America Loves Putting Strong Women In Charge On Network Television

I watch a lot of network shows. They’re easy to second screen, and they all exist in this rosy, optimistic world where police solve problems, criminals are punished, and everything works out in the end.

The best thing about the imaginary world of network television is how many women are in charge. Maybe that’s why the police solve problems, criminals are punished, and everything works out in the end.

In 1985 Patty Duke played television’s first woman president in Hail to the Chief. Geena Davis followed her in 2005’s Commander in Chief, both on ABC Network. Cherry Jones was the president during a season of 24 and both Téa Leoni’s Elizabeth McCord on Madame Secretary and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Selina Meyer on Veep eventually became president.

Outside of the Oval Office, we love to see women in charge on television. Olivia Benson is the Queen of Law & Order: SVU and S. Epatha Merkerson spent 16 years as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren on original flavor Law & Order. Now, she plays the Director of Patient and Medical Services on Chicago Hope.

The showrunners on NCIS knew the power of a strong female lead when they cast Pauley Perrette (Abby), Sasha Alexander (Kate), Coté de Pablo (Ziva), and Lauren Holly (Director Jenny Shepard) in the show’s earlier years. Now the storylines are more diffused among the existing ensemble so there aren’t any strong “leads” anymore. The original CSI also had some tough female characters played by Marg Helgenberger as Catherine Willows and Jorja Fox as Sarah Sidle. In the recent CSI: Vegas reboot Paula Newsome was made the head of the Las Vegas crime lab for the show’s brief run.

The lab in Bones was run by women, and Patricia Belcher played the tough-as-nails US Attorney Caroline Julian. Temperance and Cam fought over who was in charge, but Ms. Julian was the real boss lady.

Currently, on network TV we have Queen Latifah kicking ass and taking names as The Equalizer, the female-led cast of Abbott Elementary including Janelle James as the inept but socially conscious principal and Sheryl Lee Ralph as the school’s matriarch.

Will Trent’s main character may be a man but the GBI is run by Amanda Wagner (Sonja Sohn) and his life is run by Faith Mitchell (Iantha Richardson), Nico (Cora Lu Tran), and Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen).

High Potential is another great example. The show is focused on Kaitlin Olson with Judy Reyes as the Captain of the Major Crimes Unit. And Major Crimes was a show that starred Mary McDonnell as the Captain, which was spun off from The Closer, helmed by Kyra Sedgwick who is married to Kevin Bacon! Whoops. Sorry. We’re not playing 6 Degrees.

Matlock’s Maddie Matlock isn’t quite in charge but she’s definitely the head of the family and the plot to bring down the law firm she’s running a con on. But even if Beau Bridges’ character runs the law firm, it’s obvious that Skye P. Marshall’s intimidating senior partner, Olivia, is really running the place.

Even the vibrant and flighty Elsbeth Tascioni, on Elsbeth (played by Carrie Preston) was trusted with the NYPD consent decree and spying on Wendell Pierce’s Captain Wagner. She has a lot of fun solving the crimes the police can’t figure out and everyone’s a little afraid of her. She may have been put in charge because everyone underestimated her abilities, which we’re all familiar with too. Elsbeth is #goals.

While the glass ceiling remains firmly in place in real-life America (for now) network television is practically a utopian matriarchy. We’ll get there. Star Trek introduced the idea of the communicator in 1966 and then it only took 27 years for IBM to introduce the first “smart” phone. Eventually, our love of strong, capable, qualified, fictional women who pair their emotional intelligence with unwavering dedication to uncovering truths, righting wrongs, and serving the greater good will translate to the ballot box. We’ve got to hope so, at least.