Thirteen female TV characters that rock my socks

January 28, 2010 on 12:01 am | In Uncategorized | 9 Comments

This week’s offering is an ode to the boob tube – in  more ways than one. Here are some TV characters that I love – and most of them can kick your arse.

1. Calleigh Duquesne – CSI Miami. She’ll catch the criminal, kick his butt, and process the evidence to put him away for good. She’s smart, she’s good at her job, and she is still all female. Go Calleigh. You deserve way better than Delko.

2. Amanda King – Scarecrow and Mrs. King. I loved the way Kate Jackson played this character. Smart and a little scattered, but with an underlying backbone of steel.

3. Ms. Parker – The Pretender. She’s a complicated character. She is definitely strong and strong-willed. She faces adversity with a kick-ass attitude, and she is willing to put herself at considerable risk to do the right thing – though you wouldn’t expect it given her manipulative upbringing.

4. Murphy Brown – Murphy Brown. What can you say about this character? Smart, funny, groundbreaking. Candice Bergen is one of my favorite actresses because she does strong female characters that never lose either their spine or their femininity.

5. Maria – Sesame Street. One of the strongest memories I have of childhood is watching Sesame Street and watching Maria fix a radio while eating a salad. Why is this important? It was the mid-70s. And she was fixing a radio. That’s breaking down some serious gender stereotypes right there. I love that she is generally in a good mood, generally a fixer, and while she’s definitely a lady, she doesn’t allow anyone to slide.

6. W – Good Eats. She’s so cheerfully nasty to AB. I love watching her. Did you know that the lady who plays W is actually AB’s chiropractor? Cool, huh?

7. Sally Solomon – Third Rock from the Sun. This is such a great character – bending gender, destroying stereotypes, doing amazing things. I love the risks this character represents.

8. Stella Bonasera – CSI:New York. Stella can hold her own with the best of them. She’s had to defend herself against an abusive ex-boyfriend, dealt with stalkers, abduction, international artifact smuggling, and everything else you can think of. She’s smart and she’s good at making the team work well. She and Mac make for a dynamite leadership duo.

9. Uhura – Star Trek. I like the newer Zoe Saldano version better than the Nichelle Nichols version – but that is mainly script.  Zoe’s version of Uhura stands up for what she wants, flicks off unwanted attention, and knows she rocks her job. She’s smart, she’s sophisticated, and she’s awesome.

10. Shirley Schmidt – Boston Legal. Another Candice Bergen character. I love her dry wit and the chemistry between her and Denny. Shirley is tough as nails and lets no one stand in her way – even herself.

11. Liz Lemon – 30 Rock. I love Tina Fey – and she does a bang up job of playing Liz. She’s quirky, smart, and more than a little snide. I love that about this character.

12. Maddie Hayes – Moonlighting. Funny, clever, strong, Maddie Hayes is a fun character that holds her own against a very strong male lead (David Addison played by Bruce Willis). Wonderful delivery and spot-on timing make Maddie a winner.

13. Captain Kathryn Janeway – Star Trek: Voyager. She’s tough but fair, good in a crisis, and a strong leader. Star Trek has great women.