Top 10 TV Shows Featuring Narcissistic Female Characters

You can read books on narcissism. You can listen to academic lectures. But what’s more fun than learning how narcissists act and think by watching your favorite TV shows? Here are 10 of the most hilarious, outrageous, and memorable narcissistic female characters on TV.

1. Arrested Development: Lucille and Lindsay Bluth

Arrested Development is a witty, hugely underrated TV show about the wealthy but down-on-their-luck Bluth family.

It appears that all Bluths are narcissists.

The most malignant one is Lucille Bluth – a pearls-wearing socialite, an indifferent, critical, and manipulative mother, and a raging alcoholic (when asked why she had to finish the whole bottle of vodka, she said: “It goes bad once it’s opened”).

But apple doesn’t fall far from the Bluth family tree: Lucille’s daughter Lindsay has internalized her mother’s narcissism, although in a less savage form. Just like Lucille, she is completely self-obsessed and lacks even the most basic maternal instincts.

Still, Lindsay is a wallflower compared to her mother.

Telling her son Michael “You’re my third least favorite child” is the closest Lucille comes to showing affection for her children.

2. 30 Rock: Jenna Maroney

What can you say about the star of “TGS” Jenna Maroney? She’s vapid, vindictive, pathologically self-centered, and she thinks she belongs to a superior class of people because she’s a minor TV celebrity…

She’s a terrible friend, too. But somehow she and her bestie Liz Lemon make it work because, as Liz says, “I need someone in my life who doesn’t listen to a word I say.” To which Jenna responds, touching her hair: “Thank you, I just got it cut.”

Jenna may also have borderline tendencies as she is very dramatic and casually threatens suicide. For example, when she hears about a new cast member, she says: “If it is a blonde girl, I will kill myself!”

But she’s undeniably narcissistic. So much so that like the mythical Narcissus who fell in love with his own reflection, Jenna fell in love with a cross-dressing man who’s her impersonator!

3. Everybody Loves Raymond: Marie Barone

Marie Barone is a classic narcissistic mother who’s totally enmeshed with her children. Although Marie prides herself on being an exceptional mother and nurturer, she is actually selfish, childish, controlling, and overbearing.

In a typical narcissistic mother fashion, Marie dotes on Raymond, her “golden child”, and ignores Robert, the “scapegoat.”

This dynamic allows her to triangulate her children into a competition for her affection, encouraging ongoing conflict, envy, and animosity.

Marie is also hypercritical of her daughter-in-law Debra, constantly making passive-aggressive digs at her cooking, housekeeping, parenting, etc.

Since this is a family sitcom, the show takes a humorous take on her interactions with Debra. However, make no mistake about it — Marie is a perfect example of a toxic mother-in-law and a covert female narcissist.

4. Will & Grace: Karen Walker

Will & Grace‘s Karen Walker is a self-described “pill-popping, jet fuel-sniffing, gin-soaked narcissist.” Oh, and don’t forget “evil stepmother“!

Lovingly nicknamed “Count Drunkula” by her maid Rosario, she is known for her love of money, stiff martinis, and sarcastic zingers delivered in her trademarked high-pitched voice.

My favorite — “Honey, tact is for people who aren’t witty enough to be sarcastic” and “Oh hey! Somebody got flowers. Or as I like to call them, poor people jewelry.”

Karen is hopelessly out of touch with reality, shows very little concern for the people around her, and yet, sometimes her human side shines through her boozy bravado.

For example, one of the episodes reveals that Karen had a difficult childhood, being raised by a con-artist mother who was likely a narcissist herself.

5. Gilmore Girls: Emily Gilmore

Emily Gilmore is another example of a cold, disapproving, narcissistic mother.

Her daughter Lorelai recalls her childhood being “suffocating.” She couldn’t be herself, she couldn’t be a kid…Hell, she couldn’t even breathe!

As Susan Forward wrote in her book Toxic Parents, “Unhealthy families discourage individual expression. Everyone must conform to the thoughts and actions of the toxic parents.”

Growing up in her parents’ house was so unbearable that Lorelai left after becoming pregnant with Rory at age 16. You have to wonder whether it was a cry for help or some sort of subconscious way to escape her mother’s tyranny.

At the end of the series, Emily Gilmore’s character does a 180-degree turn, which I found unrealistic. She gives away all of her possessions and moves to Nantucket to live with her maid’s family by the beach. She’s happy and free, which is not how aging narcissists usually end up.

But I guess, the creators wanted a happy ending for everyone, including Lorelai’s withholding and controlling mother.

6. Orange Is the New Black: Aleida Diaz

Cynical, cutthroat, selfish, and narcissistic Aleida isn’t exactly mother material. But difficult youth and carelessness are a recipe for disaster. So Aleida ends up with 5 children from 5 different men.

Aleida’s solution to that is to leave her oldest daughter, Dayanara, to take care of her younger siblings, making Daya the de-facto mom.

It seems that Aleida feels entitled to use her daughter for her own selfish needs. So when Daya lands herself in prison, Aleida is furious. In fact, instead of greeting her daughter, she silently slaps her in the face and walks away.

This is an example of a narcissistic mother rejecting her child when he or she fails to meet her expectations or play the role she designated for them.

Nonetheless, Aleida is extremely protective of her children and goes to great lengths to save her youngest daughters from a life of crime. Presumably, she fails.

7. Parks and Recreation: Tammy 2

In funny and smart Parks and Rec Megan Mullally plays yet another narcissistic female character — Ron Swanson’s diabolical and ruthless ex-wife Tammy.

Tammy is a real villain of the show, imbued with almost supernatural powers of seduction and manipulation. Ron learned to have defenses against her, but even he is sometimes powerless to resist Tammy’s twisted sexual grip.

Like a true narcissist, Tammy knows and enjoys her power. “Haven’t you ever messed with a man’s head just to see what you could get him to do for you?” she says with a smile.

And who knows Tammy better than Ron Swanson? When asked if she has any weaknesses, Ron said that she has none because she’s a machine that was “programmed by someone from the future to come back and destroy all happiness.”

On another occasion, Ron said that every time Tammy laughs, an angel dies. What a line!

8. Game of Thrones: Cersei Lannister

Cersei Lannister isn’t just narcissistic. She embodies the entire Dark Triad — narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.

Her narcissism shows in her self-centered demeanor and a sense of privilege and arrogance. Only her and the people closest to her — Jamie and their children — are important. Everyone else is garbage.

Her psychopathy is evident in her complete lack of empathy and remorse. She’d committed heinous acts, killed innocent people — yet she always felt justified in her actions.

Finally, Machiavellianism — arguably, the darkest trait of the Dark Triad — is in her ruthless pursuit of power, her refusal to give up even an ounce of that power, and her remarkable ability to manipulate and scheme to achieve her goals.

People with this trait tend to be highly intelligent and callous.

Queen Cersei Lannister is the perfect illustration of someone who’s narcissistic, but also cruel, cunning, and vengeful.

9. Modern Family: Hailey Dunphy

The oldest daughter of the Dunphy clan Hailey is self-centered and conceited. But her narcissism is of the garden variety. It’s more characteristic of her age and the environment she grew up in than innate deviousness.

Sure, she is obsessed with her looks, oblivious of other people’s feelings, spoiled and entitled — but what teenager isn’t?

Later in the show, Hailey grows out of her adolescent narcissism and finds a fulfilling career, a loving relationship, and her own self-identity — as a funny, caring, capable, and slightly narcissistic young woman.

But just to be clear, she will never be Mother Theresa (unless she dresses up like one for Halloween).

10. Weeds: Nancy Botwin

If you’ve ever spent any extended amount of time around a narcissist, you know that they have this uncanny ability to pull you into their world.

After the sudden death of her husband, suburban housewife Nancy Botwin becomes a weed dealer to support her family. What was meant to be a temporary gig to pay off debt becomes Nancy’s life.

Before long, she pulls everybody around her into her web of secrets, lies, and crime — her children, brother-in-law, friends, and even a neighbor she doesn’t particularly like.

She realizes the risks, she knows it can’t end well — yet she can’t help herself. She’s hooked on the excitement and the easy money.

At the time Nancy is done dealing, she irrevocably damaged her kids’ futures, destroyed any chance of happiness with a man who adored her, betrayed friendships, and ended up alone.

In the final episodes, Nancy’s daughter-in-law refuses to let her hold her granddaughter. It is clear that she thinks Nancy screwed up her kids’ lives. The only one who still doesn’t get it is Nancy.