30 Days of Awesome Ladies - Day 10
Question List
Day 10: Favourite Female Character in a MALE DRIVEN show
Donna Moss (The West Wing)
The West Wing is a pretty obvious choice for a male driven show. There are so many men in it! And they are not just driving the show, they're driving the United States of America. These are powerful, powerful men. And yet Donna Moss, Senior Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman, is frequently the most sensible and intelligent person in the room.
Donna was never supposed to be a regular character, just a recurring one, and she was also never intended as Josh's long term love interest, a role that was originally granted to Moira Kelly. But as soon as writer Aaron Sorkin saw one of Josh and Donna's scenes being performed in the pilot, he realised how awesome Janel Moloney was and how much chemistry she had with Bradley Whitford, and Donna was soon both a series regular and one half of The West Wing's most adorable almost-couple.
I loved Donna for many reasons, but mostly because she was real. She made stupid mistakes, she put both Josh and the administration at risk, she was unlucky in love, she was afraid of her feelings for Josh and she was reluctant to pursue her own career if it meant not working for him anymore. She wasn't perfect, or super strong, she was just real. She was also loving, funny, sarcastic, smart, determined, open and brave. Despite all the fantastic male characters on the show, Donna stood out for me as something special.
Runner Up: Jordan McDeere (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)
I couldn't resist adding a runner up to this entry, partly because Jordan is brilliant but isn't mentioned elsewhere on the meme, and partly because more people should know about and love Studio 60. As Studio 60 begins, Jordan becomes the new president of the NBS network. It's a tough job and she's not welcomed by everyone, but she is a success nonetheless. In both a male-dominated world and a male-dominated show (the show's central characters are Matt and Danny, the writers of a sketch comedy show), Jordan shines. And fun fact? Her love interest is also played by Bradley Whitford.
Day 10: Favourite Female Character in a MALE DRIVEN show
Donna Moss (The West Wing)
The West Wing is a pretty obvious choice for a male driven show. There are so many men in it! And they are not just driving the show, they're driving the United States of America. These are powerful, powerful men. And yet Donna Moss, Senior Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman, is frequently the most sensible and intelligent person in the room.
Donna was never supposed to be a regular character, just a recurring one, and she was also never intended as Josh's long term love interest, a role that was originally granted to Moira Kelly. But as soon as writer Aaron Sorkin saw one of Josh and Donna's scenes being performed in the pilot, he realised how awesome Janel Moloney was and how much chemistry she had with Bradley Whitford, and Donna was soon both a series regular and one half of The West Wing's most adorable almost-couple.
I loved Donna for many reasons, but mostly because she was real. She made stupid mistakes, she put both Josh and the administration at risk, she was unlucky in love, she was afraid of her feelings for Josh and she was reluctant to pursue her own career if it meant not working for him anymore. She wasn't perfect, or super strong, she was just real. She was also loving, funny, sarcastic, smart, determined, open and brave. Despite all the fantastic male characters on the show, Donna stood out for me as something special.
Runner Up: Jordan McDeere (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)
I couldn't resist adding a runner up to this entry, partly because Jordan is brilliant but isn't mentioned elsewhere on the meme, and partly because more people should know about and love Studio 60. As Studio 60 begins, Jordan becomes the new president of the NBS network. It's a tough job and she's not welcomed by everyone, but she is a success nonetheless. In both a male-dominated world and a male-dominated show (the show's central characters are Matt and Danny, the writers of a sketch comedy show), Jordan shines. And fun fact? Her love interest is also played by Bradley Whitford.