Winona Ryder, Emilia Clarke, Martha Plimpton, Elizabeth Henstridge, Viola Davis, Caity Lotz
Fascinating, fleshed-out females have gradually become the norm on television—and it’s about time.
Many years have passed since the heyday of popular small-screen heroines like Dana Scully, Buffy Summers and Xena, and relatively “regular” gals like Denise Huxtable, Amanda Woodward, and Peggy Bundy, to name a few.
These days, fantastic and ferocious women—not all of them role models—are part and parcel of TV serials.
Whether these characters conform to traditional mores or adhere to their own rules, they’re some of the most watchable parts of many cable and online series, Women’s Month or not.
Here are some current standouts, in no particular order:
Quinn King (Constance Zimmer) “UnReal”
Girl power: The showrunner of a reality dating show, Quinn is manipulative, formidable and creative.
She’s also quite vulnerable at times, but she mostly hides behind a veneer of infallibility.
Fighting words: “I wanna see a b*tch bleed!”
Annalise Keating (Viola Davis), “How to Get Away With Murder”
Girl power: Annalise, a survivor of sexual abuse, is a quick-thinking professor and lawyer who is protective of her prized mentees.
Her most successful intimate relationship is with a fellow female lawyer.
Fighting words: “This horrible thing that we must do—it’s life!”
Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder),
“Stranger Things”
Girl power: A hardworking single mother who works as a store clerk, Joyce is understandably hysterical when her younger kid, Will, goes missing, but does everything she can to find him.
Fighting words: “I will keep these lights up until the day I die if I think there’s a chance that Will is still out there!”
Eileen O’Neal (Martha Plimpton), “The Real O’Neals”
Girl power: A Catholic mom dealing with her impending divorce, and the coming-out of her gay kid, Eileen is headstrong but ultimately compassionate. Still, she manages to brutally throw shade, on occasion.
Fighting words: “You make a great Beyoncé … if Beyoncé had a pale, small boy’s body.”
White Canary (Caity Lotz), “Legends of Tomorrow”
Girl power: Former assassin Sara Lance has adapted well to her role as the leader of time-travelers, and has romanced some similarly adventurous women across history.
Constance Zimmer, Mandy Moore, Camila Mendes, Melissa McBride
Fighting words: “Even before the League of Assassins, I knew how to handle guys like you.”
Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride), “The Walking Dead”
Girl power: The battered wife-turned-killing machine once saved her community—almost single-handedly—from marauders. Carol later left her tribe to cling to what’s left of her humanity, though.
Fighting words: “I would [kill them]. If they hurt any of our people … that’s what I would do. And there wouldn’t be anything left of me after that.”
Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), “Game of Thrones”
Girl power: Psychically bonded with dragons, the embattled queen Daenerys has repeatedly and resoundingly conquered armies that doubted and challenged her rule.
Fighting words: “None of you are fit to lead the Dothraki. But I am.”
Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge), “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
Girl power: The timid scientist has grown tremendously, becoming a respected leader in the organization. In a tight team of competent combatants, Jemma can outwit and bluff her way to victory.
Fighting words: “There’s a 100 percent chance I get inside your head. The question is how long you’ll live afterwards.”
Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), “Riverdale”
Girl power: Ex-mean girl Veronica is smart and sexy, a self-aware high schooler who stands up against the jocks’ slut-shaming.
Fighting words: “Does he not know who I am? I will cut the brakes on his souped-up phallic symbol!”
Rebecca Pearson (Mandy Moore), “This is Us”
Girl power: The devoted and sometimes-overworked mother to three young children, Rebecca takes her husband to task when he doesn’t contribute enough to the parenting dynamic.
Fighting words: “I do individualized lunches, and I do individualized tuck-ins for each kid, so nobody feels gypped!”