Six Badass Women Currently On TV

It’s a good time to be a female actress on television. There’s tons of shows that predominately feature female characters, in all sorts of story lines. The badass women that play them deserve the credit for bringing to life characters who are either role models, in inspirational careers or breaking societal barriers. Here is a snippet of just some of the actors on television who are doing ground-breaking work.

Constance Zimmer as Quinn King on UnREAL

House of Cards actor and all-round ass kicker Constance Zimmer takes on the role of Quinn King in UnREAL, a headstrong, straight-talking executive producer for the fictional The Bachelor-style reality show Everlasting. Quinn is scheming, controlling and only demands the best. She pushes the boundaries of her co-workers to make sure she’s getting the best ratings for the show and her cut-throat attitude is mainly thanks to Zimmer, who pulls off the role with utter ease. If this woman doesn’t win the Emmy, then something is seriously wrong.

Gina Rodriguez as Jane Villanueva on Jane The Virgin

In Jane the Virgin, Gina Rodriguez plays Jane Villanueva, a 23-year-old religious young Latina woman who becomes pregnant after being accidentally artificially inseminated with another man’s child. …What? But there’s more. The catch is - yep, you guessed it - she’s a virgin. After meeting the baby’s father and his wife, she agrees to carry it for them but she soon develops feelings for the father of her child. It’s hard not to admire Jane and a lot of that is down to Rodriguez, a brilliant actor who knows how to pull off emotional, comedic and thrilling stops. As complicated as her life is, Jane somehow manages to keep a calm poise, making her one of the most admirable characters on television.

Priyanka Chopra as Alex Parrish on Quantico

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra makes her first foray into Hollywood playing Alex Parrish in Quantico, a promising FBI agent who becomes the prime suspect in a terrorist attack in New York. But she’s being framed by someone from her class at the FBI’s training programme at Quantico, and goes into hiding to track down the person responsible and to clear her name. To say Chopra is this year’s breakout star is an understatement - she already IS a star. She’s the first Indian actress to front an American television show and even won a People’s Choice Award for playing Alex, the first South Asian person to do so. Now how’s that for diversity?

Rachel Bloom as Rebecca Bunch on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

The acclaimed musical comedy follows 20-something Rebecca Bunch (played by Rachel Bloom) who moves to the East Coast on a whim in an attempt to win back her ex-boyfriend. The show weaves in Broadway-style musical numbers as a figment of Rebecca’s imagination, peeling through layers of her character. That’s thanks to the show’s creator and lead actress Bloom, who bagged a Golden Globe after just eight episodes and has been sweeping up other best comedic actress roles ever since. She’s hilariously funny, honest and charming in her role as Rebecca, and easily one of 2015′s breakout stars.

Taraji P. Henson as Cookie Lyon on Empire

Not an episode goes by when Cookie Lyon (played by Taraji P. Henson), the standout character from Empire, says a hilariously snarky comment. The outspoken ex-wife of music mogul Lucious Lyon is freed from jail at the beginning of the show after serving a 17-year sentence for drug dealing. She built Empire Entertainment with her husband Lucious but was arrested for running the drugs that financed his early career. Now, she’s determined to unite the Lyon family back together, and Henson makes an explosive entrance (though that might be an understatement), bringing a whole lot of sass to Cookie, who’s easily the standout character of this show. And she does it with the best wardrobe.

Viola Davis as Annalise Keating on How To Get Away With Murder

Powerhouse Viola Davis became the first African-American woman to win an Emmy for her role as Annalise Keating on How To Get Away With Murder. Annalise is a self-sufficient and confident woman, and one of the best damn lawyers around. She seemingly has a perfect life and is respected for her career as a lawyer and law professor, with her students both fearing and admiring her. All eyes are on Davis, a Tony award winner and Oscar nominee, who delivers week in week out. Annalise is the anti-hero of the story and her allegiance and morals often change as she follows her gut feeling. She becomes a woman with two facets to her character, and that’s thanks to Davis who makes us forget that’s she’s even acting.