From Game of Thrones to GLOW: A Salute to the Women Kicking So Much Ass on TV This Summer

Let's take a moment and just soak in all the awesome performances from these kick-butt women

By Chris Harnick Jun 26, 2017 6:20 PMTags
Playing House, GLOW, Claws, Preacher, Badass women of TVUSA, Netflix, TNT, AMC

To quote Cher, "This is a woman's world," and honestly, we couldn't be happier.

Women are ruling the box office—Wonder Woman is the hero we all need—and are continuing to tear it up on TV with a gambit of shows featuring some of the most badass (in their own ways) characters. The summer of 2017 is officially the summer of kick-butt women on TV, from the women going after the Iron Throne on Game of Thrones to the two best friends who turned a real-life cancer battle into a sweet comedy in Playing House.

 

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All hail these kickass women!

Ruth Negga, Preacher

The Oscar nominee is back in action as Tulip on Preacher, where she kicks butt and takes names like nobody's business. Brash and funny, Tulip is somebody you want on your side at all times.

Preacher airs Mondays, 9 p.m. on AMC.

The Ladies of Game of Thrones

HBO's fantasy drama has arguably some of the most kickass women on TV. From Cersei to Daenerys and everyone in between, these women make the battle for Westeros exciting and deadly.

Game of Thrones returns Sunday, July 16 on HBO.

Jessie Graff, American Ninja Warrior

She's back! The American Ninja Warrior veteran returns to inspire—and kick that course's butt.

American Ninja Warrior airs Mondays, 8 p.m. on NBC.

Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black

Remember when Tatiana Maslany finally won an Emmy for playing 35,231 characters on Orphan Black? OK, not that many characters, but still. The final season is one you don't want to miss, but we'll sure miss seeing Maslany on oru TV screens on a weekly basis handling the hefty task of playing so many characters so expertly.

Orphan Black airs Saturdays, 10 p.m. on BBC America.

Melanie Scrofano, Wynonna Earp

Battling demons with one killer revolver, Melanie Scrofano is the Buffy Summers of TV today.

Wynonna Earp airs Fridays, 10 p.m. on Syfy.

Jessica St. Clair & Lennon Parham, Playing House

Jessica St. Clair battled breast cancer IRL with Lennon Parham, her TV and real life best friend right by her side. What'd they do after kicking cancer's butt? Wrote it into the third season of their hilarious USA Network comedy. Heartwarming and hilarious in all the right ways.

Playing House airs Fridays, 11 p.m. on USA and the entirety of season three is available on demand, USA Now App and USANetwork.com.

Rachel, The Bachelorette

Best Bachelorette star ever? Rachel Lindsay is fiercely smart and takes no nonsense from the men who are pursuing her heart.

The Bachelorette airs Mondays, 8 p.m. on ABC.

Laura Dern, Twin Peaks

We may have no clue what's going on half the time in David Lynch's revival of his seminal series, but we sat up straight and paid attention when this Oscar nominee showed up as the original run's oft-mentioned but never-seen Diane. She filled the screen with a righteous anger and an urgency the show had been missing in its first six hours. We'll be watching all summer long, impatiently awaiting her return.

Twin Peaks airs Sundays, 9 p.m. on Showtime.

Ilana Glazer & Abbi Jacobson, Broad City

The take-no-prisoners duo is back for a fourth season on Comedy Central and there's only one thing to say: "Yas Kweens!"

Broad City returns August 23 on Comedy Central.

Hannah John-Kamen, Killjoys

Dual roles ain't no thang in the world of science fiction shows. Hannah John-Kamen plays bounty hunter Yalena "Dutch" Yardeen and the Hullen leader Aneela, in the Syfy series Killjoys. Their mysterious connection remains just that, a mystery.

Killjoys returns June 30 at 8 p.m. on Syfy.

The Ladies of Claws

TNT's neo-noir dramedy is one of the best new shows of the summer. Headlined by Niecy Nash and Carrie Preston, the wildly entertaining series follows manicurists who do much more than nails. You kind of have to when the mob is involved.

Claws airs Sundays, 9 p.m. on TNT.

Krysten Ritter, The Defenders

Jessica Jones, your favorite snarky superhero returns in Marvel's The Defenders. She'll kick your butt, down a bottle of whiskey and do it all over again happily.

The Defenders premieres August 17 on Netflix.

Sigourney Weaver, The Defenders

When you combine the likes of Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage and Daredevil, you need an adversary that can standup to their combined might and still be threatening. Oscar nominee Sigourney Weaver can do all that and more in The Defenders, which premieres August 17.

The Ladies of Orange Is the New Black

The inmates of Litchfield have a three-day riot this season and unexpected leaders emerge in Danielle Brooks' Taystee and Laura Prepon's Alex. You've known these ladies were killer (some are actually killers), this season is no different.

Orange Is the New Black is now streaming on Netflix.

Kim Dickens, Fear the Walking Dead

Kim Dickens has been kicking zombie butt for three seasons now and is showing no signs of slowing down. Just look at that picture!

Fear the Walking Dead airs Sundays, 9 p.m. on AMC.

The Ladies of GLOW

This is the summer series everybody is talking about. Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin headline the truly kick-butt cast of GLOW. Hey, it's a fun and well-written series about the old series Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, of course they're all badass.

GLOW is now streaming on Netflix.

Issa Rae, Insecure

Issa Rae returns this July as Issa in Insecure, the hilarious and topical HBO comedy she also created. Full of quick jokes and relatable characters, we're very secure about our love for Rae and her comedy series.

Insecure returns Sunday, July 23 at 10:30 p.m. on HBO.

Jessica Biel, The Sinner

Jessica Biel returns to TV in the August summer series from USA Network. She plays Cora, a young mother who commits a very public act of violence, but has no idea why.

The Sinner premieres Wednesday, Aug. 2 at 10 p.m. on USA Network.

Veronica, The Challenge

The OG of MTV's The Challenge is back on our screens and naturally kicking butt.

The Challenge XXX: Dirty Thirty premieres Tuesday, July 18.

Who's your favorite kickass woman of the summer? Tell us in the comments below.

(E!, USA Network, Syfy and NBC are all part of the NBCUniversal family.)