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- EW Staff
- Annalise Keating (How to Get Away With Murder) No one knows how to rock a courtroom or clean up a mess like Annalise Keating (Viola Davis). Fighting her own demons over six seasons, she also found time to regularly save her students' lives, win impossible court cases, and head up a landmark class-action case for criminal justice reform at the Supreme Court.
- Eve Polastri (Killing Eve) Killing Eve is not your typical spy thriller, so it makes sense that the woman at the heart of the BBC America series—Sandra Oh's Eve Polastri—is a deeply flawed, complicated woman.
- Leslie Knope (Parks and Recreation) If you ever need to feel inspired, just watch any episode of Parks and Recreation. Whether it's merely trying to turn a dirt pit into a park or the Herculean effort of running for city council in a town that hates her, main character Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) just doesn't know the word "quit."
- Michonne (The Walking Dead) Battle-tested in a world that's zombie-infested, the ronin of the Walking Dead universe, portrayed by Danai Gurira, became a fan favorite the second she stepped on screen.
- Kamala Khan, MS Marvel
- Emily Gilmore, Gilmore Girls
- Miranda Bailey, Grey's Anatomy
- Mindy Lahiri, The Mindy Project
- Wednesday Addams, Wednesday
- Jessica Huang, Fresh Off The Boat
- Clare Devlin, Derry Girls
- Carol Peletier, The Walking Dead
- Clarissa Mullery, Silent Witness
- Nia Nal, Supergirl
A walking, talking, hard-light-casting smack in the face for those Marvel bros who only ever seem to find fault with female representation in superhero films, Iman Vellani's teen hero is a breath of fresh air in a stale genre. While her movie debut The Marvelssuffered at the box office, critical response was strong and the consensus around both the...
Gilmore Girls might technicallybe the Lorelai and Rory show but, for many, Emily Gilmore is the real star. With a savage no-f**ks-given attitude that teeters between rudeness and brilliance, she was truly one of the first queens of the one-liner. Whether putting her husband in his place or taking Shira Huntzberger down a peg or three, Emily is an i...
Many have argued that Miranda is the focal point of Grey's Anatomy. The glue that holds it all together. The beating heart. Miranda is strong and motherly, taking on the role of mentor for many of the newbies, but she also has her vulnerabilities. An OG of the beloved show, she's certainly a fan favourite.
Like many sitcoms, The Mindy Projectis led by someone who's crass, shallow and not always likeable, but that's exactly why Mindy deserves a spot on this list. By flipping the script and centring these tropes around a second-generation woman of Indian heritage, Mindy Kaling has crafted the kind of character we know all too well but so rarely get to ...
And you thought Christina Ricci's Wednesday was the last word on everyone's favourite young goth. Jenna Ortega breathed new life into the character, embracing a neurodivergent subtextto Wednesday's apparent emotional reserve and updating her for the TikTok generation. Everybody dance now!
When it premiered in 2015, Fresh Off the Boatbecame the first Asian American-led network sitcom to air in 20 years, but that's not the only reason why it resonated so much with fans. A huge part of the show's appeal is personified in Constance Wu's portrayal of Jessica Huang, who delivers some of TV's very best lines while subverting many of the pa...
Clare is sweet and empathetic and has a heart of gold, but she's continually dragged into chaotic situations that exceed the limits of her restraint, which makes her an endlessly brilliant watch. She tries so hard to be the best version of herself, as we all do, and Clare's eternal struggle between expectation and reality, though heightened, is som...
We first met her as an abused wife. Freed from her marriage by the zombiegeddon, Carol quickly grew into one of the strongest, most nuanced Walking Dead characters, one whose complex relationship with violence (and with Daryl, of course) lends the show such depth.
What a refreshing sight in a flagship BBC crime show – a wheelchair user who is in no way defined by her disability but rather by her wry, snarky personality, a deliciously new take on what could have been just another nerd in a lab coat.
Transgender activist Nicole Maines has long fought for trans visibility, so it was only fitting that this real-life hero became TV's first transgender superhero on Supergirl. Nia Nal is a 'Dreamer' in every sense of the word, and every time she wears her costume, she inspires others to help create a more inclusive world.
- The Handmaid's Tale (2017 - ) Stream now on Hulu. The Emmy Award-winning series, The Handmaid's Tale, takes place in a dystopian world and is based on the novel of the same name.
- Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) Stream now on Hulu. When Joss Whedon resurrected his old movie and turned it into a TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer became one of the most groundbreaking television shows with female leads in history.
- The Golden Girls (1985-1992) Stream now on Hulu. It is impossible to look at the best television shows with female leads without looking at The Golden Girls.
- Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) Stream now on Netflix. Gilmore Girls was one of the best comedy-drama television shows with female leads in the early 2000s. It starred Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel as the mother-daughter duo Lorelai and Rory.
- Logan Rapp
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan. 1,331 votes. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a supernatural drama series with a leading woman, features the fierce Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers.
- The Golden Girls. Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Betty White. 886 votes. The Golden Girls, a heartwarming sitcom, highlights the friendships of four elderly women, with iconic talents such as Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty.
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Kelli Giddish. 261 votes. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit showcases the relentless dedication and compassion of Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson.
- I Love Lucy. Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance. 668 votes. I Love Lucy, the classic television staple, stars Lucille Ball as the inimitable Lucy Ricardo, who entertains viewers with her hilarious misadventures and unmatched comedic talent.
Four female New Yorkers gossip about their sex lives (or lack thereof) and find new ways to deal with being a woman in the late 1990s. Stars: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon. Votes: 142,669.
Mar 14, 2024 · Stars like Sandra Oh, Laverne Cox, and Quinta Brunson are helping increase representation on TV. From leading dramas to solo anchoring the news, these women changed history.
Nov 24, 2022 · There are more shows with women at the forefront than ever before. Females are starring in comedies, horrors, dramas, mysteries, and pretty much every other genre you can think of. If there's one place where you can find more of these shows than anywhere else, it's Netflix.
