15 most likable TV leads

9. Kimmy Schmidt on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

In lieu of adding most child sitcom characters to this list, Kimmy Schmidt from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt encapsulates the childlike wonder and innocence you might find from a leading star on a Nickelodeon show. But Kimmy could run circles around those kids when it comes to charisma. Ellie Kemper plays the developmentally arrested character to perfection, capturing the inexhaustible energy and unquenchable curiosity characteristic of bubbly 13 year old.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, of course, follows the adventures of its title character as she’s freed from an underground bunker she’d been kidnapped into for half of her life. She reenters the world and moves to New York City, where she sees the world (and 21st century) for the first time as an adult woman. Kimmy still thinks and behaves as a preteen in an environment that requires her to grow up ASAP. Thankfully, she doesn’t ever lose her candy-coated view of the world.

Because she’s a character that’s fighting to build back what was taken from her, Kimmy approaches life with a gusto that might be tiresome to some viewers — and Titus. But her tireless optimism, not unlike that of Jess Day’s on New Girl, and hunger to learn from her past are exactly what makes Kimmy so likable. She’s unbreakable and an inspiration to anyone who needs a push onto their own emotional rollercoaster. You can’t help but adore Kimmy and all of her profanity substitutes. What the ham sandwich!