[IMG:L]It was quite a big year on the small screen for women, be they actresses, writers or hosts. Of course, it didn’t all happen in 2007, but this was the year it peaked. That’s because studios finally realized female-led TV shows can be ratings juggernauts–and Emmy Winners–too. And so more such shows were launched. Here are the women who in ‘07 were integral to the resurgence by either continuing what they helped ignite or by breaking (or re-breaking) out themselves.
[IMG:R]Tina Fey (“The Multitasker”), 30 Rock
It’s been a year of highs (Emmy victory) and lows (ratings) for 30 Rock creator Fey, who fits in acting, producing and writing duties (and making us feel totally unproductive) for the wittiest show on TV since Arrested Development. Despite critical raving, 30 Rock‘s Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, and a loyal fan base, the sitcom continued to go relatively unwatched this year. But Fey, aka Liz Lemon, can’t possibly do any more than she already does–literally, there’s no way she’d be able to find the time.
[IMG:R]Heidi Klum (“The Hostess with the Mostest”), Project Runway
No longer just an extremely pretty face (and body, as we have seen over the years) or Mrs. Seal, Klum continued her full-blown ascension to TV fame as host/judge on Bravo’s hit reality show Project Runway. Few models have been able to cross over and/or prolong an expectedly short career the way Klum has, and it’s not as though she’s barely afloat–Runway is the American Idol of cable. And not one to forget where she came from, Klum is generally the chief asset-flaunter in CBS’ annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
[IMG:R]America Ferrera (“The Awards Sweeper”), Ugly Betty
Easily the youngest member of this growing club, Ferrera might also be its most powerful and influential member, shattering all sorts of expectations and even barriers as Betty Suarez. It was a well-documented explosion of a year for Ferrera, who somewhat surprisingly took home the Golden Globe for Best Actress followed by, less surprisingly, the Screen Actors Guild award and finally the Emmy in September.
[IMG:R]Katherine Heigl (“The Double Threat”), Grey’s Anatomy
In June of this year, Heigl’s movie career gave her TV stardom a run for its money when she starred in Judd Apatow’s blockbuster comedy Knocked Up. She has since lined up several film roles, but TV wrested back the spotlight in September when she won an Emmy for her role as Izzy on Grey’s Anatomy. Capping off an incredible year on both the small and big screen was an extra vote of confidence, if nothing else, when Barbara Walters anointed Heigl one of her “10 Most Fascinating People.”
[IMG:R]Christina Applegate (“The TV Lifer”), Samantha Who?
Save for her rather short-lived sitcom Jesse, Applegate has been relegated to guest-starring roles–albeit Emmy-winning ones like playing Jennifer Aniston’s sister on Friends–since her iconic role as Kelly Bundy on Married with Children ended in ’97. But she was back and better than ever this year as the title amnesiac on Samantha Who?, which has given ABC another ratings smash and Applegate a TV comeback. Not unlike…
[IMG:R]Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“The ‘Seinfeld’-Curse Debunker”), The New Adventures of Old Christine
It took a while–and we had to sit through Michael Richards’ self-titled show, et al.–but Louis-Dreyfus finally broke free of the Seinfeld chains and dispelled the mythical “curse” that followed the show’s cast members. (Of course, Jerry Seinfeld himself also debunked the curse this year with Bee Movie, but Louis-Dreyfus was first!) New Adventures has seen a long break between last season and the start of this one (Jan. 28, 2008), but given the show’s superb ratings, viewers are clearly willing to wait.
[IMG:R]Mary-Louise Parker (“The Anti-Wisteria”), Weeds
With the Sopranos having faded to black, Parker’s Botwin family is now the best-known on TV. It was a somewhat uneven season for Weeds, but Parker’s performance was steady and good for laughs and awkwardness week after week–nothing new there. Awards season also proved typical for the actress, who racked up nominations left and right. As Weeds’ buzz has slowly worn off, Parker’s realistic turn as a suburbanite in unrealistic situations is all that really remains “must-see.”
[IMG:R]Kyra Sedgwick (“The Cable Queen”), The Closer
It was a rather ho-hum 2007 for Sedgwick, but that’s a good thing: Golden Globe win, another Emmy nomination, more incredible ratings–the usual. As is flaunted by TNT, The Closer is the most watched (basic cable) show on television, and that continued this season, its third. Sedgwick’s success has also no doubt played a role in two other female-fronted basic-cable shows that premiered this year: Glenn Close’s Damages and Holly Hunter’s Saving Grace.
[IMG:R]Sarah Silverman (“The Envelope Pusher”), The Sarah Silverman Program
Ratings-wise, Silverman’s Comedy Central Program doesn’t compare to those of her fellow fem-stars–perhaps network bosses aren’t interested in storylines about feces, abortion and a flatulent God (Tucker Smallwood) who sleeps around–but she’s a huge figure to anybody looking to blaze an edgier trail. She is, however, just as much an awards-show fixture as the others on this list, even if it’s only in a hosting or roasting capacity. Truth is, Silverman is ballsier than most actresses–or actors–combined, and even when it didn’t work in 2007 (i.e. calling Britney Spears’ kids “mistakes” at the MTV VMAs) she further solidified her fervent fan base.
