So far, comedy has been a bit of a men’s club. You only need to watch one or two episodes of QI, Mock the Week or 8 Out of 10 Cats to realise there’s a significant gender bias when it comes to ‘funny people’ onscreen. But over the past decade there’s been a serious rise in funny women — and we stress that word purposefully. Not girls. Not Lena Dunham or Aubrey Plaza — though they are pretty hard to ignore — but women who, thankfully, tend to write and perform strong, smart characters on TV that speak to other women. ’80s and ’90s female comedy stars paved the way, and we’re forever grateful to Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Roseanne Barr and Ellen DeGeneres, but here’s our list of the top women who made their name in twenty-first century TV — long may this list get longer and, who knows, maybe Lena Dunham or Charlyne Yi will make it on to here one day.
10. Alison Brie
Although Alison Brie plays a college student in Community, she is best known for her kick-ass performance as Trudy Campbell on Mad Men. Unlike so many of the wives on the series, Brie’s Trudy takes absolutely no crap from sleazy husband Pete and does so with some of the show’s best one-liners. We take our hats off to this self-assured women who Brie encapsulates perfectly onscreen — making us laugh, winning both our hearts and respect, and proving that, even in a show with ‘Men’ in the title, women can still have the best parts. She also does a hilarious Elmo impression — what’s not to love?
Best line:
Trudy Campbell (to Pete Campbell): “I’m drawing a 50 mile radius around this house and if you so much as open your fly to urinate, I will destroy you.”
9. Rashida Jones
OK, in fairness to everyone else on this list, Rashida Jones had a significant advantage in getting her foot in the door in Hollywood, thanks to her dad Quincy Jones (yeah, that Quincy Jones who produced Michael Jackson‘s Thriller and exec produced The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). But we still think she’s done A-ok for herself, proving time and time again that she has the credentials to write and act on the world stage. Not only has Jones written her own comic book, Frenemy of the State, played brilliant roles in The Office and Parks and Recreation, but she also co-wrote and starred in Celeste and Jesse Forever, an intelligent rom-com which did away with all the normal clichés of the well-worn genre. Parks and Recs’ beautiful Ann Perkins is definitely one of our faves.
Best line:
Ann Perkins: “When Andy and I used to go the movies, he would always try to guess the ending of the movie. And he would always guess that the main character had been dead the whole time. Even when we saw Ratatouille.”
8. Kristen Wiig
Since leaving Saturday Night Live last year, Kristen Wiig has a whole host of feature films lined-up which we can’t wait to see (not least, Anchorman: The Legend Continues) but we already love her for her priceless impersonations, killer script-writing skills and awesome voice-work. Not only did Wiig and Annie Mumolo‘s Bridesmaids screenplay make for one of the most successful comedies of recent years, but her performance as Annie also poignantly addressed some of the worst parts of female friendship — stopping Judd Apatow‘s efforts to keep Hollywood comedy as a boys’ club in the process. We just hope it doesn’t take Wiig too long to get back on the small screen or behind a typewriter again!
Best line:
Annie Walker: “No, Lillian! What are you gonna go, you’re gonna go to Paris with Helen now? What are you gonna, you guys gonna ride around on bikes with berets and fucking baguettes in the basket on the front of your bikes? Oh how romantic! What woman gives another woman a trip to Paris? Am I right? Lesbian! We’re all thinking it, aren’t we?”
7. Ruth Jones
Whether you first saw Ruth Jones in East is East, Nighty Nighty, Fat Friends, Little Britain or Gavin and Stacey, it’s obvious from that list this Welsh actress and writer has played a crucial role in twenty-first century British TV comedy. Who could forget her turn as Nessa? Or Jones and James Corden‘s uplifting but hysterical scripts for Gavin and Stacey? What we’re even more impressed with, though, is her writing and performance in Stella, which demonstrates quite how versatile and sensitive Jones can be. Hilariously realistic and down-to-earth, Ruth Jones is a master of comedy both on the page and on the small screen.
Best line:
Nessa: “I’ll have a pint. Of wine.”
6. Samantha Bee
Canadian Samantha Bee is the longest serving correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and although she lost out to John Oliver for hosting duties while Stewart makes his film, she’s definitely a fan favourite. Taking down politicians and frequently exposing religious zealots, she is one of the best correspondents who repeatedly turns her unwitting subjects into hypocrites. We love how Bee satirises the dumb blonde stereotype, opening up all conservative attitudes towards women for serious reconsideration, and does all of this while being side-splittingly funny.
Best (recent!) line
Samantha Bee (to pastor and radio host, Matt Slick): “It’s like you can’t even go on the radio anymore and condemn a whole subset of people to hell without getting some blowback.”
5. Melissa McCarthy
If you need an introduction to Melissa McCarthy we can only assume you’ve been living under a rock for the past ten years. Our beloved Sookie from Gilmore Girls has grown-up and is now an Emmy winner for her knock-out performance in Mike & Molly. What’s more, McCarthy took comedic achievements to new heights when she received a slew of nominations, including BAFTA and Oscar nods, and a handful of awards for her riotous performance in Bridesmaids. She is currently starring in The Heat with Sandra Bullock and writing, co-directing and starring in Tammy, an upcoming comedy due in 2014. Performing kooky and loveable just as successfully as brash and insane, McCarthy steals every scene she is in, but she’d be nowhere today without her TV credentials.
Best line: (too many to choose from, but this is great from The Heat)
Shannon Mullins (to Sarah Ashburn): “That cat took one look at your shitty shitty life, and said nooooo fucking thanks.”
4. Julia Davis
When Julia Davis won the BAFTA for Best Comedy Writer for her work Hunderby, and the series took home Best Sitcom and Best New Comedy Programme at The British Comedy Awards, we could not contain our excitement — finally Davis’ dark humour is being recognised beyond cult circles! Although her wickedly sadistic brand of humour may not be to everyone’s taste, there’s no denying that from the very first days of Nighty Night, Davis’ writing and performances have truly pushed the boundaries of British comedy. With a finger in every comedic pie going — from her outrageously dry performance as Dawn in Gavin and Stacey, to the oblivious neighbour in Four Lions — Davis has unmistakably changed the British comedy landscape for the better, and we love her for it!
Best line: (Hunderby)
Dorothy: “Bubbly milk, Sir?”
3. Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling is probably the coolest person in the world right now. There, we said it. “Why?” you ask? Well, there aren’t many people who have their name in the title of their TV show (The Mindy Project), and there aren’t many others who have written, acted, directed and produced a whole bunch of the most popular TV shows and films of the past decade. Whether you know her as Kelly Kapoor from The Office or Mindy Lahiri from her hot, new, eponymous show, Kaling just exudes funny and cool in a way very few comics can. We also love that she’s had TV sex with some of the hottest guys around and is comfortable in her own skin — in particular, with her self-confessed fine ass! Mindy Kaling should be all of our spirit animals!
Best line:
Kelly Kapoor: “Ultimatums are key. Basically nobody does anything for me anymore unless I threaten to kill myself.”
2. Amy Poehler
If you only know Amy Poehler from Mean Girls and the occasional Hilary Clinton or Katie Couric sketch, we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Knope — the most dedicated and idealistic member of local government the world has ever known, and also the loveable star of Parks and Recreation. Poehler made her name in the Upright Citizens Brigade and Saturday Night Live and she is one of the best improvisers we’ve ever seen. She nails every line in every show and movie and is utterly fearless, with a voice and character range any actor would envy. Maybe we’ve just had one too many waffles from JJ’s Diner in Pawnee, but we cannot sing Poehler’s praises highly enough. Vote Knope!
Best lines: (sorry, we just couldn’t pick!)
Leslie Knope: “You know my code: hoes before bros. Uteruses before duderuses…Ovaries before brovaries.”
Leslie Knope: ““One time I was dating this guy for awhile, and then he got down on one knee and he begged me never to call him again. One guy broke up with me while we were in the shower together. Skywriting isn’t always positive. Another time a guy invited me to a beautiful picnic with wine and flowers, and then when I tried to sit down, he said, ‘Don’t eat anything. Rebecca’s coming.’ And then he broke up with me.”
Mrs George (Mean Girls): “Can I get you guys anything? Some snacks? A condom? Let me know! Oh, God love ya.”
1. Tina Fey
And, finally, our number one! Who else could it be but the funniest, loveliest, most realistic and talented writer, actress and producer of the twenty-first century? That’s right: it’s LL — the multi-awarding winning Tina Fey! We’re still crying ourselves to sleep over the fact that 30 Rock has come to an end, but the heartfelt sincerity of its final few episodes sums up our relationship with Liz Lemon and Fey perfectly.
She makes us laugh uncontrollably while showing us exactly what it is to be a strong, working woman in New York City (with a couple of embellishments for good measure), but Fey also wins our love, adoration and respect because her work always feels so honest and true. She owns Sarah Palin more than the ex-governor will ever understand and she rocked the Golden Globes with Amy Poehler like no other host in history, but she just always feels like she could be your BFF — and for that reason Tina Fey is the absolute queen of modern comedy. C’mon, the woman wrote Mean Girls for god’s sake!
Best lines: (there are far too many to choose from, so here’s a selection!)
Liz Lemon: “I want to roll my eyes right now but the doctor said if I keep doing it, my ocular muscles might spasm and eject my eyeballs.”
Liz Lemon: “Ugh, I hate January. It’s dark and freezing and everyone’s wearing bulky coats. You can do some serious subway flirting before you realise the guy is homeless.”
Liz Lemon: “I don’t need anyone. Because I can do every single thing that a person in a relationship can. Everything. Even zip up my own dress. You know, there are some things that are actually harder to do with two people. Such as monologues.”
Liz Lemon: “And now I am heading home for a nooner—which is what I like to call having pancakes for lunch.”
Written By: Jade Turner