The best television shows with female leads don't only showcase how far representation in entertainment has come since the earliest days of TV, but also how series led by women have been among the best TV shows of the last few decades overall. The rise of strong female characters on the small screen has led to some of the best shows and characters on it too. From Xena to Buffy Summers, women proved they could become supernatural hunters and save the world better than even the toughest of men. Over the years, the female lead character has evolved to take on different forms and different genres.

From superheroes to leaders of FBI teams, to ruthless lawyers and savant surgeons, there are many powerful female leads in modern television. After decades of male overrepresentation, women have taken the small screen by storm and created stories that keep viewers glued for hours...