A golden age of TV could only ever appear if all sections of society were included. It may not be perfect yet, but in the realm of female representation, the quality of storytelling and significant roles for women in TV is increasing. Bringing us both generic and unique characters into our homes, here are some of the current super women of TV.
| Viola Davis, 51, is an acting titan amongst lesser mortals. Active since 1996, Davis has been seen on the small and big screen. Currently starring in How To Get Away With Murder, Davis can be seen to go through more emotions in one scene, than some TV characters will in an entire season. Nominated for an OSCAR and Golden Globe for the film Fences, Viola has already bagged the latter gong. |  |
| Simone Missick, 35, captivated audiences as Detective Misty Knight in Netflix's Luke Cage. Prior to this role, Simone had mostly been in short films and appeared in one shot roles for TV. These shows include Ray Donovan, Scandal and Wayward Pines. Due to Simone's charismatic performance in Luke Cage, she will be returning to both Iron Fist and The Defenders, which aims to bring the best of the Netflix Marvel characters together. |  |
| Ming-Na Wen, 53, is a veteran of the industry. Ming-Na has done both TV/film and voiced animation and computer games. Her breakout TV role was in her joining the cast of ER. Ming-Na's current status sees her making waves as Agent Melinda May in Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., other TV credits boast Stargate Universe and Eureka. For animation, the lead in Mulan, and for film One Night Stand, Prom Night and The Darkness. |  |
| Judy Reyes, 49, came to international acclaim playing Carla Espinosa in the medical comedy Scrubs. Judy also had a reoccurring role in the hardcore prison drama OZ and been in episodes for Jane The Virgin, iZombie, Law & Order, Medium, Blue Bloods, Castle and The Sopranos. Currently she is best known as Zoila Diaz; in the fantastic hit show Devious Maids. |  |
| Rutina Wesley, 37, After the success of Stomp The Yard, someone came up with the idea of doing a female led version. This is where Rutina made her mark and caught the attention of the masses, dancing her way into our cinematic consciousness, in the movie How She Move. Rutina's TV breakout role was in True Blood, where she played Tara Thornton. Rutina can now be seen in Queen Sugar as one of the three main leads. |  |
| Maggie Q, 37, has taken on the mantles of either being a credible supporting actor or the lead itself. The reboot of the series Nikita, in which she was the lead and her roles in action films such as Mission Impossible III and Die Hard 4, have allowed Q to show off her physical prowess. Roles such as Stalker and her current character in Designated Survivor, have allowed Maggie to show more of a nuanced performance, with emotional range. |  |
| Robin Wright, 50, was mostly a big screen actress with many credits to her name. Some of these are The Princess Bride, Forrest Gump, Toys, Unbreakable and The Last Castle. She is currently wowing and shocking audiences with her glacial portrayal as the First Lady in the political juggernaut that is House Of Cards. Still making movies Robin can be seen in Everest and the upcoming films of; Wonder Woman and Blade Runner 2049. |  |
| Michaela Coel, 29, started out with open mic contests and was encouraged to progress to studying theatre. It was her creation and final year graduation production: Chewing Gum Dreams, that is now the BAFTA award winning comedic drama. Airing on British TV (Chewing Gum) has now been syndicated to Netflix. Coel not only continues to play the lead but also writes the entire series. Coel has also been in episodes of Black Mirror, Law & Order UK and the drama Top Boy. |  |
| Téa Leoni, 50, is another actress who was known for her big screen roles, but has emigrated to TV. Her breakout role for the big screen was in the action comedy Bad Boys in 1995. Since then she has starred in films such as Deep Impact, Jurassic Park III, Hollywood Ending, Ghost Town and Fun With Dick & Jane. Currently she stars and produces the political drama Madam Secretary. |  |
| Lesley-Ann Brandt, 35, caught the public's attention with her role as Naevia in Spartacus: Blood & Sand and the prequel Gods Of The Arena. She didn't return for the following Spartacus productions, but can now be seen in Lucifer as the Devil's demon bodyguard and bar manager Mazikeen. Lesley-Ann has also been in episodes of CSI:NY, Gotham, Chuck, Legend of the Seeker and The Librarians. |  |
| Issa Rae, 32, is a fantastic do-it-yourself story. Issa first started writing, producing and starring in her own productions online. Like many other talents that start on the web, Issa's aim was to tell the stories of people and personalities that weren't being given any real mass representation in the media. Her project titles are a give away to her subject matter; The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl and Words With Girls. She currently scored big with her latest project Insecure which was nominated for a Golden Globe. |  |
| Ruth Negga, 35, is firing on all cylinders. Having been horribly transformed in Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D, from a human to an in-human, Ruth revealed the best thing about her acting craft; her ability to convey sensitivity. She has had minor roles in film, but it is her character of Tulip O'Hare in the series Preacher and her performance in the film Loving that will see this actress be with us for a long time to come. |  |
| Nicole Beharie, 32, came out all with all guns blazing with the hard hitting drama American Violet, playing a framed waitress. A double threat, Nicole is also a singer, having been on stage and can often be seen singing in her films and TV episodes. Nicole's films include 42, The Accountant and the upcoming remake of Jacob's Ladder. Her TV credits read as The Good Wife, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Bones but her most notable role on TV was as Detective Abbie Mills on Sleepy Hollow. |  |
| Jessica Lucas, 31, had a re-occurring role in the popular high school, teen drama Edgemont, as well as starring in films such as The Covenant, Cloverfield and Pompeii. She currently plays Tabitha Galavan a.k.a. The Tigress - as an underworld villain in the Batmanesque show Gotham. "You don’t get credit for doing the right thing for the wrong reasons". Jessica Jones - Jessica Jones |  |
Every Woman In Orange Is The New Black
| Kristen Bell, 36, is also a veteran that has remained relevant for the silver screen (film and animation) and TV. She came to the public's attention with Veronica Mars and Heroes and has continued to be in high concept, big budget projects since. She currently stars in The Good Place, which has received both critical acclaim and the all essential audience thumbs up. |  |
| Cush Jumbo, 31, hails from London and is a recipient of the Ian Charleson Award (2014), a gong that is given for the best classical stage performances. Cush has certainly shown us why she was deserving of it in with her captivating performances in The Good Wife. Now one of the main cast for the spin-off series; The Good Fight, Cush has also been in shows such as Torchwood and Casualty. |  |
| Kylie Bunbury, 27, having cut her series teeth in the show Twisted, Kylie went on to play parts in the mini-series Tut and became a season 3 regular in Under The Dome. She now plays Ginny Baker in the brilliant sports drama Pitch. Here, Kylie must play a role that has never manifested in real life before, where her character is the first and only female player inducted into a major league baseball team...with men only. |  |
| Maisie Williams, 19, we've literally seen Maisie grow up on screen, going through all the horrific things Game Of Thrones has thrown at her as Arya Stark. The role has required her to show much range, without over performing and this has ensured Maisie to be a firm favourite with fans. Maisie has not rested on the back of the epic show, portraying other characters like Ashildr in Doctor Who and doing various voices for Adult Swim. |  |
| Rosario Dawson, 37, broke out in the controversial film Kids in 1995 and hasn't looked back since. Mainly a silver screen actress in films such as Men In Black II, The Rundown, Alexander and Sin City, she has now crossed over into TV. Her most noticeable part is in playing a linchpin role for Netflix's Marvel shows, one who connects all four shows together. |  |
| Candice Patton, 28, started out in one of the most well known soaps in America, The Young & The Restless and also made her way through many other well known shows such as The Bold & The Beautiful, Castle, Heroes, Days Of Our Lives, One Tree Hill and Grey's Anatomy. She currently stars as Iris West in the smash hit show The Flash. Her one big-screen role was in the psychological actioner The Guest. |  |
| Millie Bobby Brown, 12, although she hasn't officially entered teenhood, Mollie is already blazing a trail as an actress and has recently become a model for Calvin Klein. Born in Spain, but with a British nationality, Mollie caught audience's hearts in the 80s fantasy/sci-fi/horror ode Stranger Things, playing a kid with extra-sensory powers. Mollie has also been in Grey's Anatomy and NCIS. |  |
| Zazie Beetz, 2016 was the year that Zazie came to mass attention in the award winning show Atlanta and it was also a nice surprise to see her in 2 episodes of the underrated shorts series Easy. Born in Germany, Zazie started off by performing on local stages and in community theatre. She can next be seen in Sollers Point and Finding Her. |  |
| Dawn-Lyen Gardner, 36, starting of as a series regular in futuristic car show Viper, Dawn went on to be in episodes of ER, Crossing Jordan, Bones, Heroes, Castle and has also performed voices for animation; Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In 2016, Dawn had a minor role in Luke Cage and a prominent role in Queen Sugar, where she plays one of the 3 main leads. |  |
| Priyanka Chopra, 34, a winner of Miss India World pageant 2000, has Bollywood credits going all the way back to 2002. She is also a singer having recorded with Pitbull and Will.I Am, a newspaper columnist and a film producer. Her first western credit was for the hit US show Quantico, where she plays the resourceful FBI trainee Alex Parrish. An instant hit with audiences, Priyanka will be starring alongside The Rock for the big screen adaptation of Baywatch. |  |
| Yara Shahidi, 16, when producers are ready to make a spin-off show based solely on your character, when the strength of the original show was in all its characters, then you know that you are doing something right. The show I am talking about is Black-ish and it seems that Yara's character is going to have some solo adventures in a college setting. Yara has also starred in Scandal as the young Olivia Pope and Lie To Me. |  |
| Kerry Washington, 39, after the show Get Christie Love finished airing, it took a whopping 38 years, before any TV show cast a black female as its lead. This new era was ushered in via Shonda Rhimes creating Scandal and the character Olivia Pope, played excellently by Kerry Washington. Kerry's credits from both film/TV include Boston Legal, The Guardian, Law & Order, Ray, Lakeview Terrace, Django Unchained, Fantastic Four and The Last King Of Scotland. |  |
| Thalissa Teixeira, with only 2 credits to her name, Thalissa's performances in the BBC's The Musketeers series have shown what prowess and presence she has on screen. With a strong aura and a strong voice, when the camera is pointing at her, you won't be focussed on anything else. Thalissa is also another recipient of the Ian Charleson Award receiving her gong in 2014. |  |
| Rose McIver, 28, currently stars as a murder solving zombie in the adaptation of the iZombie comic. Hailing from New Zealand, Rose is another actress who has been in many shows and short films. Her first credits are from the Hercules and Xena TV shows / films, which were shot in her native land. Rose has also been in CSI: Crime Scene Investigations and Masters Of Sex. |  |
| Naturi Naughton, 32, started off in a teenage RnB/Pop group 3LW, where the trio's first album went platinum. Forced out of the group by the other 2 members and management, there was a 3 year hiatus, but Naturi bounced back as an actress starring on Broadway, playing Little Inez in the Tony Award winning Hairspray. Naturi also starred in Notorious, Lottery Ticket and the remake of Fame. Not leaving her singing skills behind, Fame gave her 5 songs on the soundtrack and a top 20 entry into the charts. |  |
| Patina Miller, 32, is an amazing voice in theatre. In 2013 she won the Tony Award for Best Actress In A Musical, for the show Pippin. Patina has been nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award, the Drama Desk Award, the Drama League Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Theatre World Award, the Fred & Adele Award and the Black Reel Award. Patina's venture in to film and TV started with All My Children, after that Patina got a main cast role in Madam Secretary, played a commander in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1+2 and has now become a main cast regular for the Civil War drama Mercy Street. "People are going to tell you who you are your whole life. You just got to punch back and say ‘No' this is who I am". Emma Swan - Once Upon A Time |  |
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