Television is this weird and wondrous place. I mean, you spend half an hour every week for about six weeks, and you find a new family. New inside jokes, new characters to ship, and new fanfics for your ships, you get the idea. And I am a TV junkie, more specifically a sitcom junkie cuz I like my shows like I like my men, funny, nice and respectful. And when you watch a sitcom, you know it isn’t about those dramatic twists or turntables (did you get The Office reference?), it’s about those characters. And nothing in this world makes me happier than seeing amazing women on screen (and if you are wondering, I like my women like I like my bra, supportive, a little disgusting, but always around you). This, is my list of 10 amazing women and it is in no particular order. I had to work really hard to cut the list to just ten, and it is my list and thus is only based on my taste and will most probably differ from yours.
Amy Santiago (from Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
She is the nerdy, awkward, rule-following, loving, type-A person we all know and need in our life. She is ambitious and achieves her dreams, competitive, a team player, absolutely loves her friends and above all else, loves her boss. Some might say she is a teacher’s pet, a title she will accept with honour (because “everyone loves their pets”). But seriously, who doesn’t crave superior’s approval? (Even if it takes six gifts for Christmas you eventually have to throw away). And even though Amy Santiago is everything I said before, she is also much greater than all these parts. We see her rise from detective to a sergeant, from being just a partner-in-crime-solving to partner-in-life to Jake “white noise machine” Peralta (her words, not mine), from barely knowing her to now being sleuth sisters with Rosa Diaz and from constantly being roasted by Gina to being constantly roasted by Gina, but now with love (some things never change. Much). She is a constant reminder that you don’t have to shy away from ambition. You can slay it anyway.
Rosa Diaz (from Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
Rosa Diaz is the bisexual badass we need and deserve. Scary? Check. Intimidating? Super check. Black leather? Hells yeah. Rides motorcycle? Maybe even without a helmet (okay, no. She always wears a helmet. She’s “a badass not an anarchist.”). Loves Nancy Meyer’s movies? Absolutely. (What? A badass can’t love a good (or bad) rom-com?). Rosa is the amalgamation of everything perfect. She is cool, collected and has a wicked sense of humour. (At least that’s what I think. One may never be sure with Rosa). This black leather-clad superwoman seems, at first glance, scary and intimidating and she absolutely is. But here’s the thing, once you’ve joined her pack, she always has your back. Whether it’s chasing down criminals or helping you choose a wedding dress you deserve. Just don’t ask her to smile (also can we as a generation stop asking women to smile more? We’ll do that when we want to).
Monica Geller (from Friends)
Monica might be the first ‘modern’ woman I’ve seen on television (it wasn’t helped by the fact that my earlier viewings mostly consisted of Hindi soap operas). She was a strong, independent woman, who while didn’t need a man, certainly enjoyed one’s company. She works in a traditionally male-dominated world and slays there, without losing her feminity or without stopping to be a maternal figure to the gang. She is also one of the first ‘real’ (albeit exaggerated) woman on TV (again, seeing those soap operas really screwed me up). I could see parts of women I know in her. Obsessed about cleaning? That’s my mom. People not taking her seriously? My cousin was complaining about that. Hanging out with friends and shooting shirt? That’s all I do. But that’s not all. Monica goes through so much in her life, going from a wannabe-kook to eventually successful motherhood, she was one of the first women on TV to tell me being a flawed, real person doesn’t mean you deserve less.
Phoebe Buffay (from Friends)
Phoebe is basically my first TV love. She was this weird, quirky, oddball and was unapologetically so. She was and still is, #goals. She was relentless in everything she did. Whether it be her beliefs, her music or just giving back money she mistakenly got. Even though her dad left her, her stepmom got killed by a drug-dealer, and was living in the streets a lot of her life, she was also relentlessly positive and forgiving. She was always a staunch believer in goodness and spirits and people being reborn as cats. And also for smelly cats rights. And rat reproduction rights. And the only thing she has always hated is her twin sister. Well, Ursula is a meanie anyway. And if you are wondering didn’t Phoebe’s stepmother kill herself? Yes, she was the drug-dealer who killed her.
Leslie Knope (from Parks and Recreation)
Has there ever been a character for who is so you in so many ways, yet so drastically different, that in every other way she is so aspirational, that all you ever want is basically be her, to emulate her positivity, because she’s a bundle of sunshine? Well, that is Leslie Knope for me. Leslie Knope is a woman who loves waffles and friends almost equally with work coming in a close third. She is a dedicated, hardworking, loyal government employee (you read that right, a happy, actually-does-work government employee). She is fiercely passionate about everything she does. She is either the best worker or the biggest pain in the ass, depending on who you ask (if you Joe Biden, he might say the latter, and his wife might stick to the former). But ask anyone, Leslie gets things done and she gets the right thing done. She might be impatient, might steamroll over others, have some tunnel vision about her goals, but hey, what are friends for, if not to see you fail spectacularly and help you get up? And that’s the best thing about Leslie Knope: she knows that nothing gets done alone. So she enlists help and she is there forefront, to help others (even if the said others don’t give her a second look). I have many hopes and dreams. But if I could be half the person Leslie is, I think I’ll be happy.
April Ludgate (from Parks and Recreation)
She is weirdest, meanest, creepiest person ever. And the best part about her? She never stops being mean or weird. But she is also one of the most lovable characters. All too often, ‘weird’ (or if one is kinder, off-beat) women are either side characters with no development or women who eventually find the err in their ways. Not April Ludgate. She is always sharp and quick and obsessed with death and blood and gore and whatnot. But she is not without love. Once she finds a place for you in her heart (and it’s a pretty big heart, mind you), she’ll do anything for you. Spend an entire day trying to complete your bucket list (including driving from Indiana to Grand Canyon)? Without hesitation. Write a recommendation letter to an awards committee because no one else appreciates you? Just don’t hug her afterwards. Lying under oath because what you did was right? She only likes to tell the truth if it sounds like lying anyway. Because truth be told, under her meanness, general dislike of people, general like of macabre, she is a pretty good person. And the thing is, you just have to be a good person, not a nice one.
Liz Lemon (from 30 Rock)
Liz Lemon is a boss. She (stress) eats like a boss, she (over) works like a boss and she makes (impulsive) decisions like a boss. She is your hero in every wrong sense. She is not aspirational but definitely is inspirational. Liz is the before part of an ugly duckling story. She is the klutz who doesn’t care about her appearance, is basically just a nerdy tomboy who just can’t get out of her funk. So she does the next logical thing- she constantly eats junk food, doesn’t sleep, stops having a social life and then eat some more. And if that isn’t how you deal with life, then how? (Because seriously, I might need help). Liz is brilliant and caustic, she can whip a bunch of frat boys into shape to get what she wants but ask her out on a date and you’d have seen fishes flop around with more grace. But that what makes Liz so precious, everything she does more meaningful, whether if it’s her agreeing to do product integration or her deciding to have a child. Watching this gifted disaster make one horrible decision after another is what TV is all about.
Eleanor Shellstrop (from The Good Place)
Eleanor is just another basic bench who died and got misplaced in the good place and now has to try to become a better person by learning to be a better person. You know, just the run-of-the-mill stuff. But even though The Good Place is technically about what happens when you die, it is more about the characters as they lived. And what a life Eleanor had! Lying, scamming, cheating and whatnot. But thank whatever non-dimensional beings are responsible for The Good Place (the incomparable, the one, the only, Mike Schur), her story doesn’t end there. Of all the ghost, after-death, or whatever you choose to call it stories, she has the most human of them all. It’s about loving and living and failing and then doing it all again until you get it right. It’s about living, not just surviving. It’s about being good even when it sucks.
Tahani Al-Jameel (from The Good Place)
She is sophisticated, she is classy, she is beautiful, she is tall, she is emotionally repressed; basically she is a Brit. And, she throws the best parties ever (guest-list would include her good friend Beyonce, but since she’s still alive, she couldn’t make it to the party). If there are two things Tahani can tell you, it’s how Ben Affleck makes terrible movie decisions and how it feels to live under a sibling’s shadow. Tahani’s life consisted of ever-disappointed parents and over-achieving sister. This was her driving force. And although she might be jealous to the point of petty, she is also one of the best friends you could ever have, will always give you good counsel and support you no matter the abominable outfit you choose. Just don’t ask her to be a fashion don’t. She doesn’t care for it much.
Lily Aldrin (from How I Met Your Mother)
She is the sweetest, most adorable person of the gang, you know the glue of the group. And she is also a diabolical, evil, all-roads-to-means manipulator, the reason of many-a breakups. Lily Aldrin is someone we all know and see a part of ourselves in. She is the mother of the group, not just in the caring, supporting way, but also the twists everything to her convenience way. And along her journey, we resonate with her fear of not having tried enough to our dreams, the fear that we are losing that past part of ourselves that used to define us, fear of a starting a family, fear of losing it. Lily emerges victorious through most of it, and even when she doesn’t she can just drink and flirt with the next girl she sees.
Aand there you go! A list of fictional women who inspire me, disgust me, make me introspect and always, without fail, make me laugh. So what do you think? Do you also love these women? If not, who do you love? Have you seen these shows? Do you also want to scream and shout how amazing these shows are and these women are? Do you also think that I am way too invested in fictional characters and I try to fill the emptiness and directionless in my life by finding scrapes of similarity to fiction and hoping that somehow I could emulate them even though all I do is watch TV? (No, right?). Answer these questions below and get a chance to make another person other (a la me) happy. So I wish you happy viewing and good whatever-time-you-are-reading-this.
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