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Cult TV Heroines

Since the 1990s, a new generation of female heroines has appeared on our TV screens: leading women who challenge gender stereotypes and redefine ‘main character energy’ for a 21st century audience.

One of the most iconic and enduring cult TV heroines is Dana Scully from The X-Files (1993-2018), portrayed by Gillian Anderson. Her character has had a profound and even quantifiable impact on audiences, as Jolene Mendel explores in her chapter ‘The Scully effect: The X-Files and women in STEM’, ‘Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of [American] women that work in STEM say Dana Scully served as their role model.’ The show resonated with audiences because of its inversion of gender stereotypes, as Lorna Jowett writes in this chapter of The Cult TV Book, ‘The X-Files presents the female Scully as logical, rational, and scientific and the male Mulder as impulsive, intuitive, and open to ‘irrational’ explanations…such representation helps develop contemporary cult characters who no longer match up neatly to traditional gender roles or gendered characteristics.’

Despite this, the show also reinforced gender roles, as evident in one of its longest story arcs, that of Scully’s alien abduction and subsequent pregnancy. Anne Sweet writes in her chapter ‘Moving into the mainstream: Pregnancy, Motherhood and Female TV Action Heroes’, ‘Scully was considered a trailblazer in terms of female agency on TV – with heroes like Xena and Buffy following directly in her wake – and yet she is also a victim, especially as pertains to maternity and her reproductive functions.’ The series’ ambiguous gender dynamics can be seen as a direct reflection of its generic ambiguity, as J.P. Telotte writes in this chapter of Science Fiction TV, ‘That sense of mixed elements, carries beyond plot lines and iconic images to the level of main characters, as the show centres its investigative activities on seemingly opposite central figures.’

This generic hybridity is equally present within Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy Summers is a high school student who fights vampires and other manifestations of the supernatural. As Carolyn Cocca writes in her chapter ‘Slayers. Every One of Us’, ‘Buffy is grounded in the Third Wave of feminism. She embodies an attractive female warrior while parodying it through her body and speech, criticizing the superhero and horror genres and gendered inequalities with humor.’ However, despite Buffy’s immense popularity, Gellar was never nominated for an Emmy. Rhonda Wilcox explains this oversight in her introduction to Why Buffy Matters, ‘Buffy suffers from prejudice related both to its medium, television, and its genre, fantasy.’ In contrast, Lorna Jowett writes in her chapter ‘Whedon, Feminism, and the Possibility of Feminist Horror on Television’, ‘the combination of TV and horror encourages, even necessitates, innovation and evolution. Buffy is one example of TV horror that examines how hard it is to be a woman over and over from all these different angles.’

Another notable 90s heroine is Xena from Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001) played by Lucy Lawless. As Kathleen Kennedy writes in this chapter of American Militarism on the Small Screen, ‘women like Xena, challenged men’s exclusive claim on the quest narrative…demonstrated women’s mastery of violence, command decisions, and rational problem solving.’ Over time, her character became equally as known for her martial skills as for her close relationship with her companion, Gabrielle. Although their sexuality is never explicitly confirmed, as Lynne Joyrich writes in this chapter of Queer TV, ‘sexual ambiguity is central to that show’s campy, fantasy appeal.’ Irrespective of whether their bond is interpreted as erotic, as Yvonne Tasker and Lindsay Steenburg write in their chapter ‘Women Warriors from Chivalry to Vengeance’, ‘for Xena, female friendship becomes a way both to redefine strength and to fight patriarchal dominance.’

These cult TV heroines share common traits of strength, intelligence, and emotional complexity. They break stereotypes and redefine gender roles, and while challenges in representation and character development persist, the impact of these heroines on society and popular culture is undeniable. As Catriona Miller writes in her conclusion to Cult TV Heroines, ‘the heroines are slowly gaining the ability to do things differently, opening up the possibilities of intergenerational solidarity and seeing progressive community as a source of change.’