Esme’s 20 Most Influential Female TV Characters

March 8 is International Women’s Day, and I’m excited to be a part of our Critics’ Picks list series honoring the female characters on TV who have influenced us the most. 

This list celebrates women who are trying to enact change, simply live through their pain, or have an inexplicable lust for life. I’m lifting up quirky, smart, fearless women who walk with their heads held high without anyone telling them they deserve to and those who had that right stolen from them. 

I favor the underdog; the quiet female character who has earned fans’ love in spite of the fact that they deserve more screentime. My TV sheroes didn’t earn that title because a show told me to love them.

In (mostly) random order, here are my 20 most influential female TV characters.

1. April Kepner (Grey’s Anatomy)

Most of this list is truly in random order, but I can’t start with any character other than April Kepner. Still, it’s impossible to find the right words to explain her impact on my life. 

I wrote an entire essay about her subtle feminism for Bustle that I couldn’t possibly paraphrase. But I might as well begin in a place as vulnerable as Drew’s best performances on Grey’s Anatomy.

When I’m anxious these days I can just turn my palms up and read the two April quotes that calm me the most on my inner forearms.  

The words probably affect me today out of habit, but April’s journey is relatable to me because she earns every single one of her wins during most of her tenure on the series — especially when she saves her own life at gunpoint on Grey’s Anatomy Season 6 Episode 24, “Death All His Friends.” 

She stands her ground and is herself through some of the most passive-aggressive attacks I’ve ever seen a character face at the hands of colleagues. These happen so often and are so rude I wonder if Grey’s Anatomy realized what it was doing.

The moments make April an easy character to root for; she needs better friends from Season 6 through Season 14. But I think I was moved by Drew’s performance most of all. Actors give words life, and she puts some extra energy, extra tears, extra joy into her work.

I remember April’s saddest moments coinciding with my (extremely less dramatic) difficult ones.

Looking back, I wonder how much of that connection had to do with narrative events and how much is just Drew’s unmatched ability to transform even the strangest fiction into real human experience. Either way, I’m happy to literally carry a piece of April Kepner with me everywhere I go.  

2. Elsbeth Tascioni (The Good Wife/The Good Fight)

Elsbeth Tascioni is unapologetically quirky and scattered, but undeniably brilliant. 

Even after years of loving her on The Good Wife and then The Good Fight, it’s often unclear to me if she knows how harshly she’s judged for her eccentricities; but people wise up real quick when she catches them in lies, sends them to prison, or any of the other things amazing lawyers do. 

As someone who feels underestimated most of the time, there is nothing more satisfying for me to watch than an Elsbeth win.

She earns and deserves every single one, sometimes even making it look easy. I don’t think she could pull them off if she tried to be less “weird” for lack of a better word. There’s something beautiful about all of it. 

I can only hope to get one professional success in my life that’s as satisfying as the ones Elsbeth gets every time she’s on-screen. When I do, I’ll credit her with teaching me what power really means. 

I wouldn’t just watch a Tascioni spin-off. I’d do everything I could to get in the writers’ room of that show. 

3. Lyn Hernandez (Vida)

I don’t stan knowingly becoming a mistress. Lyn Hernandez totally has issues and often needs a dose of maturity, but she’s the one character on this list I’d love to be for a day.

Vida is more than a name — it means life. Despite her flaws, Lyn has a joy for life that I’m envious of.

She’s self-centered but lacks the arrogance that usually comes with it. I truly think she wants to grow and learn and become a better person, and that’s almost universally relatable. Plus, she’s trying to live under the harsh gaze of her sister Emma (Mishel Prada). I don’t envy that. 

To be honest, on my day as Lyn, I’d avoid Emma. I’d have tons of sex with Johnny (Carlos Miranda) and eat all of the non-vegan tacos and flan. 

4. Olivia Baker (All American)

Olivia Baker on All American makes my list solely because I’m a fan of growth and have recently discovered a love for podcasts (I know I’m late but she’s here with me).

As a biracial teenager growing up in Beverly Hills, she has a considerable amount of privilege that’s not just monetary. 

She’s just beginning to realize that thanks to an encounter with a racist frozen yogurt shop owner on All American Season 2 Episode 9, “One Of Them Nights.” And of course, witnessing Spencer (Daniel Ezra) get shot on All American Season 2 Episode 10, “Protect Ya Neck.”

Plus, the medical racism in All American Season 2 Episode 11, “The Crossroads.” 

But Olivia doesn’t just watch institutional racism and cry or rage (though she’d be justified) — she acts. Perhaps her solution is predictable for a privileged teenager, put podcasts have influenced legal issues, so “Liv The Truth” matters. 

I’m proud of you, Olivia.

5. Sabrina Spellman (Sabrina The Teenage Witch)

Sabrina Spellman of Sabrina The Teenage Witch personally impacted my life for reasons that may seem small from an outsider’s perspective. 

Growing up, I had an obligation every Friday night, so it’s the first show my mom would tape for me every week (old-school binging if you will). 

On Season 1, Sabrina stands in front of a job board at her school and says “get paid to watch TV” before reaching for the job post and missing out. It was the first time I ever considered that I could make a living doing what I love to do the most.

My journey as a writer has taken many turns, but I kept that scene tucked in the back of my mind until I made the dream a reality. Sometimes what I do involves literally getting paid to watch TV. 

Perhaps that’s the show influencing me more than Sabrina herself, but there wouldn’t be a show without the character. Plus, she’s the reason I still believe that life is a little bit magical. 

6. Marjan Marwani (9-1-1: Lone Star)

Don’t get me wrong, I love, love, love, the Muslim representation Marjan Marwani brings to network TV on 9-1-1: Lone Star, and I hope to learn more about her religion and culture in the future. 

But quite frankly she’s on this list because she’s a badass daredevil who seeks the social media attention she deserves for her most extreme rescues. 

To be clear, she never seeks danger for fame alone, she does it because she’s trained to save lives. But I say, why shouldn’t she seek glory? 

Many of us could use a social media detox, but it’s also so embedded in professional culture today. Why not use it to better your life if it makes you happy? 9-1-1: Lone Star shows social media’s negative effects when Marjan’s hajib comes off and that goes viral and brings her shame. At least it’s a somewhat objective examination for one episode. 

Of course, the fact that Marjan makes my list, for this reason, could be a sign that I need to ignore my screens for awhile. 

7. Kat Edison (The Bold Type)

All of the women of The Bold Type are trailblazers I admire for different reasons. Though the show is loosely based on the experiences of former Cosmopolitan editor Joanna Coles, Scarlet and the goings-on there are purely fictional. 

Fiction allows The Bold Type to take shortcuts when it comes to the bold three’s successes in the industry. But as a biracial and bisexual woman, Kat Edison has the most uphill climb.

I don’t identify exactly as Kat does, but I relate to the fact that she has a more difficult journey than most of her closest colleagues (and friends) will ever be able to understand. 

I also relate to the fact that she’s a social media specialist. While I have yet to hold that exact title, I too believe in the power social media has to create personal and worldwide change. I love when Scarlet explores issues revolving around different social platforms. 

8. Brooke Davis (One Tree Hill) 

Clothes over bros is a whole mood, okay? 

In all seriousness, Brooke Davis (Sophia Bush) is the most authentic character on One Tree Hill, a show that gets caught up in its own wild, fantastical world often. 

I don’t care that Brooke becomes a famous fashion designer as much as I empathize with her search for true love and struggle to recover after an attack. She’s also the woman in Tree Hill who supported other women most often. 

Some disturbing truths have come to light in the #MeToo era about abusive showrunner Mark Schwahn, but I’m still appreciative of the characters and actors on the show that provided me comfort through high school and college. 

I admire everything Bush stands for today and follow her career in large part because of how she uses her fame and social platforms. I wouldn’t know of Sophia if not for Brooke Davis. 

9. Ruby Hill (Good Girls)

At this point, the reasons the individual women are continuing their criminal exploits on Good Girls are somewhat murky. But at least in the beginning, Ruby’s are the clearest to me: she needs the money and her family actually doesn’t have another option. 

She’s breaking the law to save her daughter’s life, and I know the morality factor is questionable here, but I still find it admirable. 

Plus, she deserves extra points because her best friends are sisters with a somewhat toxic relationship who ignore their privilege often. And Ruby and Stan’s marriage is #RelationshipGoals (you know, minus the secret crime spree thing).

Put simply, she probably understands and lives the term “ride or die” better than anyone else on this list. But she’ll also tell you the hard truths about the situation that no one else will. 

For this reason, I wish Ruby were my best friend IRL. I’d totally return the favor and pour her as many glasses of wine as she wants. She definitely deserves them. 

10. Susie Myerson (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

I’m not sure what to make of the fact that The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel ignores Susie Myerson’s sexuality while using stereotypical tropes to hint at it, even though the show is set in the 1960s. I don’t support that.

But Susie makes this list thanks to her professional grit and the brutal honesty she dishes everyone who deserves it.

Like Midge, Susie is a woman in a male-dominated industry (sadly, this situation still isn’t rare). She goes above and beyond to ensure that she and her client succeed, in part because she needs money, but also because she believes in Midge.

A summer masquerading as a plumber is a step she needs to take to make sure Midge is under the spotlight on bigger stages, so she takes it. 

Susie’s pure determination to succeed is inspiring, and she’s also a great reminder to all women that we should believe in ourselves and our talents as we lift each other up. The fact that she’s hysterical is just a bonus.  

11. Katherine Saville (A Million Little Things)

I’m not certain that A Million Little Things knows how amazing Katherine Saville is, and it’s always concerned me. 

At the beginning of the show, she’s cold and works too much. This isn’t just an assumption, we see it on screen and unfortunately, it’s used to try and make viewers sympathetic to Eddie and Delilah’s affair. 

It turns out Katherine might be the best person on the show. She’s grown in the sense that she now knows she wants to work less and spend more time with her son. But she’s also decided to stay in her marriage and trust her husband even though it’s hard. 

Oh, and she’s helping to raise his love child with his mistress and chooses to stay friends with a group of people who generally treat her like dirt. 

Katherine is on this list because she’s the literal personification of “rising above.” I don’t think she knows it, but she’s arguably the woman on TV most in need of a hug. 

12. Hen Wilson (9-1-1)

Hen Wilson makes my list because she remains an empathetic, expressive woman even in a profession surrounded by “tough” men.

The most beautiful, sad, raw, example of this is in 9-1-1 Season 3 Episode 8, “Malfunction.”

She gets into a car accident with a young musician. The woman dies as a result, and Hen thinks it’s her fault. It’s not, and Hen’s emotions in the moment aren’t exactly under her control. Still, it’s mesmerizing to watch her being so raw and full of pain in the middle of the street. 

Her vulnerability is what makes her so good at her job. 

Hen is tough too. 9-1-1 doesn’t perpetuate toxic masculinity unless there is a purpose for it, but still, there are times on accident scenes when she absolutely keeps “the boys” in line. 

She’s a rock for her wife Karen when it’s necessary and a great friend and dispenser of advice to all of her friends.

I wish I were more like Hen Wilson. 

13. Alison Bailey (The Affair)

A theme on my list is that women in pain can be influential, and Alison Bailey of The Affair falls into this category for sure.

She’s definitely flawed, but well on the way to bettering her life when she’s killed by her boyfriend whose name I can’t bother to remember right now. 

Alison’s death isn’t the only example on this list of a character’s story ending because of drama on set. If Alison were allowed to live, I hope her story would’ve been triumphant. 

As far as I’m concerned, she’s worthy of this list simply for getting out of bed after the death of her son Gabriel. 

Of course, she and Cole eventually have a daughter together after their divorce. Throughout the show, Alison has depressive episodes, but she perseveres through them for Joanie. 

Life is about nothing if not constant perseverance. We like to call it a journey, but we’re all just moving from one point to the next. Happy endings are nice sometimes, but a tragic character like Alison is infinitely more relatable, even if it’s for tiny details like helping us learn how to live in the moment. 

14. Mina Okafor (The Resident)

Dr. Mina Okafor knows she is excellent and makes no apologies for it. But what sets her apart from other women on other medical shows is that she compartmentalizes the power she knows she has. Quite frankly, that helps her be a supportive friend and good person outside of hospital walls.

None of the women I’m supposed to root for on The Resident are egomaniacal jerks when they don’t need to be, and we need more examples of the fact that being self-centered doesn’t give you strength or power. Mina has earned her place through hard work, and d through pushing people aside, yes, but only when she has to. 

Mina makes this list in large part because she’s a clear example of character growth done right (so far). We know that losing her sisters in a fire she blames on herself is part of the reason she is who she is today. She puts distance between herself and others to protect herself from the worst type of pain, which she already knows too much of. 

But especially on The Resident Season 3, we are clearly seeing her move out of her comfort zone in the best ways. She’s improved her bedside manner with patients and learned that she just might have maternal instincts.

15. Rebecca Bunch (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)

Rebecca Bunch is one of only a few characters on my list who are the “stars” of their respective shows. Yet, even with four seasons-worth of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend episodes to choose from, it’s hard to find the words to explain why Rebecca makes the cut.  

It feels complicated, but maybe it’s as simple as the representation she brings to mental illness on TV. The musical number “Anti-Depressants Are So Not A Big Deal” from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 4 Episode 13, “I Have To Get Out,” assures me that I’m not alone. No matter if we are not ashamed of our struggles, stigma still exists. Bluntness like that is the only way to combat it. 

Sometimes there are good reasons why it’s impossible to separate a character from an actor. Bloom created Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and she plays Rebecca. The show matters to me. Maybe that’s really the only reason Rebecca matters to me so much (other than the fact that she’s hysterical). 

16. Penelope Alverez (One Day At A Time)

Staying on the topic of mental illness, One Day At A Time Season 3 Episode 9, “Anxiety” is one of the rawest, real, and somehow beautiful depictions of mental illness on TV. 

Penelope Alverez (Justina Machado) is one of the most underrated characters on the show. Her mom Lydia brings the funny, daughter Elena opens minds and fights the racist patriarchy, and her son Alex oozes carefree charm. 

Lupe is smack in the middle of that trying to keep her family going, meet each child’s needs, keep track of her mother, put food on the table, deal with the side effects she has after serving our country (like PTSD) and manage her depression. Yet, she laughs about it all whenever she can.

She’s the most conventionally “strong” woman on my list in my opinion, but she’s not conventional at all.  

17. Hannah Shoenfeld (The Morning Show)

Jennifer Anniston and Reese Witherspoon deserve all of the accolades they’ve gotten for their performances as Alex Levy and Bradley Jackson on The Morning Show. But it baffles me that Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s supporting performance as Hannah Shoenfeld hasn’t been similarly acknowledged.

Hannah isn’t Mitch Kessler’s only victim, but she’s the one who can corroborate that network knew about his behavior and tried to keep Hannah (and perhaps others) quiet with promotions.

Surviving some pain doesn’t make a person strong or influential; sometimes it just makes them human. When you are a pawn in white men’s games for power and still trying to start your life over, you deserve recognition even after death. 

That’s why Hannah is on this list. I’m not condoning drug use to deal with trauma of any kind, but Hannah is trying to cope before her death,  and willing to tell her story even though she’s basically manipulated into it. 

Pain isn’t a synonym for weakness. I believe she was going to start new in California if not for an accidental overdose. That strong hope in the face of toxic manipulation earns her a spot on this list. 

18. Blanca Rodriguez (Pose)

Blanca Rodriguez of Pose is everything a mother should be. She’s empathetic and supportive while also setting high standards for her children and holding to her limits when they don’t meet them or downright break the rules (most of the time). 

The fact that she’s a transgender woman living with HIV/AIDS in the underground ballroom community definitely matters in her story. The majority of the children she’s taking in have been thrown out of their homes because of their sexuality and/or gender. The streets expose them to drug dealing and other dangerous behaviors.

None of her kids are perfect, but The House of Evangelista values love equally if not more than winning in the ballroom, and that mentality has propelled her kids to the greatness that is graduating from a prestigious dance school or blazing trails in the modeling industry. 

All of the lead females on Pose are survivors who should be admired, but none support their children thriving exactly as Blanca does. 

19. Kate Pearson (This Is Us)

To be honest, Kate Pearson isn’t my favorite character on This Is Us. She’s definitely relatable in the sense that the story is quicker to expose her flaws than other characters (I really wish they didn’t revolve around her weight so much). 

But after she became a mother, she definitely earned a spot on my list due to her dedication to giving her son, Jack, the best life.

She’s saddened by Jack’s visual impairment diagnosis. Time to grieve the normalcy your child may never have is understandable. But she doesn’t treat his disability like a death sentence. As a part of the disability community, this is important to me. 

Kate’s Season 4 story has revolved around learning and creating the best environment for baby Jack. She’s growing and finding joy in his abilities and it’s necessary to see. 

On This Is Us Season 4 Episode 1, “Strangers,” we meet adult Jack and his future will surely be important on the show.

This Is Us has been doing a decent job with authentic disability representation. I know how important and scarce disability stories from a disabled perspective are. I don’t condone telling a story about the parent of a disabled child at the expense of a disabled voice, but that’s not what This Is Us is doing.

Stories like these need to be told delicately and there is room for improvement here. I’m not visually impaired, but now that I’m an adult I often wonder if my parents would’ve gotten comfort and support from seeing other parents of disabled children on TV.  Those didn’t exist in the early 90s.

Watching Kate’s journey is important to me. I hope she continues to find joy and normalcy with Jack.  

20. Every Woman On Unbelievable

Unbelievable revolutionizes the way all women’s stories are told on screen by weaving the realistic feminism I prefer to watch throughout the whole series. This makes it essential to my list though it’s impossible to single out one character as the “most” impactful. 

Marie’s survival skills in the face of oppression are unmatched, as is Amber’s attention to detail during the attack. Her recollection of the egg-shaped mark on her attacker’s leg is pivotal to the case. 

I must acknowledge Detective Grace Rassmussen and Detective Karen Duvall. They have different investigative styles, but each one starts with believing women and moves forward from there. 

The last standout is Marie’s therapist, Dara Kaplan, who helps release Marie of the burden of the fake lie that most everyone in her life has placed on her. But even Marie’s foster mothers need to be commended for apologizing for their mistakes if nothing else. 

Unbelievable is based on a true story,  “An Unbelievable Story Of Rape” published by Pro Publica and The Marshall Project in 2015. As such, it was a difficult decision to include it on this list.

But the way the serialized show depicts the differences in leadership when women are in charge is an important step for the representation of women on TV. Neither detective compromises her style to be “one of the boys” in a male-dominated field. 

Kudos to showrunner Susannah Grant and every woman involved in this production.   

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Which women of television had the biggest impact on your life? Do we share some favorites? Tell me about the women on television who had the biggest impact on your life in the comments below!

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