Erin’s 15 Most Influential Female TV Characters

So many women on TV are influential to me that it makes it difficult to narrow it down for a list. International Women’s Day is a holiday I look forward to every year.

So, I was excited to take the challenge of creating my top 15 influential female TV characters as part of our first Critics’ Picks list series, which launched yesterday for International Women’s Day.

These are women who are influential to me, who inspire me, who make me want to be better, who help me to be more empathetic. In each of these characters, I can see parts of myself. I can relate to some of their struggles and accomplishments even if my life is very different from theirs.

This list honors not only those characters that are influential to me, but also the women that bring them to life. They have put something special into their performances that speaks directly to my soul, giving them a special place in my TV-loving heart. 

Some of them are mothers, others not, a fifth of them are detectives (also, a fifth are played by the same actor and if you know me, I’m sure you can guess who that is), and a couple even inspire me from the afterlife.

Please join me in celebrating these 15 influential female TV characters.

1. Mary Richards, The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Mary Richards of The Mary Tyler Moore Show played, of course, by legend Mary Tyler Moore was the first woman to capture my heart from her place on my television screen.

I can clearly recall falling for her as a twelve-year-old girl who religiously recorded the show when it was on Nick at Nite. It came on well past my bedtime so I taped it to watch the next day (albeit after I had done my homework).

I remember my teacher asking the class to share our favorite TV show and the majority of my schoolmates saying that theirs was Beverly Hills, 90210. While I was very much a fan of the teen drama, a show that aired before I was born was, without a doubt, my answer.

And the reason I had become so enamored of the show was because of its main character, Mary Richards. There are so many qualities in her that I admire — her strength and vulnerability, her charisma and down-to-earthness, her intelligence and eagerness to learn. She is kind and funny and genuine.

She was my first introduction to the concept of feminism before I even knew what that was. Mary Richards fought for equality in the workplace and she fought for herself with determination and hard work.

Mary Tyler Moore did the same behind the camera — not a lot of shows in the 70s centered around a plucky young woman and Moore’s own production company was behind the award-winning series.

Mary, both the character and the woman portraying her, showed a young, impressionable me that I, too, can make it after all.

2. Dana Scully, The X-Files

Special Agent Dana Scully of The X-Files played by my personal hero, Gillian Anderson, is hugely influential to me.

I came to the show a little late in the game in the summer before its 8th season. You couldn’t binge-watch or stream things back then so I watched the series out of order through reruns on FX. I didn’t always understand the mythology (I still don’t, actually, and I think the writers might not either), but I knew I deeply loved the character of Dana Katherine Scully.

Smart and fierce, Scully holds her own against alien invasions, government conspiracies, the boys club mentality of the Bureau, and her spooky partner. She is fearless and steadfast in her pursuit of justice. She can be gentle and compassionate, but also kick some serious ass when necessary.

Her no-nonsense dedication to science is admirable, especially since she investigates the paranormal. And her dedication to Fox Mulder and his cause, this epic search for the truth, is there from the very first episode.

She is one half of not only my first ship but the first ship to coin the term. The love and loyalty she shows Mulder got me invested in the romance of the show. Up until then, romance held very little interest for me on the TV shows I would normally watch.

But here I was passionately shipping these two characters. It got me into the world of fandom and fan fiction. And to this day, I still actively participate in The X-Files fandom and read fic about Mulder and my beloved Scully. 

Scully-centric episodes remain my favorites from the series. Anderson brought so much to the role, creating a complex, fully-realized character right out of the gate. Even when the writers inundated her storylines with tragedy after tragedy and sometimes utter nonsense, the truth of Scully never wavered.

Because of Anderson, the character of Scully was strong enough to withstand 11 seasons, two movies, the fashion of the 90s, and some bad writing all through to the bitter — and I mean bitter — end, which is no easy feat. 

3. Elaine Benes, Seinfeld

Seinfeld is another show among my first TV obsessions. I loved the humor and the “no hugging and no learning” policy behind it.

I am not generally a fan of sentimentality and lessons in sitcoms as I feel it can water down the comedy. I also used to be self-conscious of that, thinking it made me insensitive or uncaring. Seinfeld showed me that it is perfectly okay to enjoy this particular brand of humor.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes really drove that notion home for me. She was the only woman in an ensemble of four so, naturally, I was drawn to her. She was allowed to be funny and behave badly just like the guys, and this was the first time I had seen that on television.

She wasn’t there just for eye candy or a romantic interest or to add softness — she had substance and brought as much comedic complexity to the table as her male counterparts. This was so refreshing for me to see.

Sure, Elaine could do things that were morally questionable and she did not suffer fools gladly, but Louis-Dreyfus was able to imbue this character that, on the surface, could be seen as cold-hearted with incredible depth and warmth.

4. Ellie Miller, Broadchurch

Ellie Miller on Broadchurch was my introduction to the incredible Olivia Colman, so for that fact alone she deserves a place on this list.

Ellie (or Millaahrr as DI Alec Hardy calls her) is one of the most relatable characters on this list. That makes watching her go through the horrific events that take place on the show all the more heartbreaking. It’s easy to slip into her shoes and feel her pain which brings the drama up to gutwrenching levels.

She is so endearingly human — she makes mistakes, she has insecurities, she gets angry. It is wonderful to see that alongside the myriad of charming qualities that she also possesses. In the face of tragedies that I cannot even begin to imagine experiencing myself, her reactions are so authentic — frighteningly realistic.

Ellie is a good mother, a good detective, a good friend, and just an overall good person. She speaks her mind, she is funny and caring and full of heart. It is truly an honor to get to know this character, to suffer and to celebrate with her. 

5. Norma Bates, Bates Motel

Norma Bates of Bates Motel is one of those characters that I want to protect at all costs, even knowing her fate from the very beginning.

Norma (Vera Farmiga) had a hard life, she suffered at the hands of bad men, but she maintained a softness despite all she had been through up until the very end. She turned anger and fear into love.

It might have been a little too much love toward her son, Norman, but she got caught up in her desire for a better life for them both, and it’s hard to fault her for that.

She often represented complex dichotomies — she was an optimistic pessimist with a fragile strength. Emotions are rarely black and white and Norma personified both the light and shadows in the gray area of the human condition. In life and in death, she was a compelling character, and I was rooting for her to find happiness while she was alive and peace in her final rest. 

Norma represented motherly love in one of its most intense forms, and that, in turn, made me love her intensely.

6. Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation

I don’t usually gravitate toward characters like Leslie Knope of Parks and Recreation. She is optimistic, ambitious, and an over-achiever. However, with comedic powerhouse Amy Poehler at the helm of this spirited role, I can’t help my adoration.

Leslie instantly won me over despite how fundamentally different we are from each other. I may not strive to be just like her, but her influence on me is undeniable.

Her passions run high and her enthusiasm is in a never-ending supply. This equally exhausts me and inspires me. I am restrained even when it comes to my interests and the people and things that I love, but seeing Leslie on the opposite spectrum of this makes me reconsider that attitude.

Leslie is so fiercely and unabashedly herself, and that is something to which I truly and deeply aspire.

7. Stella Gibson, The Fall

To me, Stella Gibson of The Fall is the total package. Not only is she played by my idol, Gillian Anderson, but she just oozes all of the qualities I think an ideal woman would have. She is smart, sexy, cool-headed, and empathetic, and that is just the tip of the iceberg.

She is this beautiful balance of toughness and femininity, hard and soft — Anderson herself said that she aspires to Stella’s self-confidence in that department. Allan Cubitt, creator of The Fall, wrote the part for her, and it’s easy to see why. Anderson takes all of these traits and conceptualizes them in her portrayal of Stella, making her an exquisite enigma, but also very human.

Complex female characters are my jam and Stella Gibson is the epitome of that esteemed class.

8. Frankie Bergstein, Grace and Frankie

If I am even a fraction of how cool Frankie Bergstein is when I grow up I would be a happy woman, a part of me would feel really fulfilled. Netflix’s Grace and Frankie has graced us with the presence of a whacky, bewitching, magnetic character. Portrayed by the iconic Lily Tomlin, Frankie is exuberant, fun, charmingly hilarious—a pure delight.

It is a comedic role, but Tomlin brings such an authentic earnestness to it, elevating the character and rounding her out.

When Grace and Frankie are forced to cohabitate after their divorces, Frankie is much less resistant to friendship than Grace. She sees the potential for meaningful connection way before Grace because she knows things, can sense things, feels energies — she is a self-proclaimed “intuitive witch.” 

On paper, this character might seem gimmicky — the hippie-dippie granny — but Tomlin has taken Frankie so far beyond that. Frankie can be silly and serious, flighty and grounded, easy-going and tenacious. I am stand-offish with others so I can learn a lot from Frankie who goes head first, barrelling toward human interaction in all its forms.

9. Claire Fisher, Six Feet Under

“I wish that just once people wouldn’t act like the clichés that they are.”

Claire Fisher (Lauren Ambrose) from Six Feet Under never acts like the clichés that she might embody. Some of those would include the rebellious teen, the pretentious artist, and the baby of the family. Over the course of five seasons and going through all the growing pains of young adulthood whilst surrounded by death, Claire never came close to being a cliché.

I watched her grow up while I, myself, was growing up. She didn’t “blossom,” she came into her own through trial and error and through struggles.

It’s a big reason why the finale of the series is such a crowning achievement — focusing on Claire and the culmination of her growth that was portrayed in a messy and real way is a hopeful parallel to the messiness and realness of death.

10. Eleanor Shellstrop, The Good Place

Since we’re on the subject of personal growth — and death, for that matter — on The Good Place, we get to see Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) go through a sort of ethical evolution in the afterlife.

On Earth, Eleanor was not a great person, but she was granted the chance of a lifetime (er, after-lifetime) to redeem herself. And redeem herself she did, time and time again, over the span of I don’t even know how many Jeremy Bearimies. She became a natural and effective leader and a devoted friend after spending her adulthood not caring about others.

If someone as ill-behaved and unsympathetic as Eleanor was during her first life can turn things around and become the poster child of morality in the next life, then there is hope for all of us. Eleanor’s story of redemption is a cathartic one for me, one that instills in me a faith in humanity as well as faith in myself. 

11. Blanca Evangelista, Pose

Of all the mothers on this list, Blanca (MJ Rodriguez) of Pose is the one I look up to the most in terms of parenting.

She has so much motherly love to give, and in forming her House of Evangelista in the underground ball culture world of New York, she creates a tight-knit, loving family. Blanca is a mother in every sense of the word — she takes care of her kids, employs tough love when needed, encourages and uplifts with unrelenting support.

Faithful and selfless almost to a fault, everyone in her life knows they can count on her, even her frenemy, Elektra. She is transparent with her emotions and she tells it like it is. I am in awe of her fortitude, her fierce veracity, and her beautiful soul.

She deserves Mother of the Year every year.

12. Stevie Budd, Schitt’s Creek

Stevie Budd of Schitt’s Creek likes to show she doesn’t care when she really does. It’s a defense mechanism and I totally get it.

Some might see her character development as Stevie coming out of her shell, but I don’t see it that way. To me, it is because of the bond she forms with David and the Rose family. Finally, there are people in her life that are worth opening up for.

Since we come to the town of Schitt’s Creek with the Roses, we get to know Stevie (Emily Hampshire) as they do. It’s a bit slow going in fits and starts, but you know immediately that there is something special about her. And then you feel privileged when she does choose to reveal deeper parts of herself.

I cannot watch her sing “Maybe This Time” on Schitt’s Creek Season 5 Episode 14 without sobbing. It is a powerful scene of self-expression coming from a closed-off person who decides to open up and share a piece of herself publicly. Hampshire does a dynamite job of showing all of this in her performance of Stevie performing.

I would love to be as brave and vulnerable as Stevie.

13. Fleabag, Fleabag

“Either everyone feels like this a little bit, and they’re just not talking about it, or I’m completely fucking alone.”

You are not alone, Fleabag!

I absolutely love being in Fleabag’s head on the incomparable series of the same name. Breaking the fourth wall, she lets us into her world—it is weird and strange and wonderful, and, yes, lonely. Fleabag (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) does the audience a service by allowing us to move around in her psyche, thus making us feel less alone.

Communicating with us this way shows how she questions things that society has labeled “wrong” while still struggling to exist in that society. It is remarkable how she can deconstruct complex psychological quandaries with so much humor and very little grace. She is hilarious and she is a mess and I love her with all my heart.

I feel such a kinship with this character that moments like the one with the aforementioned quote from Fleabag Season 2 Episode 6 have the ability to knock me out, just like a punch to the nose.

14. Jean Milburn, Sex Education

I knew I loved Jean Milburn before I even watched the first episode of Sex Education.

Yes, my preemptive devotion was because she’s portrayed by Gillian Anderson, but in watching the show, that love was strongly solidified. She is brimming with confidence and sexuality. Her quirkiness adds to her charm even in the cringiest of moments.

On Sex Education Season 2, I really connected to her as a mother. Her son, Otis, begins acting poorly, lashing out and refusing to take responsibility for his bad behavior. She feels those pangs of failure that are specific to motherhood. 

Then, when he exhibits some of the negative traits of his father, her jackass ex-husband, her fears deepen.

Otis: I don’t understand, Mum. We usually just talk these things through and everything’s fine. Why are you still so upset with me?
Jean: Because I thought I was raising you to be a man who took responsibility for his actions. And because, as the primary carer in your life, I always get your worst.

I felt this in my maternal core.

When it rains it pours for Jean—her conflict with Otis is just one of many challenges that she must face, and my heart absolutely breaks for her. She is really out there trying her best and helping others with their problems. 

To use a quote from Big Little Lies’ Renata Klein: “Can somebody give a woman a moment?!”

15. April Ludgate, Parks and Recreation

April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza) of Parks and Recreation speaks to the dark and apathetic parts of me that run deep. She shows me that one can embody these traits in one’s personality and still have a lot of heart. There is no doubt that April cares a lot about the people in her life.

Characters on television that are “different” are most often nerdy or quirky not morbid misanthropes. It’s actually kind of hard to describe April because she really is one of a kind. She goes against the grain, doesn’t give in to societal norms, and marches to the beat of her own drum.

Like April, I think being normal sounds gross and I strive to embrace the oddities within me just as she does.

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Who are the most influential women on TV for you? Let us know in the comments below!

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