In this year's prime time TV shows' lineup, there any many fierce and passionate female characters, who help define women as not just one-dimensional characters, but as living, breathing persons with intelligence, beauty and strength.
From a calculative leader and warrior like Daenerys Targaryen in "Game of Thrones", to a shrewd and cunning defence attorney like Annalise Keating in "How to Get Away With Murder", there are a large number of badass women that rule TV today. Ahead of International Women's Day on 8 March, here is a narrowed list of strong and feared women characters in the TV shows of 2015:
Daenerys Targaryen (Game of Thrones)
From the loud and strong Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) to the silently manipulative Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer) "Game of Thrones" is a potluck of strong female characters. However, the one character that cannot be denied the badass status is the "Mother of Dragons" Khaleesi Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke).
From being a silent spectator in her own life, to becoming the loving wife of Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) and gradually going on to rule the Dothraki people and many other kingdoms, Daenerys has come long way. As an able leader she defeated corrupt leaders and is currently mother to three living, fire-breathing dragons.
Sophia Burset (Orange is the New Black)
Centring around a female prison, almost every woman in "Orange is the New Black" is tough and inspirational. But Sophia Burset (Laverne Cox) is even more so, because the character, much like the actor who portrays her, is a transgender woman. She is strong enough to stand up for herself in the face of transmisogyny, refuses to allow the government to decide how to run her body and is also confident enough to run for a position in the Advisory Council at the prison.
Olivia Pope (Scandal)
Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) runs an incredibly successful PR firm in Washington DC, where she and her associates make scandals about important people, like the President of the United States, go away. While Olivia's private life and her romantic interests make for very interesting sub-plots of the popular Shonda Rhimes show, it is not central to the storyline; what is given more importance is Olivia's intricately nuanced sense of morality and her much above average intelligence.
Lana Winters (American Horror Story: Asylum)
Being a lesbian journalist in the 1960s in itself is badass enough; but being Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson), who gets locked up in a mental asylum under false pretences is something beyond badass. She is unfairly punished for trying to expose the dark secrets of asylum and then again, for "curing the gay" in her, she follows through on her vow to shut down the corrupt institution. Even at the wake of getting murdered, she does not lose perspective and finds ways to keep her sanity amid insane people.
Black Canary (Arrow)
Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy), was quite the badass even before she took up the codename Black Canary to work undercover as a vigilante. As a cop's daughter, she is pretty adept with self defence and once even protected her late boyfriend Tommy Merlyn during a bar fight. After taking up the alter ego Black canary, Laurel becomes even more driven and passionate to not just avenge her sister Sara's (Caity Lotz) death, but also to protect Starling City, which she loves.
Leslie Knope (Parks and Recreation)
At a time when politics is considered synonymous with power and corruption, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) was able to show that there are still hardworking politicians who would go to great lengths to serve the public. She is not only an embodiment of public service and hard work, but also a trailblazer in proving women aren't just the First Ladies, they can also be the Presidents.
Moreover, she's a gal's gal, an incredibly loyal friend, noticeably effeminate, and an overall unstoppable force.
Alicia Florrick (The Good Wife)
In many ways, Alicia Florrick's (Juliana Marguiles) is the story for everyone who believes that feminism at best is a requisite only for women from poor households. Alicia's story truly begins after her husband is convicted on charges of corruption in relation to his "relations" with prostitutes and is sentenced to prison. A "Good Wife" in every sense till her husband's scandal, Alicia becomes a less-than-saint, realistic woman who sometimes makes unlikely choices to climb up the corporate ladder of a major Chicago law firm.
Annalise Keating (How to Get Away With Murder)
Not only does Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) have a law practise of her own, she teaches law students "How to Get Away With Murder" and has taken five promising youngsters in her class -- The Heating Five -- under her wing. While she is a force to be reckoned with in the courtroom, she is that much more passionate and vulnerable when it comes to her private life.
It is understood that her driving force to success, to a large extend is the fact that she was sexually abused by an uncle as a child. Her story proves that no matter where you come from, no matter what your history, every woman is capable of writing her own future.
Jessica Pearson (Suits)
Armed with some of the best dialogues ever written for a TV character, Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres) took about two minutes of screen time to show that she is the boss. A woman who has sacrificed personal happiness more than once to reach where she is professionally -- heading a law firm that's in charge of some of the country's most influential clients -- Jessica is symbolic of today's empowered and ambitious woman. She is smart, quick-witted and demands the best from her subordinates.
Charlie Bradbury (Supernatural)
The single-most female badass character to ever appear on the testosterone-filled "Supernatural", with the exception of possibly the demon Meg (Rachel Miner), is Charlie (Felicia Day). A computer genius, gamer and a woman of letters, Charlie is also the adopted sister of the Winchesters, especially loved by Dean (Jensen Ackles). Charlie not only killed the evil Wicked Witch of the West, but also the Wizard of Oz. With witty one-liners and a wicked sense of humour, Charlie is cool, sarcastic feminist prim time television was waiting for.
