Top 10 Best Female Performances in a TV Show

Television has given us some of the most unforgettable performances in entertainment history, with incredible female actors leading the charge in many of our favorite shows.

From roles that make us laugh out loud to those that bring us to tears, these performances stand out for their depth, nuance, and the sheer talent behind them.

The Top Ten

  1. Gillian Anderson (The X-Files)

    Gillian Leigh Anderson is an American and British actress, activist, and writer known for her work in film, television, and theater. She gained international fame for her role as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully on The X-Files. Anderson has also received critical acclaim for her performances in The Fall... read more

    She is always so brilliant and versatile. And obviously, she's beautiful and hot. What more can you ask for?

    Gillian did such a great job as Special Agent Scully in The X-Files. Great job, Gillian Anderson!

    The best of the best! She was phenomenal!

  2. Emily Joyce (My Hero)

  3. Marsai Martin (black-ish)

    Martin is an acting powerhouse.

  4. Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn (Small Axe)

  5. Retta (Good Girls)

    Not a great series, but Retta gives a terrific performance.

  6. Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat)

  7. Michelle Dockery (Hogfather)

  8. Jennifer Aniston (Friends)

    Jennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, producer, and businesswoman. She's the daughter of Greek actor John Aniston and American actress Nancy Dow. Aniston rose to worldwide fame portraying Rachel Green on the sitcom Friends, earning a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen... read more

    I find her charming, cute, funny, and sexy as hell!

    But hey, where is Phoebe?

  9. Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

  10. Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)

    Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara is a Colombian-American actress, comedian, producer, television host, model, and businesswoman. She rose to prominence co-hosting Spanish-language television shows in the 1990s and later gained international fame for her role as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on the hit sitcom... read more

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    Candice Accola (The Vampire Diaries)

  12. ?

    Rose McGowan (Charmed)

    Rose Arianna McGowan (born September 5, 1973) is an American actress known for her work in television and film. She starred as Paige Matthews in the TV series Charmed and played Cherry Darling in the 2007 action-horror film Planet Terror. In 2018, she launched her four-part documentary series Citizen... read more

    13. The Contenders

  13. Lisa Kudrow (Friends)

    Lisa Valerie Kudrow is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay on Friends. She earned both Emmy and Screen Actors Guild awards for her performance. In addition to her iconic sitcom role, she has written, created, and produced various television projects... read more

    Phoebe is my favourite character of all time, and Lisa Kudrow really deserved the Emmy she won. She should have won another one.

  14. Lana Parrilla (Once Upon a Time)

    Love her acting in Once Upon a Time. She brought the character to life and made us all feel that she was feeling 100 things at a time.

    The Queen is dead. Long live the Evil Queen!

  15. Claire Foy (Going Postal)

  16. Rita Moreno (One Day at a Time)

  17. Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)

    Amy Poehler is an American actress, comedian, director, producer, and writer. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, she became a founding member of the improvisational comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade. She gained widespread recognition as a cast member... read more

  18. Ariel Winter (Modern Family)

    Ariel Winter Workman, known professionally as Ariel Winter, is an American actress born on January 28, 1998. She is best known for her role as Alex Dunphy on the ABC sitcom Modern Family, which aired from 2009 to 2020. Winter also voiced Sofia in the animated series Sofia the First and has appeared in... read more

  19. AnnaSophia Robb (Little Fires Everywhere)

  20. Lily Tomlin (Grace and Frankie)

  21. Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones)

    Natalie Dormer is an English actress. Born and raised in Berkshire, she attended Chiltern Edge Secondary School and Reading Blue Coat School before training at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She is best known for her roles in The Tudors, Game of Thrones, and The Hunger Games film... read more

  22. Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones)

  23. Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones)

  24. Peta Wilson (La Femme Nikita)

    I was torn between voting for Lucille Ball and Peta Wilson, but La Femme Nikita was such a favorite of mine during my late teens. The drama and complexity of the show, along with Nikita's evolution, were great to watch.

  25. Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess)

    Xena is a beautiful woman, an excellent fighter, with good speed and impressive physical skills. She has super hair and an excellent costume, plus her big, powerful kicks.

    Xena is a princess and a skilled fighter, delivering kicks, punches, and jumps. She's truly a special warrior woman.

    As a warrior princess, Xena is brave, delivering super kicks, punches, rotations, and taekwondo-style jumps.

  26. Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things)

    Millie Bobby Brown is an English actress, producer, and model. She is known for her breakout role as Jane "Eleven" Ives, later Jane Hopper, in the Netflix science fiction drama series Stranger Things. Brown has also starred in films such as Enola Holmes and Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

  27. Lena Headey (Game of Thrones)

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