Women In Television. My Favorites.

I don't think it comes as a surprise to anybody that I watch a lot of television.  I mean, I AM in the entertainment industry. Nice excuse right?  These past few months I've also been working from home, so I like to have the TV on to keep me company during the day.

I've been thinking lately about what kind of shows and characters end up being my favorites.  General theme?  If there is a strong female lead who can think on her feet and rely on herself, I'll probably love it.

Here are some of my favorites:

Sydney Bristow in Alias (Netflix/Amazon Prime) 

She's a secret agent that is the best of both the CIA and SD-6.  She literally kicks butt everywhere she goes, knows any language you can think of, and still has time to be a great friend.

Her greatest weakness is that she jumps to conclusions and speaks in absolutes: "NEVER speak to me again." or "I will NEVER forgive you for this."  She always does this when she doesn't have much information.

Veronica Mars (Amazon Prime)

I wasn't a follower of the show until last year when my roommate introduced me.  Veronica quickly worked her way up my favorite characters list.  She's spunky, tough, intelligent, and doesn't let what other people think or say effect the way she lives her life.  I also love her sarcasm.

Veronica: If I ever die, do me a favor. Go on Oprah and tell the world that I loved kittens.

Her greatest weakness is that she can't forgive without getting even.  Most of the time it's awesome, but it does mean she ends up with more enemies than friends.

Olivia Pope from Scandal (Netflix)

I understand that this show may be too scandalous (see what I did there?) for some people. It does get pretty crazy.

Olivia Pope is a fixer. That woman get's things done, doesn't get scared or intimidated, and has a team that would do anything for her because she'd do anything for them.  What a great leader.  

Kerry Washington has done an amazing job in this role.  It wasn't until Season 3 that we started to learn more about Olivia's background and character. I won't give any spoilers, but let me tell you it's some amazing acting.

Check out this first of many "handled" speeches we heard from Olivia:

Her greatest weakness?  Who she has fallen in love with.  Man, it's the most frustrating thing about the whole show.

Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation (Netflix/Amazon Prime)

This is different, because in general I'm not a fan of comedies.  I don't really think you can have much of a story line in 30 minutes.  The thing is, I've done some really heavy thinking about all of this, and I think Leslie wins as my favorite female TV character.  She is weird, intelligent, a true friend, obsessed with breakfast food and Christmas, and really good at her job.

"Leslie has a lot of qualities I find horrifying, but the worst one by far is how thoughtful she can be." - Ron Swanson

My favorite thing about her has got to be her attitude.  Even when everything looks awful, she has the positive attitude that it's all going to turn out right.

Her greatest weakness?  Does she have one?  Maybe it's her kindness that lets people walk all over her. But she likes that, so I just don't know!

Some Quotes:

• "I mean, that's why people respect Hillary Clinton so much, because nobody takes a punch like her. She's the strongest, smartest punching bag in the world."
• "I always keep emergency smore rations in my car."
• "One time when I was in high school a guy’s mom called me and broke up with me for him. There was another time when I was on a date and I tripped and broke my kneecap, and then the guy said he wasn’t feeling it, so he left and I waited for an ambulance. One time I was dating this guy for awhile, and then he got down on one knee and he begged me to never call him again. One guy broke up with me while we were in the shower together. Skywriting isn’t always positive. Another time a guy invited me to a beautiful picnic with wine and flowers. And then when I tried to sit down, he said, "Don’t eat anything. Rebecca’s coming.” And then he broke up with me."
• "There are very few things I have asked for in this world. To build a new park from scratch, to eventually become president and to one day solve a murder on a train."
• "Perfect. I’m gonna go see a man about some porcelain, you know what I mean? I’m not buying cocaine. I’m going to the bathroom, the wiz palace as I like to call it."
• "We need to remember what’s important in life: friends, waffles, work. Or waffles, friends, work. Doesn’t matter, but work is third."

Imagine working with somebody this supportive and over the top.

So that's my list of positive strong female leads.  Television has come a long way.  I'm not able to identify too much with the 50's housewives.  I like where this is going.

If you haven't seen these shows, I recommend clicking on the supplied links and fixing that asap.  And let me know your thoughts.  Do you have any that you think I should've added to the list?  Or perhaps shows I may not have seen yet?

Honorable Mention goes to Orphan Black.  

I watched the show because the posters I was seeing about it in the subway did not give me any idea what it was all about.  And it looked like Julia Roberts might be in it (she's not). Tatiana Maslany is the lead in this show and better start winning some awards for her performance or else something is very seriously wrong with the world.