Television series
Birds of Prey
A kinetic early-2000s superhero series built on the chemistry of three damaged women: Huntress, a driven vigilante haunted by her parents' legacy; Oracle, a brilliant hacker reclaiming agency from paralysis; and Dinah, a young psychic finding her footing. It's melodrama with gadgets, earnest and action-packed, unafraid to let its characters hurt.
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Smallville2001
A show about becoming a hero rather than being one. It shares Birds of Prey's willingness to let young characters stumble toward their powers, grounded mythology, and a genuine investment in how trauma shapes who you become.
But Ten seasons is a commitment, and the early mythology can feel scattered. Some storylines drag. Network TV pacing means filler between the genuinely excellent episodes.
Arrow2012
The template for what superhero TV could be on a real budget. A protagonist learning to be a hero through violence and consequence, a strong ensemble cast, and the willingness to let your characters make terrible choices and live with them.
But The first season is shaky, finding its voice. The show later becomes overstuffed with crossovers and universe-building that can feel exhausting if you're just here for one story.
Alias2001
A woman reclaiming her agency after exploitation, double-crossing her way to power, surrounded by a small team of people she trusts. The action is inventive, the mythology deepens without consuming the character work, and it understands that danger feels most real when you care about the people in it.
But The show runs five seasons and loses its focus in years four and five. Demands you care about increasingly convoluted spy mythology alongside the personal stuff.
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The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Nikita2010
Both are built on a female protagonist reclaiming power from an institution that tried to own her, surrounded by a small team where trust has to be earned rather than assumed.
A woman weaponized by a black ops program turns the tables on her creators using the exact skills they gave her. It shares Birds of Prey's understanding of trauma as a permanent condition and its willingness to let a protagonist remain morally compromised while still rooting for her survival.
But The show's mythology becomes increasingly Byzantine across four seasons. The production design is deliberately cheap-looking in ways that feel dated fast.
More like this (8)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer1997
The mother of all shows about young women forced into impossible power dynamics. It shares Birds of Prey's balance of action and genuine emotional weight, and understands that your supporting cast can carry entire seasons on their charm and complexity.
But Seven seasons is a lot. The early years look extremely dated now. Some tonal shifts between comedy and darkness feel jarring if you're not ready for them.
The Witcher2019
Three POV characters learning to orbit each other, damaged and dangerous, across different timelines. Gorgeously shot action sequences, a moral universe where good and evil are genuinely murky, and strong performances holding weight in the subtext.
But The first season's timeline structure confuses a lot of viewers and can feel deliberately obtuse. The show asks you to sit with ambiguity rather than providing easy answers.
Black Widow2021
A film about a woman breaking free from violence that was done to her, reclaiming her autonomy, surrounded by a small found family. It's not interested in making her redemption easy or unearned. The action is coherent and visceral.
But It arrives late in the MCU timeline and feels somewhat obligatory in structure. If you haven't seen prior Marvel films, context matters more than you might want.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City2021
A grounded action film about a small team fighting overwhelming odds with makeshift gear and wits. It commits to its horror-action tone without winking, and lets its characters be competent without making survival feel inevitable.
But The film moves fast and doesn't pause to explain its lore. If you're unfamiliar with the games, you may feel adrift. It's B-movie energy, which isn't for everyone.
The Old Guard2020
A lean action film about a small, found family of warriors who know each other's capabilities absolutely. The action choreography is clear and satisfying, the dialogue crackles, and it trusts its ensemble to anchor the film without bloat.
But The plot is fairly straightforward and doesn't aspire to complexity. If you need narrative depth alongside your action, this may feel slight.
Wonder Woman2017
An action film about a woman finding her power and moral clarity. The first act's character building gives weight to the final act's action, the ensemble around Diana is genuinely charming, and it understands that training sequences and earned skills matter.
But It's a studio superhero origin film with all that entails—some tonal confusion, a climax that leans into spectacle over intimate stakes. Later films in the series diminish what made this one work.
Claymore2007
Both feature women with extraordinary abilities bound together by circumstance rather than choice, learning to forge genuine connection in the gaps between assignments and violence.
A gorgeously animated dark fantasy about women engineered into weapons fighting a war that isn't theirs to win. The action is breathtaking, the emotional registers go quiet and devastating, and it understands that superhuman strength doesn't protect you from human loneliness.
But It's manga-adapted anime with all the pacing weirdness that entails. The color palette is deliberately desaturated and grey. It will not give you comfort; it will give you catharsis.
Bound1996
Both are action stories where the emotional core is built on whether these women can actually trust each other when everything else is being taken away.
A stylish, tightly coiled noir about two women outmaneuvering violent men through planning and nerve. The action choreography is inventive, the tension never breaks, and it's uninterested in making its characters likeable—only capable and real.
But It's a heist film from the '90s with all that implies about pacing and visual style. The violence is more implied than shown. It's under ninety minutes and doesn't explain much.
People
Cast
Production
- Cathy M. FrankAssociate Producer
- Hayli HalperAssociate Producer
- Hans TobeasonCo-Executive Producer
- Laeta KalogridisCo-Executive Producer
- Michael KatlemanCo-Executive Producer
- Adam ArmusCo-Producer
- Nora Kay FosterCo-Producer
- Melissa RosenbergConsulting Producer
- Brian RobbinsExecutive Producer
- Joe DavolaExecutive Producer
- Mike TollinExecutive Producer
- Ron KoslowExecutive Producer
- Adam HorowitzProducer
- Edward KitsisProducer
- Peter GiulianoProducer