If your post-election mental state needs a boost (ours does), we’ve collected a list of our favorite women on television, present and past, for your viewing pleasure: Women leads who inspire and demand attention, best friends who challenge us and each other with each episode, and groups of women who share the stage. The list boasts talent, triumph, and a whole lot of women power. Skip the serious TV tonight and binge-watch one of the uplifting, woman-centric shows beloved by Ms. editors and staff.
Michele Kort, senior editor
Woman lead: Sgt. Pepper Anderson (played by Angie Dickinson on Police Woman)
Best-friend duo: Christine Cagney and Mary Beth Lacey (played by Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly on Cagney & Lacey)
Gaggle of girls: Saturday Night Live
Michel Cicero, managing editor
Woman lead: Mary Richards (played by Mary Tyler Moore on The Mary Tyler Moore Show)
Best-friend duo: Daria and Jane (voiced by Tracy Grandstaff and Wendy Hoopes on Daria)
Gaggle of girls: Call the Midwife
Stephanie Hallett, research editor
Woman lead: Buffy Summers (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar on Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Best-friend duo: Leslie Knope and Ann Perkins (played by Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones on Parks and Recreation)
Gaggle of girls: Bunheads
Anita Little, associate editor
Woman lead: Buffy Summers (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar on Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Best-friend duo: Lorelai and Rory Gilmore (played by Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel on Gilmore Girls)
Gaggle of girls: Charmed, Orange is the New Black
Rachel Kassenbrock, rights and permissions; jill-of-all-trades
Woman lead: Leslie Knope (played by Amy Poehler on Parks and Recreation)
Best-friend duo: Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenberg (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan on Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Gaggle of girls: Taystee, Poussey, Janae and Black Cindy (played by Danielle Brooks, Samira Wiley, Vicky Jeudy and Adrienne C. Moore on Orange is the New Black)
Abeni Moreno, Ms. intern
Woman lead: Leslie Knope (played by Amy Poehler on Parks and Recreation)
Best-friend duo: Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz (played by Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance on I Love Lucy)
Gaggle of girls: Phoebe, Monica and Rachel (played by Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston on Friends)
Corinne Gaston, Ms. intern
Woman lead: Abbie Mills (played by Nicole Beharie on Sleepy Hollow); Tina Belcher (voiced by Dan Mintz on Bob’s Burgers)
Best-friend duo: Brienne of Tarth and Catelyn Stark (played by Gwendoline Christie and Michelle Fairley on Game of Thrones); Tia and Tamera (played by Tia and Tamera Mowry on Sister, Sister)
Gaggle of girls: The Gems (voiced by Estelle, Michaela Dietz and Deedee Magno on Steven Universe)
Brianna Kovan, Ms. intern
Woman lead: Mindy Lahiri (played by Mindy Kaling on The Mindy Project); Tami Taylor (played by Connie Britton on Friday Night Lights)
Best-friend duo: Rory Gilmore and Lane Kim (played by Alexis Bledel and Keiko Agena on Gilmore Girls)
Gaggle of girls: Orange is the New Black
Kitty Lindsay, Ms. intern
Woman lead: Roseanne Conner (played by Roseanne Barr on Roseanne); Selina Meyer (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Veep)
Best-friend duo: Roseanne Conner and Jackie Harris (played by Roseanne Barr and Laurie Metcalf on Roseanne)
Gaggle of girls: The Golden Girls; Sex and the City; Orange is the New Black
Enjoy this list? Check out our recommended reads for both adults and children.
Photo courtesy of Dennis S Hurd licensed under Creative Commons 2.0
