These Are the Girls I Love the Most

I love television--watching it, writing about it, dreaming up ways to perfect it. And with every TV show with which I become obsessed, I find myself falling in love with one of its characters. So here's a list of my eight favorite TV heroines.

Roz Doyle (Peri Gilpin) on Frasier

Even though the first two seasons suffered from a "Lack of Roz", she was always a scene-stealer. The reason why I love her is because she serves as a perfect foil to Frasier--she's down-to-earth, no-nonsense and completely willing to bring Frasier back to reality when he's off on one of his pretentious rants. Also, Roz is rather "romantically-experienced" and yet she's never embarrassed about it despite Frasier and Niles's constant teasing. Peri Gilpin has a deadpan comic timing, often nailing her lines with a wonderful precision. How did she never get an Emmy nomination?

Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) on True Blood

Sookie can come off as being naive, immature and somewhat stupid. However, I see it as just her wanting to believe that the world is a better place than it is. Sookie, in my eyes, is courageous, loyal, genuine and subtly fierce. Anna Paquin is gorgeous, with that golden hair and sunny smile. I think she's a competent actress, albeit one with some limitations. But she also has an addictive screen presence.

Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) on 30 Rock

Oh, man, Lemon is the perfect woman with her food obsession, her love for the Star Wars films, and her devotion to pop culture. Combine that with Tina Fey's comedy chops and you have a classic TV character. Lemon is the everywoman--actually, the everyperson--and that makes her more attractive. This makes the running joke that she's the ugliest woman on the 30 Rock version of the planet even funnier.

Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) on Alias

Whether she's scaling the wall of a shady warehouse at midnight Russian time or impersonating a French diplomat in Cairo, Sydney was the coolest heroine on prime-time TV from 2001-2006. Even when the show became caught up in its own mythology and lost some of its 1st season charm, Jennifer Garner still rocked it in every episode. What other actress looked as good in every hair color and sounded convincing in every language?

Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders) on How I Met Your Mother

She likes guns, scotch, a good steak and was a Canadian teen pop star. What's not to love? Robin is a unique TV female character because she's not looking for marriage and kids. Once she broke up with Ted in season 2, the show had to refigure what her purpose on the show is but that didn't stop Cobie, the least experienced of the cast, from being totally hilarious.

Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) on Friends

Rachel was and is my favorite of the Central Perk-ians. The traits that some find whiny and annoying, I find endearing and adorable (maybe because I'm a Ross?). Of the girls, she may not have been the funniest (that honor goes to Miss Monica Gellar) but she did have a unique comic presence--she kind of puts herself in embarrassing situations via her desire to prove herself. And she had the best chemistry with each of her castmates.

Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) on Fringe

When Sydney Bristow ended her reign as Queen of Spy TV, the throne was empty until Torv debuted as Dunham on Fringe. I like Agent Dunham because she is so hardcore in her pursuit of justice that she's consistently unsatisfied unless she has all the answers or captured the criminal mastermind. Anna Torv is a very capable actress--with such a serious role, she still allows some charm and warmth to sneak in. And she's one of the most beautiful women on TV right now.

Jules Cobb (Courteney Cox) on Cougar Town

There is something about Cox's portrayal of Jules that makes this potentially obnoxious character so adorable. Jules is perky, self-centered, a maybe alcoholic and downright obsessed with her son and her friends. Thanks to Courteney Cox, she's also endearing and a total sweetheart. I like that she's flawed and three-dimensional and that she strives to be a perfect person. That makes her a lot more realistic than other sitcom heroines.

Even though I stole the title of this blog from Snoop Dogg's verse in Katy Perry's "California Gurls", it's still true. I genuinely adore these TV characters and I look forward to watching them every week (or rewatching them on DVD.)