From Basic to Badass Bitches: NBC’s ‘Good Girls’ Turns Housewives Into Modern Day Heroes

Good Girls has a great pilot. But it’s got an even better premise set up to carry the remainder of the season, one that makes for a much more interesting show than viewers might be expecting — and one that they should very much stick around to witness.

NBC’s newest hour-long drama, which premieres tonight at 10pm ET after The Voice, stars Christina Hendricks, Mae Whitman, and Retta, as moms who rob a store in order to take care of their families. That alone gives this show, and the incredibly capable actresses, enough to work with. On top of that, the show provides genuinely timely moments: paying for a child’s healthcare, paying for a custody hearing, and paying for your mortgage when your cheating husband turns out to be a loser on so many levels. Paired with a good dose of action and a refreshing amount of humor sprinkled throughout, and NBC should have a hit on their hands.

This show will draw you in with the emotion, but isn’t quite leaning into it as heavily as This Is Us does, which is a really great and smart move here. Not that Good Girls won’t get you teary from time to time, but they also aren’t afraid to get a bit cheeky and even more adventurous than you might expect an NBC drama to be. In fact, Breaking Bad comparisons are more than appropriate here, as these women do what they have to do in order to provide and protect their families, including bending a law or two along the way after they get tangled up with the wrong crowd.

Hendricks is bringing all the best parts of her Mad Men character Joan to her new role as Beth, Whitman is a real on-screen grown up now as scrappy single mom Annie, and as Ruby, Retta is proving she’s so much more than just Donna “Treat Yo Self” Meagle of Parks and Recreation. And let’s be clear, it’s all about the ladies here, but with support from Matthew Lillard, Zach Gilford, and David Hornsby, the cast is stacked with solid performers.

Part action, part drama, and part comedy, Good Girls serves not just as a girl power revenge fantasy, but also one of the shows female actors have craved for years. Each lady is clearly defined and dynamic and given moments that are both heartfelt and totally badass. As they pivot from snack time to shootouts, the women remain utterly entertaining and relatable, even when it comes to the questionable decisions they are forced to make.

Good Girls can’t help but feel like a show that was developed for a fancy premium cable network, and that NBC snatched it up gives the Peacock Network a new dose of credibility. It’s an accessible show (average moms trying to get by the best that they can) that packs way more fun than anyone could see coming (the robbery! the cash! the adventures that come along with it all!). It’s not an easy feat, to create such an appealing drama that is as timely as it is hopeful, but if anyone can draw viewers into their escapades, it’s these gals.