Liz McDonald is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She is portrayed by Beverley Callard. She made her first appearance on 27 October 1989. Callard opted to leave the series, and Liz departed on 13 November 1998. Callard reprised the role for a short stint with Liz appearing between 6 October 2000 and 12 January 2001. Callard reprised the role for two separate stints between 19 November and 30 November 2003 and between 13 February and 22 March 2004. She returned on a permanent basis on 22 June 2004. Callard departed once again, with Liz's final appearance airing on 14 April 2011. Callard reprised the role once again on a permanent basis and Liz returned on 14 October 2013. Callard announced her departure in November 2019, with her final scene broadcast on 17 June 2020.

Liz's storylines have seen her embark on a series of failed romances, including twice marriages to Jim McDonald (Charles Lawson), which became abusive, and Vernon Tomlin (Ian Reddington). She has also had many feuds, notably with son Steve's (Simon Gregson) ex-wives Karen Philips (Suranne Jones), Becky Granger (Katherine Kelly) and twice current wife Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford). Her other feuds include Teresa Bryant (Karen Henthorn), Jenny Bradley (Sally Ann Matthews), Pat Phelan (Connor McIntyre) and Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne). Liz's emotional affair with Johnny Connor (Richard Hawley) eventually leads to Johnny's wife, Jenny, hitting Liz with her car in a hit-and-run storyline over Christmas 2018. Callard has claimed Liz's unique fashion sense stems from Alec Gilroy (Roy Barraclough) telling her that she could "aerate the space under her chin a bit more" in an episode early on in Liz's time in Weatherfield.

In 1989, Beverley Callard was cast in the show as matriarch of the new McDonald family, after having previously played the part of June Dewhurst in 1984. Liz first appeared in October 1989 with her husband, ex-army sergeant Jim McDonald (Charles Lawson), and their twin sons Steve (Simon Gregson) and Andy (Nicholas Cochrane). Liz and Jim were married very young when Liz got pregnant.

When asked in a 2010 interview with The Mirror what her favourite scenes were, Callard replied, "when Jim beat up Liz. I knew those scenes would have a huge impact. There were protests outside the studios and I had sacks of letters from battered wives. The scenes were so well written that one week viewers would have sympathy for Liz, the next Jim, then Liz. Opening those scripts gave me a buzz. And the viewing figures, 24 million, were massive."

On 14 August 2003, BBC News reported that Callard, along with Julie Goodyear (Bet Lynch) and Charles Lawson (Jim McDonald) would be returning for 10 episodes filmed in Blackpool with Callard and Lawson's return storyline being separate to Goodyear's storyline. A spokeswoman for the show said: "It's great news – they are all popular characters." Viewers would also see Liz meet daughter-in-law Karen (Suranne Jones) for the first time. The pair have met before but only off-screen. The spokeswoman said: "It will be interesting to see how Karen and Liz get on – sparks are bound to fly." The storylines were woven into the usual four-weekly episodes rather than being dedicated special programmes. It was reported that Liz would reunite with her family in episodes set in Blackpool. Speaking of the storyline, a Coronation Street spokeswoman said: "Fans will be on the edge of their seats when the week-long Blackpool adventure reaches an extraordinary finale involving a dramatic sea rescue and a tragic death."

In December 2003, Callard revealed that she would be returning again for Liz's son Steve (Simon Gregson)'s second wedding to Karen. Callard said to the News of the World: "I'm definitely coming back, I've just worked for four weeks and I had such a great time there's no way I can turn down a chance to come back". On 4 February 2004, it was reported alongside the return of Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) that Liz would return later that year.

In November 2008, it was revealed that Liz would embark on a relationship with Lloyd Mullaney played by Craig Charles. Speaking of his reaction when he was told about the relationship, Charles revealed: "Bev's a friend of me and my wife's, so it's all quite comfortable really. We get on really well, too. The relationship just opens up the whole scenario of Lloyd going out with his best mate's mum – and Steve definitely doesn't like it!" Charles also revealed that Steve McDonald's reaction to the relationship is that he is not impressed.

Liz and Lloyd's relationship was revisited in August 2015 when Lloyd sleeps with Liz in the wake of his split from Andrea Beckett (Hayley Tamaddon). Lloyd immediately regrets spending the night with Liz, but he is backed into a corner when she explains to a horrified Steve that they have a future together. Asked in an interview with Digital Spy if he would ever put Liz and Lloyd together, Craig Charles replied: "Well they do have a history of course. On paper it is not the most obvious of matches but they do get on really well. This is probably not the best thing for either of them at the moment so it is no doubt doomed!" Charles later went on to reveal that Lloyd is the one who regrets it the most as he is very wry of upsetting both Liz and Steve (Simon Gregson). Lloyd and Liz are caught out the next morning by Steve and Michelle (Kym Marsh). Asked how Steve react to the news that Lloyd has slept with his mum, Charles replied: "Steve is horrified but Liz insists to Steve they have done nothing wrong and that they have a future together. This was not what Lloyd was thinking but he now has to go along with it." Charles went on to say: "Steve is the person Lloyd is most worried about upsetting - they have only just got their friendship back on an even keel and now he is risking it again. But really he would be better being up front now, dragging it on is only going to make it worse in the end."