Comments on: Cagney & Lacey: Women in a man’s world

By: Hush, hush… voices carry

Hush, hush… voices carry — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 04:36:05 +0000

[...] Re-watching Cagney & Lacey has got me thinking about the 80’s – my formative years – lately. I keep trying to figure out how I got a lot of positive feminist messages even though I was living in a place that was so bigoted you had to be white, male, heterosexual, Republican, Protestant and a native to the area just to get those who fit those qualifications not to pretend they didn’t hear you when you spoke. [...]

By: Further proof we're regressing

Further proof we're regressing — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 20:28:55 +0000

[...] I read Wonder Woman comics as a kid. I utterly failed to appreciate how revolutionary shows like Cagney & Lacey – hell, even Kate & Allie and Who’s the Boss – were, until I saw what came [...]

By: Spenser for Hire: the abortion episode

Spenser for Hire: the abortion episode — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 19:58:33 +0000

[...] that article combined with my recent 80′s flashbacking caused me to remember an episode of Spenser: for Hire, a detective drama in the mid-80′s starring [...]

By: Jennifer Kesler

Jennifer Kesler — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:56:53 +0000

Thanks, Maartje. It’s really interesting to see how many other markets can support a show about two women, when the US market seems determined C&L was just a fluke.

By: Maartje

Maartje — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:47:16 +0000

There’s a Belgian cop show about two female detectives: ‘Flikken’. Which was made in the image of a dutch cop show about two women, only the Belgian version was vastly better.
I don’t think these two shows would have been made without fuss if ‘Cagney and Lacey’ hadn’t existed.
I know you focus primarily on the US but I think you might feel a little better knowing that this particular american show has made an impact on both Dutch and Belgian TV.

By: Jennifer Kesler

Jennifer Kesler — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 16:55:24 +0000

Lizriz, I agree and have given such characters praise in the articles I linked to. I just think C&L makes an even stronger statement.

I’ve worked on sets too, and in my experience, the men make some adjustments in how they dress and behave, too. It’s physical work, so suits and neckties won’t do anymore than high heels or purses to lug around. In fact, the (perceived as feminine) ability to anticipate someone’s emotional needs becomes a prized skill for men who deal with actors and some of the crew.

By: lizriz

lizriz — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 15:41:20 +0000

For what it’s worth, I work in the entertainment industry, and when I’m on set, I throw a wallet in my back pocket, and I do the work, you know? I don’t bring a purse, and I wear jeans, a T-shirt, and athletic shoes.

Your point about needing all types of real women characters on TV is valid – I didn’t jump on to disagree, because you are so, so right. But just to say that some of your “defeminized” characters may also represent real women in certain situations.

By: S. A. Bonasi

S. A. Bonasi — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 14:51:41 +0000

Mickle,

I recommend the new Bionic Woman to you.

Warning: Mild spoilers following.

It reminds me a lot of Heroes – suspension of belief, iffy writing, questional acting, yet nevertheless as addictive as all hell – ‘cept there are women. As in, plural. As in, not only a super duper bionic lead (Jaime) but she’s not The Exception, as there’s also the first bionic woman (Sarah). Then there’s Jaime’s boss (Ruth) and Jaime’s sister (Becca).

It’s not quite perfect — some of the comments by the showrunners suggest an intended post-feminist but also unitentionally male perspective that worries me some (I’m iffy of the wisdom of aiming for post-feminism given that the story exists in present patriarchal U.S.A.); I’m a bit let down that Becca couldn’t be a hacker and deaf (why must deafness only exist if it’s a plot point?); and the show so far suffers from Missing Women of Color Syndrome (there’s also Jae, Jonas, & Isaiah Washington’s character Antonio [who's not in the pilot], but they’re all male, and all the women I named are white) — but overall I loved the pilot and recommend it to anyone looking for an enjoyable sci-fi series that’s more inclusive than the usual fare, a trend I hope continues and continues to improve.

By: Mickle

Mickle — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 06:01:54 +0000

A TV show that passes the Bechdel Test/Mo Movie Measure in every episode? Why that just can't be done! Sorry for the snark, I just finished Heroes and I'm feeling a little growly. I obviously need to go watch Cagney and Lacey to perk me up! (Hey, maybe TV producers will get a clue from DVD sales...) Sounds like a good series - the posts and the show (which I've only ever seen bits of when I was a kid).

By: Jennifer Kesler

Jennifer Kesler — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 04:44:42 +0000

Lavode, I read that on Wikipedia (that CBS thought Foster would be perceived as a lesbian). I’m not sure what to make of it – even though that sounds like typical bone-headed network thinking, Cagney’s very active and clearly heterosexual dating life is a big part of her character, so I’m not sure where anyone would get the idea she was a lesbian. The DVD featurette just said that she and Daly had acting styles that were too similar, and the sense of the two characters being opposites wasn’t coming across. Who knows?

Ide Cyan, why am I not surprised that the UK and Canada would be more open to a multiple woman format than US markets? Actually, that’s a good point – I’ll make a note in the original post that I’m writing from a US-centric view.