We’re celebrating TV’s imperfect females. These women are often unapologetic and unfiltered about their passionate beliefs.
They break boundaries, challenge authority, and take new risks as they conquer their dreams. Sometimes they succeed, and sometimes they fail.
These women are often driven by a mutual desire — love — and they’ll run towards that unapologetically every time. They will defend their choices, whether protecting their child, running towards a new romance, or defending their title.
These women are entertaining to watch because they are outspoken and passionate about their cases. They light up the screen with both their confidence and their vulnerability.
These imperfect females are the entire package.
Thony De La Rosa (The Cleaning Lady)
Thony De La Rosa is the epitome of an unapologetic, imperfect woman. She would do whatever it took to save her young son, Luca, including committing many crimes.
When The Cleaning Lady began, she worked as a cleaning lady for the mob, and Arman helped to finance medical treatments for Luca’s rare, life-threatening illness.
She soon walked the morality tightrope, where she believed she broke the law for the right reasons.
This became more complicated as the seasons progressed when Arman, Thony, and Nadia got involved in selling Robert Kamdar’s drugs in exchange for Luca’s medicine.
In Thony’s eyes, everything was for Luca, but it fell apart when she tried to operate on him herself, and a doctor called CPS on her and Fiona.
Thony fights for freedom and medicine for her and her family, yet constantly finds herself working for the mob or a drug cartel instead.
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Angie Polaski (Will Trent)
Angie Polaski on Will Trent is the type of detective who follows her gut instincts, and sometimes, that pays off or gets her in more trouble.
Since Angie was sexually abused in foster care, she has an affinity for working with teenage victims and a keen sense of justice.
While many in the precinct and the GBI initially thought Angie was an emotional disaster after Angie rescued Joey, a teen in recovery from a drug house, they looked at her with new respect.
Angie’s main problem is that she first jumps to rescue someone and then thinks about the consequences later. It’s the reason we love her, and Erika Christensen plays her with such depth.
Angie had made such progress. She had been sober for months, had reunited with Will, and seemed to be in a healthy relationship.
But she hid that Crystal stabbed Lenny, and the teen killed many other sex predators. Angie meant well because she related to the girl, but her compassion landed her in trouble.
We can’t wait to see this one play out.
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Sloane Ford (Three Women)
Sloane Ford is the most outspoken and unapologetic female on Three Women. You must respect her, even when it’s difficult to like her.
Not many women initiate swinging relationships into their marriages, but she did. She admitted she longed to be desired and cherished but not controlled.
Even though Sloane has a nearly perfect marriage, she doesn’t fit into the mold. She was exhausted from trying to fit the ideal image, and her bulimia even returned.
Sloane’s need to be free caused her to begin an affair with Will, a sexy boater and oysterman who was not from her crowd. For the first time, she lit up the screen and seemed happy.
She’s the type of woman who would do anything to get what she wanted. Sure, Sloane felt guilty about hurting others, but she was addicted to Will and determined to keep him.
You have to respect that gameplay, especially when she arranged a foursome with Will, his girlfriend, and Richard, and they got high on mushrooms. She masterfully acted like they all agreed, even if it was her idea.
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Penelope Featherington (Bridgerton)
We love all of the leading ladies in Bridgerton. They knew how to land their man, and most did not conform to society’s rules.
But there was something special about Penelope Featherington. Perhaps it’s because she was often overlooked as the youngest daughter.
Even though women weren’t supposed to work back then, Penelope created her destiny by crafting the successful Lady Whistledown column.
Sure, it was scathingly witty at times, but also observant and fun.
For Bridgerton’s first two seasons, Penelope was in that awkward friend zone, and she crushed on Colin hard. She cleverly went after him, begging for a kiss, saying it didn’t have to mean anything, and we all know how that turned out.
When he finally returned her advances, Penelope worried she would have to change her career and herself since being a gossip columnist wasn’t proper. You should never change who you are.
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Amanda Rollins (Law and Order: SVU)
Amanda Rollins has been a vital part of Law and Order: SVU since she joined the cast in Season 13. However, she doesn’t like following the rules and speaking her mind, especially to get justice.
If Law and Order: SVU and Will Trent aired on the same network, Amanda and Angie Polaski would likely be friends. They’re both outspoken, impulsive, and passionate, which sometimes backfires on them.
It’s always entertaining to watch, though. Since Amanda arrived, her past often triggered how she dealt with cases, whether it was her dysfunctional family relationships or her gambling addiction.
In several episodes, she went undercover in dangerous situations, some without backup or permission, to catch rapists. She did that more than once to learn a psychopath’s type and get him to become attracted to her.
Amanda was also outspoken about domestic violence victims. At times, she didn’t have much sympathy for them because her mom never left her dad years ago, so she had to balance her views with her career.
It took years, but she finally found her happy ending: marrying Sonny Carisi and having a family. We love that she found a new career and frequently appears on the show.
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Clare Pierce (Tiny Beautiful Things)
Clare Pierce from Hulu’s Tiny Beautiful Things is a hot mess, so we love her.
Something is endearing about someone who can mess up yet pick themselves up and give others advice based on their failures.
Clare Pierce (Kathryn Hahn) has lost everything. Her husband disowned her after she spent their daughter’s college fund to bail out her drug-addicted brother.
She took out her sorrows on a one-night stand with an Uber driver.
She no longer recognizes herself, so a friend suggested she take over the “Dear Sugar” advice column.
It was a real-life Cheryl Strayed column, and Carol Pierce gave energizing and witty advice on avoiding certain life scenarios.
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Olivia Baker (All American)
Olivia Baker has been passionate and outspoken since All American began.
Typically, her Liv the Truth podcast served a beneficial purpose, such as when she spread the word about racism in Crenshaw. However, sometimes, her views were extreme, like releasing the police body-cam footage of Tamika’s death.
Olivia has always been a social activist, and getting off scot-free for the drunk driving accident fueled her.
That could have wrecked her mother’s legal career since Laura was trying to get justice for Tamika.
Olivia was similar to her father, and they even followed a story together about a corrupt football coach. When she won an award for it, she dedicated it to Billy.
All American won’t be the same without Olivia chasing a story or leading a cause.
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Rue Bennett (Euphoria)
Rue Bennett is the type of character that many viewers relate to. She’s memorable because so many of us have experienced loss.
Rue had access to drugs since she cared for her father, who died of cancer. That’s heartbreaking for a young teenager.
Like many teenagers, she went to rehab, and when she returned, she plastered a happy smile on her face and pretended she was sober.
She became so memorable because she deals with everyday teenage issues while coping with addiction, anxiety, and depression.
Rue then falls in love with Jules. In the beginning, this seems healthy, but as the story progresses, it almost seems like her relationship with Jules is a co-dependent replacement for drugs.
The drugs almost wrecked Rue’s life until her family did an emotional intervention during Euphoria Season 2. It was painful, haunting, and healing.
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Rhaenyra Targaryen (House of the Dragon)
Rhaenyra Targaryen has never followed the rules of the House of the Dragon.
Since she was a young girl, she understood the pressures of a woman being named to the throne in a man’s world.
She was her father’s daughter to the core and wanted to please King Viserys, but that didn’t mean she bowed to his will, especially with matters of the heart.
Her romantic choices often cause issues with the court, but she maintains control of her family and destiny.
Firstly, Rhaenyra is a mother, and she’s horrified when Aemond kills Luke and demands revenge.
It’s only when more children die that she begs Allicent to stop this war.
While Rhaenyra wants to prove she deserves the throne, she despises the senseless deaths of children.
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Georgia Miller (Ginny & Georgia)
Georgia Miller once said on Ginny & Georgia that she loves a good scam. That’s partly how she got a job working with Paul at the mayor’s office since she was not a lady of society.
Georgia had been abused by her stepfather as a young teen and ran away. That experience taught her not to take that behavior ever again, and when her boyfriend and Austin’s dad, Gil, abused her, she left him.
Georgia had a habit of running from abusive men, and that’s why the cops were after her. She killed her last husband because he hit on Ginny, and Georgia wanted a better life for her daughter.
Even though Ginny and Austin’s childhoods may not have been stable, Georgia tried to protect her children. Her decisions caught up with her, and she was arrested at her wedding. We can’t wait to see how she gets out of this one.
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Now that you’ve seen our picks, which imperfect TV females are on your list?
Let us know in the comments below.