The other night I wasted far too much time watching the season premiere of Bones online. It was stupid and badly done, but I was struck by how feminist the show actually is.
Temperance Brennan, the main character, has a successful career based entirely on the fact that she is blindingly intelligent. While her beauty is remarked upon frequently, her brilliance is her defining characteristic. She never shows any false modesty regarding her abilities. She and the other female characters engages in one-night stands and never regret them. The only exception to this is Cam in the season premiere, and that's only because the man in question is Angela's ex-husband. It also features more non-white characters than a lot of shows I can think of.
I could go on and on about the feminism in Bones, because there are many, many examples. Unfortunately, I can't recommend the show to anyone because it's awful and I'm ashamed to admit I watch it.
I watch it and sometimes enjoy it, but I find myself rolling my eyes constantly. The writing is bad and the acting is terrible, and I really, really wish David Boreanaz were still on Angel. One of the few good points is that it's so forgettable I can watch an episode I've already seen and not be spoiled because I don't remember anything about it.
And it's a shame, because the way women are portrayed is really fantastic, particularly for a show this popular.
So, here's my question: Have you ever come across a TV show, movie, or novel that struck you as exceptionally feminist-friendly, but was so badly done you just couldn't bring yourself to rec it to anyone else?
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Bones is actually one of my favorite shows, so I guess I just don't see where the writing or the acting is so awful as you see it. What exactly is it that you find so poorly done about the show? I should mention, though, that I'm amazingly partial to sci-fi which is notorious for crap acting/writing.
Quality differences aside, Bones is a great show for having such a strong unabashedly-independent female lead. It amazes me constantly that it's on Fox.
Another show that comes to mind is Stargate SG-1, for one of the main characters, Sam. She's extroadinarily intellegent and from what I remember of the show, the romantic overtones are mostly kept to a minimum. Then there's the show Charmed, which is pretty decent for strong female leads.
I agree with dracona1031. I love Bones. I actually think it's acted and written quite well. My favorite parts are the ones where everyone is talking about their personal lives, like when Cam was telling Angela that she'd slept with her ex-husband and the other scientist (can't remember his name) kept trying to get out of it and go back to work. (On the other hand, the scene where Angela and Hodgins broke up was a little too romance-novel for me.) But, like dracona1031, I'm totally biased; I'm an anthropology major, so I watch it just as much for that stuff.
Maybe you should try the books, nattles_thing. I haven't read any yet myself but my husband said he couldn't put them down.
I'm not a fan of Bones, but remember certain episodes are written by different writers, so don't judge a show by one episode!