Favorite TV characters

[SWC75]

I was reading an article about Leonard Nimoy in Entertainment Weekly and it occurred to me that Mr. Spock might be my all-time favorite TV character. I decided to make a list, (not a ranking) of my favorite TV characters and maybe other people can add their own lists. As you will see, my list is very 60's oriented. I was was born in '53 and the 60's were when I first became aware of things so I have alot of favorite shows from back then. In the VHS/DVD Era I've collect boxes of those shows and watch them as much or more than I watch current shows. Between those, sporting events and the old movies and documentaries that i love. I don't even see much of contemporary shows, although I am a Law & Order addict. Others whose focus is different than mine can fill out other eras.

In no particular order:

Mr. Spock
Doc Adams
Chester Goode
Festus Haggen
Hoss Cartwright
Artemis Gordon
Paladin
Bret and Bart Maverick
Jim Rockford
Peter Gunn
Amos Burke
Perry Mason
Jessica Fletcher
Joe Friday
Steve McGarrett
Lt. Tragg
Lt. Columbo
Lenny Briscoe
John Munch
Frank Pembleton
Stanley Bolander
Dan Briggs
Maxwell Smart
Emma Peel
Honey West
John Steed
Bat Masterson
Sgt. Saunders
Sgt. Schultz
Colonel Potter
Hawkeye Pierce
Radar O'Reilly
Ralph Cramden
Ed Norton
Alan Brady
Rob and Laura Petrie
Ann Marie
Norm Peterson
Cliff Clavin
Aunt Clara
Samantha Stephens
Maynard G. Krebs
Dobie Gillis
Lou Grant
Ted Baxter
Grandpa Walton
Dr. Richard Kimble
Dr. Kildare
Drt. Gillespie
Michael Anthony, (because I always hoped he would show up on my doorstep)

That's all I can think of for now. It's a pretty good group.

 

[NKR1978]

Fun topic!

I'm going a little more current:

Eric Taylor
Tim Riggins
Matt Saracen
Tami Taylor
Landry Clark

Selena Meyer

Darryl (the Walking Dead)
Carol

Leslie Knope
Ron Swanson
Andy Dwyer

Micky Milkovich (Shameless)

Tony Soprano

Omar Little
Jimmy McNulty
Stringer Bell

Tyrion Lannister
Margaery Tyrell
Stannis Baratheon
Bronn
Sansa Stark
Theon Greyjoy
Arya Stark
The Hound
Daenerys Targaryen
Ygritte
Grenn
Brienne of Tarth
Jaime Lannister
Ramsey Bolton
Joffrey Baratheon

Richard Harrow (Boardwalk Empire)

Edit 1:
Can't believe I forgot Breaking Bad.
Hank Schrader
Jesse Pinkman
Mike Ehrmantraut
Saul Goodman
Gus Fring

Peggy Olsen
Pete Campbell
Joan Hathaway
Sally Draper

Jim Halpert
Pam Halpert
Michael Scott

George Costanza
Elaine Benes
Frank and Estelle Costanza

CJ Cregg
Josiah Bartlett
Leo McGarry
Donna Moss

Edit 2:

Lady Oleanna Tyrell
Tywin Lannister
Rance Mayder

The Dowager Countess
Lady Edith
Tom Branson

Edit 3:
GOB Bluth
Lucille Bluth
Tobias Funke

 

[moqui]

I'll just do one each from some of my favorite series of all time

Rod Serling as the Narrator on Twilight Zone
Darrin McGavin as Karl Kochak from Kolchak, the Night Stalker
Peter Falk as Lt. Columbo
Kiel Martin as Det. J.D. LaRue on Hill Street Blues
Mitch Pileggi as Deputy Directory Skinner on X-Files
Jeffrey Tambor as Hank Kingsley on the Larry Sanders Show
Richard Jenkins as Nathaniel Fisher, Sr. on Six Feet Under
Stephen Merchant as Darren on Extras
Tony Sirico as Paulie Walnuts on The Sopranos
Lance Reddick as Lt. Daniels on The Wire
Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad (Saul was the real brains of the operation all along)
Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish on The Comeback
John Pankow as Merc Lapidus on Episodes

 

[shandeezy7]

My list begins and ends here:

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Contemporary picks:

John Locke, Lost
Abby Mills, Sleepy Hollow
Chang, Community
All the characters played by Tatiana Moslaney, Orphan Black
Ron Swanson, Parks and Recreation

 

[donniesyracuse]

Chang, Community

Speaking of Chang, Community is back tomorrow on Yahoo!

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Speaking of Chang, Community is back tomorrow on Yahoo!

Indeed.

 

[OrangeTown]

 

[jekelish]

Good lord, this is going to be one I have to come back to and edit over and over and over.

Raylan Givens
Boyd Crowder
Tim Gutterson
Wynn Duffy

(All four of the previous are from Justified)

Jaime Lannister
Tyrion Lannister
The Hound
Arya Stark
Oberyn Martell
Bronn

(All from Game of Thrones)

Bunk Moreland
Omar Little
Stringer Bell
Bodie Broadus
Beadie Russell
Lester Freamon
Bubbles
Dukie
Prez
Slim Charles

(All from The Wire...and let's be honest, I could name a dozen others)

Lennie Briscoe
Jack McCoy

(I won't watch an episode of L&O that doesn't have both of them)

Walter White
Jesse Pinkman
Saul Goodman
Mike Ehrmantraut
Gus Fring
Badger
Skinny Pete

(All from Breaking Bad)

Milhouse Van Houten
Homer Simpson

I'm going to take a break right here, because holy crap, that's already a lot of characters.

EDIT: OOH! Darren Lamb (Stephen Merchant's character on Extras)

 

[tbonezone]

 

[MCC]

Walter White
Mike Ehrmentraut
Saul Goodman
Gus Fring
Al Swearengen
Tony Soprano
Paulie Walnuts
Vic Mackey
The Hound
Richard Harrow

 

[moqui]

how could I forget Matthew McConaughey as Rust Cohle in True Detective?

and that reminds me of Jared Leto as Jordan Catalano in My So Called Life

 

[ImperialOrange]

 

[Guinness]

Al Swearengen

Listen here you hoopleheaded, heathen, ----sucker.

 

[Guinness]

Lots of good characters already listed so I will go with a few not yet mentioned and will stick to more recent/current TV shows.

Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby on Peaky Blinders.
Hugh Laurie as Gregory House on House.
Walton Googins as Boyd Crowder on Justified.
Ryan Hurst as Opie Winston on SoA.
Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess on Downton Abbey.
Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper on Big Bang Theory.
James Spader as Raymond Reddington on The Blacklist.

 

[MCC]

James Spader as Raymond Reddington on The Blacklist.

I cannot recall a show where the lead was so transcendant and the rest of the cast so forgettable. I really tried to follow the show but if Reddington's not on screen, it's unwatchable. Wooden dialogue, stone faced acting, horribly trite and predictable exchanges.

But Reddington is fantastic.

 

[cuseattle]

Phil Dunfy.

 

[Guinness]

I cannot recall a show where the lead was so transcendant and the rest of the cast so forgettable. I really tried to follow the show but if Reddington's not on screen, it's unwatchable. Wooden dialogue, stone faced acting, horribly trite and predictable exchanges.

But Reddington is fantastic.

I could listen to James Spader read my car manual to me 24/7. I cannot wait to see the new Avengers movie with him voicing Ultron.

 

[BillJay]

Captain Barney Miller
Detective Ron Harris
Detective Arthur Dietrich
(all from Barney Miller)

Sam Donovan
(played by William H Macy, 2nd season of Sports Night)

Cookie Kwan
(number 1 on the West Side!, the Simpsons)

 

[dasher]

Good lord, this is going to be one I have to come back to and edit over and over and over.

Raylan Givens
Boyd Crowder
Tim Gutterson
Wynn Duffy

(All four of the previous are from Justified)

Jaime Lannister
Tyrion Lannister
The Hound
Arya Stark
Oberyn Martell
Bronn

(All from Game of Thrones)

Bunk Moreland
Omar Little
Stringer Bell
Bodie Broadus
Beadie Russell
Lester Freamon
Bubbles
Dukie
Prez
Slim Charles

(All from The Wire...and let's be honest, I could name a dozen others)

Lennie Briscoe
Jack McCoy

(I won't watch an episode of L&O that doesn't have both of them)

Walter White
Jesse Pinkman
Saul Goodman
Mike Ehrmantraut
Gus Fring
Badger
Skinny Pete

(All from Breaking Bad)

Milhouse Van Houten
Homer Simpson

I'm going to take a break right here, because holy crap, that's already a lot of characters.

EDIT: OOH! Darren Lamb (Stephen Merchant's character on Extras)

Ben Stone would wipe the floor with Jack McCoy

 

[MCC]

I could listen to James Spader read my car manual to me 24/7. I cannot wait to see the new Avengers movie with him voicing Ultron.

This is just pure awesomesauce. I can imagine:

"To increase the speed of your wiper blades, just turn the dial up a notch... you know, I remember a sudden rainstorm in Prague..."

 

[Cowtown]

Jack McCoy
Uncle Fester
Mr Reese
Kensi Blye (Oh my, oh my, oh my ...)
Nick Yemana
Al Bundy
Lenny & Squiggy
Evelyn "Angel" Martin
Kevin Arnold
Buddy & Sally
Rollin Hand
Briscoe & Logan
Carey Lowell
Reverend Jim
Latka Gravas
Frank Pembleton
Manolito Montoya
Niles Crane
Rowdy Yates
Sgt O'Rourke
Corporal Agarn
Mary Anne Summers
Thurston Howell III
Ziva David
Witchypoo
Napoleon Solo
Ilya Kuryakin
Kwai Chang Caine
Masters Kan and Po
Carl Kolchak
David Vincent
Stu Bailey
Kookie Kookson III
Rex Randolph
Arnold Ziffel
Mr Eustace Haney

 

[moqui]

Kenan Thompson as Diondre Cole in the surreal "What Up With That" segments on SNL.
Nathan Fillion as Mal Reynolds on Firefly, the greatest libertarian character in TV history
Mean Mark Calloway as The Undertaker on all the various WWF(E) television shows the last 25 years

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Lot of greats mentioned already. Here are some that haven't been yet.

Andy Sipowicz - can't believe he hasn't been mentioned yet.
Detective James (Sonny) Crockett - one of my all time guilty pleasures
Dr. Joel Fleischman
Chris Stevens
Damien Scott - I want to live his life
Thomas Magnum - PI

 

[Guinness]

Lot of greats mentioned already. Here are some that haven't been yet.

Andy Sipowicz - can't believe he hasn't been mentioned yet.
Detective James (Sonny) Crockett - one of my all time guilty pleasures
Dr. Joel Fleischman
Chris Stevens
Damien Scott - I want to live his life
Thomas Magnum - PI

Magnum PI is probably my favorite TV show from the 80's. Johnathan Higgins should make this list as well.