26 Badass Female Characters We Can’t Get Enough Of
We’ve come a long way.
Years ago, the female representation on TV was extremely limited. Most were housewives and good moms. And yes, some were pretty bad-ass in that role, but variety was few and far between.
Then came the career women, the pioneers. And little by little, we got everything else.
We got the villains, the bosses, the warriors and the saviors. We got diversity. Not all we wanted. Not all we deserve. But we got some.
And so, today, I’m here to celebrate the incredibly different and bad-ass women that graced our TV screens this past season. May we get more. May they continue to do what they do.
May they stop being the exception, and become the rule:
26. Olivia Pope, Scandal
Confidence is the name of Olivia Pope’s game. She’s determined, strong, and she never, ever lets her personal life get in the way of doing what she has to do — right or wrong.
25. Elizabeth Jennings, The Americans
She’s closer to a villain than she is a hero, and yet, somehow, we still root for this complicated and remarkable woman.
24. Annalise Keating, How to Get Away with Murder
Female antiheroes are still few and far between, and the terrifying thing about Annalise is that she knows how to bend the rules to look like anything but one. But that’s what we like about her.
23. Quinn King, UnReal
Quinn is good at her job. Terrifyingly good at her job. Does that make her the bad guy? That’s up to you to decide. She doesn’t care either way.
22. Olivia Benson, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
Dealing with victims every day is hard – not letting yourself become a victim is even harder. Olivia Benson has done both in an admirable way for a very long time.
21. Sara Lance, Legends of Tomorrow
Sara Lance might be one of the most literally kick-ass women on this list – and yet she’s also compassionate, determined, and infinitely complex. That’s why we love her.
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz
Lawyer. Writer. Columnist. Geek. Falls in madly in love with fictional characters. Hates the color yellow, misogyny, and people who are late. Can always be found with a book. Watches an absurd amount of TV every week, often, while eating coffee ice cream. She has no regrets. You can check out her blog here: Absurday. Lissete is a senior writer for Tell-Tale TV. Follow @lizziethat
12 comments
Great list, is great to see so many badass females on today’s TV shows!
Where is Meredith Grey? She is one of the women more badass with everything that has happened to her!
impressive list
I agree with you at all
powerful women are wonderful and my favorite
Danna scully especially Emma Swan
and my dear Felicity Smoak my favorite
Scully was and always will be the best !! Which opened the way for other beautiful, intelligent, professional women with personality. Gillian is the best !!!
stana katic”s Beckett is by far the best. She has it all,strength,beauty,integrity honour loyalty and still retains her femininity !
Felicity, Octavia, just all of them love it!
Michonne of the walking dead should be on this list.
Emma Swan hasn’t been badass since Season 2. She’s the anti-Jessica Jones who willingly turned herself into a pathetic doormat for an emotionally abusive man she continually endangers her family to protect and has covered up his murder of an innocent man for which he was never brought to justice but called a hero?? Either you ship C$ or you don’t watch OUAT, because the two links you posted to episode reviews with this article are two of the main episodes last season that defined Emma and her happiness by her inability to live without a douchebag boyfriend, that questioned if she was good enough for a man who has murdered and assaulted women, a man she’d had dated for all of like a month and had just tried to kill her entire family. Shame on you. Jessica Jones, Dana Scully, and many of the women on this list would kick Emma Swan’s butt out of the “badass ladies” club for being a regressive insult to the headway they have made!
I love Felicity <3
No Katherine Pierce or Lexa?
well complied.wow!!! Felicity. Its tru u don’t hav 2 kick butt 2 be Badass. She’s toooooooo good.
Have you not watched the last 3 seasons of OUAT? Emma is no badass. Also Octavia? Ew. Clarke Griffin! Star of The 100 and a total bad ass! O? you’re drunk.
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