TVSquad

Last month I listed the sexiest TV women over 40, and there were a lot of them; both the Honorable Mentions and the comments indicated that I missed a good number of mature women that would make hearts go aquiver. When I first made the list, I was going to put anyone over 40 on it, but so many sexy women over 50 and over 60 presented themselves, that I decided to make 3 different lists (which also that makes 2 less ideas I have to come up with for The Five column).

So, after the jump, I'll give you a list of sexy women over 50 that have been on TV the last few years. They prove that getting older isn't the end of a career; in fact, many of the women on the list look better than they did when they were younger. Whether they got that way through genetics or through "help" isn't for me to judge, since there is enough terrible plastic surgery around for me to be able to appreciate women whose work is more on the "natural-looking" side.

1. Katey Sagal - Thank goodness we were able to get a few years of seeing Katey out of her Peg Bundy wig and heels, even if it was on the mediocre show 8 Simple Rules. As sexy as she was as Peg (why Al never wanted to sleep with her, I'll never know), she was even sexier as Cate Hennessey. She's rock 'n' roll sexy, the type of woman that would make you buy a Harley just so you can have her climb on the back. In fact, Ed O'Neill -- Al Bundy himself -- guested on an Rules episode and did just that. If I knew Cate -- or Katey -- I'd quit my job and buy a hog, too.

What also makes Katey so sexy is that she's been through a lot, and in a very public way. A couple of divorces, a traumatic  miscariage, and the sudden death of co-star John Ritter (although it was more traumatic for Ritter's wife Amy Yasbeck, who should have been on my over 40 list) have all given her an air of weariness that only makes her seem warmer as time goes by. There's a lot of history behind the smile in that picture.

(Oh, yeah... she's also the voice of Leela on Futurama... so even geeks like her.)

2. Wendie Malick - I will admit, I have had a number of impure thoughts about this tall, lanky beauty. She first appeared on people's radars on Dream On, when she was already almost 40. Always playing someone etiher urbane and sophisticated, or wild and loopy, Wendie has oozed sexuality in just about every role she's played, including the physical therapist with the outdated hair on Seinfeld.

Wendie put it all together in her signature role, as ex-supermodel Nina Van Horn on the long-running comedy Just Shoot Me. Nina was crazy and sophisticated, wild and urbane, and she was one of the best characters on what was otherwise a forgettable show. She subsequently went on to play Martin Crane's girlfriend on the last year of Frasier and will be starting her second season on John Stamos' Jake In Progress this month. She just turned 54 and is looking better than ever.

3. Robin Quivers - It's always hard for me to believe that Robin is over 50, but she is. The woman seemingly doesn't age. Maybe working with Howard Stern keeps her on her toes. Even her fluctuations in weight over the years haven't really changed her overall look all that much. In fact, ever since she abandoned her almost-bald look in favor of braids, she's been even sexier to me. If you're non-plussed by her hair, though, there's always that megawat smile to keep you warm at night.

Why is Robin so sexy? Well, for one thing, she's intelligent, but not above laughing at Howard and company's fart and dick humor (which I'm sure will escalate now that he's on Sirius). She puts up enough of a protest, though -- especially when lesbians are being interviewed -- to give her at least an air of class amongst the nutcases on the show. She's also admitted enough over the last quarter-century of radio and TV to indicate that she's up for just about anything. She's warm sometimes, ruthless other times, strong and vulnerable at alternating intervals -- I've always thought she was fascinating. So does Howard; that's why she's still there after all these years. If she ever gets her talk show off the ground, viewers might be in for a surprise.

4. Susan Lucci - Lucci is likely one of those women I mentioned earlier who have had "help" to look so great, but, in her case, who cares? The grand dame of soaps has been on top of her game for thirty-five years, and at 58, is still vixenishly sexy. No wonder why Erica Kane has gotten married so many times on All My Children; she may be a bitch, but she's an irresistible bitch.

One thing I never realized about Lucci -- mainly because I don't watch soaps and usually see her in a long gown losing at the Daytime Emmys -- is that she is a tiny, tiny woman. I once saw her in either a TV movie or on AMC wearing a one-piece short dress. It looked great, but it hung on her like it was still on a sales rack! She can't weigh more than 100 pounds, and most of that is probably hair spray.

5. Candice Bergen - If I waited five months, Candice would have made it to my over-60 list, but I'd rather put her here because, well, because she deserves it. She looks as good as everyone else on this list, and looks like she hasn't had any work done to make her that way. Sure, she was a beauty in her younger days, and some people liked the festy sexiness she displayed as Murphy Brown for ten years. But I kind of like her the way she is now: softer, more satisfied with herself, more subtle in her manner.

In her current role as Shirley Schmidt on Boston Legal, Candice is just as tough as Murphy was, but in a much more understated way. She's not belting out Motown or making jokes about Dan Quayle; she's fighting for justice while fending off the clumsy advances of William Shatner's Denny Crane. After seeing a recent interview she did for 60 Minutes, I'm pretty sure the real Candice is closer to Shirley than she is to Murphy, which will serve her well as she enters her sixties. Maybe I'll wait until May and put her on that list, too.

Honorable Mentions:
Meredith Viera
Oprah Winfrey (wouldn't be my choice -- I've seen her without makeup -- but others disagree, so what the heck...)
Deidre Hall
Phylicia Rashad
Reba McEntire
Mary Hart
Connie Chung
Kirstie Alley (Yes, Kirstie... have you seen her lately?)