Featured image courtesy of Netflix

“Ginny & Georgia” is an intricate, amusing show about the mother and daughter pair Georgia and Ginny Miller. Set in the picturesque town of Wellsbury, Massachusetts, this ten-episode Netflix original follows the Miller family (Ginny, Georgia, and Ginny’s little brother Austin) as they deal with meeting new people and trying to escape their past after their recent move. After mentioning the show “Gilmore Girls” in the first episode, this show is often compared to the series also about a young mother and daughter, but it definitely has a more complicated and ambitious plot. The series can sometimes feel like there’s a little too much going on, but it’s overall a fun yet dramatic show that will keep viewers interested throughout each episode.

Ginny is angsty, caring for her brother, and often angry at her mother. After moving several times throughout her life, she struggles with making genuine connections with people her own age. She soon befriends a group of girls at her school, including Max, a quirky, energetic girl with a twin brother, Marcus. As Ginny makes her way through her sophomore year of high school, she falls for Marcus and another boy, Hunter. She goes through friendship drama, love triangles, and the usual insecurities and emotions that many teenagers face daily. I thought that she was one of the most realistic characters in the show, and she felt like she could be a real person rather than just a character. Although the other characters were interesting, they often felt more like stereotypes rather than actual people.

Georgia is fierce, protective, and individualistic. After moving her family to Massachusetts, she focuses on getting a stable job, protecting her kids, and leaving her traumatic past. She also teaches her son Austin how to defend himself from school bullies, although her methods of revenge are slightly extreme. Throughout the series we learn more about Georgia’s upbringing and why she is so aggressive to tormentors, and I thought that her flashbacks were one of the most compelling parts of the show.

The story was very interesting and unique. There was so much going on, and although that kept the show entertaining, it also seemed like it was trying to do too many different things at once. I liked how none of the characters were perfect. They all made mistakes, but that was what made them realistic and easy to relate to. For example, when Ginny acts more passive aggressive to her new friends in order to up her social status, you can feel her becoming less happy, and I thought it was a realistic way to show the struggle that many teens face when focusing on the way others see them. I also liked how there was some deaf representation. Max’s dad is deaf, and it’s not the main focus of his character. It was nice to see the deaf community being represented without it being the focus of their storylines. The soundtrack was also great. Each song fit the scene it was in perfectly, although I do think they should have done a little more instrumental as well. This was overall a very enjoyable show, especially in the later episodes when viewers were more attached to the characters.

Although I mostly enjoyed this series, there were some things I didn’t like about it. Some of the storylines seemed forced or a little cliche. The dialogue of Ginny’s friends often felt unrealistic for teenagers, and many of Ginny’s friends remained stereotypical teenagers and didn’t get much of a chance to become more fleshed out as characters. I found many of Ginny’s plotlines interesting, but I found myself wanting to skip through much of Georgia’s. It may be because I can relate to being a teenager more, but I just couldn’t get invested into Georgia doing things like joining the PTA and chaperoning Ginny’s school events. I did find Georgia’s backstory very interesting, however, and I always looked forward to the flashbacks of her as a teenager. Although I typically enjoy the concept of a series being similar to another show but with a twist, this show sometimes seemed like it was trying a little too hard to be an edgier version of “Gilmore Girls”. This is especially true of the first few episodes, although the show does branch out more after that.

Overall, I thought that this show was entertaining and enjoyable, if a little unrealistic at times. I definitely recommend this series if you like shows that exhibit the lives of both the teenage and adult characters, such as “Gilmore Girls” or “Glee”. In the end, this was a dramatic, amusing series that gets better with every episode, and I really enjoyed it.