I’ve been puzzled by television’s portrayal of female characters. Women are often labeled crazy, emotional, or hormonal, while men are stereotyped as beer-guzzling loafs. But how often must we watch a woman completely lose it when a man barely provokes her? Is this reality, or are female characters becoming caricatures? Even when a woman is intelligent and capable, her emotional reactions often become the center of the story.

In The Newsroom, Maggie Jordan begins as a nervous, fearful, naive assistant producer who makes mistakes because she is overwhelmed. Soon, she saves an entire broadcast by uncovering breaking news and becomes confident. But when her boyfriend hesitates about their relationship, she becomes an emotional basketcase. Her panic attack and repeated breakups make her seem fragile, even while she is kicking ass at work.

Mackenzie McHale is a former war correspondent and supposedly one tough chick. Yet she becomes unhinged when her ex-boyfriend and the show’s anchor dates other women or mentions their past. She runs around chasing and screaming at him, as if she might explode at the slightest provocation. Even her inability to email without copying the whole staff adds to the caricature. Her strength in demanding professional situations seems to disappear whenever her former relationship enters the picture.

A darkly funny Louis C.K. episode offers another example: a woman becomes aggressive after a man refuses to return a sexual favor. She feels entitled to it and forces him, yet the scene treats her as another crazy female who needs calming. The context is all wrong, because her behavior is not merely emotional but coercive. TV writers, give us fairness and character depth. Women are not fragile, crazy, or one-dimensional; create roles we can relate to and explore more deeply.