College, Francesca Delbanco is one of the hardest working people on that team. The Harvard alum brings her own experiences to life. She’s also made her foray into writing with the show, penning 3 episodes in the first season. – Rappler.com