Pajiba

Angela Lansbury's Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote. No joke. Everyone in that little town would have all been murdered by poisoned diner jam without her.

To start with childhood ladies I love.
-Rebecca Cunningham from Talespin, she was like my mother who worked and was a mother. It wasn't easy for her as she was constantly proving herself but she was a good mother and a good boss.

-Joan Hickson's Miss Marple who was quite happy to train maids and solve crimes and was herself and other people had to adjust their thoughts.

-Buffy and Willow and Buffy's mother who had problems but sometimes saved the world and figured things out.

-Lorelei Gilmore and Rory before she met Logan, also Lane, Sookie and Paris. All of the stumbled and it felt real and they found their way out and dealt with the fact that things weren't the same.

That's all I can think of before I start venturing into movies and books, where my lists are longer.

JByrd, you beat me to it. She is all I want to be in life, and I am already well on my way to that with my workaholic ways that block out the male suitors.

I've got a huge soft spot for Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation. In the first series, she was kind of a female Michael Scott, but the character has developed beautifully since then. I love that she chose her career over sweet little Ben, and hasn't been mooning over it ever since. Also, her relationship with Ron is one of my favourite in the whole of telly-land, but that's another story.

Almost everything I love, I love because of the female characters. CJ Cregg, Leslie Knope, the Braverman ladies, Sydney Bristow. Angela Chase, Lindsey Weir.
Number one favorite is Tami Taylor. Constantly while watching Friday Night Lights I want to bookmark the things she does to remember how to be a good parent, teacher, human, etc. SO MUCH LOVE. And she looks hot while doing it all.

Another for VMars.

Ooh! Ooh!

I watched a lot of Nickelodeon growing up, especially in the early 90s. Of those shows, the one that seems to have had the greatest impact on my development (to the extent that such a thing can be said about kids and TV) was probably The Adventures of Pete and Pete. The brothers were great, but Ellen Hickle was, and remains, an example of paramount geek virtue. She was smart and cool and she didn't care who knew it. She was good at science and math, but she was also committed to asking bigger questions and sticking it to authority, as she did in "X=Y". She set metal free with a blow-torch. And to this day, I harbor deep-seated fantasies about grand romantic gestures involving marching bands and striding to the 50 yard line to kiss in front of a cheering crowd.

Leslie Knope, Veronica Mars and Summer Roberts.

I have quite a few, but here's some from the top of my list:

Maxine Gray from "Judging Amy". I love this woman's sass and integrity.

Claire Fisher from "Six Feet Under". Even when it was her turn to be a terrible person on the show, she was still interesting and awesome.

Melissa Steadman from "thritysomething". She's neurotic in a lovable way.

Hands down, without hesitation - Tami Taylor of Friday Night Lights. That woman is the definition of character. She stands her ground without sounding naggy or bitchy. She has principles and she lives them through and through. At the same time, she is sassy and fun and funny. She is driven to be the best she can in her career but her family and marriage are her highest and ultimate priority. Honesty and authenticity are coursing through her veins. She should be a case study for women of all ages. Love, love, love that woman.

I 2nd Julia Sugarbaker. She was the tits. Also, Blanche Devereaux. I hope I'm out whoring around like Blanche when I get old and Pissboy is dead.

I also hope my bosoms stay perky.

Ever since I was a kid, I have always loved Caroline Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie. She could take care of herself, and often did, along with all the kids, the house, and often the farm. She had a job before she had kids, and was always the one who stood up to nasty Mrs. Oleson. She kicked prairie ass.

Abbie Cunningham Ewing Sumner from Knots Landing.

Alexis Carrington from Dynasty

Didn't take no crap and entertaining as all hell.

C. J. Cregg, Daria, LESLIE FUCKING KNOPE, and Donna Noble.

Robin Scherbatsky!

Billie Newman from Lou Grant. I wanted to be her.

Oh and Hot Lips Houlihan. Sexy, amart and in control/

Aside from the obvious (CJ and Leslie Knope), I always loved ER's Susan Lewis as a kid. I haven't seen the early seasons in years, so I have no idea whether she was actually as great as I remember, but she was my favorite character for years.

I wanted to be like either Veronica Mars or Daria, but have friends that were like Summer Roberts or Brooke from One Tree Hill (yes I watch that show... Shut up!). That way I could be deadpan/sarcastic and unemotional and they could be all peppy and upbeat and hysterically bitchy and we would balance each other out.

Aeryn Sun

LESLIE KNOPE. I want to be her when I grow up.

Kim Possible. I still love her. I once confessed to my youngest daughter that I wanted to be Kim Possible. She asked, "For Halloween?" I said, "Then, too!"

Another vote for Jessica Fletcher.
She is one classy dame.

I know this list is going to date me, but . . .

Lucille Ball. OK, she played several different characters called Lucy, but they were all classics.

Anyone Betty White has ever played. Sue Anne Nivens from The Mary Tyler Moore Show was always my favorite. Actually, so was Mary Tyler Moore.

The 3 moms: Mrs. Partridge, Mrs. Brady, and Mrs. Cunningham.

Oh and Mrs. H from Heart to Heart. I loved that show!

I liked Roz, on Frasier. I thought being a producer would be a pretty cool job, and I like that she never made any apologies about her sex life. I also like that when she and Frasier slept together that one time, she recognized it as a random one time thing, and moved past it without any drama. In another sitcom she probably would have fallen in love with him and started mooning all over him and it would have built up to some big dramatic confrontation at the end of the season. This was more realistic - sex isn't always that big a deal.

Also, even though the character became fairly shrill and annoying, and everybody hates Jennifer Aniston, it was pretty brave of Rachel on Friends to call off her wedding, move to a city where she barely knew anybody, and pursue her dream career. She eventually got that career too, after paying her dues. The first four seasons had a pretty good arc for Rachel.

Gemma Teller

All the others have been mentioned, so I'll add Laura Roslin. Because that's a goddamn awesome lady.

Here we go-

Dorothy Zbornak- a strong-willed, grounded and wielded a sarcastic tongue with the skill of a master assassin. In other words, Maude Findlay. In both cases, watching were verbally eviscerate anyone in an argument was like watching Bruce Lee dismantling someone in combat; It was a thing of beauty.

Det. Olivia Benson- Oh sure, her male counterparts are more outwardly belligerent, but I've seen enough of her to know that she could dish it out just as definitively as they could, she just kept it closer to her vest and that may very well made her more dangerous. She's a champion to her victims, an unrelenting force to those she pursued and a voice of conscience to her partner.

Sarah Jane Smith- Young, still fighting sexism, and in over her head. And yet I would argue still one of the best to ride in the TARDIS because of three reasons; first she was one of the very few companions that seemed to have a level of equality despite being just a human being, she had an unspoken "best friend" rapport with the Doctor that has been rarely if ever duplicated since and lastly, she probably the only companion that ever could step back in the old Police Box even after all these years and take right back up as if she never left.

Maria Rodriguez- Growing up, I got to see her virtually every day on Sesame Street. Although I must admit I had attachment to all the humans on the show (I was even heartbroken when Mr. Hooper died), Maria was always the human characer I liked best. She was a voice of reason, nurturing towards the "younger" Muppet characters and broke the fourth wall in a way that made it feel more like it was me personally she was talking to instead of just the childrren in TV Land in general. Plus I think I had a weakness for her when she spoke in Spanish.

Definitely Zoe Washburn. I want to be her when I grow up. Kaylee was also pretty awesome: so capable, so sweet, so lustful for gay doctors.

Sarah Walker's alright, too.

Leslie Knope: She's a little naive, a little self-absorbed, and occasionally a total spaz. But she is fiercely competent, well-liked, and believes in and follows through on her dreams.

Veronica Mars: Spunky, sharp-witted, sexy, also fiercely competent at her "job." Her skin is sooo thick, yet she is vulnerable and open to those she loves. Also, she has the best father ever.

Kaylee (Firefly): Optimistic, competent, charming, clever, and valued and respected by her macho counterparts.

Donna Moss and CJ Craigg from West Wing.

Joan Harris from Mad Men. This one is a little less obvious but I just love how even when she's not confident or is being treated like shit (and when she's married to an evil scumbag), she exudes confidence, she gets her job done, and she protects her girls.

Laura Roslin from BSG.

Tami Taylor from FNL.

Kaylee was also pretty awesome: so capable, so sweet, so lustful for gay doctors.

I'm ashamed, ashamed, for this website, that it took so damn long for Kaylee Frye to come up in this conversation. Or any of the Firefly women, for that matter.

Cree83, ditto on Roz. Love her, and she was always a fantastic foil for the fussy Frasier.

And I second the vote for the ladies of The Good Wife: Alicia, Diane, and Kalinda. They are undoubtedly the reason TGW has become my favourite (still airing) show.

scorzi! Kit from Young Riders! I loved that show and her determination to be herself.

I would also add Donna Noble, Kaylee, Zoe, Veronica Mars, CJ Cregg as must haves on any list. Buffy is a fav too, so flawed and makes stupid decisions, but is very real and relateable even with the Slayer powers.

My opinions were set at a young age it seems. Apparently at the age of 5 I was yelling at Penelope Pitstop on Wacky Races to "SAVE YOURSELF!" when she got tied up again. I got sick of that dumb blonde very quickly and Mutley was my fav.

Curses.

DEALT. No "didn't" about it.

Gotta say - and not the point of the thread - but I loved, _loved_ Kaylee Frye. Smart, spunky, sweet, bright-eyed, she was hardly innocent, but never lost her innocence. Never wanted to grow up to be her, but would have loved to hook up with her.

OH! Peggy Olsen.

Dana Scully in the first 4-5 seasons. Smart, beautiful and kick-ass!

Clarissa, Alex Mack (The Secret World of Alex Mack - girl detective/mutant/superhero!), the girl Ghostwriters, if anyone remembers that show, Daria was my high school hero (heroine?), Dana Scully, Zoe Washburn, ALL of the (major) women on The West Wing (as annoying as a few of them were, he never made any of them dumb. Contrary and frustrating, yes, but always smart), Joan and Joan's mother (Mary Steenburgen) from Joan of Arcadia, Samantha Carter from Stargate SG1 for being simultaneously ubersmart and a badass, Tami Taylor, Robin Sherbatsky (sp?) on HIMYM, cuz she's exactly as girly as she feels like being at any given time and is never less than fully herself, and Temperance Brennan from Bones, for being unabashedly, unapologetically, proudly intelligent as hell. Emma from Once Upon a Time is shaping up to potentially be pretty kickass, in a nice, casual way, rather than a 'Look at this character: she is kickass' sort of way.

In other news, I like to utilize parentheses (when they're appropriate).

When I was super little, Punky Brewster

When I was big little, Lilith Crane

Now that I'm big, Lorelei Gilmore.

Oooh also, in a very big way, Kelly, Alex and Gabrielle from Australian show The Secret Life of Us.

Others mentioned Dana Scully, Alicia Florrick and Diane Lockhart. YES.

Dorothy Zbornak. I obviously don't need to explain why.

My first impulse was to say Veronica Mars, but then I thought, yes VMars but without the date rape. And then without the tendency to take advantage of your friends. And without the attraction to self-destructive bad boys who really aren't that cute in the first place. And without tendency to see the world in black or white, good vs. evil. No, I love Veronica's sassiness, intelligence and loyalty, but she is not my first choice.

I think overall, everything I want to be as a human being is Tami Taylor. Honest to God, there are situations in my life where I think "what would Tami Taylor do?" She is my role model as a wife and will some day be my role model as a mother. I wish so freaking hard she was a real person who I could call and talk to after a bad day, or we could laugh over silly things our husbands said or did over a glass of wine.

And, I'm going to say something controversial but it's almost 1 am here and I don't care so what the heck. Another character from FNL who I find admirable and kinda loved and think was a good example for teenage girls was Lyla Garrity. Yes, she slept with her paralyzed boyfriend's best friend...but come on, it was Tim Riggins. And she admitted her mistake bravely like no real 16 year old girl would ever do. And when she went all evangelical Christian in season two, yes it was annoying at times, but she believed wholeheartedly in everything she said and did. She was a loyal daughter who was put in the worst position in the world choosing between her parents. And then she freaking made Tim Riggins fall in love with her and turned him into a good boyfriend! FNL was made up of almost nothing but good human beings who were trying their hardest to do good, but I have a soft spot for Lyla because everyone hated on her.

Kima from The Wire.

When the X-Files came out I was a single, redheaded, geeky woman in a scientific field who was the exact same age as Dana Scully. My friends were like the Lone Gunmen, and the men I had crushes on were just like Fox Mulder. It's hard, really, to overstate how important that character was to me at that point in my life. Hell, just the fact that that a woman could be the lead character of a show without being brainless, or someone's girlfriend, was earthshattering. Sounds silly, but I really felt a lot of support and solace from the mere fact that this fictional character existed.

For my first post-PhD interview, I bought a brown pant suit that was very much like the suits she wore on the show. Never could figure out exactly what shade of lipstick she was wearing, though...

Veronica Mars. Deliciously bitchy, but not without a heart; capable, strong, and intelligent. The perfect role model for the students I teach. Sadly, they seem to prefer Twilight.

Teaching is a difficult profession.

Also Dana Scully and CJ Cregg: competent in a male-dominated work place. Scully's better after season two when she began developing a sense of humour.

I wanted to [i]be[/i] Dana Scully when I was a kid.

I am ASHAMED at myself that I forgot Claire Huxtable.

If only for this scene. LOVE. IT.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYy1C7d0uLM

Definitely Claire Huxtable. Also Kate and Allie and DCI Jane Tennison.

"I am in possession of the male sex organ. Am I allowed to answer too? Good."

This will have to be APOCooter's epitaph.

I am now in possession of the male sex organ. If you want it, come and get it. But I warn you, if you want it you will have to get it over my dead body as I did over APO's.

That is all.

I am always late to the fun parties.

Xena and Gabrielle (Xena: Warrior Princess) Both strong, smart, independent ladies who can hold their own against warlords, gods, and anything in between.

Ziva David (NCIS) Chick has been through hell and back - largely at the hands of her own father - and she's not only survived, but used it to fuel her to become a better person. And she's still the most dangerous person in the room.

ALL of the Golden Girls.

"Kima from The Wire."

Seconded. Totally realistic. I also loved Joanie Stubbs from Deadwood.

I spent my formative years watching Xena, Buffy, Dark Angel and Alias. Those are the women that I wanted to be. Strong, hot, snarky, in charge, and a solid leader-type who could get shit done. And probably kick your ass. But with loads of sexual tension!

But since I don't have any superpowers or supergenetics or superspycapabilites (YET!!!), I just really wanted to be the nerdy girl who gets the most popular guy because she's just so awesome that he'd risk his popularity for her. I wanted to be Angela in My So-Called Life. Don't judge me.