Well, say hello to a great, gutsy new Canadian series that is both hilarious and consequential. It's about native women.
Mohawk Girls (Sunday, Omni, 9 p.m.; Tuesday, APTN, 9 p.m.) has been lazily connected to Sex and the City in order to define what it is. It isn't that. It lacks the cynicism of that series, but it glories in a similar post-political-correctness attitude to single women, sex, men and power. At the same time, it's laugh-out-loud funny.
To be fair, the series does reference Sex and the City in its opening. We are on the Kahnawake reserve outside Montreal and a new arrival, Anna (Maika Harper), whose parents left the place years ago, is wandering round trying to get her bearings. Dressed in lurid leggings, a blingy baseball cap and taking a selfie, she's being watched by a gaggle of young women in a coffee shop. "Um, where does she think she is, on Sex and the City?" one observer asks. She's not. She's in this special place.
A place where, on the show, handsome chaps take off their shirts all the time and young women either swoon or mock. In the opening segment we meet Bailey (Jenny Pudavick), who is lusting after Thunder (Kyle Nobess) and announces, "When I am ready to have kids, I am coming for your sperm!" Then she leaps on him.
Turns out there's a small problem. As Bailey's dad informs her, Thunder is her second cousin, and no-way-Jose is this relationship going to flourish. Later, in the bar, Bailey moans to her pals: "How are we going to rebuild the Mohawk Nation if all the guys around here are butterheads or cousins?" The "butterheads" thing has to do with a chap who, you know, likes to indulge in a little butter-love when he's doing the loving. Never mind. As for the cousin thing, Bailey announces: "I'm not having troll babies with my second cousin!"
There are four women at the centre of this carnival of dating, desire and occasionally very direct lambasting of clichés about native women. Bailey is the ambitious one, but anxious to preserve her culture. Caitlin (Heather White) is boy-crazy, craves love and finds it in the wrong places. The seemingly cautious, uptight Zoe (Brittany LeBorgne, who is superb) toils away at serving her community, but she's got some simmering lust and rebellion inside her. Anna, as the newcomer, needs all the bizarre rules of reserve life explained to her.
There's a lot of stilettos, tight skirts and bling, a lot of selfie moments and hilarity, some of it broad and some of it biting. The foursome visits a dating site to find a chap for one of their number. Turns out a likely guy is there, but in prison. It's priceless, that scene. And there are catfights. The insult "Mother Teresa is more sexy than you" can get something going. And, after our friend the butterhead lures one of the four for canoodling, his ex shows up outside. The young lady who was lured inside says something rude. Outside, the ex brays: "Come down here and say it to me, ya skag!" A major fight ensues.
While there is a breeziness to this fun, Mohawk Girls (created and directed by Tracey Deer) touches lightly but sharply on issues that need to be nudged out. Bailey, for instance (Pudavick, who probably has the toughest role here, is very fine at carrying and conveying the subtleties), is unnerved by the blithe narcissism of many men on the reserve and their sexist attitudes.
Hats off to APTN for airing both the serious, often searing drama Blackstone and now this, a fine piece of fluff that hides a razor-edge in its celebration of sex-and-dating fun.
Also airing this weekend
The 2014 American Music Awards
(Sunday, ABC, CTV, 8 p.m.) is hosted by the annoying Pitbull, whom some people like, obviously, because he keeps showing up to emcee these things. More fun than the Grammy Awards, more youngish, among the AMA presenters are Gavin DeGraw, Becky G, country star Brantley Gilbert, Danai Gurira, Ella Henderson, Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev, Mary Lambert, Rose McGowan, Danica McKellar, Pat Monahan and Kevin O'Leary. Yes, Kevin O'Leary! The Don Cherry of money pundits. Performers include 5 Seconds of Summer, Garth Brooks, Selena Gomez, Lorde, One Direction, Sam Smith and Taylor Swift.
Also, Canada's Smartest Person (Sunday, CBC, 8 p.m.) reaches its finale and the smartest person is crowned. To prove it, their first task is to solve the problem that is the CBC.
All times ET. Check local listings.