The 10 Funniest Women in Primetime
5. Sarah Silverman, The Sarah Silverman Program
The comedian who proved long ago that the Holocaust and lavatories are endless diamond mines of material continues her trek to this day. She recently became the first Comedy Central star to earn an Emmy nod for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical, Comedy or Variety Series. Amy Sedaris is vindicated!
4. Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
OK, so it's technically late-night. But still: SNL's had more downs than up this season, and thus, it's easy to dismiss some of Kristen Wiig's abilities, since she's been forced to star in a hefty percentage of skits and bail out some of her underachieving coworkers. But her characters routinely marry stateliness and battiness in a way that would impress Madeline Kahn or Jane Curtin. That Jamie Lee Curtis Activia ad still makes us lose control. Not like that.
3. Portia de Rossi, Better Off Ted
Playing the improbably heartless executive of Veridian Dynamics, de Rossi's Veronica Palmer is the best part of the hilarious-yet-overlooked ABC workplace comedy. In between assigning impossible missions to her team ("We want to weaponize a pumpkin!") and defending the company against indefensible crimes ("The company's actually the opposite of racist, because it's not targeting black people. It's just ignoring them.), Portia de Rossi plays the only female on television who plays harder than the men at the office while doubling as a magician's assistant at night.
2. Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
To think of anyone else playing the ferociously unstable Jenna Maroney is infeasible, yet, of course, that almost happened. Jane Krakowski turns a character that could seem like a run-of-the-mill delusional actress on paper and imbues a kind of Brechtian urgency to her clamor. In fact, you learn to respect the insanity in a girl who survives a Gossip Girl role where her character died of old age, an engagement to David Blaine, and a threeway with Roseanne and Tom Arnold. "That was two years ago!"
1. Tina Fey, 30 Rock
The most award-blasted comedy in primetime also bears the funniest lead actress of the past decade. Tina Fey's Liz Lemon, the harried head writer of a late-night variety series, is a deceptive straight-man, thanks in particular to the caricatures who surround her. Against their cacophony, Liz seems like a monotone quip dispenser, even though she's often the most absurd part of the din. Wedding dress fixations, Princess Leia costumes, and the occasional mouth-crying jag all creep into her bookish sense of authority. Four and a half seasons in, her bubbling-under neurosis is still unbeatable.
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Comments
How can you leave Amy Poehler off this list? Did you actually believe Parks and Recreation stars Jabba The Hutt because of that insanely catchy video from last night that I still can't get out of my head?
Don't forget Liz Lemon's affection for food. "Meatball sub..extra bread."
agreed.
although you sort of need to squish up all of the women on Parks and Recreation into one big ball and you'd get the superwoman of comedy.
This list is great, with the exception of number 6. Courtney Cox is the reason I don't watch Cougartown. She was funny on Friends but she is so shrill and over the top on Cougartown that can't watch an episode without being in a state of perma-cringe.
Julie Bowen nearly ruins "Modern Family" for me.
another agreed. started slow, granted, but i'm really hoping this finds the audience it deserves.
I love Modern Family but Julie Bowen's character is the most annoying on that show. Such a shrew. Sofia Vergara should have been on this list instead, she's hilarious.
I agree here, though I thought she was the weak link on Friends. She is awkward and unfunny on this show, too.
I think Julie Bowen is great, and agree that Amy Poehler should have made this list.
Who is that avatar like creature pictured next to Courtney Cox's name. Looks like someone dumped a trashcan full of airbrush on her.
Wow, Congrats to the White women. They cleaned up in this category. Then again, network tv is not really filled with tons of options.
Liz Lemon is a "deceptive straight man"? What does that even mean?
A "straight man." The one who sets up the jokes for the crazier characters. I was saying that although she plays straight man for Jenna and Tracy, she's sometimes the biggest caricature.
Funny enough, I considered Wanda Sykes -- but her role on New Adventures of Old Christine is dull. I think we have a contender in Community's Yvette Nicole Brown though.
where's hannah montana?
This is a fairly good list but since this is the internet and I have to complain about things, a shortlist of women on TV who are much funnier than Kristen Wiig's sub-MadTV level characters on SNL (or Sarah Silverman but that's an acquired taste. I guess.); Amy Poehler (Parks & Recreation), Alison Brie (Community), Ellie Klemper (The Office), Andrea Anders (Better Off Ted but Portia de Rossi at #3 makes this okay), Heather Morris (Glee), and Samantha Bee (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart). And that's only limiting it to one per show.
Why is Sarah Silverman on this list? She's obnoxious, and the only people I know that give her laughs are teenagers.
where is Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)??, she is so funny!!!!
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on number 8 ? I doubt it. She deserves to be at the top of the list !
How could one leave out Amy poeller on Parks & Rec. I suppose it's your article and all, but seriously she isn't even on it? Whoa, I just read a bunch of comments so it looks like I'm not alone in that sentiment. She was so-so on SNL - some good moments, but on P and R, she is great. Funniest show on TV. Tina should be in top 10 but not number 1. Kristen Wiig is the funniest woman on TV. But good list nonetheless.
Again, 'Modern Family' is AWFUL. Julie Bowen was good on 'Ed', 'Weeds' and ''Boston Legal', but she's unwatchable on 'MF' (which is not such a feat, as 99% of it is unwatchable).