“Good Girls Revolt” will draw inevitable comparisons to “Mad Men” — opening as it does in 1969, looking back to provide perspective on where we are now. Rather quickly, though, this Amazon series stands firmly on its own, compensating for somewhat underdeveloped characters with fascinating takes on journalism and feminism during those years.
The 10-episode series was inspired by Lynn Povich’s 2012 book “The Good Girls Revolt,” which documented the 1970 gender-discrimination lawsuit filed against Newsweek by 46 female employees. While historical figures — including writer-turned-filmmaker Nora Ephron (Grace Gummer) and then-ACLU lawyer Eleanor Holmes Norton (Joy Bryant) — pass through the show’s orbit, a disclaimer stresses that the story is fictionalized, set at a magazine known as News of the Week.
Ephron actually sets the plot in motion, joining the publication only to be informed that, as a woman, any serious journalistic ambitions must be put on hold.
“They’re reporters. We’re researchers,” she’s told of the male employees, while the women do the leg work, sequestered in a section of the office colorfully known as “the pit.”
Ephron’s chafing against that system inspires her coworkers, who not only become more conscious of the concrete ceiling but eventually learn of the disparity between their pay and that of the men. At the same time, they’re caught up in the thrill of reporting at a moment of cultural upheaval, when the stories chased included deaths at the Altamont music festival and a faraway massacre called My Lai.
Developed by Dana Calvo, “Good Girls Revolt” revels in those details, from its perfectly chosen song score (for those who remember “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” and “Spirit in the Sky”) to scribes clacking away on manual typewriters in neatly pressed suits. (Disclosure: Calvo is a former colleague from her past life as a reporter at the Los Angeles Times.)
Those elements — along with the casual sexism that’s openly tolerated — are generally stronger than the individual stories, and the show works somewhat less as a character-driven soap than a snapshot of history.
The key players include the resourceful Patti (Genevieve Angelson), who’s romantically involved with one of the reporters (Hunter Parish); Jane (Anna Camp), who comes from a wealthy family that sees work, for her, as a lark; and the mousy Erin (Cindy Reston), who begins to realize she’s in a loveless, confining marriage, and to her surprise acts on those feelings.
There is also tumult surrounding the News of the Week itself, whose hard-driving editor (Chris Diamantopoulos) faces pressure to adapt to the they-are-a-changing times.
“Good Girls Revolt” doesn’t conjure anyone as compelling as Don Draper, but it delivers several credible variations on Peggy Olson — and another window into the ’60s, a decade with political ramifications that are still being litigated. For anyone interested in journalism, it also reflects when the profession was held in higher esteem, while women were denied ascendance to the higher rungs of its hierarchy.
As TV series go, nothing here is revolutionary. But “Good Girls” is nonetheless a fine addition to Amazon’s portfolio — and a timely reminder that when people long for America’s good ol’ days, the mores of that gauzy past weren’t necessarily great for everybody.
“Good Girls Revolt” premieres October 28 on Amazon.