Critic: Showtime provides series with strong roles for women

In a slight twist on all of the Best of the Decade/Best of the Year lists floating out there on the interwebs, The Chicago Tribune’s TV critic offers her take on the 10 key TV events of the decade. Some of them you might guess (the mocumentary aesthetic, the ascension of cable networks). But also on Maureen Ryan’s list is the rise of TV series starring women — and casting female leads “of a certain age” at that.

Shows like Weeds, Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara feature top-notch actresses in plum roles, she notes, and cable networks like Showtime have made that happen.

It’s a trend that Showtime looks poised to continue, with a new project in the pipeline for Laura Linney and new seasons of Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union set to drop on Jan. 25.

Images: Courtesy of Showtime