Eschewing Stereotypes: Female-Led, Female-Focused TV Projects From ‘Genius: Aretha’ to ‘Dickinson’ Offer Cultural Reflection

In the opening moments of “Genius: Aretha,” Cynthia Erivo’s Aretha Franklin is seen on stage as her career begins to skyrocket. The scene then cuts to Franklin in a gaggle of reporters, peppered with questions, one of which comes from a man asking whether her children were in the audience. Franklin responds, “It’s past their bedtime.” To which the man snickers in reply, “Weren’t you a mother at that age?”“Genius: Aretha” is one of several recent series, in both the scripted and docuseries space, that offers nuanced and unapologetic portraits of female historical and pop-culture figures. ...