2- Rita Lee Lance Played by: Mitzi Kapture-Donahue
(Silk Stalkings regular character seasons 1-5)
If Mary Richards is on this list because of loyalty, Rita Lee Lance is on this list because of adoration. Rita Lee Lance was, in a lot of ways, the first female character that I truly connected to. As a teenager, starting to explore my concepts of what it meant to be an adult in the world, I had the examples of my parents and the weekly exploits of Sgt. Rita Lance. Rita was smart, sassy, carried a gun, had fish, dated, and had a best friend to die for. She was emotional but logical, passionate about what she cared about, and she had moved on from a family history that would destroy lesser people. She was a strong woman who also wanted to be a mother and for me, that was key. Too often, girls my age didn’t think that strength equated motherhood. She could be everything, and even better, she knew she wasn’t superwoman. She was beautiful and strong and passionate and could still run in heels. That meant something to me and now, twelve years after the character disappeared into the shadows of TV’s graveyards, she’s still inspiring me.

3 - Sara Sidle Played by: Jorja Fox
(CSI regular character Season 1-8)
Each TV show must have the character of Greek Tragedy, and Sara Sidle is that for CBS’ CSI. Born into a hippie family, Sara survived abuse at the hands of her parents as well as the stabbing death of her father by her mother. She pulled herself out of a cycle that could have landed her in over her head, headed to Harvard and then to Berkeley, graduating early and fast and putting her past (seemingly) behind her. Sara’s intelligence sets her aside from many female characters – she is a physicist who works in a job that demands a scientific mind. It’s not often to see that, even in strong female characters. Sara is also beautiful in a way many female characters are not – tall and lanky, she wears little makeup and doesn’t do much with her hair. Her clothes are simple and comfortable, and the only seemingly vain thing she puts into her appearance is a definite style of necklaces. The character does not even wear pierced earrings. Despite all that, the men of the lab at CSI fall all over her; Asst. Coroner David Phelps, Lab Tech and later CSI Greg Sanders and of course, Supervisor Gil Grissom, just to name three. Some tout Sara’s obsession with her boss, Grissom (#17 on this list) as a sign of true feminine weakness and say that it ruins the character. While I stand on the fence regarding how I feel about how the writer’s played up the relationship, I stand firmly in my respect of the characters feelings for him. Too often in TV, when women chase a man, she is desperate. When men chase women, it’s just part of every day life. Sara holds her head up high, does her job well, and when she breaks down, she gets the help she needs and then goes back to work.

4 – CJ Cregg Played by: Allison Janney
(The West Wing regular character)
Almost every woman that I know (who watches the West Wing) wants to be CJ Cregg. She is tall, uncharacteristically beautiful, has a fantastic job, and she got to kiss Mark Harmon. CJ’s character, at first, comes across as quite stereotypical – she is a professional woman who gave up family life for the professional world. She has worked for feminist causes such as EMILY’s list and associates with the “sisterhood” of women who work with NOW, NARAL, and others. But looking beyond the first blush of character (a blush we only were able to see, really, the first four seasons but the character was expanded at the fifth season) we were able to see a vulnerable woman who really was at the top of her field and often completely over her head. Touted at the fictional DeeDee Myers, the character of CJ Cregg served as the Bartlet Administration Press Secretary for five years, before being promoted (some say unrealistically) to the role of Chief of Staff. CJ’s draw, for me, was not so much in her problem solving skills but her ability to think while falling and then land on her feet. She was also one of the most human characters TV has ever seen. More so than most characters, especially the women on TV, CJ was human. She made mistakes, she fell in love, she fell out of love, she worked, and then at night, she went home. She was never made to be funny, she just was. She was never made to be smart, she just was. The character was also a daring example to young women across the globe – that even a woman can break the rules in the old boy’s club of politics and move up the ladder despite what the world would tell her. CJ is truly what her mother’s generation protested to save – free to do as she willed.

5 - Toby Zeigler Played by: Richard Schiff
(The West Wing regular character)
Never was there a sadder man. Oi! Toby! How I love him. Toby, the cranky, moody, pushy, sensitive, smart, and funny speechwriter and Communications Director for the Bartlet White House. Toby, the man who we all wanted to make sweet passionate love to. Toby, the brilliant man who when he put pen to paper, it became magic. Toby. Sweet, sweet, “I didn’t know kids came with hats” Toby. I think that Toby is without a doubt the best portrayal of a writer that has ever been on TV. He’s moody, contemplative, and switches from up to down faster than most people who are bi-polar and not taking their medication. That’s the life of a writer – writer’s tend to live inside their own heads and just don’t understand the world around them and even more, don’t understand how people keep coming back to them.

6 -Murphy Brown Played by: Candice Bergen
(Murphy Brown regular character)
I wanted to be Murphy when I was a kid. I wanted those kinds of guts, that kind of passion, and that kind of love and respect. I wanted to be beautiful. I wanted to be a single mother. I wanted all of it. I wanted to have her smarts and her boyfriends and her friends and her job. I wanted all of it. She was really the first strong woman that my generation got on TV, and wow did Candace Bergen take the character by the horns and wrangle it.

7 - Mary Richards Played by: Mary Tyler Moore
(The Mary Tyler Moore Show regular)
Mary Richards is on this list partly out of loyalty and partly out of importance. Yes, I have memories of sneaking into my parent’s living room to watch Mary Tyler Moore, but more than that, she helped to shape a young girl’s thought process. When I think of the other women on this list, in truth, none of them could have existed without Mary’s presence on TV. She is ingrained into my memory – the fierce young woman who proved she was more than long legs and pretty eyes.

8- Maggie Doyle Played by: Jorja Fox
(Reoccurring character on ER seasons 3-5)
Very few characters on TV have the ability to make me get up at 8 AM when I don’t have to so that I can catch her episodes of ER on TNT. Maggie, played by mistress of the smirk, Jorja Fox, is a daring character on a show that has almost become a joke for it’s melodrama and bed hopping doctors and nurses. Maggie came on board as a transfer from another teaching hospital in Chicago and quickly established herself as an aggressive young intern who was able to lead the others and teach well. Maggie was also a gun-toting vegetarian lesbian – something that was virtually unheard of on TV. In a world, and on a show, where sex and sexuality is exploited, Maggie went about her daily business as any other doctor. She cared deeply for medicine, but she was also not willing to stand back and let the people around her get exploited. Over the course of the character’s time, she helped Jeanie Boulet stand up for herself, and also faced off against Dr. Romano when he maligned her because of her sexuality – as happens all too often in the GLBT community. In 1996, there weren’t a lot, if any, gay characters in prime time, and Maggie made being a lesbian seem as normal as being blonde or having brown eyes.

9- Leo McGarry Played by: John Spencer (1946-2005)
(The West Wing regular character)
It’s not a coincidence that the men in my top ten are from the fairy tale of The West Wing. I’m not enough of a political junkie to warrant direct worship of the Chief of Staff to a fictional president, but I am enough of one to know a hero when I see one. Leo McGarry is a hero. He fought for his country in Vietnam and he died while living for his country. He’s gruff, he’s caring, and he’s lived too long and been through too much to not be honest with you when he thinks you’re being an ass. He loves the people in his life almost as deeply and passionately as he loves his country. In loving Leo, I’m not afraid to be patriotic.

10- Jed Bartlet Played by: Martin Sheen
(The West Wing regular character)
My dream president. Oh, don’t get me wrong, the man has flaws. But, in a world where we live with the people who currently occupy the West Wing, and where we fight wars that make no sense, I can turn on the West Wing and find someone who makes this world make sense. In his fairy-tale world of noble political figures and PR scandals that don’t end up costing him the White House, he is the leader this country searches for. He is educated, and shows there is nothing wrong with having that education. He is articulate and gets angry when other figures in his world are not. He is a commanding public speaker who gathers his troops by as much of his charisma than his ability to lead. He is also susceptible to the problems of power, single-minded devotion to an issue, and an opposition congress that wants nothing more than to make his life a living hell. Yet, through it all, I can turn on the West Wing at any time and slip into that world where Bartlet is my president.

11- Kira Nerys Played by: Nana Visitor
(Star Trek: Deep Space Nine regular character)
Kira personifies my inner resistance fighter. She’s strong, she’s powerful, and she took up arms against an oppression and then, amazingly, grew up as well. The power of Kira is not that she could take down a rival from a sniper position but that she came to learn when to hold her fire. Kira is deeply religious and faithful, and she is secure enough in her faith that she can trust her Gods while following her instincts and her science. She is smart enough to question, yet believes, truly, in the Prophets whom she spent her childhood fighting for. She is still “human” enough to be hurt and she shows that vulnerability is sometimes that greatest strength of all.

12- Dawn Summers Played by: Michelle Tractenberg
(Buffy the Vampire Slayer regular character seasons 5-7)
In a world full of heroes with mythical, magical powers, how amazing was it, for me, to discover a super hero in a very “Human” teenage girl. No, Dawn did not come to Buffy: The Vampire Slayer as a normal, human girl. But, when she was no longer the “key” to the plot, she was left to mortality and humanity and in that uselessness, discovered her own sense of power. Surrounded by witches and slayers and demons, Dawn and her humanity prove that sometimes, the most magical thing we have to work with IS our humanity.

13- Data Played by: Brent Spiner
(Star Trek: The Next Generation regular character)
If ever there was a character that demanded we, as human beings, examine our humanity it was the all-too-human Data on Star Trek: TNG. Data, an android in search of humanity, was a blatant mirror for viewers – in him we saw innocence and exploration – the most human of all characteristics. He was gentle, caring, and consumed with a morality and goodness that only the saints seemed to have possessed. The character was shameless in his exploration of what it meant to be human, and when he learned, he was often disappointed in the outcomes.

14- Greg Sanders Played by: Eric Szmanda
(CSI reoccurring character seasons 1-3; CSI regular character seasons 4-present)
When I play the “who would I really end up marrying” game with my TV characters, Greg Sanders always tops the list for CSI. I love Grissom and Sara is so damned beautiful, but it’s Greg I’d end up in a relationship with. Greg is a prince charming in geek clothing. He listens to punk and metal, he’s smarter than he has any right to be, and he’s always himself. Even better, he lets himself evolve over time. Most male TV characters played sports in college and are hunks who just couldn’t go pro. Greg’s a nerd, through and through, and he’s still adorable.

15- Amy Gardner Played by: Mary-Louise Parker
(West Wing reoccurring character seasons 3, 4, 5, 7)
Everyone hates Amy and I can’t figure out why. I’ve loved her annoying, feminist ass since the first time I saw her throw a water balloon at Josh. Maybe that’s part of it. She’s that annoying word – feminist. Dearest world, there’s nothing wrong with having a feminist agenda. We’ve made the word into something dirty, something like “liberal” and in doing that, in striving to get rid of some of the labels, we’ve turned women like Amy into monsters. Amy wants what the rest of us want: equality. She’s just going to be out there reminding us that some battles still need to be fought. She takes the romance out of issues such as prostitution and makes them issues again. Maybe her tactics are a little hard-handed and comical, but so what? She can pick up a phone and have everyone from the Christian Right to the Liberal Left at her beck and call. She’s a politician. That’s the important thing.

16- Capitan Hutchinson Played by: Ben Vareen
(Silk Stalkings reoccurring character seasons 1 & 2)
I’ve talked gender more than once on this list, but now it’s time to talk race. It’s easy to say we need to stop the conversation – just start to look past skin color and gender and see the qualities in people as a whole. Personally, I go crazy when co-workers of mine list race qualities when describing someone. Yet, the fact of the matter is that we are a country divided by race and gender and in 1991, it was not that common to see a black police Capitan. Capitan Hutchinson was a hardened Detroit street cop who worked his way up through the ranks and somehow ended up on the homicide detail in Palm Beach. He was rough, he was gritty, and he was good at his job – both in the field and when ordered around his two golden children: Chris and Rita. He carried his history on his sleeve, and he wouldn’t take any crap from anyone. Race, to him, was an issue only so far as if someone made it an issue. Then he’d take you down, spin you around, and proceed to fuck you up in about sixteen different ways. Beyond all of that, he was a professional who cared deeply for his team and interacted well with them.

17- Willow Rosenberg Played by: Alyson Hannigan
(Buffy the Vampire Slayer regular character) If there is one character on this list that I truly identify with, it would be Willow. The gawky, strange, not quite sure of herself brainiac who gets to college and comes out … yep, that would be me. I love Willow. She marches to her own beat, and she’s proud of it – all the while, wanting nothing more than to fit in. Her mother encourages all things different, her friends are nothing but different, and well, Willow is just … herself. She’s capable of such extremes – her ability to love, to fear, and to exact revenge are all overpowering. There is nothing middle of the road about this woman – and in a lot of ways, that was a first for TV.

18- Gil Grissom Played by: William Petersen
(CSI regular character to present) For once, we have a truly flawed leading man. There is nothing truly comfortable about Gil Grissom. He is awkward, standoffish, and hardly built like a former linebacker. He trusts sparingly, loves even less … but when he does, damn the world because he’s going to keep you forever. Yet, in this, Grissom is single minded, selfish, and demanding of your trust but if he breaks it, he will never forgive himself. He is nearly impossible to love, and yet, he is worshipped by his team and adored by the one woman who could break through the walls he keeps up so high around his heart.

19- Shakaar Edon Played by: Duncan Regehr
(Star Trek: Deep Space Nine reoccurring character seasons 3&4)
How do I love me a good resistance fighter. I can’t help it. The rough, rugged man who survives the occupation of his planet and takes the reins of leadership against the tyrannical religious zealots who would destroy everything he worked for. Shakaar Edon is straight out of mythology – the reluctant hero turned beloved leader. He is deeply religious but operates at a secular level. He is cautious, able to compromise, and he’s even pretty damned hot too. Even today, I’d follow Shakaar into battle.

20- Gina Toscano Played by: Jorja Fox
(The West Wing reoccurring character seasons 1 & 2)
Okay, maybe I have a crush on Jorja Fox. I can accept that as a reasoning for having yet another character of hers show up on my top 25. But that doesn’t change the fact that Special Agent Gina Toscano was a special woman. Gina makes her first appearance on the West Wing aboard Air Force One as, it appears, the lead Special Agent assigned to First Daughter Zoey Bartlet’s protection detail. She’s young “I’m 27, Sir.” And reveals that she was the first one to sign up for the detail. Sitting with the president, she is both respectful and proves that she can act just like the college student she’s going to be protecting. Gina’s storyline leads through to the finale of season 1, where she is the one who sees the gun just as bullets start raining down on the President and staff. Sorkin, who struggles with finding a solid voice for strong female characters, nailed Gina very well. A young woman in a sea of men, she holds her own not only with the headstrong daughter but the President as well. She takes no crap from anyone, and is able to tell the Press Secretary where to shove it. Sadly, she disappeared into Mandyville after season 1, as Jorja Fox accepted a role with CSI. It would have been interesting to see the character grow and change over seven years on West Wing.

21- Christopher Lorenzo Played by: Rob Estes
(Silk Stalkings regular character seasons 1-5) Chris was my first TV boyfriend. I was sixteen, he was almost thirty. He was tall and funny and charming and had perfect blue eyes and he was a cop so that meant he’d protect me from all the evils of the world. He loved to walk on the beach and he liked pretty girls and he was the kindest, most caring man in the world. There was only one problem: he was in love with his partner and best friend. While my ideas about men and sexuality were formed long before I started watching Silk Stalkings, my ideas about an ideal partner were solidified as I watched Chris and Rita interact. I wanted my lover to be that best friend – the one who would show up at my house and read to me if I had insomnia, the one who would just hold me and let me be me – and there didn’t have to be romance attached. Over a decade later (and just a few partners later) I find that I still search for Chris in my potential lovers. I look for the loyalty and the compassion that Chris brought to the party. I look for the human touch of friendship without any other pressures. Chris taught me that it was okay to be friends with a lover and that sex wasn’t the most important thing. All these years later, when I watch the DVDs, I still pretend that I’m curled up with Chris.

22- Kate Harper Played by: Mary McCormack
(The West Wing reoccurring character end of season 5; regular character season 6-7)
Kate grew on me. At first look, I wasn’t sure if I liked her. And then, she opened her mouth and I realized just how cool she was. It wasn’t because of her tenure with the CIA or because she ended up sleeping with Will. It was because I could truly identify with her. If Kate hadn’t been in the military and taken the route she took, she would have been an English teacher. She was smart and funny and also able to command a room by walking into it – not in spite of her being a woman but because of it. While they often made the point of CJ being overlooked because of her gender, Kate was just Kate and at the end of the day, she could let her hair down and still be Kate.

23- Will Bailey Played by: Joshua Malina
(The West Wing reoccurring character beginning of season 4; regular character seasons 4-7)
Will Bailey was an interesting first for West Wing. The young hero with the heart of gold who managed to get a dead democrat elected to congress in Orange County, Will is strong, pig-headed, a brilliant writer, and not immune to the powers and the pressures of politics in Washington.

24- Matt Albie Played by: Matthew Perry
(Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip regular character)
I’m a sucker for writers and Matt Albie is no exception. Aaron Sorkin has managed to transfer his angst, his issues, his writers’ block into this lovesick boy who found his muse in a woman he doesn’t know if he can love or not. It’s poetic, and perfectly played by Matthew Perry. Matt stole my heart in an early episode of Studio 60 where you get to watch the writing process literally cross his face.

25- Ainsley Hayes Played by: Emily Proctor
(West Wing reoccurring character seasons 2-4)
Political satire at its best, that is the only way to describe Ainsley Hayes, the smart, fast talking, nervous, Republican lawyer from North Carolina who worked her way into the hearts and minds of the West Wing audience. Designed to be an obvious mockery of conservative blowhard Ann Coulter, Ainsley had a lot of people contemplating converting to the Republican party as she consistently knocked down stereotypes and explained conservative ways of thinking all without being obnoxious about it. Okay, maybe she was a little obnoxious, but then again, so are the Democrats. Her fast-paced, nervousness evolved into a style for the character that often granted her exit lines such as “And with that, I’m going to get a cupcake.” And “… These people are patriots. And I’m their lawyer.” The Associate White House Counsel led to a reoccurring theme on the West Wing: while all lawyers may be idiots, not all Republicans are.

Honorable Mentions

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Bareil Antos
Intendant Kira
Garak
Jake
Lupaza

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Capitan Picard
Worf
Tasha Yar

Star Trek: Enterprise
Hoshi Sato

CSI
Jim Brass
Catherine Willows

CSI: Miami
Yelena Cane

The West Wing
Josh Lyman
Donna Moss
Charlie Young
Mrs. Landingham
Simon Donovan
Margaret

ER
Kerry Weaver
Mark Green
Carol Hathaway

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Anya
Rupert Giles
Jonathan
Kennedy
Drusilla

Murphy Brown
Corky Sherwood

The Golden Girls
Blanche Deveroux

Silk Stalkings
Harry Lipschitz
Lieutenant Hudson

X-Files
Fox Mulder
Dana Scully