End Of TV’s Boys Clubs?

The focus is on shows like AMC’s Mad Men and HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. They sweep Emmy awards. And they mostly feature male leads.

But recently going toe-to-toe with the boys clubs are critically acclaimed and award-snagging shows featuring female leads.

For example, the comedy Parks and Recreation, led by Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones, premiered its fifth season, this Fall.

Poehler (who is also executive producer on the show) portrays Leslie Knope – an intrepid, small-town government employee turned politician.

“Knope is an unusual character because she’s kind, smart, positive and honest all the time,” says Lucia Giusti of HeroineTV.com, a site that champions portrayals of strong women in media.

Then, beginning its third season in January, the drama Downton Abbey features many leading ladies like Dame Maggie Smith and Elizabeth McGovern. It follows the lives of an aristocratic family in the early 1900’s and manages to convey the resilience and power women had at a time when dowries were still commonplace.

“Although it’s a period piece, it’s not done in a romanticized way,” says Guisti, “because there’s so much more going on for these women.”

And the first season of The Mindy Project, created by Mindy Kaling, also premiered this Fall. Kaling plays an OB-GYN who is desperately addicted to rom-coms and working on her love life. Although it’s Kaling’s first lead role, she previously wrote, produced and acted in The Office.

Guisti adds, “more shows are creating real women that aren’t cardboard cut-outs.”

Bonus PINK Link: Nely Galan, a powerful female figure behind the scenes in television, shares her success.

What’s your favorite female-centric TV show?

By Carmen Harbour

“We’re women. We have a double standard to live up to.” Ally McBeal