Women who made television history

1 of 21

One small step for woman...

Giovanni Rufino/ABC; CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images; David Livingston/Getty Images; Sophie Mutevelian/BBC America

As the United States celebrates Women's History Month this March, EW takes a look back at some of the biggest pioneers in television through the years. Meet the groundbreakers, fighters, and queens who have been breaking barriers on the small screen since the earliest days of TV.

2 of 21

1948: First full-time news correspondent.1976: First woman to moderate presidential debate.

NBC/Getty Images

Pauline Frederick was the first woman to become a full-time news correspondent when ABC finally gave her a full-time contract after years of employing her as a freelancer.

Fredrick made history again in 1976 when she moderated an October presidential debate between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford.

3 of 21

1958: First family sitcom to focus on the mother, not the father.

Everett Collection

Actress Donna Reed made history with her series The Donna Reed Show. The half-hour sitcom was the first family comedy to focus on the mother instead of the father.

Continued on next slide.

4 of 21

1963: First black actress to star in a TV drama.

CBS

Legendary actress Cicely Tyson made history as the first African-American star of a television drama with her role as secretary Jane Foster in East Side/West Side.

5 of 21

1966: First single-girl sitcom.

Everett Collection

It's hard to believe, but Marlo Thomas' That Girl was the first show focused on a woman who was not married or living with her parents. Thomas' character Ann Marie remained unmarried throughout the show's run.

6 of 21

1968: First sitcom centered on an African-American character who was not a servant.

Everett Collection

Diahann Carroll starred in Julia as a widowed nurse and mother. She won a Golden Globe in 1968 for the role, and made history again as the first black actress to be nominated for an Emmy in 1969.

Continued on next slide.

7 of 21

1972: The Pill.

CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Throughout it's run, The Mary Tyler Moore Show made a name for itself showcasing an unmarried, 30-something woman in the workplace. However, Mary's single status didn't stop her from dating.

In season 3, Mary's mom says, "Don't forget to take your pill." At the same exact time, Mary and her dad answer, "I won't," casually revealing to the audience that young professionals use contraceptives, which was still controversial at the time.

8 of 21

1972: First woman to have a legal abortion on primetime television.

Everett Collection

Bea Arthur's Maude made history when the titular character chose to have an abortion, which at the time was available legally in New York where the show was set, but not nationally.

Related: Maude's choice

9 of 21

1974: First black woman to lead a network drama.

Everett Collection

Teresa Graves became the first black woman to lead a network drama with Get Christie Love!.

Continued on next slide.

10 of 21

1983: First woman to win a Daytime Emmy for outstanding host of a game or audience participation show.

Everett Collection

Betty White won for hosting the aptly titled game show, Just Men! Meredith Vieira is the only other woman to win the award.

11 of 21

1989: First woman to own and produce her own TV talk show.

Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

After years as a news anchor and host of a successful regional talk show, Oprah Winfrey took ownership of her show, expanded it nationally, and became a worldwide success with her own network.

12 of 21

1992: Murphy Brown decides to raise her baby alone.

CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Candice Bergen's Murphy Brown caused a stir when she decided to raise her child alone, setting off a national debate about the meaning of family. The show continued to run for another seven seasons and briefly returned to CBS in 2018 for a 13 episode revival.

Continued on next slide.

13 of 21

1997: First actress to come out as gay on TV.

ABC Photo Archives via Getty Images

Ellen DeGeneres made history when her character revealed that she was gay on her sitcom Ellen. The episode was quickly followed with Ellen's own revelation.

14 of 21

2006: First female solo weekday anchor of a Big Three broadcast network show.

CBS

While women have been part of newscasts for years, Katie Couric was the first woman to solo anchor a Big Three news show.

15 of 21

2012: First African-American woman to lead a network drama in nearly 40 years.

Craig Sjodin/ABC

When Kerry Washington graced the small screen as Olivia Pope in Scandal, not only was she introducing the world to white hats and the winning combination of red wine and popcorn, she was also the first black woman to lead a network drama in nearly 40 years.

Continued on next slide.

16 of 21

2014: First African-American actress to play the president of the United States on television.

Brandon Hickman/NBC/Getty Images

Alfre Woodard portrayed the President of the United States on the small screen in the short-lived State of Affairs.

17 of 21

2015: First black woman to win an Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

Phil McCarten/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock

"In my mind, I see a line. And over that line, I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me, over that line. But I can’t seem to get there no how. I can’t seem to get over that line."

Viola Davis recited Harriet Tubman's famous words as she accepted her Emmy Award for Lead Actress in a Drama for her role in How to Get Away With Murder. Davis was the first and only black woman to receive the honor.

18 of 21

2017: First woman to create three hit shows with more than 100 episodes each.

VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images

Powerhouse showrunner Shonda Rhimes has dominated Thursday nights for years with her string of inclusive hit television shows. When Scandal passed the 100 episode mark, Rhimes became the first woman to have three shows make it to the coveted milestone.

Continued on next slide.

19 of 21

2017: First black woman to win an Emmy for Comedy Writing.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Two years after Viola Davis' historic Emmy win, Lena Waithe made history again when she took home the Emmy for Comedy Writing for penning an episode of Master of None.

20 of 21

2018: First Asian woman to receive an Emmy nomination for Lead Drama Actress.

Sophie Mutevelian/BBC America

Sandra Oh made history on in 2018 when she was nominated for her critically acclaimed role of a MI5 security officer in Killing Eve. She would go on to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress for the role in 2019.

21 of 21

2019: First black transgender woman to have a production deal at a major studio.

Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

In 2019 Pose writer, director, and producer Janet Mock signed a three-year, multimilion contract with Netflix, making her the first out black transgender woman with an overall production deal at a major studio. Upon announcement of the deal Mock stated, “Eighty-four percent of Americans say they don’t know and/or work with a trans person, so there’s potential now — with Netflix’s worldwide audience — to introduce hundreds of millions of viewers to trans people, and show people who may not understand us that we can tell our own stories!”

Replay gallery

Account

Women who made television history

1 of 21

One small step for woman...

1 of 21

2 of 21

1948: First full-time news correspondent.1976: First woman to moderate presidential debate.

2 of 21

3 of 21

1958: First family sitcom to focus on the mother, not the father.

3 of 21

4 of 21

1963: First black actress to star in a TV drama.

4 of 21

5 of 21

1966: First single-girl sitcom.

5 of 21

6 of 21

1968: First sitcom centered on an African-American character who was not a servant.

6 of 21

7 of 21

1972: The Pill.

7 of 21

8 of 21

1972: First woman to have a legal abortion on primetime television.

8 of 21

9 of 21

1974: First black woman to lead a network drama.

9 of 21

10 of 21

1983: First woman to win a Daytime Emmy for outstanding host of a game or audience participation show.

10 of 21

11 of 21

1989: First woman to own and produce her own TV talk show.

11 of 21

12 of 21

1992: Murphy Brown decides to raise her baby alone.

12 of 21

13 of 21

1997: First actress to come out as gay on TV.

13 of 21

14 of 21

2006: First female solo weekday anchor of a Big Three broadcast network show.

14 of 21

15 of 21

2012: First African-American woman to lead a network drama in nearly 40 years.

15 of 21

16 of 21

2014: First African-American actress to play the president of the United States on television.

16 of 21

17 of 21

2015: First black woman to win an Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

17 of 21

18 of 21

2017: First woman to create three hit shows with more than 100 episodes each.

18 of 21

19 of 21

2017: First black woman to win an Emmy for Comedy Writing.

19 of 21

20 of 21

2018: First Asian woman to receive an Emmy nomination for Lead Drama Actress.

20 of 21

21 of 21

2019: First black transgender woman to have a production deal at a major studio.

21 of 21

Share the Gallery

Up Next

Share the Gallery