One of the first female superheroes on prime-time television, the Bionic Woman originated as a character on the popular show The Six Million Dollar Man. The Bionic Woman was created on that show when Steve Austin's fiancée suffered a near-fatal parachute accident and was rebuilt with a bionic arm, legs, and ear. Her nuclear-powered prostheses gave her super strength, speed, and hearing, which complimented Steve Austin's bionic powers as they solved crimes and wrongdoings together. Lindsey Wagner starred as the bionic Jamie Sommers and parlayed the Bionic Woman's guest spots on The Six Million Dollar Man into a two-year run in her own series, which ran from 1976 to 1978, and later, years of syndication. The Bionic Woman could be seen on cable television in the late 1990s.

Lindsey Wagner in a scene from The Bionic Woman.

Further Reading:

Douglas, Susan J., Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media. New York, Times Books, 1994.