The musical dramedy isn’t a very uncommon genre, especially as a venue for self-reflection and reinvention. Musical riffs for decades now—from Fame to Glee to even something as openly silly as Schmigadoon—have found the outlet of singing as an impetus for character reflection and growth. Some of them can be grounded and others can be fanciful, but that outlet has always been a great way for characters to open up.

There’s something about Riot Women‘s deeply felt sincerity and sometimes abrasivelvey dark comedy that makes it stand out. Sally Wainwright’s scripts for Riot Women and the deeply compelling performances make for a subversive story about women of a certain age that just aren’t told, filtered through some wonderfully dramatic reflections of life’s harsher elements. It approaches the concept of making music for the fun of it with a darkly hilarious and emotionally powerful edge, and is a fantastic addition way to start the year.

“It Was An Education In All Sorts Of Ways — Apart From Education.”

Wainwright’s emotionally prickly scripts for Riot Women are worth your attention alone — and the strong performances and great direction only hones it all in to a fantastic debut season. The show focuses on an unlikely punk band that forms around five women going through various forms of a midlife crisis. Beth, Jess, Holly, Yvonne, and Kitty form the core band, with their own musical talents and band size growing as the show runs. Along the way, the group grows closer, with the most interesting dynamic eventually developing between Beth and Kitty. The restrained Beth finds a perfect foil in the bombastic and chaotic Kitty, especially once a major secret that connects the pair of them is steadily revealed.

The result is a show that knows how to find the right balance between dark comedy, emotional heartbreak, and cathartic joy. The grounded narrative benefits from Wainwright’s tight dialogue, which keenley reflects that tonal balancing act with gusto. It’s fast-paced at times but with a delibertness of emotional intent that speaks to the award-winning writer’s craft.

It helps, too, that Wainwright has assembled a pitch-perfect cast. The entire band is fantastic, but special mention should go to Joanna Scanlan’s understated humanity as Beth and especially Rosalie Craig’s walking disaster zone, Kitty. Introduced as a crass and chaotic woman constantly on the verge of breakdown, Kitty provides some of the show’s best laughs.

However, the three-dimensional layers afforded the character, especially as her traumatic past comes to light, make her a uniquely compelling and emotionally resonant creation. Craig zeroes in on that balance in a way that makes the character feel all the more real and emotionally powerful. The whole show finds that emotional core, but it’s Craig and Scanlan’s dynamic that feels like the most keyed-in element of the show.

Benefiting from tight direction and impressive acting, Riot Women could have felt too simple or emotionally manipulative in the wrong hands. However, there’s something about the prickly vulnerability that Wainwright brings to the characters that makes them all feel charming and flawed in the best of ways. For audiences looking for a good dramedy that isn’t afraid to be silly or heartwrenching, then Riot Women is the ideal show to check out either through BritBox or BBC One.

Riot Women premieres Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026 on BritBox. Photo Credit: Courtesy of BritBox.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.