‘Riot Women’ has a rockin’ time with middle-aged, menopausal women

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Sally Wainwright, known for creating popular shows like “Happy Valley,” “Gentleman Jack,” “Last Tango in Halifax,” and “Renegade Nell,” has a new series called “Riot Women.” It’s about a group of women, mostly over 50, who become friends and form a band to perform in a talent show. What starts as a bit of fun quickly becomes more meaningful, leading to a funny and dramatic story. The first season wraps up many storylines, but ends with a hint of what’s to come in a second season that’s already been planned.

This series is set in a West Yorkshire city that feels like a small town, and blends elements of Edna Wainwright’s work into a musical drama focused on women’s lives. It explores themes of friendship, family, motherhood, prejudice against women, and getting older. Like films such as “The Commitments,” “The Full Monty,” and “Calendar Girls,” it’s about a group of ordinary people uniting for an unusual endeavor. You could also think of it as a more mature take on “We Are Lady Parts,” but without the focus on South Asian culture. It’s ultimately uplifting, as these kinds of stories need to be, but it also feels precarious – you’re constantly worried something bad might happen, even though the show suggests things will probably work out.

The story begins with Beth (Joanna Scanlan) at a very low point. Her husband left her a year ago, her son Tom ignores her, and she feels completely unseen. She’s even decided to end her life, but is interrupted by two phone calls. First, her brother calls, furious that she sold their mother’s house to cover care costs – he’s worried about losing his inheritance. Then, Jess (Lorraine Ashbourne), who runs a pub, calls with a surprising offer. Jess is starting a rock band for fun and wants Beth, a pianist, to join, temporarily distracting her from her despair. The rope she intended to use remains visible as a constant presence.

Voices

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Beth went to a music store to get a digital keyboard. She told the shop assistant, “We’re in a rock band – kind of punk – and we write songs about the experiences of middle-aged women, like menopause, and feeling overlooked. It’s a bit ironic, considering how angry the band The Clash used to be!”

The shop assistant pointed out that punk bands don’t usually feature keyboards and synthesizers, but then offered up examples like Devo and Atari Teenage Riot, and surprisingly, a band called the Screamers from Los Angeles. It’s amusing to think that this little-known but important band from 1970s Hollywood is still remembered by someone—a music store clerk in West Yorkshire in 2025—perhaps after someone like Wainwright looked them up online.

The scene cuts to Kitty, played by Rosalie Craig, who is visibly intoxicated and causing a disturbance in a supermarket. She’s frantically grabbing kitchen knives, pain medication, and drinking vodka she takes directly from the shelves, all set to the song “Only Happy When It Rains” by Garbage. This chaotic situation draws the attention of police officer Holly (Tamsin Greig), who is on her last day on the job, and her colleague, Nisha (Taj Atwal).

Holly: “Put the knife down.”

Kitty: “I haven’t got a knife.”

Holly: “You’ve got a knife. In your hand … The other hand.”

Holly has already joined Jess’s band as the bassist, and surprisingly, she’s brought along her reserved sister, Yvonne (a midwife), to play guitar, even though neither of them have any musical experience. Nisha also joins, bringing a friend to sing. A disagreement arises about their setlist – Holly wants to play an ABBA cover, while Beth prefers original songs to express themselves – and Beth ends up leaving, feeling ignored. She unexpectedly runs into Kitty, recently released from jail, singing with intense emotion at a bar – exactly the kind of raw energy Beth is looking for. Beth and Kitty connect, and they even write a song together on the drive back to Beth’s house, inspired by something Beth’s husband once said. (The song, called “Just Like Your Mother,” was one of three original tracks provided by the punk duo, Arxx.) Kitty has a difficult past, partly because her father is a well-known criminal, but Beth believes she can help Kitty work through it, and she invites her to join the band.

Expect setbacks and progress – that’s just how life goes. Their nearly-grown children will question their choices, like Jess’ daughter Chloe does when she hears about her mother’s talent show idea. They’ll also struggle with self-doubt. Most of the men they encounter are flawed, often acting selfishly, immaturely, weakly, dishonestly, or even abusively. Jess observes the world’s problems and feels that men are often at the root of them. These men create conflict, but ultimately, the story isn’t really about them.

The band, Riot Women, serves as a backdrop for the characters’ individual stories, rather than being the main focus. While it’s fun to watch them bond and succeed on stage, the series truly shines in its quieter moments, letting us get to know the actors and their characters through intimate conversations and close-ups. Though the overall story relies on familiar musical tropes and a few convenient coincidences, “Riot Women” feels authentic because of its detailed characters and the complex relationships between them – the smaller stories within the larger one.

Rock on.

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2026-01-14 14:03