IGN Women’s Favorite Movies and Shows Made by Women

With Women’s History Month coming to a close, we wanted to celebrate women we are inspired by across the entertainment industry – chosen by the women who work at IGN.

The criteria for the following list includes any film or series that are either written, directed, produced, or shot by women. And yes, we had to cut down this list, so there are many we were not able to include!

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Best Movies and Shows to Watch Made by Women

KPop Demon Hunters

Director and writer Maggie Kang has a lot to answer for. This perfect cocktail of female fighters, irresistible songs, and a hot demon boy band was my gateway drug into the world of anime, K-pop, and webtoons. With its eye candy animation, female empowerment, and timeless tale of embracing what makes you different, it was the instant hint that no one was expecting, but everyone fell for, and rightly so.

– Rachel Weber, She/Her, Head of Editorial Development

Where to watch: Netflix

Eternals

Chloé Zhao is an incredible director. Full stop. The problem with Eternals being a box office flop was that her style was so outside of a typical Marvel movie that it felt like audience didn’t quite understand her vision. It may not have had the cheeky humor and gritty action MCU fans are used to, but it was a visuallly stunning feast in Zhao’s signature naturalistic, poetic style that had me immersed from beginning to end.

– Sarah Wang, She/Her, National Sales Manager Games & Entertainment

Where to watch: Disney+

Broad City

Unless you avoid all comedy (are you okay?), you’ve watched Broad City at some point. Both showrunners, Illana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, bring a triple threat of executive producing, writing, and creating to this hilarious TV series set in New York City. Their friendship is nothing but wholesome (in da clerb, we all fam) and their adventures are wild (not suitable for children) as they navigate their 20s in the big city. It’s one of the funniest shows I’ve ever seen, hands down.

– Lindsey Salzer, She/Her, Director of Commerce and Audience Dev

Where to watch: Hulu, Disney+, Paramount+

The Marvels

This film starring three female MCU heroes and helmed by Nia DaCosta was my Roman empire since the day it was announced, and in spite of the disappointing numbers at the box office – that wasn’t necessarily surprising given the prevalence of misogynistic sentiment around female-centric Marvel projects – it delivered everything I was expecting. From the playful chemistry between Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani to an honest-to-god whimsical mid-movie musical number, I had a blast watching these women kick ass on screen.

– Sarah Wang, She/Her, National Sales Manager Games & Entertainment

Where to watch: Disney+

Good Girls Revolt

Created by Dana Calvo and based on the novel by Lynn Povich, Good Girls Revolt is based on the real story of the women of Newsweek suing the publication for sexual discrimination in 1970. The show follows various women at a newspaper called News of the Week, and the blatant discrimination between the men and women’s roles and professional opportunities, should be more shocking than it is. The experience watching the show is amazing: Calvo recreated the ’70s in a stunningly realistic manner, from the phenomenal casting, to the outfits and cigarettes, to the details in the set furniture and lighting. It really makes you feel like you are part of that world, and the depth of the acting pulls you right into the story, with women easily empathizing with the characters. Unfortunately, the show left off on a cliffhanger and was canceled after one season, with Calvo speaking out against being unfairly canceled, despite strong numbers. I’ve been desperate to know how the show would have continued on ever since.

– Jessie Wade, She/Her, Associate Director of Editorial Programming

Where to watch: Prime Video

Abbott Elementary

As someone who doesn’t have kids, doesn’t want kids, and doesn’t even like kids that much, it’s shocking how much I enjoy Qunita Brunson’s Abbott Elementary. It’s warm, it’s joyful, and it’s incredibly funny. It’s just sharp enough to cut through its own sweetness, to never take itself too seriously, to respect its cast of characters while lovingly mocking them. This show loves Philadelphia more than anyone has ever loved Philadelphia in the history of the city. Gritty has guest starred. This show is everything education and entertainment should be.

– Megan Kitzman, she/her, Revenue Operations Manager

Where to watch: Hulu, Disney+

PEN15

As a ’90s kid, it was scarily relatable to watch creators and co-stars Maya Erskine and Anna Conkle act as middle schoolers and relive their awkward puberty phases together on screen. What’s even better is knowing they are well into their 20s, but portray their younger selves while surrounded by actual seventh graders on screen. Adults pretending to be in middle school is always funny to me, but these two bring a new level of NSFW humor I wasn’t even expecting!

– Lindsey Salzer, She/Her, Director of Commerce and Audience Dev

Where to watch: Hulu, Disney+

Wonder Woman (2017)

The emotions I had watching Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman in theaters for the first time stick with me forever. It’s almost impossible not to feel empowered watching the power and grace of the Amazons, and Diana’s journey from a sheltered princess to discovering her power as a warrior demigod. The No Man’s Land scene lives in my head rent free, which I still go back to watch any time I need a little confidence boost. Excepting any current opinions on people involved with the film, at the time in 2017, Wonder Woman was a feminist triumph and a trailblazer for the modern female-led superhero blockbuster.

– Sarah Wang, She/Her, National Sales Manager Games & Entertainment

Where to watch: HBO Max

Insecure

What began as a 2011 YouTube webseries titled Awkward Black Girl, writer, actress and comedian Issa Rae carried her concept forward in 2016 to create the award-winning HBO show Insecure. Stemming from her own experiences of cringey interactions and representing what it’s like to live in this world as a Black woman, Rae brought something refreshing, entertaining, and charismatic that television didn’t represent much at the time. Issa Rae is smart and hilarious, both in and out of this show.

– Lindsey Salzer, She/Her, Director of Commerce and Audience Dev

Where to watch: HBO Max

The Diplomat

The best thing about The Diplomat from Debora Cahn (The West Wing, Grey’s Anatomy) isn’t that it lets its brilliant cast of women be powerful, competent, or ambitious, though they are. It’s that it lets them be messy as hell. The lead character, Kate – unwilling US Ambassador to the United Kingdom – is brilliant, holding together the ‘special relationship’ between two difficult, egotistical, scheming governments with the same scrappy, steely determination that leads her to hold her pants together with a paper clip. The show’s an ongoing car crash in slow motion, and just as fascinating and impossible to look away from.

– Megan Kitzman, she/her, Revenue Operations Manager

Where to watch: Netflix

Fleabag

Phoebe Waller-Bridge (also known for writing Killing Eve, Season 1) won multiple Emmys for her work on the dark comedy TV hit Fleabag, and for good reason. It’s full of wit, plenty of real-life drama, awkward moments, and will have you bonding with the main character immediately. It’s even been deemed one of the best TV series of the 21st century from multiple outlets, so go binge it now if you have’t seen it yet!

– Lindsey Salzer, She/Her, Director of Commerce and Audience Dev

Where to watch: Prime Video

Rizzoli & Isles

Developed by Janet Tamaro, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander, and based on books by Tess Gerritsen, Rizzoli & Isles is still one of my go-to rewatches even a decade after its final episode. So much more than just another police procedural, the heart of the show centers around the relationship between Boston’s only female homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and Chief Medical Examiner Maura Isles as they navigate friendship, family, romance, and the trials and tribulations that come with being female professionals at the top of their game. As someone who doesn’t actually like re-watching things very much, the perfect blend of comedy, drama, and strong emotional storylines keeps me coming back to this show again and again.

– Sarah Wang, She/Her, National Sales Manager Games & Entertainment

Where to watch: Netflix, Pluto TV

There were so many incredible options to choose from and these are just some of our favs – so let us know in the comments which movies and shows that we missed!