Sookie St. James

Sookie is the chef at the Independence Inn and Lorelai's best friend, a whirlwind of enthusiasm in the kitchen who is also, endearingly, a walking hazard with knives and hot pans. She talks fast, feels everything intensely, and pours her whole heart into food and friendship, wanting nothing more than to cook well and see the people she loves happy.

McCarthy makes Sookie's clumsiness and passion feel like the same instinct running too hot, and the show trusts her to be pure delight without irony. She's the friendship's emotional ballast disguised as comic relief, and every scene she's in gets warmer and funnier simply because she's in it.