Bunnies, babies and broads: What is TV trying to tell us about women?

Digesting 27 of this fall’s new dramas and comedies over a few days of marathon watching has had the strange effect of turning me into even more of a sideline feminist, although I don't know what to do with that or how to articulate it in a way that doesn't quickly make me sound like I'm doing Gloria Steinem drag.

On the plus side, women write and produce and star in more TV than ever. But if the only women you ever saw were those on these shows, you would have a hard time believing that a liberation movement had ever occurred. It’s all bunnies, baby dolls and broads — and bridezillas and bimbos, if you get into reality TV. It’s still giggles and jiggles.