In the eyes of legendary newscaster Ron Burgundy, arguably Will Ferrell's most memorable character, this is a man's world. But in "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues," it wouldn't be anything without a few saucy newsroom girls.

As one of the most anticipated comedies of the year, the sequel to Paramount's "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" not only reunites Ferrell with Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and David Koechner, but Christina Applegate is back too - and she has reinforcements.

Reprising her role as anchorwoman Veronica Corningstone, Applegate returns with additional leading ladies: Kristen Wiig and Meagan Good. Wiig is receptionist Chani Lastname (pronounced Last-naw-may), the meek and kooky love interest to Carell's peculiar Brick Tamland, while Good wreaks havoc as Ron's boss.

It's been a decade since the original "Anchorman" released to mixed reviews.It performed below expectations at the box office, earning $84.3 million overall. Yet the second installment, which opens Dec. 18, could break the $100 million mark overall, following a marketing campaign that had Ferrell doing all manner of publicity stunts.

"This new generation, those who were 10 years old when the first movie came out, have found it, so the popularity of it seemed to just grow," said Applegate. "And the demand for it started to get bigger, so of course for the studio guys, that's like 'Oh yeah, we definitely have to do it.'"

Applegate said her turn as Veronica had its challenges.

"The male characters in this movie are strong and multi-dimensional, so I had to stand my ground and pull myself up and say 'Come on, you're in here too!'" she said. "I couldn't shrink away thinking I wasn't doing as good of a job." Applegate gave her co-star, comedy newcomer Good, the same pep talk. "I told her she had to stay up in their zone because her character is the powerhouse in this one," Applegate added.

"It made me feel good to know that Christina cared about me doing a good job," said Good, who appeared in the hit "Think Like a Man."

As the only black female lead in the movie, Good plays the head of the newsroom. It's a notion that is heavily mocked in the plot. But Good had no problem tackling the tough material with what she calls "morbid humor."

"What I love about the brilliant minds of (director) Adam McKay and Will is they go full throttle and attack subjects like racism and sexism and make them light-hearted," she said.

A huge fan of the original, Wiig said she signed onto the sequel without reading the script.

"The pressure was definitely on, since this is such a beloved cast," said Wiig. But the writer and star of the acclaimed comedy "Bridesmaids" held her own.

"It was really fun trying to come up with different ways that Chani and Brick could relate to each other," said Wiig. "But when we did some improvising, it was hard to keep a straight face. Steve (Carell) is so quick! And personally once I start laughing, I have a really hard time stopping."

"It doesn't feel like a boys club with the guys in this movie," added Wiig. "But it was nice to have ladies around."