It's time to say goodbye to Carrie Mathison.
After eight seasons and two Emmy awards for star Claire Danes' portrayal of the CIA agent with a knack for sniffing out terrorist operatives, Homeland is signing off, airing its series finale on Sunday, April 26. And when the landmark Showtime series fades away into that good night, it takes with it a groundbreaking character that not only made Danes the second actress to ever win all five main TV acting awards for her performance in the lead actress categories, but allowed for a female spy to be as complicated and competent as her male counterparts.
In other words, Carrie felt real.
While it remains to be seen if she'll be able to save the day in the show's ultimate hour, what can't be disputed is just how badass she was. Whatever anyone thinks of the show itself, which has certainly cooled in public opinion over the years, there's no denying Carrie will go down as one of the all-time great TV characters. But how does her badassery stack up against the ladies who either came before or since her?
Before we bid Carrie adieu, let's see where she lands in our ranking of TV's top 20 badass women!
Homeland's series finale airs Sunday, April 26 at 9 p.m. on Showtime.