'GLOW': Netflix's kooky comedy series about an all-female wrestling league

If your reaction to the premise of GLOW - the new Netflix comedy based on the real-life 1980s league the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling - is "But I have absolutely no interest in wrestling", then some reassurance: this show isn't really about wrestling.

From the makers of Orange is the New Black (OITNB) and Nurse Jackie, GLOW focuses on a bunch of struggling Hollywood actresses who audition for a dodgy director's all-female wrestling show to take on the huge success of WWF at the time.

Alison Brie, best known for her sunny demeanour on Mad Men, Community and Bojack Horseman, plays Ruth, our main protagonist, and it's great to see her in a starring role.

It's with Ruth that the many similarities with OITNB begin - much like Piper Chapman, Ruth is annoying, self-involved, pretentious and deluded. You might find it tough to root for her, but sticking with it is highly recommended - soon Ruth's many irritating traits become her unique selling point in the wrestling ring, as she assumes personae like The Homewrecker ("there is no woman more desperate") and Kuntar ("a vision of hideousness").

It's highly entertaining, especially since Ruth is so desperate for approval that she takes these insults in her stride. And, by the end of the series, you might even find yourself warming to her.

But she's by no means the star of the show. Her friend Debbie (Betty Gilpin), a new mother who's recently lost her role on a soap opera, is a joy to watch, along with the supporting cast which includes an unlikely turn from singer Kate Nash.

The best things about GLOW are its synth-heavy tunes, neon lights, high-cut leotards, hairspray ... and even a robot that dispenses cocaine.

It's not all good clean fun - some side plots deviate into darker territory, with many of the characters clearly battling major demons. It could be that, as with OITNB, what's on the surface a kooky comedy soon becomes a more heavyweight drama series. There's so much potential here, and the hilarious season finale, when all those weeks of rehearsals culminate in the first GLOW show, will really have you craving more. - The Daily Telegraph

WATCH the trailer for GLOW

• This article was originally published in The Times.