Gender debate in comedy series: Why "Funny Woman" is not convincing

In the mid-1960s, a young woman wants to shake up the entertainment industry in Great Britain.

Gender debate in comedy series: Why "Funny Woman" is not convincing

In the mid-1960s, a young woman wants to shake up the entertainment industry in Great Britain. The series "Funny Woman" has good beginnings, but, to the chagrin of the gender debate, sells far below value.

Barbara Parker, played by British actress Gemma Arterton, wins the 1964 beauty contest for "Miss Blackpool". Then she realizes that the corset prescribed for her by society is too tight for her. So the young woman decides to go to London to become a TV star. The six-part series "Funny Woman" - to be streamed on Sky and WOW - wants to be comedy, but also criticism of a male-dominated society.

But the bottom line is that the story based on Nick Hornby's novel "Miss Blackpool" is neither really funny nor does it make a patent contribution to the gender debate. Those responsible for "Funny Woman" are only too willing to give away the potential of the character Barbara Parker for hackneyed clichés and lukewarm gags.

A detailed review of "Funny Woman" by Ronny Rüsch and Axel Max - now in a new episode of the ntv podcast "Oscars