Strange Empire (2014-2015)

Airing for just one season in 2014, CBC's Strange Empire was a strange decision for the network known for their comedies and family friendly stuff. Set in late nineteenth century Alberta-Montana border country, the dusty series was a dark, gritty look at a bunch of cowgirls trying to survive and thrive in a male dominated world. Our primary protagonists are three very different women—Cara Gee (Kat Loving), a hard-edged Indigenous babe who recently lost her husband and child during a supposed "Indian" raid; Rebecca Blithely (Melissa Farman), an autistic woman who was previously in a nuthouse and now works as a doctor; and the conniving Isabella Slotter (Tattiawana Jones), a grieving gal who also lost a child and is now married to John Slattery (Aaron Poole), a violent pimp. Though the three women come from dissimilar backgrounds, the common bond of survival brings them together. See, a bunch of "Indians" just attacked and killed nearly all the men headed to Janestown, but left all the women alive. How strangely noble of them. Only, since she knows far more than your average white guy about Indigenous culture, Kat doesn't think they were "Indians" at all. Kat thinks John needed women to work in his brothel and knew that turning these poor ladies into widows would be the easiest way to make that happen. Then, Kat ends up adopting two little girls (Michelle Creber and Matreya Scarrwener) after their dad tries to sell them to the brothel, which makes her John's enemy. She'll do whatever she can to make sure he's held accountable for his actions, and with her being such a badass, you can count on her making that happen! If you’re looking for nudity, there’s nothing to see here. In season one, episode thirteen, Aaron Poole teases some shirtlessness while banging Kat Loving to tears. Don’t cry, baby. Aaron is a real hunk! It's not much more skin than you'll see at your local swimming pool, but it was still enough to have Mr. Man dreaming of finding a home, home on the strange.