Top Ten TV Shows from the 70’s and 80’s Starring Independent Women

While TV may have a bit more work to do in depicting strong, independent women, there’s been a lot of progress since the early decades of television when lead actors were predominately white males and any woman who did appear was vacuuming in pearls. Here are ten shows with female lead actors that helped break that televised glass ceiling during the 1970s and 80s, and paved the way for Buffy Summers, Rizzoli and Isles, and the whole cast of OITNB.

10. The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Mary with Betty White's Sue Ann Nivens (Time, Inc.) / Via img2-1.timeinc.net

Might as well start at the beginning: Every woman on this list owes MTM a little something. In 1970, Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) hit the little screen right between its man-focused eyes. Along with her BFF, Rhoda (Valerie Harper), Mary faced the challenges of being a modern woman, working for a living and dealing with the stresses of life in the big city of Minneapolis. Groundbreaking for its time, TMTMS featured a single career-oriented female as the title character who was neither grieving the loss of a man nor looking for a new one. Hey, is that Betty White? I didn’t know she was young once.

9. Kate and Allie

Allie and Kate in their kitchen (Huffington Post TV) / Via cdn.aarp.net

1984 brought us Kate (Jane Curtin—yes, the one from classic SNL) and Allie (Susan Saint James): These two recently divorced mothers decide the best way to cope with their circumstances is to move themselves and their kids in together and call it a blended family. Initially Kate takes on the role of the working parent while Allie stays home with the kids. Later in the series, the women start their own catering business. Although in the last season of the show Allie remarried, creating a bizarre woman-woman-man household and a shark jumping moment, the show is memorable for its depictions of the titular women attempting to balance the demands of work, motherhood, and modern relationships. Modern family, indeed.

8. The Secrets of Isis

The Secrets of Isis title card (http://Hulu.com) / Via ib4.huluim.com

Mild mannered high school science teacher, Andrea Thomas (Joanna Cameron) needed only to chant "Oh Mighty Isis" to be magically transformed via a golden amulet into the Egyptian goddess Isis with command over animals and the elements in this 1975 live action comic book show. Thus transformed, she called on the forces of nature to aid her in rescuing her unwitting high school students from the dilemma of the week. Occasionally teaming up with Captain Marvel to battle injustice, this teacher-turned-goddess delivered a weekly morality lesson to her young audience. Stay in school, kids.

7. One Day at a Time

Ann Romano listens skeptically to her daughters (The Village Voice) / Via blogs.villagevoice.com

Ann Romano (Bonnie Franklin), a divorced mother of two teenage daughters, Julie (Mackenzie Phillips) and Barbara (Valerie Bertinelli), struggles with the ins and outs of single parenthood while dealing with what it means to be a working woman in the age of second wave feminism. By depicting single motherhood resulting from divorce rather than widowing, the show pushed the boundaries of the traditional TV family, a feat that audiences seemed to appreciate: The show ran for nine seasons, from 1975-1984.

6. Alice

Vera, Alice, and Flo in Mel's Diner (DVD Talk) / Via dvdtalk.com

Turned into a sitcom for television two year after the 1974 movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore on which it is based, the show depicts eponymous Alice (Linda Lavin) working as a waitress at a greasy spoon with her cohorts, loudmouthed Flo (Polly Holliday) and dingy Vera (Beth Howland). Although the show got away from the film version’s drama dealing with spousal abuse and death, Alice still managed to keep it real by focusing on a lower-income single mom trying to make her way in the world. Hey, is that George Clooney? Wikipedia doesn’t even remember he appeared on this show with his aunt Rosemary. My source? Your mom. Kiss my grits.

5. Laverne and Shirley

Laverne and Shirley opening credits sequence (Rancho Kincaid) / Via wordpress.com

This 1976 Happy Days spin-off had subtext galore with Laverne De Fazio (a pre-directing Penny Marshall) and Shirley Feeney (Cindy Williams) living together in a small apartment, working days in the beer bottling plant and spending their nights bowling. Shirley’s boyfriend Carmen was always forced to take cold showers since Shirley would usually rather spend her time with her gal pal drinking milk mixed with Pepsi (seriously, that’s what Laverne drank) and snuggling her stuffed cat Boo Boo Kitty. Despite the predictable sit-com silliness of some of the episodes inevitably involving dating snafus, the show was groundbreaking in its depiction of two young women from a lower socioeconomic status living and working together in 1950s Milwaukee.

4. Maude

Bea Arthur with guest Esther Rolle (http://Boston.com) / Via cache.boston.com

Featuring pre-golden girl Bea Arthur in the title role, Maude told the story of its hip early 1970s leading lady: a liberal advocating feminist living through the initial years of the woman's rights movement. Originating as a spin-off of All in the Family, Maude offered a nice counter-point to Archie Bunker’s conservative, ignorant world-view. In one provocative episode, Maude gets an illegal abortion--before Roe v. Wade. The show was not shy about its feminist agenda and neither was Arthur. By the way, did you know that Bea Arthur was a goddamn U.S. Marine? Oo-rah.

3. Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman in action (Comic Book Brain) / Via comicbookbrain.com

The mid-1970s was a great time for live action superheroes. Even though her costume is dated and that bustier rather pointy, this TV Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter) kicked some serious butt. With her bullet-deflecting bracelets, invisible airplane, and magic lasso that could wrangle the truth out of any man, Wonder Woman inspired a generation of girls to be their own superheroes. And while she may be a bit more concerned about her hair than Xena, the Warrior Princess still owes her a debt.

2. The Facts of Life

Eastland Academy family portrait (Michael’s TV Tray) / Via wordpress.com

Every gay girl who grew up in the early 1980s had a crush on the too-cool-for-school Jo Polniaczek (Nancy McKeon). She motors into Eastland Academy, the all-girls prep school, on her cycle and upsets the carefully manicured life of preppy Blair Warner (Lisa Whelchel). Under the caring tutelage of housemother Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) the two eventually develop a close friendship despite being constantly at odds in every episode. In addition to these characters the show featured an ensemble cast of females, one of whom was played by Geri Jewell, an actor with cerebral palsy and the first ever reoccurring character with a disability on prime time TV. Given how whitewashed this list is, it’s good to have Tootie (Kim Fields) roll in on her skates and say something snarky. Preach, Tootie. Oh, and look, there’s George Clooney again, hanging with the girls. That guy got around.

1. Cagney and Lacey

Detectives Lacey and Cagney (Stateside Stills) / Via statesidestills.com

Far and away, the number one slot goes to this groundbreaking police procedural, the first to feature female partners in the lead roles. Single, second generation cop Detective Christine Cagney (Sharon Gless—yes, Michael’s mom from Burn Notice) teams up with married-with-children Detective Mary Beth Lacy (Tyne Daly) to fight crime in New York City and manage their personal lives. Memorable for its balance of action and heart, this show brought home awards by the armload. Every year from 1983 to 1988 either Gless or Daly won the Emmy for best actress in a drama, and for good reason. The show touched on serious cultural issues, especially those of interest to women, people of color, and LGBTQ-identified folks, which many of its contemporaries shied away from, including rape, AIDS, alcoholism, and racial bias in law enforcement. Olivia Benson, thank your auties.