Liz Lemon, played by Tina Fey
From: 30 Rock (2006-present)
Upside: Smart, sublimely awkward, and unrepentantly nerdy, it's hard not to love Liz Lemon. And her abiding devotion to the Food Network is icing on the cake. Even her spastic, weirdly dissonant dance moves are kind of endearing.
Downside: Yes, I'm aware of the foot problem.
Debra Morgan, played by Jennifer Carpenter
From: Dexter (2006-present)
Upside: Deb is hilariously profane, up-front about what's important, and unfailingly devoted to doing the right thing.
Downside: It would be like dating a "dude." Debra is as unsentimental and commitment-phobic as any of her male peers, if not more so. This kind of makes sense, when you consider that she was unwittingly engaged to a serial killer at one point.
Joan P. Harris (nee Holloway), played by Christina Hendricks
From: Mad Men (2007-present)
Upside: Joan is one of the most compelling characters on the superb period-drama Mad Men. Chronically underestimated by her coworkers at Sterling Cooper, often to their own detriment, she does the real work of keeping the business up and running. Her despicable husband (despicable is really too generous a word for that creep) is condescending and blithely uninterested in what she wants out of life, though Joan is clearly the stronger personality. One senses that Joan could be a veritable force of nature, if she could only transcend the limitations of her era.
Downside: Hmmmm...
Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, played by Lynda Carter
From: Wonder Woman (1975-1979)
Upside: She's Wonder Woman.
Downside: The Lasso of Truth, maybe.
Thelma Evans, played by Bern Nadette Stanis
From: Good Times (1974-1979)
Upside: Thelma is a confident, artistic young woman who remains steadfastly idealistic in spite of the poverty that surrounds her. She more than holds her own against her comically boorish older brother. She also has excellent taste in music, favoring '70s soul giants Marvin Gaye and Isaac Hayes.
Downside: She married her sweetheart Keith Anderson, who overcame alcoholism and a serious knee injury to play for the Chicago Bears. Who'd want to break up that happy ending?
A Non-Fictional Runner-Up:
Campbell Brown, played by Campbell Brown
From: Campbell Brown (2008-2010)
Upside: Her unwillingness to play a character is actually the most appealing thing about Campbell Brown. (Her elegant features, classical profile, and deep brown eyes are incidental to her crush-worthiness.)
Downside: She is married to this guy. You know, for real married.
