The Emmy nominated Netflix comedy series GLOW which premiered in 2017, showed the gorgeous ladies of wrestling engage in fake, and entertaining body slamming with made up fictional storylines all building up into a fight. This show took viewers to the 1980s and became one of Netflix's most addictive original series in 2020.
Through its inclusive portrayal of womanhood and strong themes of fighting patriarchy, motherhood, sexual harassment and ambition, it shined from performances of Alison Brie who plays Ruth Wilder, Singer Kate Nash, and Betty Gilpin who plays Ruth's nemesis, best friend, and new mom navigating her wrestling career and motherhood.
Unfortunately, after 3 seasons, the enthralling show was canceled even though it was already renewed for a fourth season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which made it challenging to film. This stirred up reactions from fans, with the cast and crew having to bid their premature goodbyes. Since the show, the stars of GLOW have bounced back just fine.
10 GLOW's Take On Empowerment And Sexism
Albeit comedic, GLOW explores female empowerment, and champions equal opportunities for women in pursuit of their happiness, embodied in a professional wrestling promotion called the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW).
The show follows a former actress forced to give up her career for her baby, and then finding strength in wrestling, as against societal standards. It also showcases true female friendships, and a sisterhood of women who have struggled against sexism and various forms of oppression. It has women as creators and executive producers.
9 How GLOW Affected The Cast
No doubt, the gorgeous ladies of GLOW have had life-changing and glorifying experiences playing their respective characters. Alison Brie spoke to W about how GLOW made her a totally different person, and how playing Ruth has opened her up in lots of ways. Unfortunately, the cancelation was the great heartbreak of her career.
However, some of its BIPOC cast members expressed their reservations in a letter about representation, racial stereotypes, and how they've felt disempowered throughout their time on GLOW. Having written to creators of the show, changes were going to be implemented in the fourth season to cater for more inclusivity of their roles, but unfortunately, that never happened with the show's cancelation.
8 Alison Brie's Career Continues To Shine
Alison Brie might not have been fit for her role at first by the show's producers, but after numerous convincing auditions, she embodied the character of Ruth "Zoya the Destroya" Wilder a little too well.
Following Mad Men and her days on GLOW, she has starred in Horse Girl, The Rental, Happiest Season alongside Kristen Stewart, and Spin Me Around where she recently walked the red carpet of her film's premiere with real-life husband Dave Franco. She will be starring in the upcoming film Somebody I Used to Know directed by her husband.
7 Betty Gilpin's Fame Has Only Heightened
Before playing Emmy-nominated role Debbie "Liberty Belle" Eagan on the Netflix show, Betty had starred in Law & Order and its spinoffs, American Gods and Masters of Sex.
Since her in-ring gimmick as patriotic southern belle, Betty has appeared in popular movies Isn't It Romantic, A Dog's Journey, Stuber, Coffee & Kareem and The Tomorrow war with Chris Pratt. She will be leading the upcoming television series Three Women.
6 Sydelle Noel Went On To DC And Marvel Studios
Playing a wrestler must have been something the former athlete could easily pull off, and she did without question, playing the role of Cherry "Junkchain" Bang.
The actress appeared in Marvel's Black Panther portraying Xoliswa, and Avengers: Infinity War. She also played recurring role Samanda Watson in DC's Arrow. Unfortunately, she hasn't had any breakthrough roles since GLOW. Nowadays, she's flexing her athleticism and making traveling memories on Instagram.
5 Kate Nash Is Focusing On Her Music
Before role as in-ring English genius Britannica, the British singer was already a household name and had tested the acting waters with movies like Greetings from the Buckley, Powder Room, and Syrup starring Amber Heard.
She has starred in Horrible Histories: The Movie - Rotten Romans, and Truth Seekers. She's also an activist, and some of her music has reflected this. She is currently prepping for her fifth studio album release.
4 Awesome Kong Retired From Professional Wrestling
Kia Stevens (under the ring name Awesome Kong) was the only professional wrestler in the show's cast. She pretty much dominated the wrestling scene, and almost all wrestling promotions, from Impact Wrestling to Ring of Honor, and WWE, as well as AEW.
She played Tamme "The Welfare Queen" Dawson in the show. In August 2021, she retired from professional wrestling after almost two decades, and was inducted into the Impact Hall of Fame.
3 Gayle Rankin Is Over Her She-wolf Days
The Scottish actress was part of the women's wrestling circle taking on the role of Sheila the She-wolf, an antisocial wrestler who believes herself to be a wolf. She took on a less dramatic role when she appeared in 2017's The Greatest Showman opposite Hugh Jackman.
Her acting credits include debut role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Irreplaceable You, and recurring role as Emily Dodson in HBO's Perry Mason. Her most recent project is the 2022 horror film Men.
2 Marc Maron Hosts A Popular Podcast And Starred In A DC Animated Film
Marc led this Netflix series playing a drug and alcohol addicted director. Some of his popular movie appearances include Joker, Spenser Confidential, Respect, The Bad Guys, DC League of Super-Pets alongside Dwayne Johnson.
Aside from acting, he is also a stand-up comedian, podcaster with popular award-winning weekly podcast WTF with Marc Maron.
1 Chris Lowell Landed Main Role In How I Met Your Father
Chris plays the role of Sebastian "Bash" Howard, heir to the Howard Foods business empire, producer of GLOW, and the show's in-ring commentator and announcer.
Should viewers wonder where they might have recently seen the star, he appeared on Netflix's Inventing Anna, and currently stars as Jesse in How I Met Your Mother spin-off How I Met Your Father, alongside Hilary Duff.
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