Why are the mature women in TV shows often portrayed as strong but then the character is actually weak?

House has come up on a few recent occasions on here, hasn't it? (Not that I mind - it's about the only TV I watch anymore, and I hope its trend of high-quality writing prevails over the reality shows and predictable tripe that dominates most of the medium.)

In any case, it's true that, in good writing, strong characters are often developed to have weaknesses, male and female. It's just part of making a three-dimensional, fully developed, convincing character. Whether it's TV, literature or film, whether the character's male or female, protagonist or antagonist, a character has to have flaws to be interesting - they have to be vulnerable to something for it to be possible to have a convincing plot.

It could be an overreaction of the desire to portray women as always being the strongest person (even if only secret). A way to show vulnerability, though, I do agree that they didn't do this in a sensitive way. Just because a female character has weaknesses doesn't make the show sexist ('cause men are shown as weak, too), but I get where you are coming from.

Good observation. I do think that these women are ultimately seen as vulnerable -- maybe to the writers that represents "likeable." They surely aren't incompetent. Well, "House" is the only show of the three you mentioned that I have seen, so not sure on the other two.

There haven't been a lot of shows with women truly in charge. I can think of "Star Trek Voyager" with Captain Janeway. She rarely had a weak moment.

Good question!

I think it is because we are (still) torn about whether a woman's place really is home or work, and conflicted about whether we can (or should) show a woman be fearless and unshakable in the workplace and still come across as "human".

Lifetime uses melodrama - which interestingly has long, long (pre-television, even pre-film) been the rare place where strength in women can be portrayed, perhaps exactly because it is exaggerated and artificial.

BTW watch the HBO movie on Temple Grandin. True story. Not melodrama. And she changed the male-dominated (and inefficient) meat industry as a woman AND as a woman with autism.

Because men are still the executives in both motion pics and tv, and they have a say in the creative process. They want hot women with insecurities being shown, not average strong women, because they want to believe they are in control of women and can have sex with any hot woman they choose because she is also insecure. It is a reflection of their own insecurities. Have you ever watched sitcoms like The King of Queens or Everyone Loves Raymond where the wife is a "b----h" who rides them and the men are just lovable dutiful husbands!

They sell the shows to the audience. These mature women would be looked up to by the mature women in the audience. These women in the audience probably admire the position of power held by these characters, but also have had some times of personal weakness that they can relate to the show.

Even strong people have weaknesses behind closed doors, on TV they are just there for all to see. These people are no different than the real world.

They're TV shows that are made to elicit reaction/response/emotions which will drive their prime-time ad slot sales up.

And they seem to have succeeded in evoking the reaction that they're looking for.

BTW, I don't watch a lot of TV.

ALL characters have there flaws...including heroes and heroines.

Its a basic part of character building and a core part of story telling.

I'm not really really familiar with most of the shows you have list but does House have his own weakness's and flaws. He uses drugs and sarcasm as a crutch to deal with his emotional pain...but uses his physical pain as an excuse to do so.

Humans are inherently flawed...and our stories reflex that. A perfect being is unrelateable...and well boring.

BTW...I am a feminist.

Your one paragraph reminded me of Family Guy - " Lifetime: a Channel for Idiots"

I think TV feels it needs to throw women a bone, and it's much easier for them to "go along to get along", perpetuating the idea then women are equal (if not superior) to men. It's business - and women have eyeballs and remote control thumbs too