No Man’s Rose: Challenging the Expectations of the Neo-Western Woman Through Serial Drama

No Man’s Rose is a neo-western, crime-drama series set within the shadow of the Watergate conspiracy, amidst the hardship of post-Vietnam recession, in 1970s Southern Nevada, USA. Inspired by the classic Western template of gunslinging outlaws, folkloric tales and lawlessness across the American Frontier, No Man’s Rose brings a femicentric, mid-century modern, twist to the rugged landscapes once roamed by Butch Cassidy and Johnny Guitar. No Man’s Rose explores the role of strong, female protagonist, Rose Wilson, as she navigates a genre typically dominated by male perspective and masculine characteristics, whilst wrestling the moral ambiguity that comes with it. The accompanying essay to the screenplay, ‘Challenging the Expectations of the Neo-Western Woman Through Serial Drama.’, contextualises both No Man’s Rose, as a series, and Rose, as a character, within the study of Women in Film and writing from the ‘female gaze.’ The aims of No Man’s Rose are not limited as a contribution to feminist film and television theory, but hopefully serves to create meaningful screen-time for women and marginalised groups in action, crime, and quasi-Western narratives. There has been a strong commitment throughout the writing process to represent BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of colour) characters with diversity and cultural understanding in mind. No Man’s Rose strives to show Native and Hispanic characters without perpetrating outdated and uneducated stereotypes commonly witnessed in Wild West media.