Fall TV trend: edgy women

Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES

NBC Chief Bob Greenblatt has dubbed Whitney Cummings the “It” girl of the fall TV season. Not only is the 29-year old comedian the creator and star of the relationship sitcom “Whitney” (premiering Wednesday) but she also co-created another buzzy fall sitcom, CBS’ “2 Broke Girls” (Monday), featuring Kat Dennings.

So how did a stand-up comic best known for making the bawdiest, most tasteless quips at Friars Club roasts end up with two prime-time sitcoms, both of which crack vagina jokes in the first 10 minutes?

The TV landscape is suddenly flooded with edgy “It” girls, both in front of and behind the camera. NBC alone has signed a number of foul-mouthed female comedians — along with Cummings, there is Chelsea Handler’s “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea” set for midseason and Sarah Silverman’s autobiographical sitcom snatched up after a bidding war. ABC has sharp-edged comedy “Don’t Trust the B—— in Apartment 23” starring Krysten Ritter set for midseason; Fox is launching “The New Girl” (premiering Tuesday), starring Zooey Deschanel and created by filmmaker Liz Meriwether; MTV has ordered a pilot about twentysomethings called “Dumb Girls” from “Awkward” creator Lauren Iungerich, and indie film darling Lena Dunham recently finished shooting her Judd Apatow-produced series “Girls” on HBO.

The profusion of series about and by young women suggests a shift in Hollywood, due partly to loosening standards for racy language and adult situations.