Life imitates art? Or does art imitate life? In the midst of these questions, one thing is certain: Fictional characters are often great sources of inspiration in the lives of ordinary people like you and me.
In addition to movies and books, television series are also good cradles of amazing characters who have a lot to teach. Thanks to the episodic developmental structure for several seasons, the shows are able to build striking personalities and develop the character of those in the narrative well.
In this universe, it is important to highlight the productions that focus on female characters and portray them with all their complexities, profiles and facets. After all, TV is a medium responsible for the cultural formation of a large part of the population and the series can be tools in the empowerment of women, in the deconstruction of patterns and in the debate of fundamental issues for society.
It may seem like just a detail, but having a woman as protagonist is not trivial. Women who flee stereotypes, who are presented with their own desires and goals, who are not portrayed merely as a support or accessory to tell the story of men? This is all important and seeing it on the small screen can be a step toward change.
Next, we select 15 series that have amazing female characters in central positions of the plot. These are productions of different genres, which are still active or are already closed, that bring together inspiring women who can teach us a lot of things. Check out!
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1. Gilmore Girls
Starring two women, Gilmore Girls tells the story of Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and her daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel). The plot deals with the relationship of closeness and complicity of the two, balancing comedy and drama and developing very well the personalities. Lorelai is a young mother who raised her daughter on her own and Rory is an extremely studious and goal-focused girl. Both are independent, dream-filled, inspirational women, each in their own way.
In addition to the main characters, the show also highlights the friendship of the two Gilmore with other amazing and well-built women: Sookie (Melissa McCarthy), Lane (Keiko Agena) and Paris (Liza Weil), accompanied by the ups and downs with Emily. Gilmore (Kelly Bishop), Lorelai's mother.
Gilmore Girls aired between 2000 and 2007, featuring a total of seven seasons. The series was aired in Brazil by SBT, titled "Like Mother, Like Daughter".
2. Parks and Recreation
With seven seasons, aired between 2009 and 2015, Parks and Recreation presented to the public the wonderful Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler). The story follows Leslie, an employee of Pawnee City's park and recreation department.
Throughout the episodes, the comedy builds a strong, skillful protagonist who spares no effort to make the city better and achieve its goals, with great emphasis on her professional career. In the personal sphere, Leslie is also an amazing woman: she is an exceptional friend, caring, captivating and dedicated.
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3. Orphan Black
The Canadian Orphan Black brings not only one amazing protagonist, but several? and all with the same face. The series is about a mysterious clone experiment and begins when Sarah discovers that she is one of those clones when bumping into a woman identical to herself.
From there, the plot develops with the constant presence of Sarah, Cosima, Alison and Helena in dangerous situations that demand the most (many!) Skills of each. The characters also build a strong support network and form an unwavering partnership.
Living all the clone characters, the series features actress Tatiana Maslany, who does an amazing job of characterizing, changing gossip, hair and accents. Orphan Black debuted in 2013 and is heading for the fourth season.
4. Orange Is The New Black
With three seasons airing so far, the original Netflix series follows the lives of several characters in a female prison in the United States following the arrival of Piper (Taylor Schilling).
Orange Is The New Black explores the life story of each of the characters in depth, introducing the audience to a great personality building. Women are the star of the plot, which addresses controversial issues and raises important discussions, especially regarding the situation of women's prisons.
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5. My Mad Fat Diary
Already finalized, My Mad Fat Diary is a British series that featured three seasons that aired between 2013 and 2015. The show follows Rae Earl (Sharon Rooney), a teenage girl who has just left a period of hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital. and it's taking over your life.
The series questions standards of beauty and sensitively shows how all of these imposed rules about appearance can interfere with people's lives and health. Rae shares with the audience each of their thoughts, fears, desires and insecurities through a journal. My Mad Fat Diary explores Rae's strengths and weaknesses, making it easy to identify and be inspired by her.
6. Parenthood
Aired between 2010 and 2015, Parenthood was closed in its sixth season. It is a family drama centered on the Braverman family, telling in each episode the daily life of each mother, father, grandparent, child and grandchild.
Among the Bravermans are amazing women: Camille (Bonnie Bedelia), Sarah (Lauren Graham), Julia (Erika Christensen), Kristina (Monica Potter), Amber (Mae Whitman), Jasmine (Joy Bryant) and Haddie (Sarah Ramos). Are ordinary women living ordinary lives? but by no means less extraordinary. It is easy to identify with many of the situations and you can be inspired by various examples of strength and overcoming.
7. The Newsroom
The Newsroom chronicles a television newsroom saga after a major shift in editorial line, when the team decides to commit to the truth and stop selecting content based only on the audience.
Responsible for this change is one of the series' great women, MacKenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer), a competent producer who directs her team wisely and skillfully. She is closely followed by Maggie (Alison Pill) and Sloan (Olivia Munn), two brilliant journalists who embrace the new proposal.
Created by the popular Aaron Sorkin, the series is a dive into the world of television journalism and uses real facts from recent (especially North American) history to build its narrative. It is a good choice for those seeking inspiration in professional life, regardless of their area of expertise.
8. Sense8
Sense8 is an original Netflix series that tells the complex story of eight connected people who can share feelings even though they are in different places on the planet. Among the main characters are four women: Sun (Doona Bae), Nomi (Jamie Clayton), Kala (Tina Desai) and Riley (Tuppence Middleton).
The highlight is Sun, a Korean who runs the family business and is a master of martial arts; and Nomi, a trans-American, activist with high computer skills. Both face different problems, cause reflection, and are inspirations of strength and perseverance. Out of the top eight, there is also Amanita (Freema Agyeman), Nomi's girlfriend and main source of support.
9. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Also Netflix's production, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt focuses on the story of Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) after she and other women manage to escape a cult that kept them trapped in an underground shelter. Free, Kimmy is focused on restarting her life, now in New York City.
Created by Tina Fey, the series has a keen humor and raises a number of issues, including feminism. In addition, Kimmy is a well of optimism and determination that inspires both the characters in the series and the audience.
10. United States of Tara
Completed in 2011, United States of Tara told in three seasons the story of Tara (Toni Collette), a woman suffering from dissociative identity disorder. The plot shows each of the other identities, narrating how Tara deals with the disorder and with family and professional life.
In addition to the incredible character, the series also features the great performance of Toni Collette, which unfolds into multiple characters and can bring the situation closer to the audience.
11. Once Upon a Time
Do you know that story of helpless princesses who are always waiting for a prince to save them? Forget! In Once Upon a Time, a series featuring an inspired and up-to-date version of classic fairy tales, female characters are much more independent than in Disney movies.
Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) is a determined princess who can very well take care of herself and fight for her own goals. Regina (Lana Parrilla) is the great villain, whose character has been increasingly developed since the series debut in 2011. Emma (Jennifer Morrison) is the main key to the plot and bears the nickname "Savior".
That is, in Once Upon a Time, the traditional idea of fairytale princess is deconstructed and the stage is women's.
12. The Good Wife
Aired since 2009, The Good Wife tells the story of Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies). In the plot, Alicia's husband is arrested after being caught in a scandal involving corruption and prostitution. From then on, the protagonist becomes responsible for raising both children and resumes her career as a lawyer.
In addition to inspiration as someone who takes control of her professional and personal life with strength and determination, the series also shows how Alicia deals with her husband and stands in the midst of scandal.
13. 2 Broke Girls
The comedy that premiered in 2011 follows the lives of two women working as waitresses in New York. Caroline (Beth Behrs) is a woman accustomed to the comfortable rich life that loses everything and needs to start her life from scratch. Max (Kat Dennings) ends up welcoming Caroline and sharing with her how little she has.
The two become great friends as well as business partners. Throughout the episodes, we follow the trajectory of the protagonists in order to make their dreams come true, despite the many obstacles.
14. Veep
Played since 2012, Veep is a comedy that explores the American political scene focusing on the career of Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the vice president of the United States.
The plot follows Selina's professional life, including her strategies for continuing in her position and maintaining good relationships with other politicians. Beside her, the vice president counts on the work of the chief of staff Amy Brookheimer (Anna Chlumsky).
15. Scandal
Also with a foot in the political fabric, Scandal focuses on the story of public relations professional Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington). The series builds a highly skilled professional who heads a team that is the best at what she does.
Scandal has been online since 2012 and has since addressed cases of crises and problems solved by Olivia and her team. The protagonist is a great inspiration for leadership and focus on goals and results.
Are these just some of the series that have amazing female characters? fortunately, we have others and, with each debut, we hope to find new players who can also join the list!
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