TV We’re Thankful For: Our Staff Talks Strong Female Characters and Smart Comedies

Every year we gather around way too much food and say what we’re thankful for. Most people probably mention friends, family, loved ones, etc.

All of us here at Tell-Tale TV are thankful for television. Okay, yeah, our loved ones are pretty awesome too.

Here’s what some of our writers are thankful for when it comes to television.

What show are you thankful for?

Lyra: I’m most thankful for The Walking Dead. They’ve finally come full circle and are testing out all the pain and anguish they’ve put us through these last couple of years. This show continues to surprise in plot and character development. But most importantly they gave us Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier. I don’t know where my ‘The Walking Dead feelz’ would be without watching these two people grow in beautiful, chilling, and remarkable ways.

Lizzie: I’m thankful for The Grinder. Comedy is HARD. Deceptively so. And making a preview look good is one thing, delivering a show that’s equal parts laughter and family feels is another. On top of that, I’ve now become a Fred Savage fan. Who would have thought?

Christine: I’m thankful for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. It could so easily have gone poorly, but it’s truly some of the best writing on television. It’s unique and sharp while still making you feel awkward for every time you’ve been just as crazy as Rebecca. I really want this show to find its audience. It’ll be such a tragedy if it doesn’t.

Jenn S.: I’m thankful for Limitless! This is a completely and totally unexpected show, and yet one that I’ve found myself consistently laughing at and feeling intrigued by. It’s much more than I could have ever anticipated and I’m grateful that CBS believes in it so much.

Samantha: I’m thankful The Goldbergs. This little sitcom is such a weekly delight. Each episode manages to make me laugh and cry with joy. Not to mention the excellent use of 80s music that always manages to strike the right chord of nostalgia.

Allison: I’m thankful for Madam Secretary. Ever since binge watching The West Wing, I’ve been missing a fantastic political drama in my life. This summer I had a chance to check out Madam Secretary, and I immediately fell in love. Not only is it smart tv, but it delivers great female characters and a great family dynamic.

Caralynn: I’m thankful for Fargo. The show is seriously something else. It’s really a work of art and I watch every week kind of in a state of awe. It’s visually gorgeous, immaculately plotting, and the acting is phenomenal. It makes great use of the anthology format, too. I hope it never ends!

Ashley: I’m thankful for Grey’s Anatomy. By this time last year, I was ready for it to end. It felt like enough was enough. But now, this season, it’s found its footing again, and it’s gotten so much better.

What character are you thankful for?

Lyra: Joe from The Flash. I’ve always had a soft spot for people who take on life changing responsibilities in life because they chose too and not because someone pushed them. Joe chose to take on the task of raising Barry. He gave this lonely and distraught boy a home and a family to depend on. He made him into the man he is today.

Lizzie: I’m thankful for the awesome female bad-asses that are on TV these days. I’m thankful for the ones with superpowers, like Kara Danvers and I’m thankful for the ones without, like Felicity Smoak, Iris West, and Alex Parrish. Girl power!

Christine: I’m thankful for Jane on Jane the Virgin. She’s totally nailing what it is to be a first-time mom and owning it in the obsessive way that only Jane Villanueva can! Plus, she’s got like, REALLY hot guys who want her.

Jenn S.: In the same vein as Lizzie, I’m thankful for Jessica Jones. I absolutely love when characters are complex and have to fight against their wrong (but sometimes better) instincts and overcome those instincts in order to help other people. Jessica Jones is definitely that kind of hero and proves that it’s okay to want to protect yourself, but that being a hero means you put that aside to help others.

Samantha: In the same vein as Lizzie and Jenn, I’m thankful for my favorite ladies on TV. I’m thankful for Olivia Pope, Mellie Grant, Abby Whelan and all the ladies of Scandal, for Abby and Clarke Griffin, Raven Reyes and Octavia Blake and all of the ladies on The 100, for Daisy Johnson, Melinda May, and Jemma Simmons and all of the ladies on Agents of SHIELD.

I’m thankful that I get to see so many different portrayals of so many different women on my favorite shows. I’m thankful that there are these fantastic ladies lighting up my TV screen every week being complex and brilliant and flawed and emotional and real.

Allison: I’m jumping on the ladies bandwagon. It’s a great time for female characters. Kate Fuller and Santánico Pandemonium on From Dusk Till Dawn are definitely up there in my favorite characters, especially after season two. We witnessed two completely different women make morally questionable decisions.

They made perhaps a bad call, but instead of judging them for their actions, we got to explore WHY they made the choices they did, and even if we didn’t agree with their actions, we understood why they made those choices. You don’t always get to see women make such questionable decisions, which is a shame.

Caralynn: Ah, it’s really hard to narrow this down! There really are so many wonderful characters on TV this season, particularly women. I’m going to say I’m thankful for Gretchen on You’re the Worst.

I’ve never seen such a raw, completely exposed depiction of depression (or mental illness in general) on TV. Aya Cash’s portrayal has been incredibly engrossing and I really think it’s such an important topic/show/character arc.

Ashley: This is a tough one, because I really want to repeat one of Samantha’s answers and say Mellie Grant from Scandal. There’s another female character from that same show that I’ll actually say instead, though, because I find that I love her more and more each week. That character is Susan Ross. She’s the perfect blend of comic relief and female empowerment. Love, love, love her.

And to cheat and pick another one, this time a male, I feel the need to gush a little over Harvey Specter. I’m not even caught up on Suits at the moment (I’m getting there), but he’s an amazing character for so many reasons.

What relationship are you thankful for?

Lyra: I’m thankful for the relationship between Oliver and Felicity on Arrow. It has grown into such a beautiful, rich, and dynamic bond. They support each other through thick and thin and have come out on top every time because of it. It’s amazing that we’re watching this duo start on the road to great things.

Lizzie: Though I agree with Lyra, I’m very thankful for the way Arrow has handled the Oliver and Felicity relationship, I’m also going to say I’m thankful for the same thing on Once Upon A Time, for the focus and the care they’ve put into the main relationship on the show.

Hook and Emma have been a couple for a while now, but never has the focus been on their love quite as it’s been on this arc, and for that, I’m grateful. Relationships can only grow when you shine a light on them, throw one, or twenty obstacles their way.

Christine: Well, I agree with both Lyra and Lizzie, so I’ll try and pick someone else! I’m going with Jake and Amy on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. They’ve so seamlessly transitioned to being a couple without changing the dynamic of the show at all. It’s such a testament to the fact that you can be a couple on a great show and not need to be the main thing that drives the plot. It’s brilliance on the show-runners’ part.

Jenn S,: Okay, I obviously agree with Lizzie 100% about Oliver and Felicity’s relationship, especially because it’s being portrayed as super healthy this year. But I’m also really thankful for a totally underrated relationship on Scorpion: Sylvester and Megan.

Like… the fact of the matter is that he is totally and completely supportive of her and her wishes. Even though it would hurt him less to have her around, she is suffering by prolonging her life. They got married (!!!) so that Sylvester could ensure that Megan doesn’t spend the last few weeks or months on earth in complete and total agony.

I wasn’t sure how this show would be able to portray their relationship and whether or not it would even be fleshed out, but Scorpion has proven that it is more than willing to let its actors do some really intense and lovely emotional lifting. And this relationship has been sweet and loving from start to finish.

Samantha: I’m going to go a little against the grain here and say I’m most thankful for the relationship between Clarke and Abby Griffin on The 100. These two went through a lot during Season 2–they were reunited after thinking the worst, then struggled to find equal footing amidst a war, and finally reached a new understanding in the finale.

Clarke struggled to find her independence, while Abby struggled to let go of her baby girl, but by the finale they come to realize they’ve both been a little right and a little wrong. With Clarke leaving at the end of Season 2, who knows where their relationship will go in Season 3. One thing is certain though, Abby and Clarke love each other more than anything in the world.

Allison: I’m thankful for Donnie and Alison’s relationship on Orphan Black. They have such a strong relationship for people who have been through betrayal, murder, rehab, drug dealing, and so much more. It’s impossible not to love those two crazy kids. They’ve also got some killer moves.

Caralynn: They’re not even a couple yet but I’m feeling all the feelings for Greg and Rebecca on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. They’re flippin’ adorable! And the chemistry between Santino Fontana and Rachel Bloom is amazing. I’m rooting for them so much. Runner-up couple would have to go to Captain Swan on Once Upon a Time, mostly because Jennifer Morrison shredded my heart into tiny little pieces during the last half of “Birth.”

Ashley: I’ve got to go with Booth and Brennan on Bones. They’ve been though and hell and back together and are stronger now than ever. They’ve learned from each other over the years, but they still stay true to their differences.

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What are you thankful for? Share your thanks in a comment below.