24. "Bea Arthur, Betty White, Lucy, Roseanne, Katey Sagal" In response to In response to 0
I dunno though. Jane Kaczmarek beasted through 7 seasons of MITM in a way that kinda sons (HA!) a lot of actresses. IMO she was more consistent than the mighty Roseanne and played a greater character overall. Any episode with Cloris Leachman was fucking brilliant and they made for as good a duo as there's ever been.
Naturally, Rosanne steamrolled a new lane for herself and spoke to a aspect of American families that had largely been ignored on tv up to that point. She brought us real life portrayals of lower class family life in ways that were so easy to relate to it was downright scary. How many actresses hit this close to home for so many?
Sagal has three significant, quality shows under her comedic belt in addition to a stunning drama turn. Say what you want about the low-rent nature of Married...... but that shit was ground breaking and Peg Bundy is as iconic as they come. Further, that character was her creation. They originally wanted a behemoth of a wife and the Peg Bundy we all know, love, and lusted after was Sagal's doing. The fact that she has a long ass animated run in that mix is also a plus in her favor. 8 Simple Rules was solid if unspectacular, and who knows where it could have wound up if tragedy hadn't struck. Has anyone comedic actress enjoyed as much television success as her?
Phylicia Rashad also springs to mind. Her timing and interplay with Bill Cosby was vital to the success of that show and really helped glue the whole thing together. Arguably among the most subdued female comedy actresses in that her portrayal of Claire didn't need to resort to the comparatively slapstick personas of others, and genuinely gave us a great American depiction of a loving mother with a successful career.
As far as movies.... that's a tough list. I'm drawing blanks outside of the modern era. I'll just say Melissa McCarthy has done enough in a short span to bumrush her way into this convo. Sandra Bullock is also in this convo.
-Sig-
“Why didn’t you do this in your own god damn country?"
-All Stah's view on undocumented immigrants wanting to be treated like human beings.