What To Watch
Movies & TV Shows To See After Your Mom Group Screams in a Field
Get it alllllllllllll out, sit down and meet some moms who get it.
By Casey Suglia
March 5, 2024
Movies & Shows For Moms About the Highs and Lows of Parenting - Netflix Tudum
Ask any mom and they’ll tell you that parenting — especially in the 21st century amid a global pandemic — isn’t easy. And even that might be an understatement for some. So much so that some mom groups are gathering together in empty fields to scream out the stress of the day. (Honestly, sounds amazing.) Sometimes you just need to let it all out in order to cope with the built-up anxiety in your life. But, once your vocal cords are hoarse and there are no more screams left to share, there are movies and shows out there to do the talking for you. Whether you’re going through a divorce, getting back into the workforce or staging a heist in order to obtain some cash for your family (let’s save that for last on the list, maybe), these on-screen moms get it.
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Ginny & Georgia
Synopsis: In many ways, 15-year-old Ginny Miller (Antonia Gentry) is more mature than her 30-year-old mother, Georgia (Brianne Howey), as they finally put down roots in a small New England town after spending years on the run. But new beginnings don’t always mean that things are looking up. Ginny, Georgia, and 9-year-old Austin (Diesel La Torraca), make a big impression on the people in their new town, all while trying to figure it all out.
Do they get it? Although you might not be the kind of mom who harbors secrets as big as Georgia’s (let’s just say she’s had a checkered past), you have to appreciate the melodrama of the show as a form of juicy escapism once the kids go to sleep. Plus, this show isn’t afraid to make fun of itself. Case in point: Ginny and Georgia say they’re like “the Gilmore Girls but with bigger boobs.”
Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce
Synopsis: Abby (Lisa Edelstein) is a forty-something mom of two who has authored a number of self-help books. But when it comes to navigating her own divorce… she’s not good at taking her own advice. Luckily, she has her group of girlfriends and her newly hired divorce attorney to lean on when things get particularly hard to juggle.
Do they get it? Yes, if you’re in search of the TV equivalent of talking to your girlfriends over a delicious glass of middle-shelf pinot grigio. Motherhood and your 40’s can still be glamorous, even when there are other major things going on. Think of it as Sex and the City but with a bit more “mom.”
Good Girls
Synopsis: Amidst personal and financial crises, three suburban moms (Christina Hendricks, Retta and Mae Whitman) decide to stage a heist at a local grocery store in order to escape their financial trouble and start over. Although the robbery is a success, they discover that they’re in for a lot more trouble than they expected. Newly inducted into the life of crime and secrets, the three women end up going down an unexpected path.
Do they get it? Good Girls understands that desperate times call for desperate measures, even when that leads you to a life of crime. The show is a comedy, so it’s not meant as an instruction manual for moms considering a turn for the criminal. So, while moms might not relate to the character’s trajectories, they can likely relate to the idea of wanting to do something wild just to feel something.
The Letdown
Synopsis: Audrey (Alison Bell), mom of a 2-month-old, joins a parenting support group, making quirky new friends who get her struggles all while facing challenges of their own. Meanwhile, Audrey has to deal with her insomnia and her husband’s career ambitions, all while seeking support from the neighborhood drug dealer. No one said parenting would be easy, but they didn’t say it would be this tricky, either.
Do they get it? The Letdown gets the frustrations of motherhood as often as you forget your grocery list at home — meaning, quite often. With only 13 episodes over the course of two seasons, watching this comedy series from Australia should be as easy as that time when you forgot that the cookies were still baking in the oven.
The Lost Daughter
Synopsis: Leda (Olivia Colman) meets a young mother (Dakota Johnson) and her 3-year-old daughter while on vacation in Greece. The two form a complex relationship, which causes Leda to reflect on her days raising kids of her own.
Do they get it? Motherhood can be full of light moments but also some dark and confusing ones, too. The Lost Daughter captures the uncertainty, jealousy and fear that can come with being a mother but isn’t often talked about.
Maid
Synopsis: After leaving her alcoholic and abusive partner, Alex (Margaret Qualley), a single mother to her daughter, Maddy (Rylea Nevaeh Whittet), gets a job working as a housecleaner in hopes of giving her family a better life.
Do they get it? There are shows and movies on this list that will make you laugh, but this miniseries will probably make you cry. Chemistry like the one between Andie MacDowell and Qualley can’t be faked — and, in fact, they’re real-life mother and daughter. Maid shines a light on not-so-pretty custody disagreements and the grueling process of getting government assistance that are real struggles for many but seldom explored in our larger culture.
Otherhood
Synopsis: Three best friends (Patricia Arquette, Felicity Huffman and Angela Bassett), feeling abandoned by their adult sons on Mother’s Day, decide to take a road trip to New York City to surprise them. But not everyone loves surprises. Along their journey from upstate New York to the Big Apple, these three women realize that their sons aren’t the only ones who need to make some major changes in their lives — they do, too.
Do they get it? There are so many films and TV shows that accurately depict early motherhood — moms trying to figure out their newly adopted identity while changing poopy diapers. But you’ll be hard pressed to find a movie that shows what life is like once the kids leave home and become adults themselves. Otherhood does that, showing that trying to get a hold of your twentysomething child is just as challenging as helping them with their geometry homework.
Sweet Magnolias
Synopsis: Childhood best friends Maddie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott) and Helen (Heather Headley) have called themselves the “Sweet Magnolias” since grade school. Now, as adults, the three women navigate running their businesses and raising their kids in their small hometown of Serenity, South Carolina. But living and raising kids in a small town is tricky, especially when everyone knows everyone else’s business.
Do they get it? The series not only focuses on the struggles of raising temperamental teenagers but also brings attention to the personal lives of the moms and friends at the core of the show. Just because you have kids doesn’t mean the drama in your personal life has to end.
Workin' Moms
Synopsis: After returning to work from maternity leave, PR exec Kate (Catherine Reitman) joins a moms group with her psychiatrist best friend, Anne (Dani Kind). There, they meet fellow working moms Jenny (Jessalyn Wanlim) and Frankie (Juno Rinaldi), and the group forms an unlikely bond as they each navigate motherhood, their professional careers and their personal lives. Whoever said women can’t have it all must have been seriously disturbed.
Do they get it? Of course they do. Anyone who has experienced mommy shaming for going out with their friends or pursuing their career will find Workin’ Moms just a tad relatable, especially since it draws inspiration from the real-life experiences of the show’s star and creator, Catherine Reitman. Oh, and her hunky real-life husband, actor Philip Sternberg, plays her husband on the show. Over the course of four seasons, Reitman explores all the pesky challenges of motherhood — from cheating spouses to major disagreements with partners — all while being, well, working moms.
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