Winter break is fast approaching and with that comes an unlimited amount of time to watch all the Netflix your heart desires. You could certainly scroll through the abyss of Netflix until you find something that looks mildly interesting, but maybe you want more out of your binge-watching experience.
If you don’t want to feel like your Netflix-watching is completely pointless, try watching a show for one of its incredible female characters. So while you enjoy your couch, you can also enjoy a serious dose of feminism. These are some of the favorites:
Grey’s Anatomy
Grey’s is full of female characters that are completely and totally badass. While we all love Meredith, Cristina, Bailey and Callie, the best female on Grey’s is Addison. Even though you have to make it through quite a few episodes to meet her, the wait is worth it. Addison is equal parts terrifying and amazing. She is one of the best surgeons in the country and looks really good for constantly being in surgery and staying awake for long hours all the time. Even so, Addison still has to try, and often fails, to hold her life together. Though not always the most likeable character, you will often find yourself rooting for her, so much so that you might find yourself watching her spinoff, Private Practice.
Parks and Rec
Leslie Knope is passionate about the government and nothing is going to stop her service in the Pawnee, Indiana Parks Service. Leslie firmly believes in the causes she works for and is always willing to step up to her next challenge. She is often clueless, but continues to trudge ahead no matter what. If that isn’t enough, everyone can connect to her love of breakfast food, particularly waffles.
Law and Order: SVU
No list of amazing female characters would be complete without detective Olivia Benson. Investigating sexual offenses, Olivia never backs down when her cases get tough; in fact, she keeps prying even when those around her tell her to stop. Sticking up for the underdogs, Olivia is excellent at her job and does the best to make sure justice is served. A woman in a world containing a lot of men, Olivia is an amazing example to everyone.
30 Rock
Liz Lemon is a mess. The head writer of a comedy show, Liz can barely control her own life, let alone manage those around her. She is continually trying to pull her life together in every way possible and continually failing in her efforts. Through it all, Liz somehow manages to be a mildly successful adult who is good at what she does. Through Liz, you somehow feel that you, too, can someday function as an adult and its okay to make plenty of mistakes along the way.
The West Wing
At this point, almost everyone has seen House of Cards, but The West Wing will give you a little more faith in the government. C.J. Cregg, the White House Press Secretary, is all the communications goals you could ever aspire to. She has successfully worked on a presidential campaign and is constantly impressing you by her intelligence and the way she handles the press. Working amongst mostly men, C.J. never misses an opportunity to stick up for the things she believes to be right, even if no one else agrees. You will never watch a more hard working character on TV.