One can be forgiven for overlooking We Are Lady Parts—it is, after all, on Peacock, one of the streaming era’s more obscure new venues—but it’s a shame there aren’t more eyes on it. This winning, light-hearted comedy follows the coming-of-age struggles of Amina (Anjana Vasan), a young Muslim woman in London trapped between two cultural poles. On one side is faith, which compels her to follow a conventional path and find a devout Muslim husband. On the other is music, which is her emotional sanctuary. This divide is stressed further when Amina’s path crosses with an all-female Muslim punk band called We Are Lady Parts, led by rebellious lead singer Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey). Saira is convinced a new lead guitarist will put the band on the map, and Amina—despite a paralyzing case of chronic stage fright—has the chops to fit the bill. Even though it challenges her faith, Amina joins the band, but its growing notoriety throws monkey wrenches into her personal life, challenging her sense of identity.
Blazing past in six appealing episodes, We Are Lady Parts is a perfectly voiced comedy, confident in its story-telling aims. It provides an insightful window onto the culture it explores, with Amina—played with exceptional charm and humor by Vasan—as the perfect window onto its world. The rest of the band—Impey, Juliet Motamed, Faith Omole, and Lucie Shorthouse—is equally charismatic while bringing the group’s struggles to life. Realistically, the music itself probably isn’t accomplished enough to warrant all the fuss, but it does the trick as a vehicle for communicating the band’s journey. A delightful series that deserves more acclaim, and hopefully further seasons.
