26 Fantastically Feminist Female TV Characters from 2017

13. Detective Ellie Miller (Broadchurch)

Detective Ellie Miller has been through hell and back on the British series Broadchurch.

Broadchurch Season 3 provides the setting for Detective Ellie to give her most empathetic and feminist focused performance. She has softened in appearance from previous seasons but that belies Ellie’s blossomed confidence and strength of character.

As she counsels survivors and valiantly carries on as the matriarch of her household, we see Ellie embrace the power of vulnerability.

Ellie engages in a push and pull for power and respect within her own team. Even when there is tension, Miller comes out on top with her swift zingers such as “I am never in the mood for swaggery young shits.”

Her true strength comes from her exceptional devotion to solving crimes and supporting survivors.

14. Rachel Zane (Suits)

Rachel Zane is finally where she belongs: on equal footing with the men on the Suits team.

Her journey from assistant to attorney has been challenging, but there was never any doubt that Rachel is capable of being an excellent and passionate advocate.

Witnessing Rachel work with her father as a Zane & Zane team is a joy.

Suits will suffer a blow from Meghan Markle’s departure, but she’s leaving the show to become a real life princess. Markle’s portrayal of Rachel has left an indelible mark that will continue until the series’ final episode.

15. Rebecca Bunch (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)

Rachel Bloom is so on point with her harrowing and hilarious portrayal of leading woman Rebecca Bunch that it is often uncomfortable. The audience writhes, laughs, and responds actively to Rebecca, showing that she is a character to be reckoned with.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is pushing into new TV territory, showing realities of life with a serious mental health disorder, borderline personality disorder, while also embracing the unrealistic world of intermittently bursting into song and dance.

Rebecca’s recovery after spiraling out is signaling hope to a large group of people who have never seen their struggle on screen. Provocative and bold, Rebecca Bunch is a character that deserves a spotlight.

16. Miriam Maisel (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Out of her misery, Mrs. Miriam Maisel shines.

The stand-up comedy scene has long been dominated by male voices. It is more than refreshing to see a stand-up story with a woman at the center, even more compelling is that Miriam is a 1950s Jewish housewife

Even though the jokes are rough and lewd, there is a tenderness and honesty to Maisel that speaks to the calamity of being a woman. The fact is women face terrible odds, and sometimes when you are looking right at the pile of crap stacked against you, your only option is laughter.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel delivers the laughs.

Miriam was always funnier than her wannabe ex-husband Joel. On each episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, she continues proving that women are just as raunchy, gross, and limber in wit as men are, even while wearing heels, hose, and a a full face of make-up.

17. Eleven (Stranger Things)

Eleven rises up in Stranger Things Season 2, literally and figuratively.

She harnesses her strength to close the gate to the Upside Down, securing survival for her loved ones. She also rises up to visit her past and determine what it means for her — a path to vengeance and envy or to acceptance and moving forward.

All of the things Eleven does, she does with style. From her oh-so eighties curls to her slicked back “bitchin” make-over, Eleven always authentically and gracefully presents her youth and gritty resilience.

Eleven is a preteen, but her superhuman powers and ability to remain vulnerable despite witnessing great evil make her a character inspiring to viewers of all ages and genders.

18. Amy Santiago (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

Amy Santiago may be high-strung and Type A, but as is showcased on Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 5 Episode 9 “99,” these qualities are her super powers.

Amy is an exceedingly talented detective, and her thirst for winning is always presented as charming, not cruel, on Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Female characters are often pitted against each other on TV, and it is refreshing and meaningful that Amy is just as competitive and as compassionate as other members of the 99, regardless of gender or race.

Amy Santiago is also one of the funniest characters on our Top Female Characters of 2017 list. Her keen wit is always ready to go, and her traits are only enhanced by her fiancé, Ofamy (Jake Peralta).

As an equally significant character in Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s main ship, Amy proves that a female character can be enhanced and developed by her romantic partners, rather than reduced to a prop or one note character.

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