11. Lena Dunham and the rest of the Girls — No matter if you subscribe to the gospel of Girls, you have to agree that Lena Dunham has depicted the kind of starry-eyed, glamour-stripped, anti-Carrie woman that resonates with many young people today (anyone who didn't get chills during the scene where Hannah and Marnie dance at the end of the night to Robyn is dead inside).

The HBO show was nominated for four Emmys this year — a huge feat for any show, let alone one in its first season, created by a new writer and director. And though Dunham hasn't been very graceful in navigating accusations of homogeneity and privilege on the show, she has taken it upon herself to course correct, like a real, learning 20-something: "I take that criticism very seriously…. This show isn't supposed to feel exclusionary. It's supposed to feel honest, and it's supposed to feel true to many aspects of my experience. But for me to ignore that criticism and not to take it in would really go against my beliefs and my education in so many things." Here's to continuously adapting to become more worldly, sophisticated, empathetic humans!

Photo: Jojo Whilden/HBO