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Of all the notorious lawmen who have ever patrolled the violent Texas frontier, none are more storied than the Texas Rangers. But being the only female ranger in this elite squad isn't going to stop badass Molly Parker (Tricia Helfer). Molly is committed to finding the truth and seeing justice served. While she's surrounded by law enforcement colleagues who want to see her fail, the Rangers have her back.
On "Killer Women", ABC's new law enforcement drama produced by "Modern Family" star Sofia Vergara, the clichés blow by as fast and frequently as the tumbleweeds in the Texas towns it depicts. It's sad that a show for women about women by women turns out to be so unoriginal and stuffed so full of banal stereotypes. In the opening minutes, the titular "killer woman" of the first episode is revealed to be a skin-tight-red-dress-wearing, stiletto-sporting, cleavage-revealing, Barbie-proportioned bombshell. And she's Hispanic, so naturally she refers to our Caucasian protagonist as "gringa" and "blanquita" and of course the cartel ends up being involved.
But the clichés aren't confined to the case-of-the-week murderess, either. As Molly Parker, the only female Texas Ranger, Tricia Helfer ("Battlestar Galactica") is saddled with portraying a subtlety-free boilerplate image of what a badass woman is "supposed" to look like. Molly would rather rustle cattle than try on dresses. She drives a good ole American Chevy Tahoe. She wears not one but two belts. She plays trumpet in a mariachi band. She has "women's intuition", which means she can tell another woman is lying because her nails are chipped. It's shocking that this character was created by a woman (executive producer Hannah Shakespeare), as Molly is the epitome of the male fantasy of what a strong woman looks like.
Not contented with only offending women, the stereotypes in this show are also racial, to boot. While all the white characters live in rambling ranch houses and own lots of land and throw fancy galas, the latinos live in slums behind chain-link fences and are so awed by white privilege that they snap cellphone pictures of Molly's gleaming SUV.
Watching "Killer Women", it's hard to believe that the show wasn't conceived as a parody. It's an embarrassment for everyone involved, but luckily it probably won't be around to embarrass them for long. Last night's premiere drew only 3.9 million viewers and a 0.9 rating, down from the 4.4 million/1.3 rating that ABC's "Lucky 7" got in the same time slot this past fall...a show which was cancelled after two episodes. ABC will undoubtedly be swift to take this sexist, racist show behind the barn and put it out of its misery.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLdPeUeA2KU[/youtube]
