TV's Favorite Nurses

Emily Brewer/General Hospital ABC 1963-1990

Played by Emily McLaughlin, Nurse Brewer was one of the show's original and best-loved characters. Nurse Brewer started as a friend to Dr. Hardy and endured countless hardships-all in true soap opera fashion.

Dixie McCall/Emergency NBC 1972-1979

Played by Julie London, Nurse McCall was known to question the skills of paramedics (around whom the series revolved). London was also married to Bobby Troup, who played Dr. Joe Early.

Julia Baker/JuliaNBC 1968-1971

Diahann Carroll played Julia Baker, a nurse who was a widowed, single mother. It was the first show of its kind not to portray an African-American woman as a domestic servant. Ms. Carroll won a 1969 Golden Globe for her portrayal of Julia Baker.

Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan/M.A.S.H CBS 1972-1983

Loretta Swit played Houlihan, a nurse of considerable toughness and passion. Swit appeared in 240 episodes and won 2 Emmy Awards for her work.

Kitty Forman/That 70s Show FOX 1998-2006

Debra Jo Rupp played Kitty Foreman, a loving mom and wife who, at times, is the family breadwinner. Despite Kitty's constant concern for her family and her son's friends, Kitty is beset by menopausal conditions and her yen for drinking and smoking.

Carla Espinosa/Scrubs NBC 2001-2009

Played by Judy Reyes, Carla Espinosa is a Head Nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital. There were several mentions of her ancestry, having been born in the Dominican Republic. Later, her husband, Dr. Christopher Turk, refers to her as being "Mexican" or "Puerto Rican."

Carol Hathaway/ER NBC 1994-2000

Julianna Margulies played Nurse Hathaway for 135 episodes and won a 1996 Best Supporting Actress Emmy Award. Nurse Hathaway survived a pill overdose early in the series and went on to have several relationships, giving birth to twins and leaving to work in Seattle.

Abby Lockhart/ER NBC 1999-2009

Played by Maura Tierney, Nurse Lockhart ensured a litany of problems, managing to get an ex-husband to sign off on a loan for her to finish medical school. Abby Lockhart is the only character to start a show as a nurse and finish it as a doctor.

Samantha Taggert/ER NBC 2003-2009

Linda Cardellini played Nurse Taggert, a single mom with a drinking problem.

Jackie Peyton\Nurse Jackie Showtime 2009-present

Edie Falco plays Jackie Peyton, a highly-skilled nurse with a pill addiction. Falco is nominated for a 2010 Golden Globe Best Actress Award.

Sources:

Wikipedia

TV Guide.com

DailyBeast.com

Dyk2.com