My Five Favorite TV Heroines

Lucy Lawless got arrested while a part of a Greenpeace protest of an oil drilling ship docked in New Zealand. It's the rare fantasy who can be heroic it real life as well. Good on you Lucy! This is my personal list and only includes shows I have watched.

Xena - Lucy Lawless (1995-2001)

All you have to do is look at her to see she's unnatural, an affront to God. A woman with the strength of ten men? ~ Altered States

A feared warrior, once the Destroyer of Nations, she roams the ancient world seeking redemption for all the people she has killed. As a fighter she is nearly the equal of gods, like Ares, and demigods, like Hercules. The first four seasons are the best.

Emma Peel - Diana Rigg (1965-1967)

Emma: It's late, I'm tired, and I want to go to bed. 
Strange Man: In that case, how would you like me to tuck you up?
Emma: In that case, how would you like me to break your arm. ~ The Joker

The British series the Avengers. In only two years Diana Rigg created one of the greatest characters in television history. Emma Peel was a master martial artist and fencer, a scientific genius, and the brilliant head of industry. She was the "talented amateur" to professional spy John Steed. Stay away from the 1998 movie which is utter garbage.

Ziva David - Cote de Pablo (2005-present)

Admiral Chase: Does Agent David carry a weapon?
Gibbs: She is a weapon. ~ NCIS, Broken Arrow

A Mossad assassin assigned as liaison to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. She resigns from Mossad after she was captured on a Mossad op and abandoned to Arab terrorists only to be rescued by NCIS. An expert with a sniper rifle, pistol, knife, and hand-to-hand combat. Now a US citizen and NCIS agent.

Buffy Summers - Sarah Michelle Geller (1997-2003)

 

Riley: Buffy, when I saw you stop the world from, you know, ending, I just assumed that was a big week for you. Turns out I suddenly find myself needing to know the plural of "apocalypse". 

Buffy: [Light-heartedly] Look, if you were fighting since you were fifteen, you'd have a hefty resume too! ~ Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, A New Man

You know the drill. The Chosen One. She alone fights the vampires, demons, and forces of darkness. Buffy is the only one on this list who cheats, she has supernatural powers. The first four seasons were great. The fifth season was just good. It declined after than but it was always able to rediscover its greatness in individual episodes.

Honey West - Anne Francis (1965-1966)

This is just a personal indulgence from my youth. The first female action hero on American television (Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale on the British series the Avengers predates her), it ran for just one season. She owned a detective agency and had a pet ocelot.

Honorable Mentions
Purdey - Joanna Lumley, the New Avengers
Fiona Glenanne - Gabrielle Anwar, Burn Notice
Kate Beckett - Stana Katic, Castle


No, I never watched Wonder Woman.