Current Shows
Battlestar Galactica
Strength, smarts, sexiness, BSG's women have got it all.
Starbuck is a hot tom-boy character that kicks butt at piloting, fighting, and playing cards. She smokes cigars, tells the guys to go Frak themselves, then hits the bunks for some frakking of her own. On top of all this, she's a pivotal character in the series. Is she good? Is she evil? Is she crazy? Is she dead? Is she a Cylon? Is she a vision in Lee's head? The questions keep mounting as fans wait for the next season to begin.
Sharon/ Boomer/ Athenais Season One's dirty little secret. She was the naughty lover of the Chief onboard Galactic -- heating up the decks, while sabotaging and bombing the crew from the inside. On Caprica, she was up to more tricks, loving it up with Apollo and getting knocked up with the first Cylon-Human half-breed. As a defector to the humans, she is a critical example of the "humanity" within the Cylons.
President Roslyn -- How could I talk about awesome females on TV and not mention the president of all humanity. She's in her midlife, battling cancer, and is still able to keep the fleet safe, not to mention seduce a certain Admiral (mreow). Fan conspiracy theorists also propose her for the final Cylon of the Five. I doubt it, but time will tell.
Number 6 -- What would Gaius be without his #6. She's a crazy b.... but damn is she hot. Go Canada. Crazy never looked so good.
C.S.I.
The women of C.S.I. are truly the equals of their male peers. I love that they are intelligent and interesting characters that do not sacrifice their femininity to be so. Agent Willows is an older, single-mom who used to be in a relationship with a violent man while she was working an exotic dancer, yet she is a character that is always portrayed with strength a dignity. I also appreciate that her character is aging realistically.
Sarah has always been a favourite character of mine. She's over-ambitious and a bit messed up. Yet she is sweet, sincere, and seriously smart. She seems to be a realistic portray of a young woman who is trying to balance a troubled past with her need for acceptance.
Bones
Honestly, I haven't watched Bones since the first season. But Dr. Temperence Brennan was a cool female character. I liked how out of touch with pop culture she was. The role of quirky intellect is usually reserved for a man (i.e. Monk, Numbers, Star Trek...) It's great to see a new role for women.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (Anime)
Just released in Japan this year and already snapped up for US licensing, CG is a fun and vicious playground for female characters.
Kallen fills a role typically taken by a male (yay). She is the right-hand (wo)man to the rebellion leader Zero. She pilots one the most powerful Mecha of the rebellion and is prepared to sacrifice herself for the cause.
Princess Euphemia starts out as a typical, pink dress wearing princess. But by God does her character undergo some radical changes. Never have I seen a female character get so whacked out. I loved every minute of it. I admire the writers for not pulling any punches just because Eufie is a girl.
C.C. is the great mystery of the series. Where is she from? Where did she get this strange power. What are her true motivations. Why does she eat so much pizza? :lol: The role of the mystic woman is a familiar one, but C.C. brings a cool detachment to it that is intriguing.
Corneliais another great female character. She doesn't get a lot of air time, but she is a great military leader and one of Zeros toughest opponents on the field. Excellent.
Claymore (Anime)
The cast of Claymore is almost entirely female. And these are some mythically tough chicks. Part demon andpart human, the Claymores are warriors that defend regular humans from demons and awakened beings that roam the land killing indiscriminately.
Teresa is a fan-favourite for her sweep and unwavering determination. She seems flawless. But it is the flawed Clare that gets my nod. She struggles with her power and her position in the organization. She makes mistakes, which is something I think more fictional women need to do. She's a more realistic part-demon hero than most. :)
Shows with Potential
It's still too early to tell, but these shows have the potential to provide great female characters.
Bionic Woman
Come on, "Woman" is in the title, the show has to have potential. So far the acting is weak, but maybe the producers can pull this one out of the can. They've got the right idea. A strong and intelligent female lead (Jaime). A strict female officer (Ruth) that may become her mentor. A hip and quirky teenaged hacker sister (Lucy). And a hot, crazy villain (?) or cohort (?), Sarah, played by Katee Sackhoff (she also plays Starbuck).
Pushing Daisies
Chuck (aka Charlotte) seems a tad timid to me right now. But the writers of the show seem quite apt, so I will allow myself to hope that her character will grow into a character that is as equally interesting as her male co-star.Olive as the co-worker obsessed with Ned, is brilliantly hilarious and I look forward to watching her antics in the future.
Ugly Betty
I have never watched this show, but my friend claims that she's an awesome character.
A Good Show that Needs Help
Heroes
Sorry to say it, but Heroes' women need help. Literally. It is a rare day in TV-land when one of Heroes' women gets out of a sticky situation without help from a man. It had such potential for strong female characters.
There is Nikki/Jessica who has super-strength, but is so weak in the head that she cannot take care of herself, let alone her family.
Then there is Claire who can heal from any wound, yet had the entire cast on a mission to "save the cheerleader."
The big evil bad guy is a guy (Sylar). His cool heroic foil (Peter) is also a guy. The intellect of the show and cure of the Heroes' plague is a guy (Suresh). Even the comic relief is a guy (Hiro). Honestly, Heroes needs to bring its ladies up a few notches. Otherwise, it's just going to be a higher budget version of Smallville. Save me Clark, Save me!!
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