Manav & Archana (Pavitra Rishta)

PLAYED BY: Sushant Singh Rajput & Ankita Lokhande

WHAT: The Zee TV show traces the romance of Manav and Archana who are ravaged by time and separated by circumstances, but still manage to keep their love alive.

WHY: The first couple of Indian television, Manav and Archana elicit top-of-mind recall. What makes them so popular? Their simple love story and their till-death-do-us-part conviction. The fact that Sushant and Ankita are also a real-life couple works well with the audience.

Suhana (Sasural Genda Phool)

PLAYED BY: Ragini Khanna

WHAT: A spirited and temperamental Delhi girl who has grown up in the lap of luxury, Suhana opts for an arranged marriage on the rebound after an ugly break-up in this STAR Plus remake of STAR Jalsha hit Ogo Bodhu Sundari. After marriage, she is initially unable to adjust in a joint family, but things start changing when she slowly but steadily falls in love with her husband.

WHY: Loosely modelled on Kate of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, Suhana stands out for her distinctive traits. Though she maintains the facade of a spoilt schemer, she is at heart a lonely child-woman, something that endears her to the women in the audience. The men love her too.

Anandi (Balika Vadhu)

PLAYED BY: Pratyusha Banerjee

WHAT: The child bride — who caught the fancy of the viewer ever since the show hit screens three years ago — is now an 18-year-old grappling with the pangs of growing up on this Colors show that enjoyed a record run, zooming to the top of the charts within 12 weeks of being on air.

WHY: Simple and unpretentious, Anandi struck an instant chord with the viewer. The child bride with a cheerful disposition and a heart of gold was a refreshing change from the assembly-line women seen in other soaps. Avika Gor as the child Anandi was one of the most popular characters on TV in recent times. Her successor — Calcutta girl Pratyusha — isn’t as big an eyeball-grabber but is slowly getting there.

Pratigya (Pratigya)

PLAYED BY: Pooja Gor

WHAT: The STAR Plus show traces the life and times of a middle-class girl who fights for her self-respect against the stigma and discrimination that prevails in society.

WHY: The women in the audience identify with the simple small-town values and ideals of Pratigya. A mix of vulnerability and maturity makes a mark.

Jethalal (Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah)

PLAYED BY: Dilip Joshi

WHAT: The Sab TV comedy about the daily lives of the residents of a housing society combines madness with message, with the endearing and entertaining Jethalal Gada providing the maximum laughs.

WHY: One really can’t go wrong with comedy and Jethalal’s antics — the uneducated Gujarati businessman gets into one sticky situation after another — have viewers in splits. TV funnyman Dilip Joshi makes Jethalal fun, but also tempers him with a subtlety rarely seen on the small screen.

Dadisa (Balika Vvadhu)

PLAYED BY: Surekha Sikri

WHAT: The story of the trials and tribulations of a child bride in rural Rajasthan, Balika Vadhu has Dadisa as the chief antagonist to the helpless Anandi.

WHY: The overbearing matriarch who makes life miserable for Anandi has been a hit with the audience from day one. What works for Dadisa? A what-will-she-be-up-to-next feeling/fear that keeps the audience on tenterhooks and a refreshingly real portrayal by screen and stage veteran Surekha Sikri.

Geet & Maan (Geet)

PLAYED BY: Drashti Dhami & Gurmeet Choudhury

WHAT: This Mills & Boon-style romance on STAR One is about 18-year-old Geet who is dumped by her husband just three days into marriage. She picks up the pieces of her life, only to fall in love with Maan — her husband’s brother!

WHY: Everyone loves young lovers and Geet and Maan are riding that wave. Their chemistry is a hit with the young audience.

Akshara (Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai)

PLAYED BY: Hina Khan

WHAT: An oft-repeated tale of a simple girl from small-town India who faces myriad problems after marriage.

WHY: Though not very different from most of the female protagonists churned out in other soaps, Akshara makes an impact for her clear and mature take on life and relationships. Banking on Akshara’s popularity, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai has been single-handedly responsible in bringing STAR Plus back into the TRP game.

Tapasya (UTTARAN)

PLAYED BY: Rashmi Desai

WHAT: The story of two childhood friends who grow up and marry the same man! The Colors show has rarely dropped out of the top 10 ever since it went on air two years ago.

WHY: Despite being an out-and-out negative character, Tapasya finds takers because she is many women rolled into one — a pampered daughter, a calculating friend and a scheming wife. A refreshing change from the dime-a-dozen colourless and propah bahus in almost every daily soap. “I have had people on the road come up and say that they like Tapasya so much because she is so real,” says Rashmi.

Ammaji (Na Aana Is Des Laado)

PLAYED BY: Meghna Malik

WHAT: The social evil of female infanticide and the problems faced by women in a male-dominated world form the crux of this Colors show.

WHY: Though a negative character devoid of any scruples, Ammaji is popular with both men and the women, making her one of the most-recalled characters on the telly. Reason? A stellar performance from Meghna Malik.

Richard “Rick” Castle (castle)

PLAYED BY: Nathan Fillion

WHAT: The name’s Castle... Richard Castle. This thriller series is about a mystery novelist called in by the New York Police Department to solve a murder based on one of his novels.

WHY: Come across anyone more groovy than Richard Castle? Smart and suave with just a hint of take-it-or-leave-it nonchalance, Castle is a hit with the audience — the women love him for his rakish charm, the men for his ability to say it and do it as it is. Plus, there is Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) by his side.

Charlie Harper (two and a half men)

PLAYED BY: Charlie Sheen

WHAT: Charlie Harper — a hedonistic bachelor who lives on beer and babes — finds his life go off the track when his just-divorced brother, teenage son in tow, moves in. With hilarious results.

WHY: He lives in a Malibu beachfront home, drinks till he drops, has a woman on each arm, sleeps in constantly and is the boss of a full-time housekeeper. He famously says: Money “falls into” his lap. Still wondering why Charlie Harper is so popular? So what if Charlie Sheen is fast losing his sheen?

Temperance Brennan (bones)

PLAYED BY: Emily Deschanel

WHAT: Based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, the Fox Television TRP-topper centres around Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist whose steely grit and nature of work earn her the nickname “Bones”.

WHY: Every man wants her. Every woman wants to be like her. A sharp mind and drop-dead gorgeous looks make Temperance. Her 24x7 job means she has little social skills and is unable to express her emotions well — qualities that make viewers reach out to her, even as they admire her.

Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory)

PLAYED BY: Jim Parsons

WHAT: Doogie Howser MD- meets-Friends in this hilarious tale of the geeky guys and the hot girl — they discuss everything from Theory of Relativity to video game tactics to take-away orders. A favourite contender at most TV awards, tube-time does not get zanier than this.

WHY: Child prodigy and a college graduate at 14, Sheldon solves a complicated theorem in his sleep but cannot judge sarcasm or humour. Add to that an OCD streak a mile wide, zero social skills and abhorrence of any kind of stupidity and you have a brilliant man called Sheldon Cooper, a man you can’t help but adore.

Homer (The Simpsons)

VOICED BY: Dan Castellaneta

WHAT: Need a twisted, tongue-in-cheek take on the American middle class, from the hottest current affair to the latest fad? Homer Simpson and his friends from Springfield provide you with your daily dose of “non-bleeped” absurd humour.

WHY: Obnoxious, loud-mouth, lazy, glutton, downright ignorant but earnest to a fault, there is no one quite like Homer Simpson on the telly. He can make you go from “aargh” to “awww” in a jiffy with his full-bellied laugh, raunchy comments and his very twisted but genuine love for the family.

Joan Holloway (Mad men)

PLAYED BY: Christina Hendricks

WHAT: Set in America of the 1960s,the hit TV series explores the lives and relationships of the employees of an advertising agency. Leading the men on a string is the office femme fatale — Joan Holloway.

WHY: Sexy and sassy, Joan — a secretary at the ad agency — is the kind of woman most men love. “She’s got fire to her. She snaps back. And men love her because she’s in touch with her sexuality and femininity,” says Christina Hendricks. The final testimonial to Holloway’s popularity? She has often been compared to Marilyn Monroe!

Robin Scherbatsky (How I Met Your Mother)

PLAYED BY: Cobie Smulders

WHAT: How I Met your Mother is fun and frolic, madness and misunderstanding, confusion and crisis — all rolled into a half-hour laugh riot.

WHY: Robin Scherbatsky is every man’s dream come true — gorgeous, caring and with a great sense of humour. Her unabashed love for all things sporty, cigars, Scotch, a foul mouth and a competitive streak (which has made her spank herself and even honk her own breasts on live television, all for a bet!). Can a woman be more fun than that?

Ted Mosby (How I Met Your Mother)

PLAYED BY: Josh Radnor

WHAT: How I Met Your Mother is all about Ted and his search for his elusive wife. Friendship, romance and close encounters of every kind are thrown in liberally all the way.

WHY: “Have you Met Ted?” He is the dreamy architect, the cool professor, the funny man and the romantic, all-in-one. MacLaren’s Bar would never be the same without Ted and Barney’s antics and HIMYM would never be the hit it is without Ted’s endless quest for “the one”. Cute, goofy smile and eyes that you can look into forever — Ted Mosby is the soul of the series.

Quinn Fabray (GLEE)

PLAYED BY: Dianna Agron

WHAT: The hit musical series is built around a college choir and their backstories, as they deal with relationships and growing up.

WHY: Spunky and sexy, Quinn isn’t Miss Goody Two Shoes — and that’s what makes her tick among Glee fans across the world. You love her one moment, loathe her the next. New York to New Delhi, Quinn’s style is aped by teenage viewers.

Michael Scofield (PRISON BREAK)

PLAYED BY: Wentworth Miller

WHAT: This high-tension,

action-packed series follows Michael Scofield’s attempt to rescue his brother from a death sentence by helping him escape from prison.

WHY: He is hot — blame it on those tattoos! His single-minded dedication towards helping his brother, his sizzling chemistry with Sara Tancredi (the prison doctor), his brooding good looks and that air of aloofness are all part of the appeal. Sigh...