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Over the last couple years, we have seen a slow and steady increase in the employment of female directors on television; while the numbers still aren’t anywhere near where they should be, the gradual move towards equality certainly has us hopeful. When the DGA released their numbers last year, Netflix came in last, with just 20.5% of their series directed by women or minorities. Thanks to the revolutionary behind-the-scenes work on a certain Marvel series this year, however, it’s likely that number will go up very soon. That’s right – all 13 episodes of the second season of Marvel’s Jessica Jones were directed by women. While this isn’t the first time this has happened – Ava DuVernay‘s Queen Sugar has been entirely directed by women for both its seasons – these advancements are indicative of a larger shift happening in the television industry. They’re also long overdue.
When it was announced earlier this year that the final season of Game of Thrones would shut out female directors and writers entirely, meaning that they only employed 1 female director and 2 female writers for the series’ entire duration, it sadly seemed to be in-tune with what we’d become accustomed to seeing on television rosters. If the last year and change show us anything, however, it’s that this is no longer – and should no longer be – the norm. Shows like The Handmaid’s Tale, Jane the Virgin, The Deuce, and Feud: Bette and Joan, among others, have all employed female directors for at least half of all their episodes. And look! They’re all still raking in awards nominations, critical acclaim, and solid ratings! Employing women is a good move – for everyone. Especially when women’s stories are being told.
It’s no coincidence that this shift is happening simultaneously with #TimesUp and #MeToo; by bringing Hollywood’s systemic abuse and neglect of women and people of color to light, we are able to move forward and tackle the longstanding industry power imbalance. A move like employing all female directors for a season of television may be revolutionary, but if we continue this way, it won’t be for much longer. It won’t be easy; the odds are certainly stacked against women, and in order to really move the needle, there needs to be an industry-wide commitment to making female directors a permanent fixture. (Maybe so much a fixture that we stop calling them “female directors” and just call them… directors).
Hiring all female directors for the second season of a high-profile Marvel/Netflix series is proof enough that there are no more excuses for not diversifying creative teams. When there are women like DuVernay, Jessica Jones creator Melissa Rosenberg, TV queen Shonda Rhimes, Jane the Virgin boss Jennie Snyder Urman, and more at the top, sets are more likely to be balanced and move closer to achieving equality for women and people of color. When Frances McDormand used her Oscar acceptance speech to shine a light on inclusion riders, we only became closer to this goal; by bringing the issue into the public eye and raising awareness, we will inevitably begin to adopt this clause and perhaps – someday – not even need one to ensure that our sets are equally staffed. Just look at what Jessica Jones and Queen Sugar have done all on their own.
