We all know Harry Potter’s Hermione Granger, the poster girl for smart girls all over the world. But as we won’t see Hermione in any more books or movies soon (aside from Cursed Child, of course!), I’ve turned to the television for new characters to adore. My favorite characters tend to be the brainy girls who have the smarts and the skills to outwit villains, conquer tricky situations, and even just take on daily life with confidence. Here’s a list in no particular order of my top eight resourceful and bright female television characters on television today:
1. Jemma Simmons, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Jemma, played by Elizabeth Henstridge, works for S.H.I.E.L.D. as an agent and scientist. She’s a biochemist, recruited to work with her partner, Leopold Fitz, for Phil Coulson. Jemma’s one of S.H.I.E.L.D Academy’s youngest graduates, and even went undercover at HYDRA to gather intel for S.H.I.E.L.D. She survived for six months in a foreign world. Jemma has helped S.H.I.E.L.D. on countless mission by using her brilliant, quick-thinking mind. Jemma’s high level of intelligence doesn’t limit her from being a highly compassionate and well-rounded human being.
2. Jane Villanueva, Jane the Virgin
Jane, played by Gina Rodriguez, dreams of being a romance writer. Raised by her mother and grandmother, Jane was a dedicated, passionate student in school. She was briefly a teacher at a Catholic high school, and was more recently a TA at her college. Jane’s currently re-working her thesis to revolve around her grandparent’s story of moving from Venezuela to the United States, leaving behind everything they knew. Jane plans her life down to the smallest detail, a perfectionist in every way, but she tries not to let that stop her from making the best choices for herself and her young son, Mateo.
3. Belle, Once Upon A Time
Belle, played by Emilie de Ravin, is known for her intelligence. She’s passionate about books, acting as Storybrooke’s librarian, and other characters often go to her for information. Belle speaks several languages, which enables her to be a translator when necessary. She rescued Prince Philip from the curse of being the Yaoguai, she figured out Zelena’s time travel spell, and has a knack for working with magic while not being magical herself. She’s kind, helpful, and very forgiving. Belle’s main flaw is not believing she’s heroic, but she’s inadvertently saved Storybrooke and its residents many times, so she’s a hero in our book.
4. Jess Day, New Girl
Jess, played by Zooey Deschanel, is the perfect mix of cute-meets-quirky-meets-intelligent. In season one, Jess was a dedicated elementary school teacher. After being fired, she begins working in adult education. Jess has a strong, positive personality, and a real belief in the goodness of other people. She doesn’t let her femininity stop people from taking her seriously. One of Jess’ quotes that perfectly describes her character in particular is: “I brake for birds. I rock a lot of polka dots. I have touched glitter in the last 24 hours. I spend my entire day talking to children… But that doesn’t mean I’m not smart and tough and strong.”
5. Dana Scully, The X-Files
Scully, played by Gillian Anderson, came back to television in 2016. Scully is an FBI agent and highly-educated doctor with an undergrad in physics, who worked to solve unsolved cases called the “X-Files” with her partner Fox Mulder. Scully stayed skeptical of aliens’ existence until the seventh season of the show, choosing to believe in science. Scully is considered a “sci-fi heroine” for her intelligence and resilience, and is often regarded as one of the best science fictional female characters. Her character also sparked “The Scully Effect” – an increase in women choosing to work in the STEM field.
6. Temperance Brennan, Bones
Bones, played by Emily Deschanel, is a triple threat. She’s an anthropologist, forensic anthropologist, and kinesiologist, and the show describes her as a leading figure in the world of forensic anthropology. Brennan was partnered with Seeley Booth to solve difficult cases for the FBI, but now they solve modern-day murder cases. She’s straight-forward and brilliant, including being a best-selling author and speaking eight languages. Her traumatic childhood made her defensive as an adult, but her character has grown, making current Brennnan a caring wife and mother.
7. Kala Dandekar, Sense8
Kala, played by Tina Desai, is a pharmacist at a successful pharmaceutical company in Mumbai. She is very strong in her Hindu faith. Kala prioritizes others’ needs over herself. She agrees to marry Rajan, even though she does not love him, because her father is happy with the match. Her knowledge and skills in chemistry and pharmaceuticals are extremely helpful to her cluster on multiple occasions.
8. Rory Gilmore, Gilmore Girls
Rory, played by Alexis Bledel, returns to life on Netflix later this year, so she’s included on this list. Rory is a passionate and caring daughter and granddaughter. Rory went to an extremely prestigious high school, Chilton Prep, and had her sights set on going to Harvard and becoming a journalist. Rory was valedictorian, and accepted to Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. To the delight of her grandfather, she chooses to go to Yale, where he went. Rory’s storyline ends with going to Iowa to report for Obama’s campaign, and we’re all excited to see where the revival takes her.