Lion: Hannigan is three years older than Gellar. AH was 23 when the series started, so I don’t think ‘grew up’ is the right term.
Yes, but there’s more to it than that. The people who make movies and TV shows have to follow certain conventional wisdom to bring in as many viewers as they can get; and so the lust-object female has to be a bombshell, or an ice princess, or a giggly bimbo, or whatever. You could pick the character traits out of a hat. And maybe that really does work. Maybe most of the guys watching WKRP were drooling over Loni Anderson. But the SDMB is not a conventional-wisdom kind of place. Would anyone here rather have the central-casting, babe-of-the-week, cliché, femme fatale or the Hollywood-ugly who actually has something to say?
Maybe it would be a better question to ask if we ever fall for the ones that Hollywood expects us to.
D_Odds: Yikes! She looked like she was 15! I had no idea. Regardless, I’d still say she’s aged better than SMG, regardless of their actual respective ages.
Point well taken, Robot Arm. However, I think those traits you mention are still elements that can be “value added” by wardrobe, makeup, attitude, dialogue, etc. You can play the giggly bimbo just by how you act, not simply by having a big rack and uberblond hair (though they help). What I was trying to get across was, if you strip all that stuff away, the ultrahot star and the allegedly plainer sidekick, when standing side by side, will tend to rank about the same number in most people’s eyes. It’s simply a matter of staging that we perceive one or the other as the hottie.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Jo was always hotter than Blair on Facts of Life.
Played by Ross Martin (real name Marty Ross.)
Beware of judging characters in their makeup. I’ve seen headshots of women who were eh in a role, but who were gorgeous when made up right.
Gabriella over Xena
You’re clearly forgetting that a hot dog makes her lose control.
Oh, but that was in the song. Never mind.
Another vote for Kaylee over Inara. Not that Inara isn’t gobstoppingly gorgeous, but Kaylee is just attractive in a whole 'nother way that really gets me.
I agree on McClure, but Park is way too much babyfat in the face.
Oh, and in the interests of starting a war:
Kaylee, Zoe, River, Inara.
-Joe
Somewhere on the net is the pre-pilot* for BTVS. All the main players are the same, except Willow. The pre-original Willow was a normal looking, non-thin girl who played the part as well as any of the other actors in the pre-pilot. The main difference between her and Hannigan is looks. Casting directors know what kind of women sell, even as mousy characters.
*Whatever you call the short film that is shown to TV execs to get them interested in making a real pilot.
Seconded. Jet’s got that whole “Fantasy Librarian” thing going for her. Oddly, though, when they doll her up for Sgt. Small’s comeuppance, she’s somehow…not hot. And it’s not the gun either because I’m ready to hump the TV when she’s being all badass at Liquid Silver.
MMmmmmm…Jetness…
I know I’m going to get laughed out of here for this one, but I always had the hots for Julie (Mackenzie Phillips) over Barbara (Valerie Bertinelli) on One Day At A Time
Only until she became Eddie Van Halen’s wife did I think Valerie Bertinelli was smoking hot.
Yep…you’re right.
Ha-ha!
Barbara over Julie
Kaylee, Inara, River, YoSafBrig
Bailey over Jennifer
MaryAnn over Ginger
Grace Park, Nicki Clyne, Tricia Helfer
Mmmm… Bailey…
Gabrielle over Xena.
There. I’ve said it.
I would guess you are in very small company on that one. I did not even realize that was questionable until you posted it. 
Barbara was one of the Girls I crushed on as a young teen. I barely noticed Julie.
Jim
In “The Lost World” I believe Rachel Blakely was supposed to be the lead, but it very soon became clear that the jungle babe played by Jennifer O’Dell was the fan favorite by about a hundred miles.
Try this link for O’Dell grumble, grumble.
Crap! OK, used the wrong one twice! Try this one.
If a mod could unfuck this, I’d appreciate it.