Netflix Feminist TV Finds: Garfunkel & Oates

In 2009 when I was pregnant, I went on YouTube and searched for videos with the word “pregnant” in them. Which is how I came across the musical comedic duo Garfunkel and Oates. Their song, “Pregnant Women Are Smug,” was as funny as it was offensive. They stayed in my mind throughout my decidedly un-smug pregnancy. As a feminist, I felt like a woman in a disaster movie, stranded on a mountain cliff, and waiting for the avalanche of sexism to crush me.

And in some ways it did, which is why, in 2014 when they had a TV series, I was consumed with my working mom life and totally missed it. But I just found it on Netflix, and it was hilarious!

Here’s the description from the web:

The comic/folk duo Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci hit prime time with their act in this scripted series for IFC. It follows hard-working underdogs trying to make their mark in comedy while muddling through messy dating scenarios, and doing so by performing one satirical (and often quite saucy) song after another. Nothing stops the ukulele- and guitar-wielding twosome from singing about life’s unspoken truths, despite it leaving them detached from their peers. The series is titled after Lindhome and Micucci’s band name, inspired by “two famous rock ‘n’ roll second bananas,” Art Garfunkel and John Oates.

The series is unabashedly feminist, and some of the recurring characters are played by comic actresses I love like Natasha Leggero, and Artemis Pebdani (who plays the new VP on Scandal).

While a few of the racial jokes fall flat, there’s a music video called “Sports Go Sports” that had me laughing out loud. The critique of male sports fervor was hilarious in itself, and the exploration of how women participate with their male partners when they don’t really care is equally funny. But what brought it over the top was the whole 80s aerobics exercise video parody where they changed outfits and also swapped out the third aerobics dancer who was black. Maybe you had to be there in the 80s, watching aerobics videos, but they nailed it.

For me, personally, the quirkiest part of the whole show was the fact that the blonde of the duo, Riki, is actually the color change/separated at birth twin of Gabrielle Union. Not only does she have the exact same facial structure, features, and hairdo (except blonde) as the Being Mary Jane star, they had a twin storyline about getting older, freaking out about fertility and getting their eggs frozen. [SPOILER ALERT] both went through the whole dramatic process to no avail, and each had an ex-boyfriend showing up to try to get them pregnant. How crazy is that?

Anyway, Garfunkel & Oates is totally worth watching. And here’s the Sports Go Sports video.

Enjoy.