TV

AfterEllen.com’s Top 50 Favorite Female TV Characters

After weeks of tweeting and Tumblr-ing and Facebook-ing and Fan Forum-ing, the reults are finally in! We have counted all the votes in our inaugural Favorite Female TV Characters poll and the winner is … well, you’ll have to click through to the last page to see who the winner is. (You didn’t think we’d make it that easy, did you?)

One of the funnest things we get to do at AfterEllen.com is tally the results of our big polls and learn about our readers’ tastes. For example, with this poll, we assumed that most of the winning characters would be lesbian or bisexual. We were right, but only slightly. 26 of the 50 characters are queer ladies. We also assumed most of the winning characters would be on shows that are currently on the air. We were right about that too, but again, only barely. 27 of the 50 winning characters are from ongoing shows. Which means the whole “out of sight, out of mind” thing simply does not apply to lesbians.

What else do we know about your tastes? Well, we know that even though the majority of our readers are American, almost percent of your favorite characters are from international shows. And we know that you find the following things sexy (in this order): ladies who like other ladies, ladies who carry guns and/or badges, ladies who make you laugh, ladies with non-American accents, ladies who sing. Also, generally speaking, you like women who swear and women who boss people around.

Want to know even more about what you love? See for yourself!

50. Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel and Christina Bennett Lind), All My Children

The first lead character on a daytime drama to come out as a lesbian, Bianca Montgomery has secured her role as a gay icon. Like every soap character, Bianca’s relationships were tempestuous, but when AMC went off the air in 2011, Bianca seemed to have found lasting happiness in the arms of Marissa Chandler.

49. Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner), Alias

Lesbian ladies have a long history of loving badasses, so it’s no wonder Sydney Bristow roundhouse-kicked her way into our hearts over the course of five seasons. When she wasn’t saving the world, she was showing off her skills as a polyglot, or her abs – both of which were fine by us.

48. Lisa Simpson (voiced by Yeardley Smith), The Simpsons

Lisa Simpson has been making us laugh all 13 years of her eight-year-old life. She’s an idealistic misfit with Mensa-level IQ. If she ever ages enough to go to college, she’s going to be a big hit with the softball team.

47. Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), Criminal Minds

It’s no secret that FBI and CIA agents make us weak in the knees, but a Behavioral Analysis Unit agent whose main goal is to remain human in a world that wants her to be cynical and objective – well, that’s even sexier than a badge and a gun.

46. Emma Müller (Kasia Borek), Hand aufs Herz

Emma Müller was just your average heterosexual glee club member until Jenny Hartmann arrived from London, the Kissing Capital of Europe. After sneaky-spying on her with puppy dog eyes for months, Emma finally admitted that Jenny could be her sweet dreams or beautiful nightmare – either way, she didn’t want to wake up from those giraffe-print trousers.

45. Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), Glee

In a school where saccharine sappiness and you-can-do-it ideology threatened to take over the student body, only Sue Sylvester was willing to take a stand against the Glee Club. Her tongue is toxic, her zingers are caustic, and her hatred for Will Schuester is a message we can all believe in.

44. River Song (Alex Kingston), Doctor Who

Of all the companions to find their way into the TARDIS over the years, River Song stands alone – partially because she’s actually made from that wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff. She’s full of sass and snark and spoilers. Us and her, time and space, you watch us run.

43. Helen Stewart (Simone Lahbib), Bad Girls

Helen Stewart arrived at Larkhall with the widest eyes and biggest plans and sexiest Scottish accent we have ever heard, but on day one her world flipped upside down when she had a run-in with headstrong inmate Nikki Wade. Before she knew what was happening, Helen was falling in love. And so were we.

42. Isabel Lobo (Adriana Torrebejano), Tierra de lobos

A rebellious tomboy in a conservative Spanish family, Isabel fell in love with a naked lady she saw in the shower. Said lady just happened to be one of the town prostitutes. But despite all the odds – including the fact that they were on a soap! – Cristina and Isabel had one of the sweetest, tenderest, most relatable courtships we’ve ever seen. Also: sexy. So, so sexy.

41. Shane McCutcheon (Kate Moennig), The L Word

If there’s a woman on earth who could resist the charms of The L Word‘s resident Lothario, we’ve never met her. Shane – like her iconic shag – could not be tamed. And that’s just how we liked her: wild and free.

40. Effy Stonem (Kaya Scodelario), Skins

From mute to mental breakdown and everywhere in between, we could not get enough Effy Stonem. Her story spanned two Skins gens, but it still wasn’t enough. “Nobody breaks my heart,” she said. But boy, did she ever break ours.

39. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), Bones

The Jeffersonian’s resident forensic anthropologist doesn’t have any problem telling her friends and colleagues that she’s one of the smartest women on the planet – and we don’t mind hearing it. We also don’t mind watching her dropkick thugs, shoot at bandits, or smash serial killers in the faces with brief cases.

38. Spencer Hastings (Troian Bellisario), Pretty Little Liars

Caffeine addiction never looked as good as it does on Rosewood’s most high-strung sleuth. She’s smart, she’s fierce, and her voice drives us to absolute distraction. We’d drive our BEAUTIFUL TOYOTA anywhere she told us to go.

37. Spencer Carlin (Gabrielle Christian), South of Nowhere

Teenage TV gays are all the rage these days, but when South of Nowhere premiered on The N seven years ago, they were few and far between. Into that desert walked Spencer Carlin, a beautiful, well-adjusted, middle-class high schooler – who just happened to like girls. Or so she discovered after a couple of days skipping school with bad girl Ashley Davies. Their relationship was tempestuous, but we were as addicted to it as they were. (And they did live Happily Ever After, after all.)

36. Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham), Gilmore Girls

Fast-talking, pop culture-referencing, coffee-drinking Lorelai Gilmore was the queen of Stars Hollow. And for Gilrmore Girl‘s seven seasons, she was the queen of our hearts. How could we resist a woman who’s finest hour involved a fried chicken eating contest? Answer: We couldn’t.

35. Bo Dennis (Anna Silk), Lost Girl

We’ll be honest: We didn’t really know what a succubus was until Bo walked her leather ensembles into our lives. She’s searching for the truth of her identity, but she’s also searching for love. We can’t help her with the first thing, but we know the answer to the second one: Dr. Lauren.

34. Jenny Hartmann (Lucy Scherer), Hand aufs Herz

Sometimes when you throw a shovelful of dirt in a girl’s face and that girl botches up your essay on Martin Luther, it means you’re in love. Which is a lesson Jenny Hartmann learned from Emma Müller. But Jenny was a teacher too. She taught us about the catharsis of pizza ballet, the joy of sparkly jeggings, and the truth that love conquers all – even freak bus accidents and airplane crashes.

33. Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), Fringe

Oh, how we love our FBI Special Agents, even the ones who exist in multiple parallel universes at the same time. Olivia is brilliant, driven, and elegant. She can also blow up shit with her mind. So, you know, practically perfect in every way.

32. Gabrielle (Renee O’Connor), Xena: Warrior Princess

Every superhero in the universe wishes they had a sidekick as competent and loyal as Gabrielle. Sorry, though, Superman – Gabrielle was destined to be the companion of Xena. And by “companion,” we mean “wife.” Gabrielle and Xena’s subtextual relationship is the stuff of legend. As long as lesbians are making lists of their favorite characters, you can count on Gabrielle being included.

31. Ellen Morgan (Ellen DeGeneres), Ellen

This website exists because of Ellen Morgan. In fact, most of the lesbian character on this list exist because of Ellen Morgan. She broke ground when she came out in the in “The Puppy Episode” in 1997. And after breaking ground, she paved the way for the Santana Lopezes and Emily Fieldses we’re so fond of today. We’ll never be able to say enough about how much she means to us, so we’ll just say: Thank you, Ellen. For everything.

30. Kalinda Sharma (Archie Panjabi), The Good Wife

Queer TV viewers have long been familiar with the “Sweeps Bisexual,” a character who is straight until it’s time for networks to rake in the ratings. It’s uncommon for a bisexual character to be given complex, authentic storylines that keep us coming back for more. But that’s what we’ve found in the bat-wielding, leather jacket-wearing, no-nonsense personna of PI Kalinda Sharma. She loves women, she loves men, but mostly she loves being right. And that’s all right with us.

29. Casey Novak (Diane Neal), Law & Order: SVU

It is a truth universally acknowledged that somewhere in the world an episode of Law & Order is being shown. And for five full seasons Casey Novak has been the assistant district attorney for SVU. That’s the longest a female ADA has survived the long-running franchise. Or any district attorney for that matter. She’s also a serious softball player, which makes us love her even more.

28. Cara Mason (Tabrett Bethell), Legend of the Seeker

We’re never going to say no to a full leather suit, especially when the lady wearing it is a sarcastic Mord Sith that makes us laugh and swoon and cower in equal measure. She also happens to be one of those rare unicorns: a well-rounded bisexual character who doesn’t trip into tired tropes.

27. Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly), Warehouse 13

Sometimes a Secret Service Agent takes a bullet for the President. Other times a Secret Service agent falls in love with a cryogenically frozen novelist while working at the country’s warehouse for supernatural artifacts. Thanks to Myka Bering we now know that second thing is a whole lot more fun to watch.

26. Helena G. Wells (Jaime Murray), Warehouse 13

Speaking of cryogenically frozen novelists, meet Helena G. Wells, a British agent from Warehouse 12 and the author of those science fictions masterpieces, which were, unfortunately, attributed to her brother. Her chemistry with Myka Bering is unbeatable. Which is why we really need her not to be dead.

25. Kahlan Amnell (Bridget Regan), Legend of the Seeker

Ah, the Mother Confessor. Such a kind, gentle soul. When she’s not having to extract the truth from her enemies in any way possible. She seems destined for Richard, but we wouldn’t mind seeing her branch out a little with Cara.

24. Dana Fairbanks (Erin Daniels), The L Word

Before she was ruthlessly murdered by Ilene Chaiken, Dana Fairbanks was one of the most engaging, relatable lesbian characters in the history of TV. Over the course of three seasons, she fell out of the closet, fell in love with her best friend, and proved that sometimes a cat really does make a better companion than a girlfriend. Poor Mr. Piddles. Poor Dana. Poor us. (We’re still not over it.)

23. Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey), The L Word

Even when TLW tasted like poopy shit, we couldn’t get enough of Alice Pieszecki. Some of us wanted to be her bestie. Some of us wanted to be her wife. Some of us just wanted to eat gay brownies and giggle at her classic one-liners. Plus she prepared us for a life of network TV viewing with this little gem: “Most girls are straight until they’re not, and then, sometimes they’re gay until they’re not.”

22. Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), Parks and Recreation

Even though she was born in Eagleton (home of Lord Voldemort), we’ll never stop loving Leslie Knope. We’d eat waffles and whipped cream with her, we’d carry a three-legged dog across an ice skating rink for her, and we’d vote for her in any election. In fact, we wish Knope 2012 were a real campaign. A President of the United States campaign.

21. Olivia Spencer (Crystal Chappell), Guiding Light

In the waning days of Guiding Light, we basked in the glow of Otalia. Olivia Spencer falling in love with her best friend Natalia was one of the best things to ever happen during the soap’s 57-year run. Their story was complex and textured and even though they didn’t make out as much as we would have liked them to, we still find ourselves digging up those old clips, just so we can sigh adoringly.

20. Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), The X-Files

Dana Scully is to shipping wars as Sumer and Elam are to actual wars. Which is to say that Dana Scully did it first. The X-Files was born right around the time as the modern internet, and for nine seasons, AOL chatrooms and Compuserve message boards were full of passionate discourse about the FBI Special Agent and whether or not she really believed. Oh, and also whether or not she and Fox Mulder were an OTP. (Before there was even such a thing as an OTP.)

19. Brittany S. Pierce (Heather Morris), Glee

It was a throwaway line that catapulted Brittany S. Pierce from silly cheerleader to lesbian darling: “If [sex was dating], Santana and I would be dating.” Now they’re doing both! Santana says Brittany is “everything that’s good in this miserable stinking world.” And we tend to agree. We also support her in her quest to get Lord Tubbington to give up ecstasy.

18. Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), Glee

Rachel Berry doesn’t have any scruples about bending the whole world to her whims to get what she wants. And dammit, we love that about her. We also love her voice, her crazy sweaters, and the way she looks at Quinn when she doesn’t know anyone’s looking at her.

17. Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), Castle

Kate and Castle might be in a classic will-they/won’t-they relationship (they will), but Beckett always keeps it fresh. Maybe it’s her wry sense of humor. Maybe it’s her general badassery. Maybe it’s her face. Or maybe she’s just the perfect storm of everything we love in a lady who carries a gun.

16. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), Law & Order: SVU

There’s a reason why Mariska Hargitay keeps racking up awards even though Law & Order: SVU is going on its 13th season – in a world full of police procedurals, Olivia Benson stands alone. She’s tough without being cynical, vulnerable without being weak, and a superhero without being untouchable. If the show went on for 13 more seasons with Benson, we’d go on watching.

15. Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), 30 Rock

For a show that struggled for more than one season to find its audience, 30 Rock and Tina Fey have absolutely immortalized Liz Lemon. In fact, there ain’t no party like a Liz Lemon party ’cause a Liz Lemon party is mandatory. Despite the absurdity, there’s something about Liz that really resonates with us. Maybe it’s the way she’s taking third wave feminism out of the ether and really trying to have it all. Or maybe it’s because we also just do what Oprah tells us.

14. Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell), Veronica Mars

Veronica Mars has been off the air for five years, but we’re still holding out hope for that movie. Why? Um, because Veronica Mars is one of the quirkiest, most lovable, baddest ass detectives we’ve ever seen. (And also because Kristen Bell’s movie career needs all the help it can get.)

13. Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron), Glee

Sometimes we can’t help but wonder if Glee‘s writers hate Quinn Fabray. When they’re not saddling her with bizarro kidnapping storylines or giving her solos to characters we don’t even know, they’re smashing into her with pickup trucks. Frankly, though, it doesn’t matter. We love her enough for the whole world.

12. Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan), Buffy the Vampire Slayer

In Buffy‘s early seasons, Willow Rosenberg was the best friend every gay lady wanted. And in Buffy‘s later seasons, Willow Rosenberg was the girlfriend every gay lady wanted. Her transformation into a powerful witch (and also a lesbian) was one of the greatest characters arcs we’ve ever seen. From bookish sidekick to savior of the world, it was quite a transformation.

11. Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander), Rizzoli & Isles

Dr. Maura Isles may not catch your pop culture reference or your quip about professional sports, but that’s only because she’s better than you. But it’s not just her big brain that intrigues us; it’s her loyalty and compassion and sizzling chemistry with Detective Rizzoli.

10. Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals), The L Word

No character in the history of TV could rock a power suit or drop an F-bomb like Bette Porter. When she smiled, we smiled. When she cried, we cried. When she finally got back together with Tina in season five, we cheered and hugged and hit rewind more times than we can remember.

9. Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon), Rizzoli & Isles

Continuing in the trend of ladies who pack heat, Jane Rizzoli is our top-ranking detective this year. Did she beat out the others because of her sexy voice? Her incomparable swagger? Her heart-hopping smile? Probably. But she also beat out the other cops and detectives and agents because of her unquenchable attraction to Dr. Maura Isles.

8. Naomi Campbell (Lily Loveless), Skins

We loved Naomi Campbell from the first time we saw her; we think we were thirty. It took us two seasons to pluck up the courage to admit it to her. We were so scared of the way we felt, you know, loving a TV character that we became sarcastic bitches to make us feel normal. We watched YouTube to try to make it go away, but it didn’t work. When we saw Skins series three, it scared the shit out of us, because it was the one show in the world that could ruin our lives. We pushed her away. We tried to make her think it was her fault. But really, we were just terrified of the pain. We watched American network TV to spite her for having that kind of hold on us, and we’re total f–king cowards because we bought these – these region-free DVDs years ago. But we couldn’t stand to be slaves to the way we feel about her. Can’t you understand? It’s horrible, so horrible, because really, we would quit all TV for her. We love her. We love her so much it’s still killing us.

7. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez), Grey’s Anatomy

We’ll admit: In the early days, we kind of thought Callie was just going through “a lesbian phase.” You know how it is when your husband cheats on your with his best friend who also has sex with ghosts. But nope, Callie fell fully, deeply, irrevocably in love with another woman. She even married her on primetime network TV. She may have made some missteps, but like Arizona, we love her and all her adorable flaws.

6. Emily Fields (Shay Mitchell), Pretty Little Liars

When Emily Fields’ (now [probably] dead) best friend accused her of “liking Beyonce too much,” we had ourselves a giggle. We had no idea our laughter would turn into a full-blown love affair. During two seasons of the most gloriously absurd show on cable TV, Emily came out to her friends, her family, and dated about twenty-seven of the hottest girls we have ever seen. She’s gone from a timid keeper of secrets to a stealthy ninja who can weather even GLASS IN HER HAIR. Her girlfriends might come and go, but that’s OK – because the only thing Rosewood, PA rains down more than murder is teenage lesbians for dating.

5. Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Buffy the Vampire Slayer

We firmly believe that any list of awesome female TV characters that doesn’t include Buffy Summers in the top five is totally invalid. So congratulations on making the right choice! Buffy is, and always will be, a television icon. A clever, cynical teenager who embraced her destiny and saved the world time and time and time again. But even when she was kicking the asses of the Biggest Bads, she was doing normal teenage stuff, like making terrible decisions with her love life. The premise of Buffy may have been fantasy, but she’s one of the most relatable characters we’ve ever known.

4. Emily Fitch (Kat Prescott), Skins

The first time Emily Fitch looked across a crowded gymnasium to lock eyes with Naomi Campbell, we felt like she was staring into our souls. And what she saw was us seeing that she is a perfect human being. Her coming out speeches, both to her buddy JJ and to her parents, made us swoon. (“I like tits and fanny, you know.” and “Her name’s Naomi. She’s rather beautiful. So, I was nailing her.”) And her longing looks and desperate pleas to Naomi made us sigh. We wanted Noami to be brave and want her back more than we ever wanted anything for ourselves. (And then we wanted to slay that giant beast Mandy with our bare hands for even looking at her.) Like Naomi, we loved her from the first time we saw her. And also like Naomi, we’ll go on loving her as long as we both shall live.

3. Xena (Lucy Lawless), Xena: Warrior Princess

If you don’t know anything else about lesbians, you would know that Xena was going to land in one of the top spots on our list of best TV characters. She is practically a lesbian deity. Her relationship with Gabrielle is the stuff of legend, of course. But so is her badassery and her outfits and her bossiness and that smirk. She may have died at the end of the show’s run, but she will live on in our Sapphic hearts (and tomes of fan fiction) for all time.

2. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw), Grey’s Anatomy

Arizona Robbins is the perfect girlfriend: She’s sweet. She’s smart. She’s funny. And most importantly, she’s the kind of woman who will learn everything about you and love you anyway. The kind of girl who, no matter what stupid thing you do, will walk beside you and hold your hand. She may have come to Seattle Grace solely as a love interest for Callie, but she’s made her own place in our hearts. Apparently, we like her even more than we like Callie. Maybe because she’s just as annoyed as we are with Mark Sloane.

1. Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera), Glee

About a year ago, Naya Rivera took the top spot on our AfterEllen.com Hot 100. Now Santana Lopez has captured the trophy for Favorite TV Character. Two winners of two seperate polls who look just alike! Santana may have started out as a supporting Cheerio. Just a pretty mean girl who could cut you with her words. (“You’re about as sexy as a Cabbage Patch Kid.” “You dress like one of the bait girls on To Catch a Predator.” “Normally you dress like a fantasy of a perverted Japanese business man with a very dark specific fetish.”) But inside that hard, Lima Heights adjacent exterior is just a girl, standing in front of another girl, asking her to love her. Glee may be one of the most ridiculous shows on TV at times, but sometimes it’s also the most poignant. And for the last season and a half, Santana is the one who has kept the entire production emotionally grounded. She sings, she dances, she zings. But mostly she loves. And we can’t help but love her back.

Did your fellow readers get it right? Let us know what you think in the comments, on Twitter, or on Facebook!

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