Television is open to non-traditional heroes

Thanks to the New Golden Age of Television, television networks have been dishing out more complex story lines and featuring characters who have much more on the line and at stake. In the past decade we have been introduced to imperfect heroes and anti-heroes who are painfully easy to sympathize with. We're given well-rounded characters who remind us of ourselves and are so vivid we often refer them in conversation like old friends.

With the proper stage now set, we have savvier viewers who are trained to accept imperfect, less-than-shiny characters, and who are willing to get to know someone unlikable for the sake of a good story or with the hope that they'll soften and show their other sides. We now have an audience who is ready to accept a scowling Jessica Jones for who she is, an audience that can wrap their minds around a strong, female superhero, and an audience that is open to new ideas because the reward with past shows has been so good.