15 Best Female Presidents in Movies and TV

At the moment, the odds look high for Kamala Harris to become the next President of the United States. So, what will her time at the Oval Office be like if she gets the seat? It’s almost impossible to imagine the triumphs and challenges that fate will dump on her. However, movies and TV shows might give a clearer picture of what awaits her. On-screen, several fictional female characters have already ascended to the White House.

Like their male counterparts, fictional female presidents range from the criminal to the heroic. Additionally, some get the top job via the standard democratic route, while others take unorthodox paths. Not all of them face gender-related challenges, but those who encounter instances of chauvinism handle it in their own way. Most importantly, the majority of them make a great case for why a woman deserves to be the leader of the free world.

Here are the 15 best and most memorable female presidents in film and television history.

15 President Elizabeth McCord

Madam Secretary (2014 – 2019)

Madam Secretary’s Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni) is introduced as a mild-mannered Secretary of State who is more than happy to be the bigger person whenever foreign leaders start ranting expletives at her on the phone. Despite her docile demeanor, McCord is a canny schemer. As she navigates the murky waters of geopolitics, she fixes her eye on the White House, and at the beginning of Season 6, she is revealed to have won the elections.

Ever Ambitious and Focused

President McCord handles the distressing challenges of the job with forthright efficiency and clinical focus. Washington is portrayed as a dreary, grimy city where everyone is keen on advancing their agenda, yet McCord remains smart enough to avoid getting a knife on the back like Julius Ceasar.

Her career progress is also very inspirational. She grows from CIA analyst and college professor to Secretary of State and then to POTUS. To top it all up, Téa Leoni keeps giving incredible performances that will leave you smiling long after each episode’s credits roll.

14 President Ellen Wilson

For All Mankind (2019 – Present)

For All Mankind is a palpitating, kinetic rollercoaster outing that seldom lets up. The sci-fi show belongs to the alternate history category, set in a world where the Soviets won the heated space race of the ‘60s and planted their flag on the moon. Consequently, plenty of other things turned out differently. Bill Clinton never became POTUS in the 1990s. Instead, the position was taken by Ellen Wilson (Jodi Balfour), one of NASA’s first female astronauts.

A Symbol of LGBTQ Rights and Female Workplace Empowerment

Ellen Wilson is as diverse as a president can get. She is a lesbian, who married a gay male friend in the past to remain in the closet. Through her, viewers get a picture of the kind of challenges a gay female president would face.

Shortly after coming out, she faces extreme backlash from the press and members of her own party, including her vice president. This leads to a widely contested 1996 election where Wilson picks George H.W. Bush as her new running mate. Thankfully, she wins.

13 President Selina Meyer

Veep (2012 – 2019)

One of HBO’s finest achievements, and a favorite for many casual viewers, Veep is both a comical tale of office politics and a thrilling drama with multiple administrative twists. At the heart of the chaos is Selina Catherine Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), a jovial Vice President who works around the clock to implement various policies. Her industriousness is eventually rewarded by the public as she ends up becoming America’s first-ever female president.

Mirroring Reality

Veep might have ended, but Selina Meyer remains a relevant fictional character now more than ever because of her similarities to Kamala Harris. Like Harris, she also serves as a senator at some point, and like Harris, she runs for the top seat when the incumbent chooses not to run for a second term.

Still, if Harris is watching the show, Meyer is a cautionary tale for what not to do once in the Oval Office. As President, she makes plenty of controversial choices, including repealing same-sex marriages. She also loses the election when she runs for the second term.

12 President Janie Orlean

Don’t Look Up (2021)

Don’t Look Up is packed with some of today’s best character actors, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, and Jonah Hill. There is the great Meryl Streep too, who comes out of her comfort zone and plays the incompetent yet funny President, Janie Orlean. Upon hearing that Earth is about to be hit by a comet, Orlen tries to devise ways to stop it in order to save her plummeting opinion poll ratings.

Never Taking the Job Seriously

It’s easier to laugh at President Orlean than pity her because woes stem from her own blinding ignorance. Nonetheless, her carefree nature makes her an intriguing character. She appoints her lazy son as Chief of Staff, dates a former adult film star, and spends more time taking pictures with celebrities than working.

So unintelligent is she that she can’t differentiate between an alien and an animal. “Look at that beautiful animal. I wonder, are those feathers or are they scale,” she says at the end of the movie before being eaten by an alien.

11 President Allison Taylor

24 (2001 – 2012)

A must-see Fox thriller, 24 digs into the dark, conspiracy-related side of governance with its unblinkered narration and crisp visual palette. Terrorism and illegal dealings are common hardships, but more agonizing is the mental and physical beating each POTUS endures while trying to keep America safe. One of those presidents is Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones), a Rockefeller Republican who aims to do right both by the people and by the protagonist, Jack Bauer.

Cherry Jones won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and it’s easy to see why. She brings idealism and sensitivity to her character, qualities that are lacking in other presidents in the show.

While everyone around her seems to be the true definition of evil incarnate, Allison Taylor keeps doing the right thing. She reverses the unlawful policies of her predecessors and even allows Jack Bauer to flee the country at the end of the series so that he won’t be captured by his enemies.

10 President Leslie McCloud

Kisses for My President (1964)

When the ambitious yet submissive wife Leslie McCloud (Polly Bergen) gets elected as the leader of the free world in Kisses for My President, it seems like all her dreams have finally become true. However, she soon gets pushed to the brink of marital perseverance. Her husband isn’t happy about her spending more time negotiating with Latin American dictators than cooking, so he gets into a habit of lamenting, and this takes a toll on her mental health.

The Woes of a ‘60s Woman

Will Leslie surrender to her husband’s pressure and resign? Or will she gather the guts to stand up to him and leave him? President Leslie McCloud is the true example of a pre-feminism-era woman who had to battle patriarchy and chauvinism only to lose the fight.

In the end, McCloud gets pregnant and quits the job, but there is plenty to admire about her before she does that. Despite her woes, the president stays hilarious and the movie, as a whole, is a one-woman vitrine for the unrivaled talents of actress Polly Bergen.

9 President Mellie Grant

Scandal (2012 – 2018)

One of the prettiest flowerings of the political drama landscape, the Shondaland production, Scandal, is a brilliant blend of stone-faced Washington deception and matters of the heart. Mellie Grant (Bellamy Young) thinks she is going to have the time of her life as First Lady only to be confronted with Lewinsky-esque issues. Her husband cheats regularly with series protagonist Olivia Pope, so she soon grows out of love and pursues her own political career, eventually becoming the president.

Working Toward the End Goal

Mellie’s transformation from a naïve First Lady to a fierce politician is admirable. Ever-smiling, she is initially happy to forgive and forget, but she soon grows fangs and starts sucking blood. So cunning and forward-thinking is Mellie that she enlists her husband’s former mistress to help run beyond her campaign. She sees beyond petty feuds, and for that reason, she gets rewarded handsomely.

8 President Olivia Marsdin

Supergirl (2015 – 2021)

The highly-rated Supergirl offers more than just superhero fights. It champions the feminist agenda and occasionally peaks into politics. Take Olivia Marsdin, a Planet Durla naïve who arrives on Earth and makes herself feel at home. She pursues a political career and wows people so much that she eventually gets elected as the President of the United States. In her new position, she finds herself at the center of all kinds of threats, including an attack on Air Force One.

A Walking Reservoir of Great Quotes

Circumstances change quickly in the dangerous world of Supergirl, so most characters keep making decisions on a whim. However, President Marsdin always has a long-term plan. Whether it is passing the Alien Amnesty Act or lowering taxes, she remains steadfast.

Beyond that, she is quite the orator. “Fear can create monsters where none existed before,” she says on one occasion. “A leader who caves to fear is no leader at all,” she adds on another occasion. Even better, she is played by Lynda Carter, famous for portraying the TV version of Wonder Woman in the ’70s.

7 President Mackenzie “Mac” Allen

Commander in Chief (2005 – 2006)

Commander in Chief is the story of Mackenzie “Mac” Allen (Geena Davis), an independent candidate who gets lured to the Republican Party with the promise of being a running mate. “Independents never win!” she is told, and she agrees. The choice proves to be a good one. Mac becomes the first female President of the United States, after the death of the incumbent from cerebral aneurysm.

An Inspirational Character in a Slow-Burn Saga

This above synopsis only partially describes Mac and her awesomeness. As deputy, she is said to be the best America has ever had and as president, she gets even better. The character relies on facial expressions more than utterances to convey her multifaceted emotions, yet everyone always gets the message. Philosophical and cerebral, her tale might feel dull and lumbering to those accustomed to 24, but she is the kind of fictional politician every real White House hunter can learn from.

6 President Claire Hale Underwood

House of Cards (2013 – 2018)

House of Cards starts as Frank Underwood’s playground. The ruthless politician rises from Chief Whip to President through Machiavellian scheming. But in Season 5, his character loses the presidency and dies, a behind-the-scenes decision influenced by the firing of Kevin Spacey over the #MeToo scandal.

First Lady Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) then takes over, churning memories of the man she loved into fresh political strategies. Over the next few months, she becomes the connoisseur of geopolitical dealings, entering into serious arrangements with an assortment of influential people, but never committing her soul to any of them.

Taking a Different Approach

After Claire’s ascension, the Oval Office becomes an otherworldly and gloom-filled chamber bristling with a no-nonsense energy. Unlike Frank, she rarely smiles. She rarely makes fourth-wall-breaking wisecracks to the viewers either.

She means business, and Wright inhabits every scene and rules the show with convincing flair, compensating nicely for the absence of a character fans had grown to love. Thanks to her incredible performances, Wright collected multiple accolades, including Emmy nominations, for five seasons in a row.

5 President Rachel Burke

An Acceptable Loss (2018)

An Acceptable Loss is yet another chilling commentary on America’s questionable foreign policy. During her time as the vice president, Rachel Burke (Jamie Lee Curtis) suggests a drastic military aimed at eliminating a terrorist. The president agrees, and the attack ends up killing 150,000 civilians in the Middle East.

Appalled, National security expert Elizabeth “Libby” Lamm decides to write a memoir to expose all the mistakes made by those in the situation room. Shortly after, Burke becomes president and tries to stop Libby.

Libby might be the beating heart of this tense political thriller, but it is President Rachel Burke who triggers all the chills. The zealous performance by Curtis helps anchor this saddening tale of cold-heartedness and cover-ups. As evil as she is, she is always certain that she isn’t doing anything wrong. Through her, audiences get a harsh reminder of what happens when the wrong people get elected.

4 President Caroline Reynolds

Prison Break (2005 – 2017)

Prison Break is a nail-biting twist-packed thriller involving inmates, wardens, government agents, and high-rolling politicians. The series builds tension around structural engineer Michael Scofield’s roundabout mission to break his brother out of Fox Penitentiary before his execution date. His brother is accused of killing the Vice President’s brother, but did he?

Vice President Caroline Reynolds (Patricia Wettig) is as dirty as they come, and thanks to the shadow organization that controls her, she quickly ascends to the top seat.

A Servant to Sinister Figures

Conspiracy theorists often claim that each president is selected and controlled by a group of shadowy powerful figures. Well, Prison Break fuels that narrative. President Caroline Reynolds is often bullied by her puppeteers, for reasons that are somehow opaque.

She remains a central figure in the puzzling cat-and-mouse game and has a rather love-hate relationship with the equally filthy Secret Service agents who report to her. It takes several episodes for viewers to see her face, and when they do, they remain haunted by her cold facial expressions.

3 President Constance Payton

State of Affairs (2014 – 2015)

In State of Affairs, President Constance Payton (Alfre Woodard) handles challenges every day. Though the show’s premise sounds hilariously close to that of every other canceled political drama, this NBC production is newfangled and intriguing for many reasons. First, President Payton is a black woman who is very proud of her culture. Second, she has an unofficial sidekick in the form of “Charlie” Whitney Tucker, an outspoken CIA analyst, tasked with preparing the President’s Daily Brief.

Creating Time for Everything

Driven by situational awareness and compassion, President Payton is guaranteed to impress viewers easily. She always has plenty on her plate, but she manages. Whether it is trying to make people laugh at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner while following up on a top-secret terrorist-hunt mission, or speaking to the press while getting mental flashbacks of her son’s death, she never has it easy. Thankfully, Payton is as tough as they come.

2 President Diane Steen

Mafia! (1998)

Mafia! manufactures comedy by lampooning some of the greatest gangster movies, mainly The Godfather trilogy and Casino. In it, Korean War veteran, Tony, decides to avenge the assassination attempt on his mafia boss father. He too, decides to become a mobster, causing his girlfriend, Diane, to leave him. After becoming the head of the crime family, he decides to look for Diane (Christina Applegate), who at this point has been elected as the President of the United States.

A Champion of Peace and Love

Mainly existing as a comic relief character, President Steen only appears briefly in the movie, but she leaves a lasting impression. She might symbolize naivete and hopeless romance, but she gets points for abhorring violence and being anti-guns.

Steen goes as far as pushing an agenda for total world disarmament, something other G7 leaders agree with. Interestingly, she is forced to pause this plan out of love, so that Tony can do a St. Valentine’s Day type of massacre on his remaining foes before he goes clean.

1 President Elizabeth Keane

Homeland (2011 – 2020)

The political landscape in Homeland is never perfect, and when New York Senator Elizabeth Keane (Elizabeth Marvel) gets elected as president, she realizes she has bitten off more than she can chew. Her lack of foreign policy knowledge worries the CIA, but she quickly learns on the job, making bold moves that never crossed the minds of her predecessors.

Maneuvering Hostility

Known for giving the greatest resignation speech, Elizabeth Keane isn’t a perfect president, but she is very likable, at least to the fans. As soon as she is elected, she has everyone worried because she is emotional. She isn’t willing to sanction any foreign attacks because her son died in Iraq. She is also so friendly with international dignitaries that she is accused of colluding with the Russians.

Keane endures all forms of character assassination, and a real attempt on her life, yet she remains humble until the very end.