Since 1999, Mariska Hargitay has portrayed kick-ass detective Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Passionate, strong and empathetic, Benson often serves as a voice for victims of violence. Benson is now a lieutenant and mother and Hargitay is the only original cast member still present on the show. In real life, Hargitay supports survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse as the founder of the Joyful Heart Foundation. Now in its 18th season, Law & Order: SVU runs 9 p.m. Wednesdays on NBC.
In a sea of Jimmys and Jameses, be a Samantha. Daily Show alum Samantha Bee is killing the talk show game as the only female host on late night. While it’s yet to run nightly like its male-hosted counterparts, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee features the big-name interviews (Barack Obama), news mockery and pop culture humor that audiences have come to expect from late-night talk shows. New episodes air 10:30 p.m. Wednesdays on TBS.
Crowned at age 18 in 1837, Queen Victoria reigned over the U.K. for more than 60 years. Victoria, which airs 9 p.m. Sundays on PBS, stars Jenna Coleman as a neglected teen turned into an overnight queen through her relationship with Prince Albert, thus solidifying her status as an early “It Girl.”
Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald was a 1920s icon, an artist and writer in her own right alongside husband F. Scott Fitzgerald. Together, they formed a tumultuous power couple. Z: The Beginning of Everything tells Zelda’s (Christina Ricci) story. Z’s pilot first debuted in 2015; the first season will be released on Amazon on Friday.
For better or worse, Lena Dunham’s at the center of today’s feminist movement. Using her Girls fame as a public platform, Dunham has spoken out about women’s issues like sexual assault and abortion to mixed reviews. But it’s her fictional self, Hannah Horvath, that invites audiences to laugh with/at and then relate to her. The sixth and final season of Girls premieres Feb. 12 on HBO.
Award-winning Amazon series Transparent is not only revolutionary for centering a dramedy on a trans-woman and her multi-generational family navigating the transitioning process, but for making its main character, Maura, flawed and human. When movies and TV aren’t vilifying the trans community, they often conversely swing in the other direction, canonizing near-perfect trans characters. Here, Maura (Jeffrey Tambor) is just as flawed as every other character, making her even more relatable and realistic. Season 3 (and previous seasons) is now available on Amazon.
Feminist hero Gloria Steinem travels the world to explore wide-ranging women’s issues — from sexual assault in the U.S. military to female FARC soldiers in Colombia to the tradition of child brides in Zambia — in VICELAND docuseries Woman. Check out Season 1 on demand.
Broad City features Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer (and their fictionalized counterparts), who prove you can fight the power even as a broke Millennial stoner. Season 4 premieres this August on Comedy Central.
Picks of the Week
The Path (Season Premiere, Wednesday, Hulu) – After a solid 2016 debut, this drama about a cultish hippie religion (that is definitely not Scientology) returns with its stellar cast for a second season. Hugh Dancy stars as the leader of the mysterious Meyerist movement, intent on taking the ministry in a new direction. Aaron Paul returns as a husband and father who’s left the problematic group while his wife (Michelle Monaghan) and children remain committed to Meyerism.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (10 p.m. Wednesday, FXX) – The gang focuses on two previously introduced beverage businesses this week when Wolf Cola becomes the official drink of Boko Haram and Mac and Charlie promote Fight Milk.
Baskets (10 p.m. Thursday, FX) – Chip relishes the opportunity to use the cowboy toilet.
CONTACT JAC KERN: @jackern
