Syfy's Astrid & Lilly Save the World is like BTVS without the male gaze

[TMC]

https://time.com/6140312/astrid-lill...-world-review/

The supernatural comedy created by Noelle Stehman and Betsy Van Stone and starring Samantha Aucoin and Jana Morrison in the title roles breaks the mold when it comes to portraying female freaks and geeks, says Judy Berman. She adds that Astrid and Lilly's "quest entails vanquishing a series of monsters-of-the-week, with lots of campy special effects and story lines that draws parallels between the girls’ showdowns with evil and the battle to love yourself when you’re growing up different in a world that hates you for it. If that sounds a lot like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, minus now-controversial creator Joss Whedon‘s sexualized male gaze, rest assured that creators Noelle Stehman and Betsy Van Stone know what they’re doing; Brutus even invokes Buffy’s mentor Giles by way of introducing himself. Offbeat running gags (Lilly’s chronic leg cramps and Astrid’s oversensitivity to foul odors are the first signs the duo is developing superpowers) and sharp, foul-mouthed dialogue ('I refuse to let some idiot chode-bag tell us who we are!') keep the show fresh. But what makes Astrid & Lilly unique is the authenticity of its lovingly written, endearingly portrayed outsider heroines."