List of 25 best characters on tv

[jasonf]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 2:32pm

On popwatch on EW there's a link to a couple of people's (Joss Whedon included) lists of 25 greatest tv characters of all time. No cartoons or puppets allowed, no reality show or mini series people allowed, must be regulars on the shows. Thought this might be interesting as a thread...

My list, as I thought of them, not in order I'd rank them:

1. George Costanza, Seinfeld
2. Spike, BTVS/Angel
3. Buffy Summers, BTVS
4. Ari, Entourage
5. Data, ST:TNG
6. Joey Tribbiani, Friends (NOT Joey)
7. Archie Bunker. All in the Family
8. John Locke, Lost
9. Balki Bartokomis, Perfect Strangers
10. Reverend Jim, Taxi
11. Latka, Taxi
12. Gaius Baltar, Battlestar Galactica
13. Horschach, Welcome Back Kotter
14. Mr. Roper, Three's Company
15. Al, Quantum Leap
16. Logan, Veronica Mars
17. Carmella Soprano, The Sopranos
18. Tobias Funke, Arrested Development
19. Norm, Cheers
20. Bill, Freaks and Geeks
21. Michael Scott, The Office (American)
22. Ruth Fisher, Six Feet Under
23. Eugene Young, The Practice
24. Denny Crane, Boston Legal
25. Fox Muder, X-Files

[blueroses]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 2:57pm

God, there are so many I can't even wrap my head around it this second.

I can't argue with a lot of the names on that list, though mine would include:

Alex Keaton (Family Ties)
Tony Soprano (The Sopranos)
Ralphie Cifaretto (The Sopranos)
Edith Bunker (All in the Family)
J.R. Ewing (Dallas)
Detective Bobby Simone (NYPD Blue)
Nurse Colleen McMurphy (China Beach)
Alan Shore (The Practice/Boston Legal)
Ted Baxter (Mary Tyler Moore)
Miranda Hobbes (Sex and the City)
Brenda Chenowith (Six Feet Under)
Elaine Benes (Seinfeld)
Dr. Gregory House (House)
Dr. Lilith Sternin Crane (Cheers)
Darlene Connor (Roseanne)
Dwight Schrute (The Office)
Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Susie Greene (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Karen Walker (Will & Grace)
Sophia Petrillo (Golden Girls)
Jack Tripper (Three's Company)
Reverend Jim (Taxi)
Rhoda Morganstern (Rhoda)
Suzanne Sugarbaker (Designing Women)
Nancy Weston (thirtysomething)

...and plenty more!







Updated On: 8/23/06 at 02:57 PM

[xxnewgirlxx]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 3:12pm

Wow, I'll take a stab, although I'm sure I'll be editing this for days...

In no particular order:

Jack Bauer (24)
Eric (Undeclared)
Felicity Porter (Felicity)
Sam Beckett (Quantum Leap)
Ruth Fisher (Six Feet Under)
Miranda Hobbes (Sex and the City)
Arthur Fonzerelli (Happy Days)
Kevin Arnold (Wonder Years)
Michael Scott (the Office)
Jeff Murdoch (Coupling)
David Addison (Moonlighting)
Bill Haverchuck (Freaks and Geeks)
Fox Mulder (X Files)
Ted Baxter (MTM)
Ed Chigliak (Northern Exposure)
Mary Richards (MTM)
Rose Nylund (Golden Girls)
Dr. Doug Ross (ER)
Karen Walker (Will & Grace)
Dee (What's Happenin')
Archie Bunker (All in the Family)
Lenny and Squiggy (counts as one!-Laverne and Shirley)
Laverne DaFazzio (Laverne and Shirley)
Cosmo Kramer (Seinfeld)
Valerie Cherish (the Comeback)

[jasonf]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 3:28pm

Wow - I have about 20 more to add to my list, but I'm sticking with what I posted.

Some are such toss ups - choosing between Sam or Al on Quantum Leap, or choosing between Tobias and GOB on AD, Kramer or George on Seinfeld...

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 3:30pm

Let me give it a try, I don't know if they are the best, but some of my favorites are :

Bree and Edie (Desperate Housewives)
Gregg (CSI)
Veronica Mars AND Logan (Veronica Mars)
Phoebe (Friends)
Karen Walker (Will & Grace)
Alexis Carrington Colby Dexter Morell (Dynasty)
Sawyer (Lost)
Blanche Deveraux (The Golden Girls)
President Bartlett (The West Wing)
Sammy Joe (Dallas)

Hmmm, looks like a do have a soft spot for the slutty girls after all, hehehehe

[blueroses]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 3:31pm

jasonf, I agree with your choices.

Loved Al on Quantum Leap.

I mean, Tobias joined The Blue Man Group because he initially thought it was a men's forum for depression. What's not to love about the crazy bastard?

George over Kramer all the way.

P.S. Greekmusicalfan, I'm impressed. How'd you remember Alexis and all of her surnames?!


Updated On: 8/23/06 at 03:31 PM

[Fabrizio2]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 3:36pm

No one put Mary Tyler Moore on their list...

[wyou17]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 3:38pm

Just 25 is hard. I could probably come up with 25 more.
In no particular order:

Cordelia Chase (Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Angel)
Edina Monsoon (Absolutely Fabulous)
Sarah Stanley (Road to Avonlea)
Sophia Petrillo (Golden Girls)
Lilah Morgan (Angel)
Emily Gilmore (Gilmore Girls)
Lucille Bluth (Arrested Development)
Bree Van de Kamp (Desperate Housewives)
Hyacinth Bucket (Keeping Up Appearances)
Ling Woo (Ally McBeal)
Thelma Harper (Mama's Family)
Capt. Malcom Reynolds (Firefly)
Angelique Bouchard (Dark Shadows)
Tabitha Lenox (Passions)
Suzanne Sugarbaker (Designing Women)
Stewie Griffin (Family Guy)
Sue Ann Nivens (The Mary Tyler Moore Show)
Murphy Brown (Murphy Brown)
Jackie Harris (Roseanne)
Zack Morris (Saved By The Bell)
Max Evans (Roswell)
Jessica Tate (Soap)
Mona Robinson (Who's The Boss)
Phoebe Buffay (Friends)
Karen Walker (Will & Grace)

[mateo]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 3:47pm

no Mary Cherry from Popular? Jerri Blank? Myrtle Urkel?

[blueroses]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 3:47pm

Dammit! How could I forget about Jerri Blank?

[wyou17]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 3:51pm

Wow. I even went down a list of TV shows on DVD at Amazon to be sure I wasn't forgeting an important show...

How could I skim past Strangers With Candy? I love what Amy Sedaris did with Jerri Blank.

[Mamie]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 4:00pm

You guys watch A LOT of TV! I don't know who half of these people are. (In fact, I've never heard of half the shows mentioned!)

[xxnewgirlxx]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 4:10pm

Fabrizio, I did!!! :)

[blueroses]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 4:22pm

I have Ted, not Mary. It's so hard to limit it to 25 (I just added a few more and now have that amount). It killed me to leave off Dr. Doug Ross (God, I loved classic E.R!) and Jerri Blank after you guys reminded me of them, but I couldn't part wth any of the other characters.
Updated On: 8/23/06 at 04:22 PM

[jasonf]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 4:34pm

I tried to stick to just one character per show otherwise I'd have practically the entire cast of Arrested Development on there, all four Seinfeld-ians, Mr. Furley and Jack from Three's Company (I had to choose one, and Mr. Roper reminds me of my grandfather, so he wins) and at least five or six from the Buffyverse.

Of course, if cartoons and puppets were included, the list would be very different, since Homer Simpson and Ralph Wiggum, Peter and Stewie Griffen, Big Bird, Kermit, and Cookie Monster (before he became health conscious) would have to be on it.

And wow - Murphy Brown - haven't thought about that show in a LONG time - I loved that show. What was the nerdy manager's name? Miles? He might have been on there. And Bill McNeil from Newsradio.

Geez, I've watched a lot of tv in my life.

[blueroses]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 4:38pm

Me too, jason! But I have a few from the same show because I couldn't bear to part with Tony OR Ralphie (it was hard to leave Carm off the list) on The Sopranos. Same with Larry and Susie from Curb! Big Love has only been around for one season, so I want to give the characters a little time to develop before adding them.

I think I'm taking this list a bit too seriously. lol

Alex Keaton is, I think, my all-time favorite television character. The list above isn't in any sort of order, but he's the first one that popped into my mind and belongs at the top!
Updated On: 8/23/06 at 04:38 PM

[jasonf]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 4:45pm

That's why George was first on mine -- and I can justify Spike and Buffy by putting Spike on Angel. OK, it's cheating a little, but they ARE two of the best characters ever, and as it was I didn't put Willow, Xander, Cordelia, Wesley or Giles!

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 4:53pm

Hm... let's see... in no order

Hawkeye - M.A.S.H.
J.R. Ewing - Dallas
Lucy - I Love Lucy
Samantha - Sex and the City
Murphy Brown - Murphy Brown
Dale Cooper - Twin Peaks
Carol Hathaway - E.R.
Archie Bunker - All in the Family
Suzanne Sugarbaker - Designing Women
Alexis Carrington - Dynasty
Jodie Dallas - Soap
Karen Walker - Will & Grace
Isabel Sanford - The Jeffersons
Arnie Becker - L.A. Law
Michael Steadman - thirtysomething

That's all I can think of right now...

[blueroses]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 4:56pm

Daydreamer, I am a huge fan of thirtysomething, too, and put Nancy on my list. What did you think of Melissa...loved her or hated her? I started out loving her and she wound up grating on my nerves a lot throughout the course of the series. I also started out disliking Ellen and ended up adoring her by the end.
Updated On: 8/23/06 at 04:56 PM

[NCGuy]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 5:13pm

Ralph Kramden would top my list (surprised no one’s mentioned him yet).

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 5:48pm

blue... I loved thirtysomething. I always liked Melissa and Ellen. I cried when they killed Gary. I debated between Michael and Nancy for this list. Patricia Wettig was wonderful in that role.

[pattifan2]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 5:54pm

DD - thirtysomething was always my favourite show for the longest time. I had a massive crush on Michael until Melissa began dating the painter guy...can't remember his name...I think the actor was Corey something??? But this show was such a hightlight for me. And Ellen had the sexiest voice ever.

[zzannahk]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 6:03pm

Semi- current

Dr. House (House)
Hyde (70's show pre-stripper marriage)
Xander (BTVS)
Rory (gilmore pre-college/logan)
Barney (how i met your mother)
Abby (NCIS)
Greg (CSI pre-field work)
Dharma (Dharma and Greg)
Dr. Reed (crinimal minds)

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 6:14pm

I don't remember the painter dude... I was an on/off viewer during the last couple of seasons.

[xxnewgirlxx]

Posted: 8/23/06 at 6:21pm

Oopps..nevermind...misread the post I was replying to...

OH and I'm mad that I forgot Lucy Ricardo!!! Updated On: 8/23/06 at 06:21 PM