Apple TV+’s Lessons in Chemistry follows in Ahsoka‘s footsteps by earning the prestigious Seal of Female Empowerment in Entertainment (SOFEE). Both shows were bestowed the honor by the Critics Choice Association’s Women’s Committee for doing an outstanding job of portraying the female experience.
Ahsoka recently wrapped up its first season on Disney+, garnering attention for being a female-centered show, considering it primarily focused on the experiences of Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), and Hera Syndulla (Elizabeth Mary Winstead), and even featured compelling female villains in the Nightsisters. Additionally, they were fierce, brave, and independent, reiterating that women can save the galaxy too, and there are no limits to who or what they can be.
Meanwhile, Lessons in Chemistry followed on the heels of Ahsoka, premiering on October 13 and delving into the life of a 1950s woman ahead of her time. Elizabeth Zott (Brie Larson) is an extraordinary woman with a passion for chemistry and a genius-level intellect. However, she faces roadblocks in her career as a chemist due to sexism in the male-dominated field, forcing her to change directions and start a cooking show where she strives to inspire feminist ideals in her viewers. The series also follows Harriet Sloane (Aja Naomi King), a sharp-tongued, feisty supermom trying to save her community from being bulldozed by a racist Highway Commission.
Needless to say, the show’s entire purpose is to authentically portray the female experience in the 1950s and 1960s while tackling topics like pregnancy, workplace discrimination, and racism, which are still relevant today. Hence, it was definitely a shoo-in for the SOFEE.
Lessons in Chemistry receives high honor from Critics Choice Association
Just weeks after Ahsoka was honored with a SOFEE, Lessons in Chemistry was also selected for the honor. The seal is awarded by the Critics’ Choice Association, which uses several criteria to pinpoint which shows are eligible. To be eligible for a SOFEE, shows must have a prominent female character arc, give female characters as much or more screen time as male characters, boast creative leads behind the scenes, and earn a passing Bechdel test score. Shows/movies are scored on a scale of one to ten based on how well they meet the requirements, with seven being a passing score. According to the CCA, Lessons in Chemistry secured a perfect 10/10.
Lessons in Chemistry‘s female-focused premise means passing most of these requirements was likely a breeze. Additionally, most of the episodes are written and directed by women, while the show also boasts three female executive producers. Executive producer Natalie Sandy responded to the honor, stating:
“It isn’t every day that a character like Elizabeth Zott walks into your life. When tasked with translating the rich world and characters in Bonnie Garmus’s book to screen, it was impossible not to recognize our mission as a great privilege and responsibility. The entire team behind ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ is so honored and humbled to receive this award, which we could not have done without an astounding novel as our North Star. We are so incredibly grateful for the recognition and feel empowered to continue telling stories that not only resonate with women, but inspire them to find their voices.”
Lessons in Chemistry and Ahsoka received their SOFEEs just over two weeks apart. Meanwhile, just 12 days before Ahsoka was honored, Hulu’s TV series, The Other Black Girl, also took home a SOFEE. To see so many influential and female-focused shows coming out one after the other is quite encouraging. A few years ago, finding even one project a year that met SOFEE’s requirements may have been difficult. Now, we have three shows in a row not just meeting the requirements but exceeding them and raising hope that girls and women will continue to see themselves positively represented in film and TV.
(via Critics Choice, featured image: Apple TV+/Disney+)
