Here are 17 powerful female-centric shows to watch — because women who shake the world don’t retire quietly.
If The Handmaid’s Tale left a dystopian-sized hole in your watchlist, don’t panic. There’s no shortage of shows with women who defy expectations, challenge authority, and sometimes set the whole system on fire.
Whether you’re craving rebellion, redemption, or just a really sharp suit, here are 17 shows with female leads who don’t just survive — they rewrite the rules.
Scandal
Olivia Pope doesn’t play by the rules — she makes them.
If you want another woman who wields power in high heels and doesn’t flinch in a crisis, this D.C. drama delivers.
She’s a fixer, a romantic, and a woman constantly walking the line between power and vulnerability. Scandal leans soapy and sensational, but that’s part of the fun.
Through it all, Olivia stays the sharpest person in the room — even when the whole damn system crumbles.
Watch Scandal Online
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
A teenage girl as the chosen one? Buffy kicked that trope wide open.
Fighting literal demons and the emotional ones, too, she’s the original reluctant revolutionary.
Underneath the vampire slaying, high school metaphors, and supernatural battles is a deeply feminist story about growing up in a world that constantly underestimates you.
Buffy’s journey from wide-eyed teen to hardened leader is still one of TV’s most rewarding arcs.
Watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer Online
Charmed (OG)
Sisters fighting evil while juggling everyday life. Sound familiar?
The Halliwell sisters saved the world with spellwork and sass, proving that power can come in many forms.
From heartbreak to resurrection, Charmed balanced magical chaos with grounded emotion.
Piper, Phoebe, and Prue (later Paige) all had distinct strengths, and their sisterhood remained the true source of their power, even when the stakes were cosmic.
Watch Charmed Online
Wynonna Earp
Gunslinger. Demon hunter. Reluctant hero with a blood-soaked family legacy.
Wynonna is the kind of messy, magnetic lead who turns genre upside down, while pregnant, no less.
The show’s queer-positive, found-family vibe makes it stand out even among sci-fi peers.
Wynonna’s unapologetic attitude, layered with real trauma and resilience, made her one of the most unpredictable and satisfying heroines in recent memory.
Watch Wynonna Earp Online
Bones
Dr. Temperance Brennan leads with intellect, not emotion, but that doesn’t mean she lacks heart. Her unwavering belief in science, truth, and justice makes her unforgettable.
As much about human connection as it is about murder, Bones gave us a woman who challenged emotional norms.
Watching Brennan slowly open herself to love, friendship, and vulnerability — all while solving gruesome crimes — is part of what made the show a sleeper hit.
Watch Bones Online
Killing Eve
A cat-and-mouse thriller led by a British intelligence officer and a stylish assassin. Killing Eve is dark, unpredictable, and full of women who don’t just break the mold, they stab it.
Eve and Villanelle’s obsession with each other powers the series, and it’s electric. What starts as a spy-versus-killer setup quickly becomes something far more intimate, twisted, and emotional.
It’s a story about control, desire, identity — and what happens when your reflection is just as dangerous as your enemy.
Watch Killing Eve Online
Fringe
Olivia Dunham straddles two universes while holding a fractured world together.
She’s brilliant, stoic, and deeply human — a sci-fi heroine with emotional depth to spare.
Fringe takes time to build, but once it hits its stride, it’s a mind-bending ride full of alternate realities, scientific horror, and quiet heartbreak.
Olivia grounds it all with a strength that never feels performative. She’s the reason the whole bizarre thing works.
Watch fringe Online
The Diplomat
Keri Russell’s Kate Wyler is thrust into high-stakes diplomacy and forced to play political chess in a world of men. She’s the smartest person in the room and knows it.
What makes Kate compelling isn’t just her competence; it’s the cracks in her armor. She’s navigating global crises, a crumbling marriage, and her own discomfort with power.
It’s part political thriller, part character study, and all about a woman adjusting her crown in real time.
Watch The Diplomat Online
Orphan Black
One actress. Many women. Tatiana Maslany’s stunning performance as multiple clones is a masterclass in identity, power, and what it means to take back control.
From punk rock Sarah to scientist Cosima to terrifyingly poised Rachel, each clone has a distinct voice and worldview.
Orphan Black‘s premise is wild, but its heart lies in sisterhood — biological, chosen, and otherwise. If you want to see women literally fighting for autonomy over their own bodies, this is the show.
Watch Orphan Black Online
Homeland
Carrie Mathison is complicated, brilliant, and often unstable, but never underestimated.
Her battle isn’t just with terrorism — it’s with her own mind.
Homeland dives deep into the cost of loyalty, the burden of genius, and the isolation that can come with both.
Carrie is a character who pushes every boundary, sacrifices comfort for conviction, and dares you to judge her while she’s saving lives in the shadows.
Watch Homeland Online
The 100
Clarke Griffin never asked to be a leader on The 100, but she became one anyway. In a brutal world where every decision costs lives, she learns that survival isn’t the same as living.
What starts as a YA-ish post-apocalyptic story evolves into one of the most morally complex sci-fi dramas on TV.
Clarke doesn’t always make the right choice, but she makes a choice, and she bears the weight of it. That’s power.
Watch the-100 Online
The Closer / Major Crimes
Brenda Leigh Johnson and later Sharon Raydor both prove that leadership doesn’t have to be loud — it just has to be sharp.
They run their squads with grace, grit, and zero tolerance for BS.
In a genre often filled with hotheads and brooding lone wolves, these shows gave us methodical, empathetic women who earned respect through action.
It’s about quiet authority, the strength of listening, and knowing how to deliver the final word.
Watch The Closer Online
Watch Major Crimes Online
Cagney & Lacey
Still one of the gold standards for female-led cop dramas. Groundbreaking in its day and still emotionally resonant, especially if you’re into character-driven crime stories.
Christine Cagney and Mary Beth Lacey tackled sexism, corruption, and real-world issues while solving crimes side-by-side.
One was single and climbing the ranks, the other a working mom balancing badge and family.
Their dynamic still holds up, proving you can be tough, vulnerable, and principled all at once.
Watch Cagney & Lacey Online
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
This is a must-watch for anyone who wants to see where the modern TV woman began.
Mary made “making it on your own” aspirational and relatable.
Mary Richards didn’t kick ass with weapons or solve murders, but she did something just as radical: she lived a life that wasn’t built around a man.
With a newsroom full of eccentric coworkers, she carved out space, earned respect, and reminded viewers that independence could be warm, funny, and quietly revolutionary.
Watch The Mary Tyler Moore Show Online
Alias
Alias gave us one of the most compelling spies on TV.
Sydney Bristow blends vulnerability, strength, and a whole lot of butt-kicking.
She’s a double agent living multiple lives, navigating trauma, betrayal, and elaborate plots without losing her humanity. And yeah, she saves the world a few times along the way.
It’s the perfect mix of espionage, emotional weight, and slick action, all led by a woman who gets back up every time she’s knocked down.
Watch Alias Online
Veronica Mars
From UPN to Hulu, Veronica never stopped digging for the truth, even when it hurt. A modern noir heroine with a razor-sharp wit.
What started as a teen mystery show evolved into a full-on exploration of class, corruption, and the costs of justice.
Veronica’s moral compass doesn’t always point north, but that’s what makes her compelling.
She’s a survivor, a cynic, and a seeker — and you can’t look away.
Watch Veronica Mars Online
Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena’s journey from warlord to legend still hits hard. Thirty years after its premiere, it remains one of the most iconic feminist action shows of all time.
With Gabrielle by her side, Xena wrestles with her past sins while using her strength to protect the innocent. It’s campy, mythic, and surprisingly philosophical, asking what it really means to change.
Long before redemption arcs were a buzzword, Xena lived one.
Watch Xena: Warrior Princess Online
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The post 17 Powerful Female-Centric Shows to Watch After The Handmaid’s Tale appeared first on TV Fanatic.
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