Diverse Female Characters on TV

[shadowkat]

Saw somewhere on the lj this week a post decrying the lack of diverse women roles in tv. And at first I thought, yeah, they are right, tv is an evil male dominated world with no cool women, except male fantasy figures or super-chicks or pretty models - good for the guys. Then, I gave myself a task - come up with five tv shows and five tv show characters, female, that aren't male fantasy and are diverse and are cool and interesting and I can identify with on some level. And guess what? I came up with a lot more than that. [ETC: Wasn't very clear about this, apparently...what I was reacting to was a post that decried the lack of diverse women's roles - by that I mean women who are clearly not just cast for male fantasy or to support the male character, or to attract the male audience, who are not say "pretty" or "one type" - such as the character of Sarah on Chuck or Buffy on Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Fiona on Burn Notice - those were three of the characters referenced. In short, where are the Hurley's, Sheldon's, Leonard's, Raj's and Topher's for women?? My first response was, huh, they are right. There are none. Then I thought, can I challenge that assumption/generalization? And that's what brought about the list below. The choice of Juliet from Lost and V - is that this is a woman who was not just about the man, she affected change in both series and stood in her own right, sure pretty, but no super-powers, and was ordinary, an FBI agent with a son, or a fertility specialist who had bad luck in romance. Other, better choices, include Chandra Wilson's Bailey, a surgeon on Grey's Anatomy, who is short, black, and heavy-set, and over the age of 30. Tough as nails. And has won an Emmy for her role.]

Here's my list:

1. Bailey - played by the wonderful and versatile Chandra Wilson on Grey's Anatomy. She is black,
short, stocky, has a love interest, is a surgeon, and smart.

2. Kalinda - on The Good Wife, a lesbian indian private investigator who solves cases.

3. Marcy on One Life to Live - although not sure she is still on it, haven't watched that show in a long time...but she is heavy-set, homemaker, mystery writer.

4. Nora - Brothers and Sisters, runs a cancer center, is a mother to several kids. Played by the wonderful and aging Sally Field.

5. Mary - played by Mary McCormick In Plain Sight - A US Marshall with Witness Protection.
She and her partner help hide people and protect them.

6. Callie - on Gray's Anatomy - a bi-sexual woman surgeon, played by a heavy set-hispanic woman.

7. The lead character in TV's The Middle - a mother, used car salesman, and housewife, who struggles to juggle all these jobs simulatneously and barely manages. She fails a lot. It's a comedy.

8. Glenn Close as Patty Hewes in Damages - a tough dame who runs a law firm.

9. Alicia Florek - Juliana Marguiles in The Good Wife - a struggling attorney trying to hold her family together while her husband is being investigated by the federal government and is on trail for bribes and taking favors.

10. Diane - the partner at a law firm in the Good Wife - played by Christine Baranski.

11. Donna Noble - Donna - the Doctor's Companion on Doctor Who, over 40, heavy-set.

12. United States of Tara - Toni Collette's role in the HBO series about a woman struggling with a multiple personality disorder.

13. Lacey on Caprica - a teenage girl struggling to help her dead friend's avatar on Caprica
Smart and tough. But not superstrong or sexy or kickass. Just a normal teenage girl.

14. The lead role on the Closer - whose name I've spaced, but is about a Chief Inspector of Special Crimes - she solves cases. Played by Kyra Sedgewick. Not sex goddess.

15. Elizabeth Mitchell - the female FBI agent on V and Juliet, a doctor on Lost.

16. Epithany - a heavy-set black female head of nurses on General Hospital

17. Gwen - on Merlin, Merlin's friend and Arthur's - who is also Morgana's lady in waiting, and tough and yet not super-powered.

18. Chloe on Smallville - smart, girl-next door, runs Watchtower, no super-powers and not a damsel.

19. Tara - True Blood, Sookie's best friend, a black woman, who is tough, dealing with a drug-addicted mother, and who is a waitress in a bar.

20. Jane Lynch's character Sue on Glee - tough minded, sarcastic, girl's cheerleading coach, with a special ed sister...

21. Starbuck on Battle Star Galatica - a tough, swashbuckling, han solo type, but female.

22. Laura Roslyn on Battle Star Galatica - the President of the Fleet, dying of cancer.

23. Callie on BSG - a woman machinist who struggles with her husband.

24. Tara on Buffy the Vampire Slayer - a wiccan, not overly powerful, not super-skinny.

25. Ugly Betty - about to be canceled, but it was on - an heavy-set, frumpy, fashion magazine personal assistant.

And if you can think of more...add to the list. TV is actually a wonderful place for female roles. Better than most. Sure the guy action genre and sci-fi still tends towards eye-candy, but that's only because that genre is targeted towards a male audience. It is, like it or not. Frustrating, believe me, I know. Why do you think I loved Buffy, Caprica and BSG to pieces?

But...there are strong women in those genres...here's a list of them: (and yes, I know, I misspelled all their names...no time or patience to look them up, you will just have to deal. I've left off anyone with clear super-powers such as Buffy or Willow.)


Areyn Sun in Farscape.

Delenne in B5

Major Ivanov in B5

Major Kira in DS9

Captain Janeway in Voyager, as played by Kate Mulgrew (of Ryan's Hope, sigh, I've always loved Kate Mulgrew - I grew up watching her. She was also notable in the Manions of America and in
Mrs. Columbo)

Laura Roslynn/Starbuck/Sharon/Athena/Six/DeAnna/Ellen Tigh - BSG

Donna Noble and Dr. River Song in Doctor Who

Gwen and the ladies of Torchwood, including Children of Torchwood = whose names escape me, but if you can supply, duly appreciated.

Amanda Tapping as Dr. Helen Macgnus in Sanctuary

the lead female role in The Middleman (whose character name I can't remember but I adored)

Rose - in the TV series Lost, rarely seen, but a heavy set, older, black woman.

Sarah Connor - in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

The ghost - in Being Human

Comments

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

Penelope Garcia on Criminal Minds. Robust size, hacker genius, and allowed to be sexual without any subtextual comment. Plus all-around awesome.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Great example! Thank you! And you got the point of my post!

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

I'm as feminist as they come, and will bitch to high heaven about crappy female characters when I see them. But anyone who claims there are too few awesome female characters on TV isn't paying attention.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

My thoughts exactly. I remember thinking after I read the posts that the person needed to broaden their horizons. But I think you put it far better.

The L Word was an entire series - lasted 6(?) seasons about a diverse group of women who did not think about men.

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

As someone who watches TV *FOR* the female characters, I am always left a bit "WTF?" about posts that claim there are no interesting women (as in not male fantasy clones) on TV.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

I've come to the conclusion that many of these posts are focusing on certain shows and certain look of female characters. A perfect example is LOST - the show is clearly slanted towards the male viewer. I knew that upfront. BUT. I can find cool female characters on that show. I did list at least two. Juliet and Rose. There was also Ana Lucia, Libby, Illana, Sun, and Eloise Hawkings. Granted there's no female equivalent of Hurely on Lost, but there are two female equivalents on Grey's Anatomy and elsewhere.

Heck, like you, I watch tv primarily for cool female characters. I prefer tv to film for that reason. Although you can also find cool female characters in film - you just have to pay attention.

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

Sometimes certain female characters are more interesting in a film than their original venue.

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

I think sometimes people tend to overlook the large, or not-pretty, or older or non-white female characters, and then say they're not there. Which is almost just as bad as if they really weren't there.

[insert icon of Rose from Lost here]

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Exactly. It's like well - if they aren't a lead, they don't matter.

But if you look at the shows with male lead characters - they aren't Hurley, they are Matthew Fox or David Boreanze or NAthan Fillion.
And hey, what about Ugly Betty?

Also, Rose is notably the most together, most mature character on Lost. And well-developed. We've had episodes focusing on her.

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

Focusing on her and showing she's not perfect, either. She has her very human moments of impatience and naivete or whatever.