51. Emma Peel

Married, sleek, British, and ready to kick some serious behind. She was the Alpha Female at play. I wanted that black suit. Is there anything sexier on the planet? Show me.

Portrayed by: Diana Rigg (2 Emmy Award Nominations)
Favorite episode: Mrs. Peel must portray a lonely spinster in order to trap a jewel thief. When she revealed who she really was, complete with the black cat suit underneath her robe, all my fondest dreams came true.



52. Maude Findlay

“Right on, Maude!” (finger snap). She never minced words. She always had something to say and she was the only woman who ever gave it back to Archie Bunker. She stood for women’s rights when there was no such thing on TV. Tall and throaty, she could slam a door like nobody’s business. A feminist role model.

Portrayed by: Beatrice Arthur (1 Emmy Award, 3 Nominations)
Favorite episode: Maude becomes pregnant and decides to get an abortion. It was shocking at the time. I remember when it was shown; there was a warning before the episode from the sponsors.



53. Ted Baxter

I always forgave him. Ted meant well. He was trying his best. He was arrogant and stubborn, but underneath all that bravado was a crying, hysterical kid screaming for friends and ice cream. I actually understood him more than any other character on that show. The paring of he and Georgette was magical. They were the Golden Couple for me. Ted was one of my best friends.

Portrayed by: Ted Knight (2 Emmy Awards, 4 Nominations)
Favorite episode: Ted finally wins his Teddy Award. A brilliant cameo by Cloris Leachman.



54. Fred Flintstone



Yabba-dabba-dooo!!!! I said that constantly around the house. I don’t know how my Mother didn’t end up institutionalized. The fact that his feet could start the car and his voice could bring down mountains only made him more endearing And insane. After all, Wilma loved him, and she was truly everyone’s pal. A man who’s bark was far worse than his bite.

Portrayed by: Alan Reed (1963- 1977) and Henry Corden (1977….)
Favorite episode: Fred and Barney hire who they think is an out of work young lady to baby-sit Pebbles while they try out for an amateur talent show. The babysitter turns out to be none other than Ann Marg-Rock.







55. Cliff Huxtable

He was funny and forthright with his kids. He taught lessons through laughter. Even when he was angry he was never really THAT angry. I always felt as if he would do absolutely anything for his family, and they in turn, would do anything for him. He made me feel safe. Always.

Portrayed by: Bill Cosby (2 Golden Globe Awards, 1 Nomination)
Favorite episode: Cliff gets taken to see one of his favorite performers for his birthday: Lena Horne. What an episode.



55. Thomas Magnum

It took me a while to find him, but once I finally started tuning in, I fell immediately on love. The moustache and that great, big, open smile. He was another guy that literally stumbled into trouble. He never wanted nor really meant to solve a crime. That was his lot in life. To be adored, and brilliant. Both things he could have done without. Another reluctant hero.

Portrayed by: Tom Selleck (1 Emmy Award, 2 Nominations)
Favorite episode: Magnum gets amnesia by opening his closet door and getting knocked out by a falling bag.



56. Laverne and Shirley

I remember when Debra Messing was once compared to Lucille Ball. I was ill for a week. Although I think Messing is mildly funny, she comes nowhere near the Great Lucy. However, I would venture to say that these two ladies came as close to Lucy and Ethel as we’re likely to see. They were ying and yang. Laverne with her tough, street wise take-no-prisoners attitude, and Shirley with her eternal optimism and shining outlook on life and its residents. Together they fell, tripped, swung, clamored, and pawed their way through their lives. Two ladies I believed were actually friends, and if you had them on your side, all your bases were covered.

Portrayed by: Penny Marshall, and Cindy Williams (Marshall: 2 Golden Globe Nimantions, Williams: 1 Golden Globe Nomination)
Favorite episode: The girls decide to go to their High School reunion. Laverne takes an accidental sleeping pill, and Shirley doesn’t eat for 3 days in order to fit into her new dress. The physical comedy at the event is stunning.



57. Ginger Grant

Maryanne Who? With a direct homage to Monroe, Ginger had it all. The walk, the whisper, the body and a face that could stop traffic. She was the child/woman in all of us, and her sexuality seethed through the television. I walked like her for years.

Portrayed by: Tina Louise
Favorite episode: A Ginger “double” appears on the island: The lonely, bookish Eva. The scene at the dinner table where Eva (pretending to be Ginger) has to run back and forth and switch clothes and glasses in order to fool the castaways is priceless.



58. Fred Sanford

“Elizabeth! I’m comin’ to join ya, Honey!” Even when his face was beat red and he and Aunt Esther were going at it like two dogs, I loved him. He was just a guy trying to make it through some rough times. I always wanted to see what Elizabeth looked like. I’ll bet she was beautiful. Like Diahnn Caroll.

Portrayed by: Redd Foxx (1 Golden Globe Award, 3 Nominations)
Favorite episode: Fred buys a lottery ticket. He actually says to Esther: “You’re so ugly; you could stick your face in dough and make gorilla cookies.” Funniest insult ever.







59. Kojak

The tough street cop that was really the Clint Eastwood of the tube. I loved the lollipop thing. I loved that he was able to shoot a bad guy in the head, and then went to the office with a lollipop in his mouth. It said volumes about who he was. Dark and light.

Portrayed by: Telly Savalas (1 Emmy Award, 2 Golden Globe Awards)
Favorite episode: Kojak’s buddies throw him a surprise party and there’s a murder downstairs. Kojak turns into one of the suspects.



60. Sgt Ernie Bilko

This is one guy who never seems to win. Although always followed by a big dusty trail of glom and doom, he never failed to make his chums laugh, or get them involved in another get rich quick scheme. A true buddy, with a heart of gold. He’d do anything for his friends.

Portrayed by: Phil Silvers (2 Emmy Awards)
Favorite episode: Bilko gets an idea for a get rich quick scheme. He holds a “Poker-Off” in which he hires, who he thinks, is a poker ace. Turns out he’s really a bum wandering onto the base by mistake.



61. Topogigio

The Mouse. Ed Sullivan’s best friend and the only mouse I know who looks adorable in full jammies. He always made me feel warm and comfy. When Topo would come out, I always got a little sleepy. I have all the old Ed Sullivan shows on tape, and have been watching them for years now. Topo is a friend and a comfort to me.

Portrayed by:
Favorite episode: Ed asks Topogigio to tell him his favorite bedtime story. Topo recites Goldilocks.



62. The Mod Squad

Yes, all three of them. The grooviest gang of fuzz that ever wore a badge. They were hip, gorgeous and great cops because they were great thieves. The underbelly of their own society turned around and pointed in the right direction. Groovy and tough, they never stopped running.

Portrayed by: Peggy Lipton, Michale Cole, Clarence Williams III
Favorite episode: The squad is after a drug smuggling ring that turns out to be friends of theirs. They not only catch them, there’s a great shoot out at the end of the episode, where Julie has to kill another girl.







63. Alex P. Keaton

My Republican Brother. He was never wrong, he counted pennies, and he wooed women. He was shocked he was in the family he was in, and they felt the same. His overwhelming love for his family and his need to protect America went hand in hand. A man who wore his heart on his sleeve and if you wanted to see it, it would cost you a nickel.

Portrayed by: Michael J. Fox (3 Emmy Awards, 1 Golden Globe Award)
Favorite episode: Alex divulges his inner most secrets to a psychiatrist. This episode is done with a surreal and fascinating directorial hand.



64. Perry Mason

He was strikingly handsome and I always assumed when the show went off, that Perry was in his den smoking a stogie. He seemed refined and dignified, and yet always retained a palatable disdain for the bad guys. The way he interrogated people in the courtroom was very sexy to me. Love a good looking guy with a brain.

Portrayed by: Raymond Burr (2 Emmy Awards)
Favorite episode: I’m a little fuzzy on this one, maybe someone can help. The episode starred Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester from The Addams Family) and it had something to do with a meantal institution. Sorry…if anyone remembers let me know. It was brilliant.



65. Anne Marie

It never occurred to me how fabulously she was dressed until I became a starving actress myself. When I was in my twenties, I could barely afford to shop at the Gap much less wear the gowns Ms. Marie wore. For a woman to not only be on her own, but constantly keep her boyfriend at arms length because she wanted a career was unheard of at the time. Anne followed her dream, and she never once left my head while I followed mine.

Portrayed by: Marlo Thomas (1 Golden Globe Award)
Favorite episode: Anne gets a job as a singing telegram girl. Great songs and dances by our girl.



66. Lassie

I’m a cat person, but how could I be a human without loving this dog? She’s beautiful, she’s obedient, and she saves lives. Even now, whenever I see a collie, I call her Lassie.

Portrayed by: Pal (who was a male)
Favorite episode: Timmy gets trapped in a well, and Lassie comes to the rescue. That episode scares the life out of me., I had Well Dreams for a while after that.







67. Lou Grant

He was a teddy bear. His love for his friends and his dedication to everything male was very attractive. He treated Mary like his sister, and Ted like his little brother. He was the champion for the common guy. The voice of people who had no leader.

Portrayed by: Ed Asner (5 Emmy Awards)
Favorite episode: Lou falls in love with a piano singer who changes his life. He’s faced with his own morality questions which he answers honestly and with grace and charm as only Lou could.



68. Kermit The Frog

There was never an amphibian with more style and wit. He was the Prince in a backwards fairytale. And when he sang “It’s Not Easy Being Green” everyone who was different in any way, understood exactly what he was talking about. He and Miss Piggy defined codependency.

Portrayed by: Jim Henson
Favorite episode: I’d have to say every single Muppet Show. I couldn’t pick just one. That show was one of the best Variety Shows ever produced.



69. Maverick

“As my old Pappy would say…”

A cowboy’s cowboy. Black hat, dusty pants, gambler, drinker, and a smirk that could make you hand over the deed to your farm. Sexy and smart, he was a man’s man but a guy who would light your cigarette if you asked him nicely. He was a protector with ammo, and a heart of gold.

Portrayed by: James Garner (1 Emmy Award, 2 Golden Globe Awards)
Favorite episode: Maverick falls for the new saloon girl in town….played by delcious and voluptuous Eva Marie Saint. It’s love at first sight, and no one’s thrilled about it.



70. Samantha Stevens

Samantha married because she was in love. She was willing to give up a life of magic and infinite possibilities. Her husband was the most important thing to her, and although a deal was made, she often found herself unable to be anyone other than whose he really was. She was in constant flux, but knew that deep down; love was the strongest magic of all. She and Darrin were my first taste at what a real fairytale was like.

Portrayed by: Elizabeth Montgomery (4 Emmy Award Nominations, 4 Golden Globe Award Nominations)
Favorite episode: A ghastly witch (played marvelously by Mercedes Macambridge) sends Samantha back in time to Old Salem. The trial is wonderful, and Samantha has a terrific monologue about what it’s like to be falsely accused simply because you’re different.







71. Oliver and Lisa Douglas

Ba-dum-da-dum-dum …..Fresh Air!

Ba-dum-da-dum-dum…….Time’s Square!

Lisa was the square peg in the round hole, and Oliver was just plain square. The great thing about the two of them was their individual way they looked at the world. Lisa craved the insanity of “HootersVille” whereas Oliver left the Big City behind him in order to find peace and serenity. Nether of which he got. I wouldn’t ever say no to Lisa’s pancakes. Not ever.

Portrayed by: Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor
Favorite episode: Oliver gets a lawyer job out of the blue and the two of the, make a trip to New York. Lisa decides to stay.



72. Sgt Suzanne “Pepper” Anderson

She was a Sergeant. That was the selling point for me. She dealt with men, their oogles and their verbal harassment with a deft hand and a snappy remark. She was good at her job, detailed in her private life, and always had fabulous hair. Although the way she looked wasn’t as important to her as how she succeeded.

Portrayed by: Angie Dickinson (2 Emmy Awards, 1 Golden Globe Award)
Favorite episode: Pepper falls in love with a fellow cop, who ends up dead. Her vengeance in seeking justice is pure vigilante.



73. Christie Love

Speaking of tough broads, NOONE equaled Miss Christie Love…..baby. She was the best at pure, raw, unadulterated ass kicking. It wasn’t so much that she was after justice, as much as she wanted to just plain beat the snot out of a cook. She lured the men in with her sexuality, and then pummeled them with right kicks in the Netherlands. A bad-ass Broad, Honey. One of my Heroes.

Portrayed by: Theresa Graves
Favorite episode: A “cat burglar” has been ravaging the city. Christie finally ends up face to face with the crook, and it turns out to be some random white chick. The girl fight at the end of that episode was brilliant. Fists, kicks, guns, knives, they used everything except a raccoon to kill each other.



74. Patty and Cathy Lane

They’re cousins. Identical cousins and you’ll fiiiiiind…….

I have to say, I thought Patty was groovy and happening, and willing to split her malt with you, but I had a bit of a crush on Cathy. She was soooo refined, and had that great accent. She always knew what to do and what the answer was. Patty seemed to react too quickly for me. She never thought things through. Whereas Cathy never made a move unless everything added up. No one could out dance Patty however, and when Cathy got dressed for the prom and wore that white chiffon gown with her hair up and the diamonds in the back, I thought I’d die.

Portrayed by: Patty Duke (1 Emmy Award Nomination)
Favorite episode: The prom episode. Patty gets sick and asks Cathy to go in her place.







75. Maxine Gray

Amy’s Mom and a fireball of contradictions. Being maternal doesn’t come easy to her, she’d rather have her children think and save the world. And she knows they can. Yet, when it comes time for some serious Mother-ing, there’s no one better. She’s in your corner, if you deserve it, and when she is, all your bases are covered. Mitchell and I sob consistently at pretty much every single word that comes out of her mouth.

Portrayed by; Tyne Daley (3 Emmy Awards, 1 Golden Globe Award)
Favorite episode: Maxine falls in love, only to have her betrothed pass away. She ends up in therapy, and her reliving her life and life’s choices is a tour de force. It all comes flooding out like a trapped river when she talks about her cat that recently passed. Easily one of the best episodes on Television.