Would it be "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer?" Or does it go all the way back to Baby Snooks, interpreting the fears and hopes of little Robespierre? Whatever; at any rate I'm pausing for a moment to savor the principle, not quite universal, that a successful drama has to have at least one all-seeing, all-knowing young female who, well, sees and knows stuff that nobody else in the cast seems to glom onto.
Surely not the original but no doubt the modern avatar is Lisa ("I probably won't even get into Vassar") Simpson who can talk as an equal with Thomas Jefferson and Bleeding Gums Murphy. But she's not a patch on Meadow Soprano who can talk as an equal with the biggest badass in New Jersey. And she probably doesn't have nearly as much fun as Eliza Thornberry, the pigtailed scuba diver whose best friend is a chimpanzee in a tank top.
And so far as I can tell, the tradition isn't nearly over. We still have Don Draper's daughter Sally who seems to be learning more about the ad business than anyone would really want to know. And Dana Brody, for whom more may be in store as "Homeland" reaches its finale (not everyone loves her, though).
This is just a lazy evening's work. Surely there must be more?
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