TV Review: NBC's New Comedy Good Girls is Hilariously Impractical in the Best Kind of Way

Good Girls is a new comedy crime drama that premiered on TV in late February. There’s only 5 episodes out to date, and yet this show has really held my attention so far. Each 40-some minute episode is filled with plot twists, laughs, dismay, and my own head shakes.

The three main characters are Beth Boland (played by Christina Hendricks from Mad Men), Ruby Hill (played by Retta from Parks and Recreation), and Annie Marks (played by Mae Whitman from Parenthood). These three struggling suburban moms each have their own problems and all are in need of some serious dough. Their back stories are realistic and unfortunate. Their solution? Rob a grocery store. Not the most practical, but makes for an interesting story. They find themselves over their heads, facing blackmail, a gang, and even a creepy predator that is Annie’s boss. A lot of men in the show are highly questionable people, but I’m okay with that because there are still other major male characters that are on squad good guy. I have high hopes and curiosity for gang leader Rio (played by Manny Montana; I’m totally shipping him with Beth).

I think Good Girls looks very promising. I also think it can teach us a bit about privilege. Beth openly admits their privilege as suburban moms when she says no one would expect them to commit a crime (or a few), so it will be easier for them to get away with it, and they can be an asset to the gang. I love that when they fail at a job and still expect payment, Rio brings them back to reality and they realize this is not a game. I think the acting is really great as the emotion from each character feels very real. I think the characters are also written well, as the main characters are multidimensional and flawed.

Catch Good Girls on Monday nights on NBC for new episodes and play catch up on Hulu!