MovieChat Forums > Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016) Discussion > Cast more women

Cast more women

posted 8 years ago by noctilucent_piglet
18 replies | jump to latest

This show has a great cast, but about half way through Episode 2, I noticed I was feeling a little irritated because so many of the characters were male. This isn’t something I usually pay attention to, but when I looked up the cast, it turns out there are 35 total males listed and only 8 women, 2 in bit parts who appear in only one episode. So at best, that’s more than four times as many male characters as females.

That just seems odd and unnatural to me. But maybe that’s a good sign that more women are showing up in other shows and movies now, so when they’re under-represented, it’s noticeable. I’m hoping the show stays eccentric and entertaining enough to make up for that, but if anyone from the show monitors this board, I wish they’d put in a word to the writers and casting directors to get more women characters involved.

[–] mimosveta 8 years ago

What a weird complaint, counting stand-ins and complaining there's more male stand-ins than female. At least all the women on the show seem to have a story. Better fewer female characters who aren't there just for decoration, than a harem of women in no speaking parts, cast just to make the blood splatter prettier.

___
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knows that Winter Is Coming

[–] General_Haberdashery 8 years ago

What a weird complaint, counting stand-ins and complaining there's more male stand-ins than female.

Noticed that too, huh?

35 males...but they AREN'T all in lead or major roles.
The lead females we do have are as interesting and/or developed as the male leads.

I actually find Fiona Dourif's character to be the most fascinating of them all.

The show is diverse. In both gender AND race.

The females and people of color in major roles are NOT used as tokens or window dressing they all seem to have an important part to play in the grand scheme of things. They are all significant to some degree. They've all be written to be developed and three-dimensional.

I just don't see a need to complain.
Especially for more female extras or bit parts.

[–] noctilucent_piglet 8 years ago

I agree the women characters are well written, no problem with that. But for example, of the actors who appear in all 8 episodes, 10 are men and 3 are women. Maybe we’re just so used to that kind of ratio, or worse, that most of us are fine with it, but if it were reversed, 10 women and 3 men, would that seem more worthy of comment?

I like the show and I’m not looking for a fight, it just seemed to me that there were enough more scenes of men interacting with each other that it finally caught my attention and I found myself wishing there was more equal representation of women. I take the fact that I noticed this as a good sign, that maybe the ‘norms’ we have taken for granted might actually be changing. I personally think that would be a good thing.

[–] mimosveta 8 years ago

You can't possibly know who will be in how many episodes after only two have aired. The second episode already failed to feature any of rowdy 3 and Michael Eklund is listed here on imdb as being in all 8 episodes. Same goes for Dustin Milligan who is listed as being in all 8 episodes and has already skipped one.

Basically, if you want to do this sort of analysis in any meaningful way, wait till season is done and then crunch the numbers

[–] General_Haberdashery 8 years ago

The second episode already failed to feature any of rowdy 3

The Rowdy Three were in the van parked outside Amanda's place.
That counted as them BEING IN THE EPISODE.

The Rowdy Three listed as being in episode two doesn't require them to be 'featured' in a way you'd personally desire them to be. For the purposes of the story and the audience, they were acknowledged as being in van.

Basically, if you want to do this sort of analysis in any meaningful way, wait till season is done and then crunch the numbers

True, but I'd actually be surprised if they didn't appear in 7-8 episodes of the short season in some manner or another.

My main point though was that they were up to this point central female characters that weren't scripted to be inconsequential or in bit roles regardless of how many episodes they appear in.

If you really want a point to fixate on or discuss in depth, let it be that one.

[–] mimosveta 8 years ago

The Rowdy Three were in the van parked outside Amanda's place.
That counted as them BEING IN THE EPISODE.

Wow, that's easily the stupidest thing currently on the Internet. And there are people getting recruited into isis at the moment, yet this comment you just made is the stupidest comment currently online.

Congrats

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] General_Haberdashery 8 years ago

This show has a great cast, but about half way through Episode 2, I noticed I was feeling a little irritated because so many of the characters were male.

Is this a gender-troll to get people going? 😕

Fiona Dourif, Hannah Marks, Jade Eshete, and Alison Thornton are in lead/major roles and appear in all 8 episodes. Well, Alison is in 7 but still...

35 total males listed and only 8 women 2 in bit parts

Are you saying that the show has 35 male leads?
You must know that the vast majority are also bit parts.

Basically you're saying you want MORE women in bit parts.
Is that productive to you? More women extras just for the sake of it?

Seeing a woman walk by or a part of some anonymous group of thugs doesn't do much for me. I don't look at her and go "Ah yes! We made it!" as she says her one line and is never seen again.

That just seems odd and unnatural to me.

Meh.

I think I'm satisfied so far that the women in the lead roles are as fleshed out as all the other male characters. Some moreso than others but they all don't feel like afterthoughts.

I think Fiona, Hannah and Jade are doing a bang-up job and really stand out so far. As we learn more about Alison I'm sure I'll feel the same for her too.

The show is very diverse and the females appear to be written with purpose.
I think that works for me.

I think you're looking for a problem where there isn't one. 

[–] mimosveta 8 years ago

Fiona Dourif, Hannah Marks, Jade Eshete, and Alison Thornton are in lead/major roles and appear in all 8 episodes. Well, Alison is in 7 but still...

You don't know that. She's currently listed on imdb as being in 7 episodes and say, Michael Eklund and Dustin Milligan are listed as being in all 8. Yet, neither of two boys was in second episode which is rather typical showcase of accuracy of imdb data, especially for currently running shows. By the time season is done profile might look completely different.

It reminds me of how Callum Keith Rennie used to be listed as being in nearly every episode of battlestar galactica even though he was barely in few of them. That seems to have been rectified now but wasn't for years after the show was done

[–] Bel_Zedar 8 years ago

I'd be quite sad if I couldn't see more of Farah and Bart. They are wonderful, fantastic, multi-layered, complex, enigmatic characters.

[–] mmserrano4 8 years ago

Dirk, Todd, edgy van death eaters(are they even characters), cops, black guy who got kidnapped by the assassin

todd sister, assassin lady, black lady upstairs

how is this cast as is unnatural but you want to uproot the story and prioritize PC affirmative action casting over it? How will that make it more natural?

Those seven years of MacGyver finally payed off

[–] dt123 8 years ago

I have no issues w the number of women characters but I do notice few characters over 30-something. Thank god for Richard Schiff -- who've I've missed since West Wing -- and Miguel Sandoval (Black Wing special ops guy)... Both of whom I enjoy. I sure do get sick of so many same-age casts. Talk about unrealistic. Also note no one has kids.

[–] Tokyo55 8 years ago

I love the women and balance of this incredible show! Very strong female characters, much more important than even the male stars. You won't be happy until there are all minorities and majority females, except for one token, heterosexual white male. Waiting to hear you complain about 24 Legacy because the hero isn't a Black woman. Already too PC for me and don't plan to watch it.

[–] NeutralWord 8 years ago

Are shows always more entertaining with a 50/50 ratio between males and females?

Often it is assumed in these discussions that a perfect ratio would always make the shows/movies/books better more entertaining or lest not make them worse while at the same time leading to positive aspects not related to the actual show.
So is a perfect 50-50 male female ratio by its very nature such a positive thing?

Surely this fact is kinda a big pink elephant in the room that everyone ignores or am i missing something basic?

[–] lizab-506-909170 8 years ago

Dirk and Todd are the two major characters in the show, and yes they are male. But the rest of the main characters are female - Bart, Fiona, and Amanda. (Also Lydia Spring, though it's hard to count her as a main character when she's been in a dog's body the whole time.) I guess there could be some argument as to who qualifies as a "main character" - you also have Ken, the cops, the FBI, and all the various "bad guys"...all of them play important roles too and are almost all are male.

I feel like the women on the show play an integral role in the story, therefore it does not bother me that there are technically more men. Nothing is ever 50/50. Personally I wouldn't mind an extra corgi or two if we're going to split hairs...

[–] MoviemanCin 8 years ago

It's Douglas Adams' work. That's how he wrote it! Duh! Kwitcherbellyachin'!

Schrodinger's cat walks into a bar and doesn't.