A Netflix Original, Good Girls is a crime comedy-drama TV series that premiered on NBC in February 2018. Although it initially aired on NBC, it later became available for streaming on Netflix, gaining a significant international following.
Created by Jenna Bans, the shows stars Christina Hendricks, Retta and Mae Whitman as three women who, tired of being broke, decide to rob a super market only to get more than they bargained for.
Good Girls ran for four seasons which aired between 2018 and 2021 before it was cancelled. However, all four seasons are available on Netflix and continue to generate millions of fans worldwide.
What Is Good Girls About?
The series revolves around three suburban mothers, Beth Boland (played by Christina Hendricks), Ruby Hill (played by Retta), and Annie Marks (played by Mae Whitman), who find themselves facing financial hardships and desperate for a way out.
Beth's husband has destroyed the family finances, Annie's ex wants full custody of their daughter and Ruby's daughter has a kidney disease and can't afford the private treatment needed to save her life.
Frustrated with their mundane lives, they decide to rob a local supermarket, but things quickly spiral out of control when they get away with way more money than they thought. Suddenly the find themselves involved with dangerous criminals and face the consequences of their actions.
They discover the money that they stole belongs to a dangerous criminal named Rio. Fearing for their lives, they try to return the money but discover it has been burned. So, in desperation, they decide to try and make their own counterfeit money.
As you can imagine that doesn't go as smoothly as they think. They end up having to hold Annie's ex only to discover that an undercover agent investigating Rio, has moved in next door.
With money laundering, criminal gangs, kidnapping and fraud the Good Girls have well and truly upended their lives by making one foolish decision after another.
Can they ever go back to the way it was? More importantly, do they even want to?
Good Girls Official Trailer
Is Good Girls Worth Watching?
Despite being billed as a crime comedy, don't expect to be laughing out loud any time soon. This is a very dark show and to give it credit, it is very well acted and the premise is solid.
Where it falls down is that these three seemingly smart women could make such incredibly stupid decisions over and over again.
Even when they decide to not spend any money so as to avoid any unwanted attention, one goes out and buys a Ferrari – seriously?!?
Of course without those ridiculous messes there would be no show so you can see the dilemma. Could the creators have been more clever with the direction the show goes in? Definitely. Would it still be as funny. Probably not.
I'm on the fence. If you do want a very good family drama then check out Sisters!
How Many Seasons Of Good Girls?
There are four seasons of Good Girls available to stream. The first season consisted of 10 episodes. Season 2 was extended to 13 episodes. Because of COVID, the third season was cut down to 11 episodes. However, the fourth season had 16 episodes to make up for it.
In season 2 Beth, Ruby, and Annie become more deeply involved in criminal activities as they navigate their roles as mothers, wives, and partners in crime. They form a money-laundering operation, but their lives become increasingly complicated, leading to personal and legal consequences.
Season 3 sees the women continue their criminal activities, but they face new challenges and rivalries. Beth becomes more ambitious and risks losing her family, Ruby faces marital issues, and Annie struggles with her relationships. The stakes are raised as they become involved with a secret service agent investigating counterfeit money.
In the fourth and final season, the women face the consequences of their actions as their criminal activities catch up with them. They must make difficult choices to protect themselves and their loved ones.
Why Was Good Girls Cancelled?
That is a loaded question but apparently, an NBC insider said that the network had been “unable to make the financials work,” while another person close to the network cited “creative issues.”
Seemingly, Christina Hendricks, Mae Whitman and Retta all agreed to take pay cuts to make the show work. However, Manny Montana, was reportedly not on board with that decision.
In July 2022, Retta appeared on Live With Kelly and Ryan and said that while Good Girls was “very close” to securing a season 5 renewal, “one person ruined it for all of cast and crew.”
She didn't name names but the show never made it back for a fifth season.
Who plays Rio On Good Girls?
Good Girls has an incredible cast and set of characters who are played by the following…
Christina Hendricks as Beth Boland, the ringleader of the group. Beth is a mother of four who is initially pushed into a life of crime to secure financial stability for her family.
Retta as Ruby Hill, a hardworking mother who turns to crime to cover her daughter's medical bills.
Mae Whitman as Annie Marks, Beth's younger sister. She is a single mother who joins the group to provide for her daughter and win custody battles.
Manny Montana as Rio, the charismatic and dangerous leader of a criminal gang with whom the women become entangled.
Reno Wilson as Stanley Hill, Ruby's supportive and loving husband who gets caught up in the criminal activities.
Lidya Jewett as Sara Hill, Ruby's daughter, who suffers from a kidney ailment.
Matthew Lillard (True Lies) as Dean Boland, Beth's unfaithful husband.
Isaiah Stannard as Ben Marks, Annie's empathetic son. He was previously referred to as Sadie before coming out.
