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TV shows are a huge part of our lives: we relate to the characters, grow with them, and sometimes, they feel like a part of our family. Whether it be a wonderful period piece or the newest comedy we keep seeing commercials for, we’re always finding amazing shows to add to our streaming queues. But the ones we have a soft spot for? Amid a sea of television exploring the angst of one’s teen years or the depths of mediocre men’s psyches, the shows we love most of all put the spotlight on older women of the world — AKA those women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond who have been conspicuously absent on screen for so long.
Everyone has at least one story about watching The Golden Girls and everyone knows people lost it over the premiere of Hot in Cleveland — and for good reason. It’s witty, relatable, and no matter how old you are, you love seeing these women navigate love and life gracefully. And let’s face it, at one point, we’ve all said we want to be Betty White when we grow up. The same goes for And Just Like That, picking up the story of Sex and the City‘s Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte (and no Samantha) with the women in their 50s instead of their 30s, there’s never been a better time to celebrate the shows that explore the world of older women best.
We love that the industry that used to be obsessed with youth is finally putting a spotlight on the older and wiser — and breaking the tired stereotypes of older women we used to see while they’re at it. Check out some of our favorite TV shows that put a spotlight on older women and their lives below.
A version of this article was originally published in December 2021.
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‘And Just Like That…’
Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection. In Sex and the City, viewers saw Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Samantha (Kim Cattrall) through the ins and outs of dating and falling in love in their 20s and 30s. Fast forward some years later, SATC’s long-awaited reboot And Just Like That… follows their friendships once again (sans Samantha) for a whole new adventure: navigating their 50s.
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‘Hacks’
Image Credit: Anne Marie Fox/HBO Max. The new HBO Max show Hacks follows the odd and dark mentorship between a legendary comedian played by Jean Smart and an outcast played by Hannah Einbinder.
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‘Dead to Me’
Image Credit: Saeed Adyani / ©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection. Dead to Me is a powerful drama centered around two women with a deadly secret, starring Linda Cardinelli and Christina Applegate.
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‘Grace and Frankie’
Image Credit: Saeed Adyani / ©Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection. After finding out a bombshell about their husbands, the two women become unlikely friends as they navigate life on their own. Grace and Frankie star Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.
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‘The Morning Show’
Image Credit: Erin Simkin /©Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett Collection Starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show shows the behind-the-scenes drama of the most famous morning show in the country. In the first episode, much like Matt Lauer’s infamous scandal, Steve Carell’s character Mitch finds himself in the middle of sexual misconduct accusations.
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‘Big Little Lies’
Image Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images With Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz and Reese Witherspoon in the cast, it’s no wonder Big Little Lies gripped so many fans around the world.
The show follows three mothers, Madeline (Witherspoon), Celeste (Kidman) and Jane (Woodley) as they reckon with the struggles of being seemingly perfect mothers and wives in the beachfront town of Monterey, Calif.
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‘Veep’
Image Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images With Julia Louis-Dreyfus in command, Veep is the perfect blend of comedy and satire that’ll have anyone laughing. The show follows VP Selina Meyer (Louis-Dreyfus) as she puts out political fires, juggles her public schedule and private life, and tries to improve her dysfunctional relationship with the chief executive.
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‘Julia’
Image Credit: Courtesy HBO Did you know Julia Child was 50 years old when the first season of The French Chef debuted? If you’ve ever been curious about the tall tale behind the scrumptious foods from her cookbooks and the advent of food TV, then Julia is the ideal show for you.
Following Julia Child as her cooking TV show takes off, this series is packed with heart, and rarely if ever shies away from focusing on what Child accomplished in this chapter of her life. You’ll fall in love with it faster than we can say “bon appetit!”
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‘Harry Wild’
Image Credit: Bernard Walsh / ©Acorn TV/Zoe Prod. DAC / Courtesy Everett Collection. Starring Jane Seymour, Harry Wild is all about a retired English professor who finds herself in grizzly investigations, interfering in the cases assigned to her detective son.
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‘Happy Valley’
Image Credit: Ben Blackall / © BBC/Netflix / Courtesy: Everett Collection. Following the life of Police Sergeant Catherine Cawood, played by Sarah Lancashire, and Clare Cartwright, played by Siobhan Finneran, Happy Valley shows the intricacies of her grief after the suicide of her daughter, along with trying to find the pieces to solve the mystery of why she was driven to do it.
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‘Bad Sisters’
Image Credit: Natalie Seery /©Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett Collection. Bad Sisters is a poignant look at the Garvey sisters, who promised they’d always protect each other, even after their parents’ shocking deaths.
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‘Better Things’
Image Credit: ©FX Networks/Courtesy Everett Collection. Better Things stars Pamela Adlon as Sam Fox, a character actor and working mom of three who navigates the pressures of Hollywood and the stresses of home. Adlon earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the show in 2018. As audiences watch Sam’s three kids grow up over the course of five seasons, the growing pains come out for both Sam and her children.
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‘Mare of Easttown’
Image Credit: Sarah Shatz/HBO. If you like more grit and mystery to your limited series, then Kate Winslet in Mare of Easttown may be your go-to. The show follows a detective in a small town who tries to both solve a heinous murder and solve her personal life.
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‘Cougar Town’
Image Credit: Jennifer Rose Clasen / © TBS / Courtesy: Everett Collection. Starring Courtney Cox, Busy Philipps, and Christa Miller, Cougar Town follows the whirlwind life of a group of neighbors in Florida as they navigate life, family, and aging. The show lasted six years and in an interview with Assignment X, Cox said she loved playing her complex character. “The warmth and the odd and just the, not your typical controlling woman.”
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‘Hot in Cleveland’
Image Credit: ©TV Land/courtesy Everett Collection You can already hear the opening, can’t you? Hot in Cleveland is a cult favorite amongst many and stars the amazing Wendy Malick, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, and of course, Betty White. The show follows four women as they navigate their love lives and careers in a new city.
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‘The Real Housewives’
Image Credit: Mitchell Haaseth / © Bravo / Courtesy: Everett Collection. From Orange County to New Jersey, chances are that you’ve seen — and have been extremely invested in — the lives of these dazzling, middle-aged women as they navigate everything life can throw at them.
Whether you love or hate the franchise, you have to admit that it’s amazing that The Real Housewives both focuses on the lives of women over 50 and keeps us on the edge of our seats every time.
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‘Desperate Housewives’
Image Credit: photo: Ron Tom / ©ABC / courtesy Everett Collection. With secrets, sex, and new mysteries around every corner, Desperate Housewives is not for the faint at heart.
Following the mysterious suicide of a fellow neighbor, these middle-aged mothers and housewives must figure out everything. And we mean, everything. The show stars Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Eva Longoria, and Marcia Cross.
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‘Mom’
Image Credit: Darren Michaels / © CBS / Courtesy: Everett Collection. Mom follows Anna Faris’ character Christy dealing with a plethora of things: sobriety, being a single mom, and having her wayward mother, played by Allison Janney, come to stay.
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‘The Golden Girls’
Image Credit: ©Touchstone Television/courtesy Everett Collection, The Golden Girls is as classic as it gets because, let’s be real, our mothers got us into this when we were tots. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty, four women share not only their wacky memories with one another but a home as well.
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‘On the Verge’
Image Credit: ©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection. Four successful friends have to deal with everything midlife crises come with, but they all do it in style in this new Netflix Original series, On the Verge.
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‘Reba’
Image Credit: Danny Feld / © Fox Television / Courtesy Everett Collection. The legend herself Reba McEntire stars in her self-named show Reba, about a single mom of three trying to navigate all of life’s little adventures.
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‘Happily Divorced’
Image Credit: Greg Gayne/©TV Land/courtesy Everett Collection. Based on Fran Drescher and Peter Marc Jacobson’s real experiences, Happily Divorced follows a woman (played by Fran) who has a bunch of misadventures after her sudden divorce.
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‘The New Adventures of Old Christine’
Image Credit: Grey Ganes / © Warner Brothers Television / Courtesy: Everett Collection. Julia Louis-Dreyfus will forever be our queen. And in The New Adventures of Old Christine, she played a divorced mom navigating everything life throws at her.
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‘Laverne & Shirley’
Image Credit: © Paramount / Courtesy: Everett Collection. The classic Laverne & Shirley follows the misadventures of Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams in the 1950s and 1960s. Throughout its seven-year run, it touched on a plethora of difficult subjects.
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‘Cybill’
Image Credit: Carsey-Werner/ Courtesy: Everett Collection. Starring Cybill Shepard and Christine Baranski, Cybill follows the life of a struggling, middle-aged actress as she navigates motherhood, love, and her career.
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‘Murder, She Wrote’
Image Credit: ©CBS/courtesy Everett Collection (ca. 1985 photo) Angela Lansbury plays snappy, highly intelligent detective Jessica Fletcher in the legendary true-crime series Murder, She Wrote.
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‘GCB’
Image Credit: photo: Karen Neal / © ABC / Courtesy: Everett Collection. Starring Kristin Chenoweth, Leslie Bibb, and Jennifer Aspen, GCB is as scandalous as it gets. When high school friends’ lives intersect after being struck by tragedy, they now have to navigate what life throws at them — and some outlandish stuff along the way.
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‘Lipstick Jungle’
Image Credit: Photo: Nicole Rivelli / © NBC / courteesy everett collection. Starring Brooke Shields, Kim Raver, and Lindsay Price, Lipstick Jungle follows three of “New York’s 50 Most Powerful Women” as they try to navigate love, career, and everything in between.
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