The 2023 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Female TV Character

Natasha Lyonne's Charlie Cale is our Best Female TV Character of 2023!

By Jamie Jirak

It's that time of year again when those of us at ComicBook.com acknowledge our favorite movies, television shows, comics, and more with the Golden Issue Awards. It was an exciting year for television with a lot of shows to choose from, which included a powerhouse line-up of characters. The award for "Best Female TV Character" was tough this year. Over the course of 2023, our small screens were graced with many powerful women and badass teen girls. Interestingly, all but one of our nominees were introduced this year, although some characters originated in other mediums such as video games and animation.

Our nominees for "Best Female TV Character" include Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne), the lie-detecting lead of Rian Johnson's comedy caper series, Poker Face. Next up is Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey), the fierce teen who sets off on a dangerous adventure through an "infected" United States with her hardened new guardian in The Last of Us. (Please note that while Ellie uses she/her pronouns in the series, Ramsey is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.) 

Our third nomination goes to Gen V's Marie Moreaux (Jaz Sinclair) who stole the show in The Boys spin-off this year with her blood manipulation powers. Our list also includes Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), the beloved Star Wars Rebels character who made her live-action debut this year in Star Wars: Ahsoka. Last but not least is young Shauna Shipman (Sophie Nelisse), the veteran character on our list. Young Shauna returned in Yellowjackets' second season which saw her dealing with grief in unconventional ways. 

And the winner of the 2023 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Female TV Character is…

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Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face)!  

Lyonne's Cale came into our lives back in January, but she hasn't left our minds all year. Evoking Peter Falk's Columbo, Poker Face sees Cale solving a new murder every episode, usually with the presence of an exciting guest star. The twist? Cale has the ability to detect when anyone is lying, which has led to her signature catchphrase: "Billsh*t!" 

It's no surprise Cale is incredibly likable and a joy to watch considering Lyonne is behind the wheel. Lyonne has been a fixture in film and television since the '90s, and it's about time she gets her due. In recent years, Lyonne has gone above and beyond with performances such as Nicky Nichols in Orange Is the New Black and Nadia Vulvokov in Russian Doll. Poker Face marks Lyonne's third time being nominated for an acting Emmy, and we feel this is the year she should finally take home the prize. 

While Natasha Lyonne does the heavy lifting when it comes to bringing Cale to life, you can't have a standout character without giving credit to the writers. Lyonne created the character with Johnson while Nora and Lilla Zuckerman served as the showrunners. The Zuckermans, Johnson, Lyonne, Wyatt Cain, Charlie Peppers, Alice Ju, Christine Boylan, Chris Downey, Sarah Fischer, and Joe Lawson are all credited as writers on the series.

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Similar to Columbo, Poker Face opens with a murder, which means the audience typically knows the identity of the culprit before Cale. You'd think that's a formula that would get old, but just like with Columbo, it never does. Watching Cale unravel mysteries while getting up to hijinks (usually ones that involve working a terrible job) is the most fun we've had watching a TV character all year. 

The nominees for the 2023 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Female TV Character are:

  • Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face) – WINNER
  • Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us)
  • Marie Moreaux (Jaz Sinclair, Gen V)
  • Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Star Wars: Ahsoka)
  • Shauna Shipman (Sophie Nelisse, Yellowjackets)

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