15 Female TV Characters Who Had The Most Compelling Story Arcs Of All Time

Cece from New Girl grew soooo much.

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which TV characters had the most growth in a series, and it turns out that a lot of the submissions were female characters! Here are some of the amazing responses.

Spoilers ahead, folks!

1. Brooke Davis from One Tree Hill:

The WB

"She went from being a shallow and selfish girl to one of the kindest, most hardworking, and most determined women on the show, and it was written in a way that truly made you believe it. She felt real."

—linn_line

2. Gabrielle Solis from Desperate Housewives:

ABC

"At the start of the series, she was a glamorous housewife who valued material things more than relationships, and she was cheating on her husband. By the end of the series, she was a much better person. She learned the value of family and had become a mother who fought tooth and nail for her kids."

—mattyc3

3. Alicia Clark from Fear the Walking Dead:

AMC

"She went from being a normal high school student to a badass zombie killer. Her scenes in 'This Land Is Your Land' were amazing, putting down all the bitten and then all the dead."

—jezabelg2

4. Regina Mills (Evil Queen) from Once Upon a Time:

ABC

"The Evil Queen started out as a heartless villain, but she made me cry time and time again by the end. Her journey to redemption was incredible. She became the most complex and loving character."

—rowzramirez

5. Sansa Stark from Game of Thrones:

HBO

"She was a whiny person who only wanted to please Joffrey (big mistake), and I couldn’t stand her! But after everything she went through with Joffrey, Ramsay, and Littlefinger, she ended up being my favorite character and the strong, independent leader the North needed!"

—BecksA1031

6. Ahsoka Tano from Star Wars: The Clone Wars:

Lucasfilm Animation

"She had one of the best character arcs of the entire Star Wars saga, and I feel like she isn't given enough props for it. She went from being an impulsive child to a strong, devoted young woman who was able to overcome enormous hardships to find her true calling outside the Jedi Order. The most incredible part of her journey, to me, was how so many people hated her when she first appeared, and now she's one of the most enduring, beloved characters in the whole saga."

—Femkat

7. Cordelia Goode from American Horror Story:

FX

"Her metamorphosis from being the pushover headmistress of a dying coven who lived in the shadow of Fiona’s supremacy to the steadfast and powerful reigning Supreme of a flourishing coven was incredible. She was willing to do whatever was needed to defeat the Antichrist and save the world. If this isn’t an example of immense character growth, I don’t know what is."

—BlissfullyNoir

8. Mona Vanderwaal from Pretty Little Liars:

ABC Family / Freeform

"It’s hard to pick, but Mona from Pretty Little Liars went from a villain to a hero. Mona was literally torturing everyone but ended up being a key part in helping them discover truths after new 'A' rolled in."

—Kevin Dix

9. Christy and Bonnie from Mom:

CBS

"In the beginning they weren't great people, especially to each other. But as the seasons went on and their recovery progressed, they turned into a pretty good mom-and-daughter duo who became better people overall."

—stargayzing

10. Phoebe Halliwell from Charmed:

The WB

"She started off as a selfish slacker whose only concerns were cute guys and partying. She stepped up when Prue died and Piper fell apart; the Power of Three would not have been reinstated without her. Even though she ended up having her happily ever after with Coop, she proved that she didn't NEED a man and she could actually thrive on her own."

—MistyStorm

11. Zulema Zahir from Locked Up:

Antena 3 / Fox Spain

"Zulema's evolution was amazing, and anyone who saw the show can rightly admit it!"

—ferdinandamaicuta

12. Tiffany Doggett from Orange Is the New Black:

Netflix

"Tiffany Doggett deserves a place on this list. No one went through a bigger character change than she did, and I will never get over how her story ended. She deserved more! Don't get me started on poor Taystee and Maritza — ugh, that show!"

—rebeccasnuggs

13. Cece Parekh from New Girl:

Fox

"I rewatched New Girl this year, and I was deeply in awe of Cece's personal growth! She went from being Jess's standoffish model friend to a woman who went back to school to get her degree and pursued her dreams. She was always bluntly honest with the gang, but by the end of the series, she was honest with herself and what she wanted."

—Kayla Yandoli

14. Julie Cooper from The O.C.:

Fox

"Julie was a conniving and terrible mother, but she grew to be so incredibly humble. You could tell she really started to care about and treasure her relationships with her family and friends. She was just the best."

—ohthatshari

15. And Eleanor Shellstrop from The Good Place:

NBC

"Eleanor Shellstrop went from being our favorite Arizona trash bag to the brains and heart of the experiment who saved all of humanity. She turned into a caring friend who was open about her vulnerability, and she looked out for every member of Team Cockroach, even if it meant sacrificing her true love."

—ananyeah

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Which female TV character do *you* think had the most personal growth? Let us know in the comments below!