15 of the All-Time Most Powerful Women on TV

Veronica Mars is coming back to TV. Now, don’t get excited — there are no new episodes in the works. (Kristen Bell is 31 years old at this point, after all.) But this Sunday, fans will be able to stuff themselves with wisecracking teen-sleuth goodness as SOAPnet kicks off its syndication of the series with an 11-hour marathon. We’re so excited to see such a strong female character on television again that we’re celebrating by rounding up 15 of the all-time most powerful women on TV. From Mary Richards to Daenerys Targaryen, our picks are after the jump. Leave your additions in the comments.

Veronica Mars, Veronica Mars

At 17 years old, Veronica Mars has endured more trauma by her junior year of high school than most people have to deal with in a lifetime: her best friend, Lily, is mysteriously murdered, her sheriff father is disgraced after accusing Lily’s father of the crime, she’s raped, and her alcoholic mother disappears. Thankfully, Veronica is also a brilliant and cynical detective-in-training, systematically untangling each and every one of her own complex mysteries while outsmarting her town’s stupid, corrupt new sheriff and solving those of her peers (for a price, naturally).

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Damages. Glenn Close would eat every single one of these wimps for lunch.

buffy can take sydney bristow with her 2 hands tied any day of the week, and still save the world. A lot.

This list was clearly made by someone (or many someones) from Generation Y.

Season 1 and 2 Liz Lemon from 30 Rock. LESLIE KNOPE FOR GOODNESS SAKES!

How in the world did you leave out Emma Peel from The Avengers?

Daria is a great choice! How about Beverly Crusher from Star Trek The Next Generation? She surely belongs here over that girl from HIMYM.

No Xena, no Gemma Teller, no Pam?

I have another that no one has mentioned (we get it there was no Dana Scully of Zena) Daria was a great female character, it was a cartoon sure, but you have a few of those in there. She is smart and funny and cool and not hot. A perfect combo, in my books

where's Xena and Dana Scully? any CatWoman (save Halle) Lynda Carter's WW? oh, and Arya > Dany! WINTERFELL!

Victoria Barkley (Barbara Stanwyck) of The Big Valley. At a time when male characters dominated westerns on TV, Victoria Barkley was as tough AND as powerful as any rancher.

ummm Harry's Law anybody? eh? eh?

Where is the Avenger's EMMA PEEL? Diana Rigg kicked some serious ass.

You know, I need to amend that. Samantha was always kowtowing to Darren's ego by subverting her powers, which was really dumb. Make that a vote for Endora.

Cagney and Lacey? Mrs. Jefferson? Jeannie? But most of all, Samantha of Bewitched!

How about Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack) from In Plain Sight?

What about Fringe's FBI Agent Olivia Dunham?

I think you have confused the word "powerful" with "tough." They are not interchangeable. Where I would say that someone like Maude was certainly tough (and where you said that Robin from HIMYM is tough), that isn't the same thing at all as having the ability to control your destiny or the fates of others, which is how I define "powerful." People like Alexis (Joan Collins) on "Dynasty" would qualify as having THAT kind of power. When I think of Sydney Bristow, I think of a person doing the best she can in a situation that she doesn't even fully understand. There's no "power" there; it's only survival. Others have suggested Xena which is right. Patty Hewes from Damages. THAT is power! Murphy Brown's power spilled from her show into the national scene when Dan Quayle took her on, perhaps making her the most powerful television woman, ever! Big props on having her on the list. Others that haven't been named yet: Repeating my #1 choice: Alexis from "Dynasty" Chloe from "24" Wonder Woman from "The Adventures of Wonder Woman" (too obvious?) Mary Beth Lacey from "Cagney & Lacey" Jennifer Marlowe from "WKRP in Cincinnati"

Kathryn Janeway from Star Trek Voyager

Echoing all the Xena calls! If you have Robin from "How I Met Your Mother" then Xena needs to be here.

Arguably the most powerful _ person_ in television and on television: Oprah.

I join the echoes of, "No Dana Scully?" I wanted to be her from ages 9-17; she was my role model. That woman was more than tough. Her dedication to her job and lack of interest in relationships made me land in therapy as an adult.

How about Lorelai Gilmore? She handled her power over Stars Hollow with brains, beauty, and wit.

erm: Xena - Xena Judge Judy - Judge Judy Scully - X files Angelica - RugRats!

Sydney Bristow - worst spy...ever.

Leela, from Futurama, would have been a nice touch. Xena too. But an interesting list nonetheless.

Where is Calamity Jane from Deadwood? And Wonderwoman?

How about the cast of wonderful bad ass female cops from Homicide? Don't forget Betty White's character, Sue Ann Nivens, from the Mary Tyler Moore show and Estelle Getty's character, Mama, from The Golden Girls...Ellen Degeneres is pretty bad ass if you ask me. Roseanne started out as a bad ass until her show kind of limped out...She had some cutting edge feminist views that other people were afraid to touch at that time...

Wait. Back-up. Shouldn't it be called All Time Most Powerful Female Characters on TV? A list for your chosen title would be stocked with figures like Oprah, Carol Burnett, Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, etc.

I completely agree with my fellow commenters: Where are Agent Scully? and President Roslin!

So Robyn is on the list by virtue of vaguely resembling Murphy Brown and Mary Tyler Moore? She has bravely avoided the trap of marriage in order to focus on her career of reporting tv news fluff. I would not exactly describe her as powerful. What about any of the women surgeons on Grey's Anatomy? They confront life and death situations (often taken from the real life news) as well as issues of love, family, and sacrifice while performing some of the most difficult work imaginable.

I don't think Robin (How I met your Mother) is masculine/boyish/butchy just because she doesn't want marriage and children. In fact, this is a very common sentiment nowadays amongst young women. Many are putting off marriage and childbirth for as long as possible. I think the "boyish" vibe you might be getting from this character is from her athleticism. She used to play hockey in high school. Hockey is very popular in Canada which is where her character is from (and I beleive in real life she might be Canadian as well). So I guess you could say Robin used to be a tomboy before she became a polished news reporter. But if anything, I think the fact that she doesn't want to settle down and start a family just makes her all the more "girly" since so many girls now think this way. If I had to sum up this character, I would say Robin is a stereotypical modern girl who used to be a tomboy when she was a kid.

While I admit I watch & enjoy HIMYM I'd have to say I don't think Robyn belongs on this list.

Wow, no Agent Dana Scully? She is by far my favorite female character ever.

How about Carla from Cheers? Also, after next year, we will have to revisit this list to add Michonne from The Walking Dead

@Emleigh - Sarah Jane was great, but Leela was way cooler (and screamed less). Liz Grant might have been a contender, though

Hello, Farscape's Aeryn Sun, please. Or Stargate Atlantis' Teyla. Maybe there's some kind of warrior woman/science fiction quota which would explain the noted and baffling absence of Xena. And pretty much any other character Gina Torres has played would qualify as well.

While Starbuck is a bona fide badass, if I were to choose a representative from BSG, it'd be President Laura Roslin, who went from school teacher to President of the human race and, you know, savior of the species.

Where is Trinity from the Matrix series? How about Sarah Conner from Terminator? Jaime Sommers (THE one and only bionic woman!). I could go on...

Um...No Xena? This list is seriously dubious. And as much as I adore Leela, Sarah Jane Smith would have been the better Classic Who companion in my opinion.

Summer Glau as River Tam (Firefly), Alex Kingston as River Song (Dr Who) I mean at one time kind of a baby niece to the Doctor, at another time, his lover, and to top all that the woman who killed Dr Who, how powerful is that?

I agree with Alexandra-- Julia Sugarbaker TOTALLY should've been on this list!

Sydney Bristow is on this list, therefore its validity cannot be questioned. I think this is great! (Love Veronica Mars, Daenerys, and Starbuck, too!)

No agent Scully? She rescued Mulder as often as he rescued her. And I gotta say something for Julia Sugarbaker from Designing Women, they didn't call her the Terminator for nothing!