5. Kat from the Bold Type
Kat is seen as the second banana to Jane Sloan, but her presence dominates every scene. She's culturally and politically diverse with the grace to accept others' opinions. With this being said, she takes zero crap from anyone when it comes to what she believes in. She's a lovable and relatable character and the millennial role model women need.
4. Caroline from The Vampire Diaries
Everyone who loves this series knows it revolved around Elena Gilbert and the Salvatore brothers. But after the love triangle gets old, it's revealed Elena isn't capable of much besides crying and being saved, while Caroline has ambition and drive to live her life, even though it was halted by her vampirism. She later loses multiple loves, her mother, and the town she loved dearly. Let's not forget about her being a kickass mom. Elena going into a permanent coma was devastating, but it showed Caroline could hold the whole TV show all on her own.
3. Lexa from the 100
She was only featured in seasons 2 and 3, but in that time she made a lasting impression. She was a fierce and complex character. She took over being commander of the human race in her early teens. She loved and she lost, but she never put herself above her people. Killing her off was probably the worst decision the CW has made.
2. Moira from the Handmaid's Tale
In no way am I saying June is not a strong and empathic character, but Moira represents another journey that viewers should get the chance to learn about. How'd she get captured by Gilead? How, with her smart mouth, did she survive? What was Jezebel's like? As a refugee in Canada, what's her life like now? What has Gilead taken from her that she'll never get back?
1. Cristina Yang from Grey's Anatomy
The true queen of ABC. Cristina represented everything Meredith was not at the beginning of the series. She embodied strength, drive, and independence. She didn't look for anyone's approval and didn't apologize for it. She made Meredith and everyone around her better. She never felt bad because she didn't want to be a mother and refused to let anyone make her feel like less of a woman because she didn't want to bear children. Her leaving for Zurich was a devastating loss for the show, but also again for her character. She never lost sight of her goals.