Once upon a time, in a land near and dear and a time not too long ago, women on television generally fell into one of two categories: the happy homemaker, or the single woman who may have a career (typically teacher or secretary) but is mainly looking for a husband. And whereas a woman’s choice to be any of these things is wonderful, most homemakers generally do not do their chores in pearls, pumps and perfectly pressed dresses, and women have proven that they are adept at careers beyond the traditional.
Going back through the over seven decades of commercial television, it is somewhat amusing but also distressing to come across the many restrictions women faced as they attempted to bring real women to life on the small screen. In 1952, Lucille Ball‘s Lucy Ricardo was one of the first pregnant characters on television; however, the word “pregnant” was considered vulgar. Instead, she had to say she was “expecting” or “going to have a baby.” In 1961, Mary Tyler Moore fought the studios to be able to wear capri pants as housewife Laura Petrie on “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” She insisted women wanted to be seen as they are in their everyday lives – and women don’t vacuum in dresses. The initial compromise of allowing her to wear pants in one scene in an episode eventually faded away, and capri pants became her signature. In 1969, Carol Brady (Florence Henderson) of “The Brady Bunch” was actually a divorcee; however, this was considered controversial and the studio refused to allow it. Whereas Mike’s deceased wife is briefly mentioned in the pilot, Carol’s former husband is simply never discussed.
Thankfully, trailblazing women have given life to a variety of female characters through the years. Although change and advancement have been gradual (as in real life), we now have all kinds of women represented on television: women in a variety of careers, including lawyers, doctors, police detectives, military professionals; single women, some of whom enjoy a romantic life and some of whom opt to concentrate on their careers; married women, divorced women and widowed women; women who choose not to have children and women who choose to have children, and some of those who have a partner and some who do it alone; women of various ethnic backgrounds; poor women, rich women, and middle-class women.
We honor the women who blazed a path for the performers who have followed, the women who raised the bar to the next level and the women who have fought a male-dominated system to make sure we are all represented. Tour our photo gallery above of the 30 greatest groundbreaking womens shows in TV history. Our list includes “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Golden Girls,” “The Carol Burnett Show,” “Murphy Brown,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Gilmore Girls,” “I Love Lucy” and more. Where does your favorite rank?
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30. Sex and the City (1998-2004)
Image Credit: Courtesy of HBO Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) are four friends who together conquer the ups and downs of relationships, sex and work. The show explores different themes relevant to the times, including abortion, femininity and sexuality, showcasing that women with different lives and contrasting personalities can come together to form a sisterhood. Although the series has received some criticism for objectifying women, it also portrays women who are unafraid to explore their sexuality.
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29. Laverne and Shirley (1976-1983)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Loud and uninhibited Laverne DeFazio (Penny Marshall) and quiet and upbeat Shirley Feeney (Cindy Williams) are two single women in the late 1950s-early 1960s, who are best friends, roommates and “everyday” women who work in a factory. Unusual for the time, the two actresses show a full range of physical comedy, as the two friends help each other out of various scrapes and navigate the world of dating.
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28. Alice (1976-1985)
Image Credit: Mediapunch/Shutterstock Widowed mother Alice Hyatt (Linda Lavin) struggles to make ends meet, taking a job waitressing at Mel’s Diner in Phoenix after her car breaks down. Sharing a one-bedroom apartment with her teenage son, she works hard and attempts to be both parents, while forming friendships with her female co-workers, the outspoken Flo (Polly Holliday) and the accident-prone Vera (Beth Howland).
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27. Designing Women (1986-1993)
Image Credit: Snap/Shutterstock The very liberal Julia Sugarbaker (Dixie Carter) runs a design firm with her sister, the self- centered former beauty queen Suzanne (Delta Burke), as well as the kind-hearted Charlene Frazier (Jean Smart) and the sarcastic recently-divorced single mother Mary Jo Shively (Annie Potts). The women debate politics, discuss many social issues of the time and commiserate about the struggles of being a women in the business world. At the time, a series centering around four outspoken professional women was a novel concept.
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26. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017-)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Amazon In 1958, Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan)is the perfect Jewish American housewife and mother, leading an idyllic upper-middle-class life, when her husband leaves her for his secretary. What starts out as a cliche becomes comedy gold when Midge, on a drunken whim, wows a nightclub audience with a rather crass stand-up routine. Facing criticism from her traditional parents and judgment from a conservative society, she defies convention, getting a job at a department store, using the very unconventional Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein) as her manager and overcoming obstacles to become a respected stand up comic, very male-dominated career.
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25. Veep (2012-2019)
Image Credit: Justin M. Lubin/HBO Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), first vice-president and later president by default, is an anti-hero and in many ways both a feminist and an anti-feminist. This satire begins more about politics than feminism; however, Meyer’s gender inevitably comes into play just as it would in the real world. Meyer unapologetically hates other women, but is not above using feminism for her own gain. She’s a horrible mother, rather inept at her job and out for her own personal gain. Her aggressiveness would be overlooked, even admired in a man, but Meyer eventually overcomes gender bias by beating the men playing by their rules – and she does it unapologetically.
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24. Cagney and Lacey (1982)
Image Credit: CBS-TV/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Reserved Christine Cagney (Sharon Gless) is an unmarried career woman and outspoken Mary Beth Lacey (Tyne Daly) is hardworking wife and mother. Two completely different women who together make up the first popular female “buddy” team in an hour-long drama. As New York City police detectives, they protect the streets and support each other, using their contrasting personalities to help each other professionally and personally.
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23. Wonder Woman (1975-1979)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Although campy now, at the time little girls everywhere looked up to the female superhero (Lynda Carter) who did a little spin and transformed from meek Diana Prince to the badass Wonder Woman. The powerful Amazon uses her magic belt, lasso and bracelets to obtain superhuman strength, deflect bullets and conquer powerful enemies.
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22. The Donna Reed Show (1958-1966)
Image Credit: Columbia/REX/Shutterstock Although in many ways similar to family sitcoms of the day, “The Donna Reed Show” set itself apart by making the wife and mother the headliner of the show, a first in this genre. Although Donna Stone (Donna Reed) does have the picture-perfect family (her husband is a doctor and they have a son and daughter), she is also a strong woman, who works sometimes as a nurse and volunteers in her community. A few episodes addressed topics that were somewhat taboo at the time, such as women’s rights, freedom of the press and drug addiction.
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21. Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)
Image Credit: Frank Ockenfels/Warner Bros TV/REX/Shutterstock Thirtyish Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) has to make the decision many do – sacrifice some independence and ask for financial help from her parents. Pregnant as a teen, she returns home with her now-teen-aged daughter Rory (Alexis Biedel) and has to deal with her “old money” parents. The show explores the often-complicated relationships between women, especially mothers and daughters, and the struggles young single mothers face.
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20. Fleabag (2013, 2019)
Image Credit: Steve Schofield A wholly unique show created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who also writes and stars, “Fleabag” breaks every kind of convention. The main character known only as “Fleabag” (Waller-Bridge) is struggling with guilt in the aftermath of a horrific tragedy. Her character often breaks the fourth wall, sharing directly with the audience her thoughts on the various mishaps and offbeat relationships she is experiencing. She is in-your-face, unapologetic, promiscuous, yet somehow manages to be a sympathetic and relatable modern woman.
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19. One Day at a Time (1975-1984)
Image Credit: Globe Photos/Mediapunch/Shutterstock Divorcees were not widely represented on television in the mid-1970s; less than a decade before, it could not be mentioned the Carol Brady of “The Brady Bunch” was actually a divorced mom. Freshly divorced Ann Romano (Bonnie Franklin) starts anew with her teenage daughters, rebellious Julie (Mackenzie Phillips) and perky Barbara (Valerie Bertinelli). Ann struggles with her roles as mother to two daughters in the era of feminism, as the head of the household and as a mature woman in the dating world.
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18. Killing Eve (2018-)
Image Credit: Nick Wall/BBCA One of the most complex female relationships ever on television comes from British intelligence investigator Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) and her nemesis, assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer). Eve sets out to capture the psychopathic killer, but Villanelle develops an obsession with her, leading the two into a sick and potentially deadly cat-and-mouse game. Not only is it unusual to have two females in these types of roles, but the show is set to be written by a different female writer each season- Phoebe Waller-Bridge for season 1, Emerald Fennell for season two and Suzanne Heathcote for season 3. It is a powerful and riveting female-driven drama, as well as a thriller and dark comedy that appeals to both men and women.
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17. Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock A middle-aged retired English teacher and widow who finds success as a mystery author and amateur sleuth? With its enduring popularity, the premise of “Murder, She Wrote” doesn’t seem that far-fetched now; however, 30 years ago Angela Lansbury’s Jessica Fletcher was a novel idea. She is often smarter than her male counterparts, flirted with by men of all ages, independent, successful and feisty. And Angela Lansbury was the sole main character and clearly star of the show, with her male costars clearly secondary characters.
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16. Charlie’s Angels (1976-1981)
Image Credit: Spelling-Goldberg/Kobal/Shutterstock Often criticized as “jiggle tv,” this crime drama also shows three women whose skills were overlooked in their initial workplace, and are brought together to form a powerful detective agency. Yes, they’re beautiful, but they’re also smart, tough and have each other’s backs. And yes, some of their clothes are scanty – however, it was Los Angeles in the 1970s. And during this era, little girls realized they had other options besides being a mommy or a teacher, and they enjoyed play acting as undercover detectives.
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15. Ugly Betty (2006-2010)
Image Credit: Danny Feld/Abc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock America Ferrera plays the title character, an awkward and homely but smart young woman who lands a job at a fashion magazine despite her very apparent lack of style. She is often made fun of, but earns respect with her wit and positive attitude. The show challenges mainstream society’s idea of and focus on beauty, and is one of the first to star an Hispanic female as the main character.
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14. How to Get Away with Murder (2014-)
Image Credit: ABC/Gilles Mingasson We love her. We hate her. Trouble follows lawyer Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) everywhere, and she brings misery to those around her, yet she remains loyal even to those who portray her and she fights for the underdog. She drinks, she’s covering up the death of her philandering husband and she’s carrying secrets that put the weight of the world on her shoulders. Annalise Keating is one of the most complex characters on television, showing the inner conflicts many women struggle with while trying to remain strong on the outside.
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13. Orange Is the New Black (2013-2019)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix This female-dominated show has become one of the most successful and highly acclaimed Netflix original series, and represents a wide variety of female characters. Main character Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), now a fully law-abiding citizen, is convicted of a decades-old crime. Her time in prison highlights struggles within the system, including guard abuse, corruption, fights for humane conditions and gangs formed among the prisoners, as well as the complexity of maintaining relationships with family and friends outside the prison walls. It is also ground-breaking for featuring a transgender female in the character Sophia Burset, leading portrayer Laverne Cox to becoming the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for a Primetime acting Emmy.
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12. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Television The horror genre is notorious for portraying weak females – often dimwitted blondes who fall victim to a monster. Buffy (Sarah Michelle Kellar) turns the tables on that stereotype, as she looks like the victim but is actually the “vampire slayer,” a lone female tasked with ridding the mortal world of other worldly evils. Buffy is smart, resourceful and strong, and often torn between her duties in this role that she did not choose for herself, and the life experiences of a normal teenage girl.
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11. Living Single (1993-1998)
Image Credit: Joseph Viles/Warner Bros Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock Entrepreneur Khadijah (Queen Latifah), aspiring actress Synclaire (Kim Coles), attorney Maxine (Erika Alexander) and image-conscious Regina (Kim Fields) are four single, independent professionals living the “single life” in New York City. It was one of the first shows to depict young black single people as professionals, and only the second sitcom (after “227”) to depict four African-American females in the lead roles.
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10. Police Woman (1974-1978)
Image Credit: Nbc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock Just the title of the show was a big deal in 1974 – a police WOMAN? This was the first hour-long drama starring a woman in a lead role as a police officer. Angie Dickinson’s Sgt. Pepper Anderson encouraged a huge number of women to apply for employment in police departments throughout the United States, and has remained an inspiration for women who aspire to work in a “man’s field.”
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9. Ellen (1994-1998)
Image Credit: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock Not only is Ellen DeGeneres one of the very few female stand-up comics with a show in which she is the lead character, but she is also one of the first lead television characters to come out as a gay. DeGeneres revealed her sexuality in real life about the same time, and had to weather a storm of controversy over her announcement. The backlash over “gay content” on the show eventually led to its cancellation; however, DeGeneres herself has persevered, gaining popularity as the voice of Dory in Disney’s “Little Nemo” (2003) and eventually launching one of the most popular daytime talk shows in history, which is in its 16th year.
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8. The Carol Burnett Show (1967-1978)
Image Credit: Punkin/Whacko Inc/Kobal/Shutterstock When Carol Burnett decided to use a clause in her contract with CBS to form a variety show, executives tried to talk her into a sitcom, as variety was a “man’s genre.” The studio had little faith in her concept, but Burnett persisted, gathering one of the most solid comedy teams and launching one of the most popular variety shows in television history. Burnett is clearly the headliner, performing a cold opening in which she takes questions from a live audience, displaying a quick wit and a genuine rapport with her fans. Burnett proved that a woman could not only keep pace in the “man’s world” of improvisation, but could do so successfully as her show became a critical and commercial hit, lasting over a decade and enduring today, consistently inspiring both male and female comics.
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7. Julia (1968-1971)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock Diahann Carroll made television history by portraying the first African-American woman as a lead character in a non-servant-type role. Julia Baker is a nurse, as well as a widowed mother trying to raise a young son alone. Although the series was short-lived, it included episodes that raised awareness to minority discrimination, and led to Carroll being the first African-American woman to receive Emmy and Golden Globe nominations in the Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series category.
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6. That Girl (1966-1971)
Image Credit: Kobal/Shutterstock Marlo Thomas Decades before playing Rachel Green’s mother on “Friends,” Marlo Thomas was one of the first actresses to play an unmarried, career-oriented woman. As Ann Marie on the sitcom “That Girl,” Thomas was an aspiring actress in New York, struggling to balance her life’s dream with making an income for herself and making time for her boyfriend, Donald (Ted Bessell). Although Ann and Donald were scripted to marry in the final episode, Thomas refused, saying she didn’t want to send the message to young girls that their end goal should be marriage.
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5. Maude (1972-1978)
Image Credit: Anonymous/AP/Shutterstock One of the first outspoken liberal characters, Maude Findlay (Beatrice Arthur) gave voice to the feminism movement, as well as other social issues. Maude is on her fourth marriage, having been widowed once and divorced twice, and has an equally in-your-face daughter, Carol (Adrienne Barbeau), who is also divorced and enjoying the dating world. “Maude” broke ground in the 1970s, with episodes concerning alcoholism, suicide, marijuana use and depression. Maude became the first television character to receive an abortion, two months before the procedure became legal throughout the United States.
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4. I Love Lucy (1951-1957)
Image Credit: CBS-TV/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) is not the typical meek and mild 1950s sitcom housewife. She is loud and stubborn, determined to make a career for herself in show business. In real life, Ball was a trailblazer, first by becoming involved in the creation of the show, insisting Desi Arnaz play her television husband, to the dismay of the network and sponsor, as they did not believe audiences would accept an American girl married to an Hispanic- despite the fact that the two were married in real life! However, Ball won and the two became the first biracial couple on television. Lucy was also one of the first pregnant characters on television, although she wasn’t allowed to say she was pregnant – she was “expecting.” Lucy’s friendship with Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance) was among the first female “buddy” teams, and in real life the two actresses achieved another milestone in 1962 with the “The Lucy Show,” in which Vance’s character became the first divorced mother on television.
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3. Murphy Brown (1988-1998, 2018-2019)
Image Credit: Warner Bros TV/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock She’s difficult, she’s opinionated, she’s tough. Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen) is an unmarried female recovering alcoholic over the age of 40 who doesn’t care what others think, and has earned a top place in male-dominated world of investigative journalism. Bergen gave what should have been a very unlikeable character heart, with her counterpart Corky Sherwood (Faith Ford), a naive and perky former beauty contestant, balancing femininity and career-mindedness. In its decades-long run, “Murphy Brown” blazed a new trail for women on television, most especially when she became pregnant out of wedlock, deciding to keep and raise her baby on her own while continuing with her career, and by battling breast cancer, bringing awareness to this deadly disease.
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2. The Golden Girls (1985-1992)
Image Credit: Touchstone TV/Whitt-Thomas-Harris Prod/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Grandmas are supposed to bake and sit in their rocking chairs knitting, fondly recalling their youth. Right? Wisecracking Dorothy (Beatrice Arthur), naive Rose (Betty White), man-crazy Blanche (Rue McClanahan) and wily Sophia (Estelle Getty) killed those stereotypes and redefined what it meant to be an aging woman. Instead of putting their dating years behind them, the three widows and one divorcee live life to the fullest by dating, volunteering and growing older with dignity. The series explored many controversial topics, including extra-marital sex, same-sex marriage, discrimination, AIDS and elder care. Although the women often disagree on these topics, they listen to and support one another, showing the wisdom and grace that comes with age.
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1. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977)
Image Credit: Golden Touchstone TV/Whitt-Thomas-Harris Prod/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Following the success of “That Girl,” “The Mary Tyler Moore” brought to television another wave of feminism, with Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) an independent, career-focused woman. Although Mary dates, she is not hunting for a man; instead, she is focused on her job and advancing in her chosen area. Over the years, the show had many ground-breaking storylines, including pre-marital sex, homosexuality, marital problems (including infidelity and divorce) and juvenile delinquency. Equality and women’s rights are woven into many plots, including an episode in which Mary discovers she is receiving less pay than her male predecessor despite superior work performance, and an episode in which Mary is held in contempt of court for refusing to reveal a source and befriends a prostitute while in jail. This series was the first sitcom to bring such complexity of plot and characters, somehow making reality funny and heartfelt. Mary Richards set a new standard for women in television, and continues to be an inspiration.
