Men Secretly Can’t Get Enough Of These “Girly” Shows!
Plenty of shows have come across our television screens that some people classify as “girly.” Even if they aren’t marketed directly towards women, shows with female leads and premises are still largely avoided by the male population… or are they? They won’t admit it, but tons of men enjoy these “girly” shows, especially a certain reality dating show on ABC!
New Girl
Photo Credit: FOX via Getty Images
People see cutesy, quirky queen Zooey Deschanel at the helm of New Girl and automatically think it’s a “girly” show. But if you watch it, you’ll find that it focuses less on Jess and more on her three roomies Nick, Schmidt, and Winston. Many guys confess to loving New Girl, and it’s because the men and women struggle together, rather than against each other.
Grey’s Anatomy
Photo Credit: Philip Ramey/Corbis via Getty Images
According to a 2007 Today report, 6.4 million men tuned in to watch Grey’s Anatomy. All the medical and personal drama within Seattle Grace Hospital is what classifies Grey’s as a girly show at first. Surprisingly, all that drama is exactly what draws in male viewers. Grey’s Anatomy has been around for 14 seasons and has become a favorite for everyone.
The Bachelor
Photo Credit: Ari Perilstein/Getty Images for Variety
Tons of guys indulge in The Bachelor. Not only do they want to be the guy who has beautiful women competing for his affection, but they secretly want to see an epic love story unfold. Actors Jason Bigg and Taye Diggs have confessed their obsessions on Twitter. Andrew Garfield calls The Bachelor “the Greatest Show on TV” and even admitted he’d freak out if he met someone from the show.
You’ll never guess which mother-daughter duo is loved by the male population!
Everyday Italian
Photo Credit: Bob Riha Jr/WireImage
Everyday Italian was on the air back when the Food Network was rich with actual cooking shows. Men wouldn’t have watched a cooking show geared towards women and probably still won’t. Watch a segment on YouTube, read the comments, and you’ll see that men focused less on the recipes and more on gorgeous host Giada De Laurentiis.
Gilmore Girls
Photo Credit: Chris Polk/FilmMagic
Gilmore Girls is a total chick show because it’s basically a show about a mother-daughter duo and all their relationships. People also complain that Rory and Lorelai are total narcissists who talk too fast. Why would any guy admit to liking this show? They tune in to see what the big deal is, only to end up staying for Stars Hollow’s charming characters and to see if Lorelai ends up with Luke.
Keep reading to see which iconic girl gang men secretly adore!
Project Runway
Photo Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
Project Runway is one of those shows that guys started watching because of their significant other but end up liking the show themselves. According to a thread on Reddit, men enjoy the show because aside from a little drama, it focuses on design and the creative process. One husband was even inspired to buy a sewing machine and tailor his own clothes!
Jessica Jones
Photo Credit: Alessio Botticelli/GC Images
Jessica Jones is a Netflix original series and another addition to the already expansive Marvel universe. Many consider this show grittier than most Marvel shows or movies and note that the titular character is very relatable. It wouldn’t be weird for a guy to like Jessica Jones just because she’s a girl. If anything, she’s more of a dark anti-hero.
Downton Abbey
Photo Credit: Brenda Rochelle/Flickr
British period dramas like Downton Abbey may seem a bit too pomp and circumstance for male viewers, but you’d be surprised to learn that a lot of men enjoy it when their wives “force” them to watch it. They like it since it takes place during World War I because apparently WWII is too played out in entertainment. Either way, it’s the history that lures guys into this show.
Sex And The City
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Hulton Archive
HBO’s Sex And The City is without a doubt the girliest show out there. Guys like to rag on the show, but they secretly enjoy watching Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda and see what they get into next. In 2010, Cosmopolitan asked a few brave men what they like about SATC and not only do they appreciate how open the characters are with their sexuality, but they find it useful in figuring out what a girl does – and doesn’t – like.
The Real Housewives Franchise
Photo Credit: Gary Gershoff/Getty Images
Whether it be New Jersey, Orange County, Atlanta, or any of the other cities that host The Real Housewives there is a bevy of fans that watch it religiously — men included. Guys who like the show admit they revel in the drama. While male conflicts are usually settled physically, female rivalries are strategic, conniving, and brilliant. Luckily, there’s plenty of both.
You’ll never believe that a certain little girl cartoon has a strong adult male fanbase!
Scandal
Photo Credit: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
Believe it or not, there are guys who like to watch Scandal, especially with Kerry Washington as the lead role. Even Barack Obama has admitted to watching the show when he was still in the Oval Office. Creator Shonda Rhimes told The Hollywood Reporter, “He thought it was hilarious that a president would have time to do all the pining and loving that [the show’s] president does. But I love the vision of them all sitting around [the White House], bingeing through the episodes.”
My Little Pony
Photo Credit: Mike Mozart/Flickr
There are so many adult males who are fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, there’s even a documentary about them. My Little Pony toys have been around for decades, but in 2010 it returned to television as a cartoon aimed at little girls. The self-proclaimed “Bronies” watch the show because it’s good, and stay for the community they’ve built around it. Trust us, it sounds creepy, but it’s actually pretty innocent.
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Photo Credit: Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Men forced into to watching RuPaul’s Drag Race sometimes end up liking the show. Many are impressed by the talent and artistry the Queens project throughout the competition. Others relish in the constant shade that everyone on the show throws at each other. It’s taboo for most men to admit they like the show, but it takes a real man to admit it in the first place shamelessly.
Teen Wolf
Photo Credit: Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
According to a thread on Reddit, there are plenty of guys who openly admit that they enjoyed MTV’s Teen Wolf. Even though it’s targeted towards teenage girls, it’s still a supernatural show with plenty of cool characters and creatures. One guy admits that he watched it because it’s the only thing he heard his female peers talking about, so he tuned in to have something to talk about with them. Genius.
Teen Wolf is one teen drama that men secretly like, but they also really love the shows from a certain network that is notorious for teen dramas.
Girls
Photo Credit: ANDERSON/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
You’d think the title Girls would deter anyone with a Y-chromosome. According to Nielsen ratings near the end of its first season though, 56% of Girls’ audience was male. How could more men take an interest in a show about four white millennial females trying to make it New York City? Perhaps it’s the way Lena Dunham’s characters are self-deprecating or how the men on the show are equally miserable but relatable.
The Vampire Diaries
Photo Credit: a.crush87/Flickr
Let’s face it, CW shows that came out in the ’00s appeal mostly to female audiences, but there are plenty of guys who can’t help watching either. The Vampire Diaries is your typical teen vampire drama but take away the love story and what you have is a show with pretty girls, a wisecracking cool guy, and cool supernatural stuff happening at every turn. It’s a show for everyone.
Gossip Girl
Photo Credit: Philip Ramey/Corbis via Getty Images
Are there guys out there who watched Gossip Girl? Of course, but good luck getting them to admit it. Behind all the glamour of “Manhattan’s elite” there’s secrets, rumors, backstabbing, and forbidden love — everything a girl loves in a TV show. Guys say they watch it for bombshell Blake Lively but they also secretly love good gossip and drama just as much as the ladies do.
Riverdale
Photo Credit: Robby Klein/Getty Images
Riverdale is the most recent CW show the kids are raving about these days — guys included. Male and female fans of the original comic book series were curious to see how Archie and the gang would fit in a murder mystery. Though some people find the show absurd in its second season, they’re too invested now to stop watching it.
Keeping Up With The Kardashians
Photo Credit: Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Keeping Up With The Kardashians is one of those shows that even some women are reluctant to admit they like. As polarizing as the Kardashian-Jenners are, it’s worth mentioning that behind the stupefying amount of wealth and forced drama, they have one of the sturdiest family bonds in America. There are likely a handful of guys that can’t help but “keep it on in the background.”
Desperate Housewives
Photo Credit: Interior_animus/Flickr
A show about the unassuming matriarchs of Wisteria Lane and the secret drama they get themselves into couldn’t be more female-centric. But after the pilot came out in 2004, male audiences surprisingly made up a good part of the viewership. It helped that Eva Longoria and Nicolette Sheridan were eye candy, but guys couldn’t get enough of how “desperate” these women could get.
