This year, the list is dominated by women who portray characters that are deeply flawed, self-serving, and downright unlikable. The nominees reflect a shifting TV landscape, one that's become more three-dimensional. Some of their characters even possess a quality that’s directly at odds with Hollywood’s concept of womanhood: they’re cold.

“We’re a largely female team, which I think has a lot to do with it,” said Clare Stewart, director of the London Film Festival and head of festivals for the British Film Institute (BFI). “I really don’t buy into some of the comments I hear from my international peers about ‘Well, of course we would program more films by women if they were there to program.’ I think our responsibility as cultural gatekeepers is to be creating the way for change."