10 TV Shows With Powerful Female Leads That Are The Perfect Pick-Me-Up After A Bad Day
Survival of the Thickest
Survival of the Thickest is the epitome of feel-good! The story revolves around Mavis Beaumont, a stylist living in NYC who decides to rebuild her life after her breakup. This show has everything you need to feel better about life—unapologetic representation, charm, a storyline around career and friendship and everything in between. It's self-love in a neat box.
Top of the Lake
Top of the Lake is a gripping mystery drama that follows Detective Robin Griffin as she investigates the disappearance of a pregnant 12-year-old girl in a small town in New Zealand. It is dark, emotionally intense, and cerebral, led, of course, by a complex female character.
Grace and Frankie
Speaking of the perfect pick-me-up, Grace and Frankie has to be one of the best feel-good shows out there! It's a comedy-drama revolving around two older women, Grace and Frankie—nemeses since day one—who are forced to be in close proximity for a lot longer than anticipated after their husbands come out and leave them for each other. It's a series full of chaos, friendship, laughs, and starting over.
Orphan Black
Orphan Black is a sci-fi thriller led by a powerhouse performance from Tatiana Maslany. The story revolves around Sarah Manning, who witnesses an incident involving a woman who looks exactly like her, which leads her to discover that she is one of many genetically identical clones.
Pitch
Pitch is a sports drama that follows Ginny Baker, the first woman to play Major League Baseball, as she battles sexism, media scrutiny, and self-doubt while trying to prove she belongs on the field.
Better Things
Better Things is a comedy-drama that follows Sam Fox, a single mom, as she juggles raising three daughters and caring for her eccentric mother, all while handling her job as an actor. It is a funny and honest take on parenting and womanhood, which makes for the perfect pick-me-up.
Wentworth
If you're a fan of Orange is the New Black, this is going to be your next favorite. Wentworth follows Bea Smith, found guilty of attempting to kill her husband, as she navigates a women's correctional facility, which is rife with power struggles and the drive to survive. With its gripping plot twists and fierce female characters, this one will make you want to keep pressing play.
Marcella
Marcella is a dark crime thriller about a former detective who is pulled back into investigating a string of brutal murders while battling her own mental health struggles. If you like gripping storylines and a psychological deep-dive into the lead's mental health, this one's for you.
Insecure
Insecure follows Issa Dee as she navigates love, friendship, and career struggles in modern-day Los Angeles, with a relatable awkwardness that makes for a great watch. It's a coming-of-age story that will definitely make your not-so-good day better.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Extraordinary Attorney Woo follows Woo Young‑woo, a brilliant rookie lawyer on the autism spectrum, as she tackles unique legal cases with creativity and empathy while breaking down social barriers at her prestigious Seoul firm. It's got representation, softness, and resilience—what else do you need to lift your spirits?
These are some of the many amazing shows with fierce female leads that make for a wonderful watch. Have any more such shows in your list? Tell us in the comments!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
New mural at Dodger Stadium honors Fernando Valenzuela
Nine months after his death, Fernando Valenzuela stands immortalized in a new mural on the loge‑level wall at Dodger Stadium—a vibrant fusion of art and legacy unveiled Saturday. Painted by Mexican American artist Robert Vargas, the mural shows Valenzuela tipping his cap to the sky in a Dodgers Mexican‑heritage jersey — featuring a green sleeve, red sleeve, white center — alongside two striking images of Valenzuela in his pitching stance. Vargas said the mural is meant to symbolize unity within the Latino community. 'I felt it very important to show that the Latino community has a place within these walls and has had a place within these walls,' Vargas said. He wanted to reflect Valenzuela's spirit that still lives in the hearts of many fans and feature the man behind the player. 'What he did in the community, is what resonates so much more for me than just the player — but the man, the person that he was,' Vargas said. Valenzuela played for the Dodgers from 1980-90. He grew up in Etchohuaquila, a small town in Mexico, and took Major League Baseball by storm in 1981, earning rookie of the year and Cy Young honors. Latino fans who previously felt little connection to the Dodgers were thrilled to see one of their own winning, sparking Fernandomania. Valenzuela wore the No. 34 and it remains a popular jersey worn by fans at Dodger Stadium. Claudio Campo choked up as he gazed at the tribute. Traveling from Phoenix with his son to celebrate the boy's 11th birthday, Campo shared memories of a player whose greatness felt deeply personal. Valenzuela's nickname, 'El Toro,' are inked on Campo's left arm. 'He was a staple for the people that didn't have anything and then where he came from showed that anything is possible if you go ahead and revive what you are,' Claudio said. Fans holding Valenzuela bobbleheads given away by the Dodgers took their pictures in front of the new mural Saturday night. Longtime fan Dulce Gonzalez held back emotion as she showed off her shirt with the name 'Valenzuela' written across it, describing the reason she started watching baseball. 'He was the first Latino player I could truly connect with and be proud of,' she said. For Gonzalez, Valenzuela's story resonated because he came from the same roots, offering representation she had longed for. 'We are a melting pot of races here, people love baseball from all races, but because I am Latina, I feel a little bit more connected,' she said. Her son, Nicolas, dressed in a red and green Dodgers Mexican heritage jersey, said Valenzuela helped heal some wounds after Mexican American families were displaced from their homes in Chavez Ravine shortly before Dodger Stadium was built on the same land. 'He really opened the city up to the Dodgers after a long difficult entry and he really represented triumph over adversity,' Nicolas said.
Time Magazine
5 days ago
- Time Magazine
Breaking Down the Twists and Reveals in the Ending of Netflix's 'Untamed'
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Untamed. The temptation is strong to classify Untamed, the new series from screenwriter Mark L. Smith and his daughter Elle Smith, as Netflix's answer to Paramount's Yellowstone. In fact, it's not wrong to at least assume as much; when one studio makes a cool $2 billion from their neo-Western surprise smash, a non-zero number of competing studios will inevitably scramble to fund their own. But if Untamed is a product of the ongoing content arms race between cable networks and streaming services, it is nonetheless a better genetic match to Top of the Lake, Jane Campion's 2013 New Zealand mystery drama, whose skeletal structure reads like the unintended template for television's modern crop of regional detective dramas. Untamed, like Yellowstone, concerns itself with one of America's best ideas: its national parks. But it's also a trim limited series rooted in the stuff of parenthood, like Top of the Lake—the sins of the father (and the mother, for good measure), self-doubt, overwhelming powerlessness, and lots of grief. No conflict is had between the old ways and the new, so to speak, not even in context with white settlers' theft of Indigenous land. Instead, the show excavates the souls of its co-leads, Kyle Turner (Eric Bana), an Investigative Services Branch (ISB) agent for the National Park Service in Yosemite; and Naya Vasque (Lily Santiago), an L.A. transplant and NPS newbie, assigned to assist Turner in following the threads of a potential murder case in the park. What they unravel from that skein cuts not only to their cores as parents, but the story's supporting characters' cores, too, from Paul Souter (Sam Neill), Turner's friend, mentor, father figure, and boss as Yosemite's chief ranger, to Jill (Rosemary DeWitt), Turner's ex-wife, who can't resist the gravitational pull of his PTSD. She has her own emotional and moral baggage, too, some that's conventional, and some that's harder to spot, like sunlight glinting off a hunting rifle's scope. Jill takes the hit… Likewise, the reveal of one Sean Sanderson's fate lands one episode too late in Untamed to make an impression on the narrative; it's a missed opportunity by the Smiths to lend Jill necessary character depth. Sanderson (Mark Rankin in a walk-on role) went missing in Yosemite about five years ago in the show's timeline, but his name is brought up frequently in its present. His family is filing a wrongful death suit against the park, and their lawyer, Esther Avalos (Nicola Correia-Damude), visits Turner and Jill alike, sniffing around for information about his disappearance. DeWitt is one of our most casually gifted actors, in that whatever role she plays in whichever medium she chooses, she constitutionally reads as at-ease in her characters; they're lived-in and breathe life through the screen. Jill is no exception. But the guarantee of a good DeWitt performance can't offset Jill's meager profile on the page. She is, like Turner, figuratively haunted by the death of their young son, Caleb (Ezra Wilson), revealed in the series opener, 'A Celestial Event,' to have tragically died prior to Untamed's events–about five years, in fact. Turner is literally haunted, per his recurring conversations with Caleb; it isn't made explicit whether he's an apparition or just a hallucination, but there is nonetheless a ghostly quality to their dialogue together. In keeping with popular male balms for spiritual suffering, Turner turns to alcohol and functions as a mollusk, socially and professionally; his stoicism is an act, one his peers pick up on, and which some openly deride. 'Christ, here comes Gary Cooper,' grouses Milch (William Smillie) when Turner strides on horseback into the scene of the crime that spurs Untamed's A-plot: the murder of Lucy Cook (Ezra Franky), met in 'A Celestial Event' when she leaps off of El Capitan and into the ropes of two climbers ascending the granite monolith—a plunge she doesn't survive. The no-nonsense lawman routine is tired, within the text as well as without—if Milch and the rest of the park staff are done with Turner's schtick, then maybe television writ large should be, too—but at least it's normal. Jill, by contrast, responds to Caleb's death another way altogether. It turns out that Sanderson—he of the missing persons case—is Caleb's killer, whose crime was caught after the fact on motion cameras set up by Shane Maguire (Wilson Bethel), Yosemite's Wildlife Management Officer and staff reprobate. Shane intended those cameras to document animal migration patterns; instead, they reflect Milch's words to Vasquez in the second episode, 'Jane Doe,' that when people trek into the wild, they assume no one's around to watch them, 'so they do whatever bad sh-t pops in their head.' Shane brings this information to Turner and Jill, and offers them revenge in the form of taking out Sanderson. Turner refuses; but Jill accepts. We spend most of the show assuming Turner's change in temperament, following Caleb's death, is the catalyst for his and Jill's divorce. It's a welcome change to the formula that Jill's decision to engage Shane's services is in fact what broke their marriage. If only the Smiths worked that twist into Untamed before the finale. Dropping that grenade on the audience with so little time left to feel the impact does Jill little justice, but DeWitt does, in fairness, invest great pathos in her. As much as it comes as a shock that someone so mild-mannered would turn that dark, the matter-of-factness in DeWitt's delivery reads as confrontational: given the opportunity, would you, fellow parents, make the same choice as her? …but Souter takes a fall There is, of course, another twist to accompany Jill's disclosure to her second husband, Scott (Josh Randall), as we are still awaiting resolution in the matter of Lucy Cook's death. After Turner cleverly unlocks Lucy's iPhone by applying formaldehyde to her corpse's cheeks to dupe its facial recognition biometrics, he discovers that Lucy's heretofore anonymous lover, Terces—'secret' spelled backwards—is actually Shane, and based on videos showcasing him abusing her, not to mention his pro-murder worldview, he looks like the culprit responsible for her ultimate plunge off of El Capitan. But looks are deceiving. Sure, they're not deceiving enough that we feel any kind of pity for Shane when Vasquez gets the drop on him and guns him down, saving Turner's life; unsurprisingly, Turner figures out Shane's involvement in a drug trafficking scheme in Yosemite, moving product in and out of the park through bygone mining tunnels; Shane takes the discovery badly, and nearly kills Turner in a drawn-out hunt over hill and dale. But if Shane is a monster who is guilty in the matter of how Lucy lived, as both her abusive partner and a participant in the drug ring, he is nonetheless innocent in the matter of her death. The real guilty party here is Paul Souter, who also happens to be her biological father, a truth only he and Lucy are privy to. In an abstract perspective, this makes thematic sense. Untamed is about parenthood on a molecular level: the lengths we'll go to protect our children, and the depths we plumb if we're so unfortunate as to mourn them. Vasquez' character arc involves Michael (JD Pardo), her ex-partner on the force and in life, and their son, Gael (Omi Fitzpatrick-Gonzales), whom she took with her to Yosemite for his safety; in flashbacks, we see Lucy with her mother, Maggie (Sarah Dawn Pledge), in happier times, learning about her Miwok ancestry; Paul looks after his granddaughter, Sadie (Julianna Alarcon), while his other, acknowledged daughter, who isn't seen in the show, struggles with personal demons of her own. None of this makes the screenwriting decision to put the burden of Lucy's death on Paul any more welcome or tasteful, though. It's another knife in Turner's back when he's just gotten off of bedrest, post-recovery after his grueling fight with Shane; when he connects a few stray dots that lead him to Nevada, where he meets Faith Gibbs (Hilary Jardine), whose parents fostered a slew of kids, including Lucy. Faith recalls Lucy talking about how her father, a policeman, would come for her one day, and arrest the Gibbs, who severely mistreated their various wards. The gears in Turner's head grind along as she dredges up this memory, and he confronts Paul first thing upon returning to Yosemite. All Paul can do is argue that he only meant the best by whisking her away to the Gibbses, far from her violent stepfather. It's a weak case for the character to make, given the abuse the Gibbses subjected Lucy to, and that when she comes back to the park as an adult to extort Paul, he reacts by accidentally chasing her to her death off of El Capitan–a revelation that feels quite like letting all the air out of a balloon. …and Turner moves on. Consequently, that makes a weaker conclusion for the narrative, one the series can only wrap up by having Paul use his pistol on himself and take a tumble into rushing river waters. Worse, that unceremonious and unearned end robs oxygen from Turner's own catharsis, a black flag at Untamed's last lap. Turner is the lead. His growth as a human being is what we're here for. Paul's increasingly bad decisions throw up a smoke screen around that growth, minutes before the story closes the arc of Turner's self-destructive bereavement. The pivot to Paul's complicity is especially frustrating given the wonderful foundation for Turner's ultimate closure laid out by his friend, former colleague, and Miwok community leader, Jay (Raoul Max Trujillo), in a monologue in the fifth episode, 'Terces,' about the connection he feels to his forebears through his connection to Yosemite's land. 'When it's my time to die, I will die here,' Jay says. 'But if I chose to die somewhere else, I would still have my ancestors with me, because the spirits in this valley are within each one of us.' Turner tearfully echoes the sentiment in 'All Trails Lead Here,' during a final farewell with Caleb's visage. 'No matter where I am, or where I go, you'll always be with me,' Turner chokes. When the credits roll, he's on his way out of Yosemite, the site of his anguish, for good, newly at peace and secure with the memories he has of his beloved son. Untamed incidentally reminds viewers just how vast our country is, at a moment when the world feels smaller than ever–an illusion we perform on ourselves with slavish devotion to our personal devices and social media. Paul's confession and suicide therefore strikes a sour chord on the series' driving motif. Emphasizing the bonds we hold with our loved ones, whether they're with us or not, makes a more fitting ending, for Jill, for Vasquez, and especially for Turner.
Buzz Feed
7 days ago
- Buzz Feed
10 TV Shows With Powerful Female Leads That Are The Perfect Pick-Me-Up After A Bad Day
Some days just suck—and that's when you need a show that makes you feel seen and heard. Here's a list of TV series with badass female leads, that are the perfect pick-me-up and a good break from the usual stuff we're tired of watching! Survival of the Thickest Survival of the Thickest is the epitome of feel-good! The story revolves around Mavis Beaumont, a stylist living in NYC who decides to rebuild her life after her breakup. This show has everything you need to feel better about life—unapologetic representation, charm, a storyline around career and friendship and everything in between. It's self-love in a neat box. Top of the Lake Top of the Lake is a gripping mystery drama that follows Detective Robin Griffin as she investigates the disappearance of a pregnant 12-year-old girl in a small town in New Zealand. It is dark, emotionally intense, and cerebral, led, of course, by a complex female character. Grace and Frankie Speaking of the perfect pick-me-up, Grace and Frankie has to be one of the best feel-good shows out there! It's a comedy-drama revolving around two older women, Grace and Frankie—nemeses since day one—who are forced to be in close proximity for a lot longer than anticipated after their husbands come out and leave them for each other. It's a series full of chaos, friendship, laughs, and starting over. Orphan Black Orphan Black is a sci-fi thriller led by a powerhouse performance from Tatiana Maslany. The story revolves around Sarah Manning, who witnesses an incident involving a woman who looks exactly like her, which leads her to discover that she is one of many genetically identical clones. Pitch Pitch is a sports drama that follows Ginny Baker, the first woman to play Major League Baseball, as she battles sexism, media scrutiny, and self-doubt while trying to prove she belongs on the field. Better Things Better Things is a comedy-drama that follows Sam Fox, a single mom, as she juggles raising three daughters and caring for her eccentric mother, all while handling her job as an actor. It is a funny and honest take on parenting and womanhood, which makes for the perfect pick-me-up. Wentworth If you're a fan of Orange is the New Black, this is going to be your next favorite. Wentworth follows Bea Smith, found guilty of attempting to kill her husband, as she navigates a women's correctional facility, which is rife with power struggles and the drive to survive. With its gripping plot twists and fierce female characters, this one will make you want to keep pressing play. Marcella Marcella is a dark crime thriller about a former detective who is pulled back into investigating a string of brutal murders while battling her own mental health struggles. If you like gripping storylines and a psychological deep-dive into the lead's mental health, this one's for you. Insecure Insecure follows Issa Dee as she navigates love, friendship, and career struggles in modern-day Los Angeles, with a relatable awkwardness that makes for a great watch. It's a coming-of-age story that will definitely make your not-so-good day better. Extraordinary Attorney Woo Extraordinary Attorney Woo follows Woo Young‑woo, a brilliant rookie lawyer on the autism spectrum, as she tackles unique legal cases with creativity and empathy while breaking down social barriers at her prestigious Seoul firm. It's got representation, softness, and resilience—what else do you need to lift your spirits? These are some of the many amazing shows with fierce female leads that make for a wonderful watch. Have any more such shows in your list? Tell us in the comments!
