From expert hackers to badass warriors to take-no-prisoners lawyers, there were so many fierce female characters on TV this year that it can be hard to choose favorites. With the TV industry changing at an exponential pace, finally reflecting what society actually looks like with strong female characters, 2018 was a great year for onscreen female representation.
But TV Times users did the impossible and narrowed down their favorite female TV characters from the past year to the top 20, so scroll down to see which one reined supreme and why. Did your favorite make the list?
20. Lana Parrilla - "Regina Mills" (Once Upon A Time)
The Evil Queen that won our hearts with dark magic. Regina was Storybrooke's favorite villain whose series evolution proved there was a some good in her after all.
19. Emily Bett Rickards - "Felicity Smoak" (Arrow)
Felicity Smoak can hack her way into anything, including our hearts. She's strong, independent and even pulled off the impossible: she got Oliver Queen to open up and fall in love.
18. Úrsula Corberó - "Tokio" (Money Heist)
Silene makes crime look so good.
17. Sarah Drew - "April Kepner" (Grey's Anatomy)
This year may have been April Kepner's swan song on the long-running ABC drama, but that meant her story ended on the most epic note. She kept her faith, and it paid off. We're still crying, tbh.
16. Gina Rodriguez - "Jane Villanueva" (Jane the Virgin)
With all the crazy telenovela hijinks Jane has had to put up with ever since she got pregnant, it's impressive how she still has the same optimism and joy for life all these years later. This mom has got a heart of gold no matter what life throws at her.
15. Jessica Barden - "Alyssa" (The End of the F***ing World)
Alyssa may be young but her strong sense of self and confidence is something we can all aspire to have. Just maybe with a little less murder.
14. Lisa Kudrow - "Phoebe Buffay" (Friends)
This classic character is still making fans fall in love with her two decades later! Phoebe Buffay's wacky personality and unique songs just keep us coming back for more.
13. Camila Mendes - "Veronica Lodge" (Riverdale)
Veronica has a quippy comeback for anything, but it's her loyalty to her friends and her commitment to doing what's right (even if that means going against her scary, crime boss of a father) is what fans really love about this queen bee.
12. Eliza Taylor - "Clarke Griffin" (The 100)
When the apocalypse comes, you better hope to have someone like Clarke Griffin around and on your team. The bisexual teen is an icon for LGBTQ representation in sci-fi, and as the leader of the post-apocalyptic group of heroes she always makes the tough calls ... even if that means murdering hundreds of people just to keep her own safe. Don't get on her bad side.
11. Marie Avgeropoulos - "Octavia Blake" (The 100)
Another badass warrior on The 100, Octavia is like the darker version of Clarke ... only much, much darker. Do *not* get on her bad side.
10. Kiernan Shipka - "Sabrina Spellman" (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina)
This is not your childhood Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Netflix's version of Sabrina is much darker, way more feminist and a real role model in staying true to yourself, even if it means standing up to the devil himself.
9. Melissa Benoist - "Kara Danvers" (Supergirl)
A beacon of hope and love, Kara Danvers is a hero both with a cape and without. But the cape is pretty cool.
8. Madelaine Petsch - "Cheryl Blossom" (Riverdale)
Cheryl Blossom may have started out as a bully, but over the past three seasons she's become a champion for the downtrodden and an LGBTQ icon who overcame adversity and prejudice from her own family. Plus, she's not bad with a bow and arrow.
7. Kristen Bell - "Eleanor Shellstrop" (The Good Place)
Selfish, mean and totally flawed, Eleanor Shellstrop doesn't sound like a character that fans would love. But she's learning how to be a better person, evolving and becoming selfless, kind and a work in progress. That's pretty forkin' awesome.
6. Lili Reinhart - "Betty Cooper" (Riverdale)
This modern retelling of Betty Cooper isn't just a whiz with cars, she's also an intrepid investigative journalist who has solved murder mysteries and helped put her own serial killer father in jail. Plus she's a straight-A student and rocks one hell of a high-pony. Talk about serious #goals.
5. Elisabeth Moss - "June/Offred" (Handmaid's Tale)
With the amount of tragedy that June has had to endure in this dystopian future, no one would blame her for breaking down and giving up. But the fact that she refuses to give up and instead wants to burn the whole corrupt society down from the inside at her own personal cost is incredibly inspiring.
4. Elizabeth Gillies - "Fallon Carrington" (Dynasty)
Fallon's covetable closet isn't the only reason why she's so high on this list. Her sarcastic yet brutally honest one-liners have earned her a place in fans' hearts forever. Plus she's incredibly smart, business savvy and has the kind of confidence you could only dream of.
3. Krysten Ritter - "Jessica Jones" (Marvel's Jessica Jones)
The hard-drinking, wise-cracking private investigator doesn't take crap from anyone. Plus, she's got super strength. How could you not love her?
2. Ellen Pompeo - "Meredith Grey" (Grey's Anatomy)
Meredith Grey has gone through so many highs and so many lows during the past decade and a half of Grey's Anatomy, but she's finally finding happiness and new love. Fans couldn't be happier for her.
1. Viola Davis - "Annalise Keating" (How to Get Away with Murder)
But the No. 1 female TV character of 2018 is none other than Annalise Keating. She's the best lawyer in the game, no matter how much crazy drama she finds herself in the middle of.
