Historically, most TV shows and movies focus on men, specifically straight, white men. Diversity is something that is unfortunately often lacking in a lot of media, but there are a number of cases — and increasingly more cases — where strong, female characters are at the forefront.
These strong female characters are often fearless, powerful, independent, and smart, taking on roles that are predominantly occupied by men, fighting off zombies, taking care of people, and making names for themselves.
While we’ve been seeing more and more leading women in roles that aren’t solely focused on them finding love, it’d be great to see even more to further level the playing field. If you’re looking for some TV shows to watch that have empowering women characters in the cast, check these out.
10 Clarke Griffin – The 100
Clarke Griffin (Eliza Taylor) is one of the main characters in the dystopian, sci-fi series The 100. She becomes the leader of the 100, helping to keep the survivors safe as they fight against the Grounders, Mountain Men, and other obstacles that come up. Clarke is very much a natural-born leader and falls into her role among the survivors automatically. Clarke is loyal, fair, and headstrong and is determined to save everyone’s life and make it to safety. While she’s been known to make a number of questionable, sometimes even impulsive decisions throughout the series, Clarke almost always operates with the group’s best interests in mind.
9 Leslie Knope – Parks and Recreation
Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) is a strong-willed, feminist, government representative whose heroes are female political heads like Hillary Clinton and Madeline Albright. She believes the government should serve the people and works hard to ensure that’s always the case. She’s constantly going up against the small-minded, oftentimes sexist, government representatives who get in her way to enact change. The challenges Leslie faces in the show often mirror the reality of what women in political positions often face, but she takes everything head-on with witty humor and sarcasm and never lets anyone dull her spark. She’s a real inspiration for women taking on historically male-dominated positions, and shows you how to stand up for yourself and stay true to your beliefs.
8 Dana Scully – The X-Files
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The X-Files is by far one of the most recognizable, standout sci-fi/mystery series to date. The series follows FBI special agents Dan Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) as they investigate unsolved, paranormal cases, dubbed “X-files.” Scully is one of the most notable, powerful women characters in the sci-fi genre — a genre typically dominated by men. She’s a fierce, intelligent investigator, a skeptic, and can always hold her own. Her character is actually so well-loved that it inspired a phenomenon dubbed “The Scully Effect” in which women began pursuing careers in STEM — just like Scully ‚ following the show’s airing.
7 Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) was a normal high school girl, until she experienced an overwhelming amount of trauma, changed her trajectory, and started working as a private investigator alongside her father. She’s a teenage private investigator and totally breaks the mold in terms of what a teenage girl on TV can do. She’s tough and smart and out there solving serious crimes while her peers are in English class. Veronica is known for her wit and scrappy demeanor. She never backs down from anyone — both the cops and the spoiled rich kids at school — inspiring teen girls to stand up for themselves and be brave.
6 Athena Grant – 9-1-1
Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear, 9-1-1 is a fast-paced drama following the lives and on-the-job experiences of a group of first responders. Essentially, all the characters in the show are inspiring heroes, but one of the fiercest is Athena Grant (Angela Bassett). Athena is a field sergeant with the LA police department. She’s a very tough, blunt, no-nonsense woman who is extremely devoted to her work, the people she loves, and saving lives. She’s a strong example of how to balance work and personal life when you’re equally passionate about both. She’s also a woman of color working in a high-stakes field, which can be very inspiring for those interested in going down a similar path.
5 Fiona Gallagher – Shameless
Shameless is a beloved dramedy series adapted by John Wells from the British series of the same name. The show introduced a number of characters over its 11 seasons and one of the most empowering is Fiona Gallagher, played by Emmy Rossum. Fiona is the eldest Gallagher kid and is tasked with playing mom and taking care of her siblings, the house, the finances, and everything else in between. It’s a lot for one person to handle, and it often gets overwhelming, but — despite a few missteps along the way — Fiona is constantly trying to do her best. It’s a situation that could be very real and relatable for some people and in a way, it’s her missteps and the way she always tries to do better that makes her so inspiring.
4 Michonne – The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead presented a number of strong female characters throughout the show, but, hands down, one of the most powerful is Michonne. Played by Danai Gurira, Michonne is a powerful warrior who can easily hold her own with just her samurai sword. She’s a major scene stealer, and she’s simply so powerful and captivating that she became a fan-favorite almost immediately and eventually a main character in the series. Michonne is a fearless fighter, but she’s also deeply complex, complete with a mysterious past and emotional layer that makes her character both dynamic and relatable to viewers. In terms of women in zombie apocalypse media, Michonne is fierce, strong, and inspiring.
3 Buffy Summers – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
What’s cooler than a woman who hunts and slays vampires? Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is a teenage vampire slayer who originally wasn’t interested in her unique calling, but eventually embraced her destiny and became one of the most powerful, empowering women characters in TV history. The concept of a female vampire slayer in the ’90s was way ahead of its time and that alone makes Buffy an inspiring female lead. On top of that though, she never takes any physical or mental garbage from men and always firmly stands up for herself and holds her own. She’s not a damsel in distress by any means and underestimating Buffy would be a grave mistake — as is often seen throughout the show. She’s strong, courageous, and manages to kill vampires, save the world and go to high school all at the same time, inspiring generations of teenage girls.
2 Annalise Keating – How to Get Away with Murder
How to Get Away with Murder follows a group of ambitious law students who work on cases with their criminal defense professor Annalise Keating. Annalise, played by Viola Davis, is an intelligent, powerful force in the courtroom, always maintaining control of whatever situation she’s in. She’s not only brilliant and tough in court and in her professional life, but she’s also a dynamic character with emotional depth and vulnerability, which just contribute to how much of a powerhouse character she is. Annalise is also a notable character in terms of the representation of Black women on TV, completely reimagining the way they’re portrayed. Plus, this character made Viola Davis the first Black woman to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2015.
1 Olivia Benson – Law & Order: SVU
When you think of strong, fierce women on TV who have inspired generations of women and girls, you’d be remiss to leave out Olivia Benson from Law & Order: SVU. Played by Mariska Hargitay, Olivia is known for bringing a sense of sincerity and comfort to such a difficult, high-stakes job — especially when it comes to victims of sexual abuse. Her empathy and emotional intelligence are a large part of what makes her so good at her job, as well as what makes her character so noteworthy. She’s extremely dedicated to the job and to getting justice for the victims she works so hard to save and protect. Olivia is simply cool. She’s hard and no-nonsense, refusing to be phased and let the “bad guys” win, but she’s also sweet and sincere, always willing to go to bat for those who need her.
