A few weeks ago when I was in Cary, I asked a few of the guys who their 5 favorite TV characters were. I have decided to write a little note listing my favorites, mostly because I feel a need to write something a little lighter than the seminary stuff I've been buried under the last few weeks. Also, I just like writing about things I like.
I chose to only pick one character from each show, so as to keep a little diversity on the list. That made for some tough decisions, but it also kept this from being a list of 4 "Buffy/Angel" characters, which is probably good. I started with a list of characters from 12 different shows that I then narrowed down to 5 with some pretty tough cuts (honorable mentions at the end). So, without further ado...
5) Captain Malcolm Reynolds, Firefly (played by Nathan Fillion) - Maybe my toughest choice, if only because the series only ran for half a season. Does half a season of greatness outweigh characters with considerably longer runs? In this case, it does, since if he'd had 2 or 3 seasons, I think Mal would top this list. Mal is, at his core, a deeply sad character who covers it up by being witty and sarcastic. Beneath the charming, roguish exterior, Mal is a man who has suffered a lot of loss. He's a freedom fighter who lost his war, a leader who lost almost all the men under his command. Because of that, he's fiercely loyal to his crew (his "family"), and is going to do everything he can to defend them, lest he lose them too. He's a scoundrel with a heart of gold in the Han Solo mold, but the sadness at the root of his character elevates him beyond the cliche, and makes him a truly great character. Also, Nathan Fillion is amazing.
4) Matt Saracen, Friday Night Lights (Zach Gilford) - Probably the hardest decision on this list was figuring out which Friday Night Lights character to pick. It's filled with amazing characters who could've made this list (I'm looking at you, Tami Taylor and Tim Riggins), but this came down to Coach Eric Taylor and QB1 Matt Saracen, and after long deliberation, I'm going with Matty Ballgame. With all due respect to Coach Taylor, Matt is the character that embodies everything the show is about. Unlike Tyra and Riggins, who want to either leave Dillon forever or stay in Dillon forever, Matt is caught between being the small-town hero and wanting to get out of that town. I love that Matt is a little bit of a screw-up, kind of charmingly ignorant at times, but he's also a hard worker and a nice guy who is just doing his best to get by. From his relationship with his grandmother to his slightly antagonistic relationship with Coach Taylor, from his relationship with Julie (the source of much of Coach's antagonism) to his friendship with Landry, from struggling with being QB to struggling with having a father in Iraq, through all his varied relationships and storylines, Matt is the heart of the show, and Zach Gilford does a brilliant job with the character.
3) Dr. Gregory House, House M.D. (Hugh Laurie) - House is not a great show. It has never been a great show. Even at its best in the early seasons, it was never inventive or well-plotted enough to be really great. What it is is a thoroughly mediocre show that is elevated by a truly spectacular central performance. That performance is, of course, Hugh Laurie's tour-de-force as Dr. Gregory House. Laurie takes a character who is really an awful, despicable human being and makes you not only care about him, but root for him. Wickedly funny with an acerbic wit, Laurie's performance single-handedly makes any episode of House entertaining
2) GOB Bluth, Arrested Development (Will Arnett) - The funniest character ever to grace the small screen. Arrested Development was filled with a brilliant ensemble cast, but even among those great comedic characters, Will Arnett's performance as GOB stands above the rest. It's hard to encapsulate exactly what makes GOB such a hilarious character. Is it the world's worst chicken impression? The fact that he gets around on a Segway? The way that Arnett turns simple lines into gut-busting comedy? I can't properly put it into words, so I'm just going to have to show you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgDJTNK1-vU&feature=watch_response
1) Willow Rosenberg, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Alyson Hannigan) - Easily the hardest decision to make on this list. The thing that makes Joss Whedon's shows so very awesome is that they are very character driven, and over the course of 7 seasons (and 5 seasons of Angel), these characters all grow and develop and have very distinct voices. As a result, there are 6 or 7 characters that I could have put on here. In particular, Wesley (who undergoes and incredible character transformation over the course of Angel), Angel (who is just an awesome idea for a character) and Spike (Simply one of the coolest characters ever) were extremely hard to cut. However, in the end this spot has to be Willow. Sweet, innocent Willow and terrifying, world-ending Willow. Buffy's name is on the marquee, but Willow is the heart of the show. She starts off as the cute, lovable, sheltered little nerd, but by the end of the series she has, shall we say, come out of her shell a little :). Throughout all the supernatural weirdness going on, it's Willow's charming, down-to-earth personality that keeps the show grounded. Also, I have a huge crush on Alyson Hannigan. That helps.
Honorable Mentions include: Niles Crane (Frasier), Jack Donaghy (30 Rock), George Costanza (Seinfeld), Ron Swanson (Parks and Recreation), Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother), Dr. Perry Cox (Scrubs), President Laura Roslin/Admiral William Adama (Battlestar Galactica)
So, if you've made it this far in this post that ended up being way longer than I anticipated, congratulations. What do you think, what would your top 5 be?
