The stereotype that women are not funny has been a long-believed myth accepted as fact, even though the stereotype is not based in reality. Some of the funniest comedians in the world have been comediennes, although they were not often able to achieve mainstream success in the past, because women were traditionally boxed into specific roles on television, like mothers and wives.
As the television and entertainment industry progressed along with society, women have shone as comediennes, from stand-up comedians, like Mo'nique, and sitcom actors, like Leah Remini and Jackée Harry, to even writers, like Megan Ganz and Mindy Kaling.
Dee Reynolds (It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia)
Dee Reynolds is a part of Philadelphia's most dysfunctional friendship group. The show, at its surface level, pokes fun at a group of ignorant and self-centered characters who make a lot of bad decisions. This includes the character of Dee, the outcast of the group, desperate for their approval.
She goes to extreme lengths to try to be funny, hoping that someone will finally love her. Dee might make a lot of poor choices in doing this, but it can often be darkly amusing.
Hyacinth Bucket (Keeping Up Appearances)
Pronounced, 'Bou-quet" to those who do not know her, Madame Bucket is the most refined, cultured and elitist woman in town. Unfortunately for her, most of the upper-class people she is courting do not believe so, so Hyacinth is forced to interact with her middle class neighbors, her working-class family members and her slack-off son, who only calls to ask for money.
The socialite housewife spends her day planning and scheming to move up the class ladder in her quiet English community and, in the process, drains her husband's will to live with her overbearing nature. She often pulls incredible stunts in her complex social climbing schemes, wearing her middle-class floral gowns and box hats, and jumping over fences expertly in the process.
Maxine Shaw (Living Single)
Maxine Shaw, Attorney-At-Law, is a brilliant, stubborn, selfish, arrogant lawyer, who still manages to capture the hearts of her friends with her wit and her louder-than-life personality. Maxine is remembered for her devastating wit and timing when trading insults with her nemesis and lover, Kyle Barker.
She is also incredibly crass and does not care what others think about her, both stunning and enamoring men to her in the process. It is later revealed that Maxine used to be a Zulu warrior king in her past life, explaining her dominant personality.
Lucy Ricardo (I Love Lucy)
One of TV's most famous female characters of all time, Lucy Ricardo is the troublesome and funny wife of Ricky Ricardo, who finds her duties as a housewife boring and longs for the adventure of being on a TV set with her husband, Ricky.
Lucy is not just troublesome, but also bull-headed and manipulative. She is often cooking up schemes to get her parts in showbiz because she dreams of becoming a celebrity herself. Lucy often gives her husband headaches because of her wit, her flair for comedy, and her refusal to do what he wants, even as a 1950s housewife.
Sophia Petrillo (The Golden Girls)
Sophia Petrillo is a formidable character in a small, old woman's body. The 80-something-year-old Sicilian moved from Sicily to New York in her youth and lived a life full of danger, adventure and love. Sophia is really good at dishing out insults - a quality that her daughter, Dorothy, inherited from her. Sophia is also an expert grifter, and knows how to scam people out of money.
In one episode, Sophia joins a convent after her nun friend passes away. She believes she can honor her friend's death by replacing her as a nun. But Sophia soon teaches the other nuns how to swear and gamble. She also hangs inappropriately sexual calendars on her room walls until she is kicked out for being a terrible influence.
Rochelle Rock (Everybody Hates Chris)
Rochelle Rock is the matriarch of the Rock household who keeps a tight hold on everything that happens in her home. Living in Brooklyn in the 80s, Rochelle has had to do what she could to survive life in the city while raising three kids.
When she is held up at gunpoint on the subway, for example, Rochelle berates the robber for being bad at it, and pressures him to rob everyone properly. She is also a snob who likes to look down on other people in the neighborhood, despite being just as classless as everyone else.
Rose Nylund (The Golden Girls)
History's most famous St. Olafian and most rambling storyteller, Rose is another funny member of The Golden Girls' household. A complete antithesis to the other women in her house, Rose's simple-mindedness and jolly, sweet nature is a refreshing contrast to the more cynical natures of Blanche, Dorothy and Sophia.
Whenever the girls have a problem, Rose is always on hand to bore them with a similar story that occurred in St. Olaf: one which includes the names of a variety of clearly made-up Norwegian words, like, "gerflukernugen."
Phoebe Buffay (Friends)
Phoebe Buffay, or Princess Consuela Banana Hammock, is the funniest character on Friends, thanks to her free-spirited hippie nature. Unlike the other characters, Phoebe is not very inhibited by social constraints, so she acts in ways that would be considered "weird." She has some pet rats that she takes care of, and she is often seen shouting at other people when she is angry. She runs really wild in parks and she loves to sing and play her guitar in public, despite barely knowing how to play it.
The most puzzling and amusing thing about Phoebe is how traumatic her childhood on the streets was and how it does not seem to affect her at all as an adult.
Liz Lemon (30 Rock)
Cheese enthusiast and sandwich lover, Liz Lemon is the head writer on her show, a parody of SNL. Liz is awkward and struggles with interpersonal relationships. She is a nerd, who is constantly insulted on the show for having terrible social skills and for her taste in unattractive shoes and clothes. Her boss, Jack, accurately described her on the show as a:
"New York third-wave feminist, college-educated, single-and-pretending-to-be-happy-about-it, overscheduled, undersexed, you buy any magazine that says 'healthy body image' on the cover and every two years you take up knitting for a week."
Kelly Kapoor (The Office)
The resident valley girl of the office, Kelly Kapoor only cares about three things: fashion, celebrities and Ryan. Kelly's dysfunctional relationship with Ryan is a source of humor throughout the entire series. For example, when her parents introduce her to a successful and handsome doctor, Kelly refuses to meet him, choosing Ryan instead, even though he treats her really badly.
Kelly spends her entire time in the office fighting with Ryan, breaking up with Ryan, then getting back with Ryan, then fighting with Ryan again, then trying to make Ryan jealous, then marrying Ryan, then divorcing Ryan, and on and on until the couple finally ran away together, abandoning Ryan's baby for their toxic love.