One of the many things to be grateful for in the modern age is the portrayal of female characters in media. It has changed immensely from the days of old Hollywood, with women being given plots and storylines that don’t just exist to add more depth to the main male lead. And we’re seeing it happen way more on TV, with shows such as Orange Is The New Black and Fleabag featuring women as the main stars.
But even when they aren’t the leading roles of a series, some female characters simply steal the show. They are just so well-written that you can’t help but want more of them. So today, let’s look at some strong female TV characters that are so interesting that they could easily star in their own spin-off!
1. Arya Stark – Game Of Thrones
This was a no-brainer. Throughout Game Of Thrones airing, we have seen Arya Stark grow from a boisterous tomboy to a strong female heroine. Not only did she not care about being the graceful lady of the house, but she backed it all up by going on a journey of self-discovery that a lesser person just couldn’t survive. Honestly, fans would eat up a side series where Arya explores Essos.
2. Kimiko – The Boys
People love talking about The Boys and the characterization in it, but a character who steals the show from all the men when she comes on screen is Kimiko. Despite being a woman of very few words, Kimiko’s intensity is like no other.
She can go from intuitive to downright feral at the drop of a hat and she brings a much-needed female dynamic to the core team of The Boys. Plus, her backstory is pretty insane and most fans would just watch a show about that.
3. Peggy Olson – Mad Men
Despite Peggy Olson not even being a love interest for the main character, Don Draper, she manages to keep all eyes on her. Or perhaps that is exactly why she holds her own because Peggy’s story is about her rise from an innocent newcomer to the veritable force of nature. In the male-dominated world of advertising, Peggy is a breath of fresh air and her struggles still feel very relatable, which makes her one of the few characters who were universally liked.
4. Faith – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
While Buffy Summers is an icon, not much love was given to Faith when she was first introduced. She was the complete antithesis of Buffy, having lived a much harder life than the chosen Vampire Slayer. But that only made her more interesting. Faith’s story is better chronicled in the accompanying novels, from her troubled past to finding her calling as a monster hunter. A spinoff series based on Faith would be darker, but no less intriguing.
5. Nia Nal – Supergirl
To be fair, Supergirl is full of amazing female characters that deserve their own series to shine in. But Nia Nal stands out even amongst that loaded roaster. Originally an ancestor to a prominent superhero in DC Comics, Nia Nal is a trans superhero who adopts the moniker of Dreamer, after it is revealed that she carried Naltorian genes from her mother’s side. But it is her bravery and gentle soul that makes her outshine others around her.
6. Brienne Of Tarth – Game Of Thrones
There was a reason why so many fans were rooting for Brienne Of Tarth over Cersei when it came to Jamie Lannister, and it wasn’t just to get rid of the incest. Brienne genuinely was an amazingly written character. A female knight who went against everything a Westerosi lady should’ve been, much like Arya Stark. Her slow going from this uptight soldier to a warrior with dry wit was a tale we should’ve seen more of.
7. Michionne – The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead still being relevant is a testament to just how good the series was. And its characters were just as iconic, including Michionne. Michionne has gone through so much, from losing her entire family to literally having to survive a zombie apocalypse. But she took all that trauma and used her anger to become one of the strongest characters in the series. She went from a helpless damsel to a ruthless swordsman, without missing a beat.
8. Cookie Lyon – Empire
Technically, Cookie Lyon does have her own series, and it’s Empire. But she has to share the limelight of being the protagonist with others and that means we get less screen time for one of the most scathing characters on national television. Imagine going to prison for half your life and setting up one of the most successful record labels in the industry. We need more backstory of Cookie and her CEO antics, stat!
9. Sister Michael – Derry Girls
Derry Girls has many female characters with headstrong personalities, but no one is more iconic than Sister Michael. Sister Michael is the head principal at Our Lady Immaculate College, but she’s far from conventional. Not only is she a sarcastic queen, but she also appears at the most impromptu times with the strangest skillset. She’s a nun who does Judo, has a thing for muscle cars, and occasionally rents out churches for Halloween. No wonder more people want a series focused on her.
10. Rosa Diaz – Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Rosa Diaz is another one of those characters who clearly has so much more going on than meets the surface. And when you do get a glimpse underneath, you realize that you would easily watch an entire story of her life.
Rosa Diaz is one of the detectives at the Ninety-Ninth precinct, a supporting cast member with serious main-character energy. She takes no bullcrap, is extremely serious, and is just the embodiment of a black cat.
11. Willow – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Willow’s transformation through Buffy The Vampire Slayer was such an interesting character arc. Willow is initially the prototypical geeky sidekick to Buffy Summer’s cool protagonist energy, but by the end of the series she has become her own character, with her own motivations and plot beats. We see Willow go from the shy computer whizzkid to a powerful witch who, at one point, even fights a literal Goddess. Fans are still waiting for a revival that stars Willow as the main character.
12. River Tam – Firefly
Firefly was simply ahead of its time. Not only did it have one of the healthiest depictions of a married couple, but it gave us strong female characters such as River Tam. At first, River feels more like a liability than anything.
But after seeing R. Tam Sessions, the fans realized she was more than just the broken child prodigy on the run. The way her brother, Simon, talks about their past and how it will shape their future? Well, that deserves it’s own movie.
13. Selina Kyle – Gotham
Honesty, what character in Gotham doesn’t deserve their own spinoff? A prequel series set in the Batman universe, Gotham really laid the groundwork for some of the most iconic villains in DC, and then some.
And yet, it was Selina Kyle’s portrayal that really caught people’s eyes. A series about a young Selina Kyle slowly finding her alter ego of Catwoman, all the while still maintaining a bond with a growing Bruce Wayne would honestly do so well.
14. Ella Lopez – Lucifer
Technically, all of Lucifer is amazing and we need more of it. But Ella Lopez deserves way more love for her unique portrayal of the ‘quirky side character’. Her unique background and personality help her have such a fresh perspective, which fans wanted to see way more of.
Despite being such a bubbly character, there was a very apparent darkness to Ella. And that isn’t even mentioning her connection to Lucifer’s angel siblings, even though she was mortal herself.
15. Yennefer Of Vengerberg – The Witcher
A lot of Yennefer’s past has been explored on The Witcher, so it’s not like we don’t know anything about her. But considering we’ve only seen her be a Sorcerer around Geralt and aid in his story.
What we don’t know about is her life right after initiation, the years she spent as a magical aide to the King of Vengerberg. There’s so much more there to Yennefer than just being Geralt’s love interest, and it’d be interesting to explore her characterization more outside of it.
16. Mama Sun – The Brothers Sun
No, because why does Netflix barely promote their coolest shows and then cancel them immediately after?
The Brothers Sun stars Michelle Yeoh as Mama Sun, the wife of the leader of a Taiwanese Triad, who now lives as a nurse in California with her younger son. The shift from a domestic suburban mother to a hardened criminal who cleans murder scenes as efficiently as she does pizza stains on the couch definitely deserves its own series.
17. Kate Beckett – Castle
Sure, Kate Becket is the second protagonist of Castle, but she still deserves her own series. Cool and suave, Kate’s history of becoming a detective to follow in her father’s footsteps was always questioned. But what was never challenged was her skill in the field.
Kate was a strong fighter and incredibly intellectual, easily holding her own against Castle’s intelligence. Even if they often butted heads.
18. Maeve Millay – Westworld
Westworld is a world meant to completely engross you, but Maeve Millay isn’t a character that can be kept down.
Originally programmed to be nothing more than a flirtatious madam of a brother, Maeve slowly wakes up to a past timeline where she was a mother, with a daughter she loved. And for that flashback alone, she breaks out of her caged mind and spends the rest of her time trying to gather more Hosts and controlling them to aid in the cause.
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It’s OK to like bad movies. You don’t need to defend your choices or agree with what the critics say. Movies are subjective, after all! To make you feel better about your questionable favorites we gathered up some movies that are just plain awful, but we love anyway.
12 Movies That Are Just Plain Awful, But We Love Them Anyway
12 TV Shows That Are Often Called “The Best TV Show Ever”
This is such a subjective topic. While I’d love to share my thoughts on the best TV show ever, I thought it would be better to scour the internet to find out what, in your opinion, is the best show ever from a variety of fans.
These are the top 12 that came up most often or have the most upvotes. I’ve gotta say, I don’t find this list incredibly shocking – these are some really great TV shows!