Flavorwire

This Sunday’s Political Animals finale marks the near-end of one great year in television — specifically for the ladies. What was supposed to be the year of “the sad men,” ended up being the year of women kicking ass, in their jobs, on the battlefield, and (at the risk of sounding cheesy) in being true to themselves. Yes, Liz Lemon and Jess Day have received their share of flack, but they own their weirdness, and not in a faux-geek way (see Newsroom‘s Maggie Jordan dodge those bullets). From Pawnee and Capitol Hill to Westeros and beyond, television’s past year of intelligent, empowered, and awesomely flawed female characters is nearly enough to make us forget Sorkin’s “women problem,” which has been stealing our attention for over the past month (some publications have even kept tabs with their own Sorkin Sexism Watch). So here’s to the ladies, and what we hope will be an even better season beginning in September. If you’d like to pay tribute to your own personal favorite TV goddess, please do so in the comments.

CREDITS
edited by MICHELLE RAFFERTY
music by Jim Jones ft. Lloyd and Girl Talk
featuring (in order of appearance):
LESLIE KNOPE and THE PAWNEE GODDESSES– Parks and Recreation 
CARRIE MATHISON – Homeland
LUNA GARZA – True Blood
PEGGY OLSON – Mad Men
ELAINE BARRISH – Political Animals 
JESSICA PEARSON – Suits
YGRITTE – Game of Thrones
EMILY THORNE – Revenge
EILEEN RAND – Smash
JESS DAY – New Girl
PATTY HEWES and  ELLEN PARSONS– Damages
LEELA and AMY – Futurama 
EMMA SWAN – Once Upon a Time
BRIENNE OF TARTH – Game of Thrones
TARA THORNTON– True Blood
JOAN HOLLOWAY– Mad Men
SYBIL CRAWLEY – Downton Abbey
SHIRLEY BENNET and ANNIE EDISON – Community
LIZ LEMON – 30 Rock
NIKITA MEARS – Nikita
OLIVIA POPE – Scandal
JANE BINGUM – Drop Dead Diva
GEMMA TELLER MORROW – Sons of Anarchy
OLIVIA BENSON – Law & Order
OLIVIA DUNHAM – Fringe 
BRITTA PERRY– Community
REAGAN BRINKLEY– Up All Night 
DONNA MEAGLE – Parks and Recreation 
VICE PRESIDENT SELINA MEYER – Veep
ALEX UDINOV– Nikita 
SUSAN BERG– Political Animals
DAENERYS TARGARYEN– Game of Thrones