List: Top Ten Favorite Television Characters

“Imitation is the sincerest of flattery.”

That quote by Charles Caleb Colton is misquoted as, ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’. Regardless how you say it and now that you know, I’d really prefer you say it correctly…, is why I am creating a top ten list. David Letterman does one every night. There are websites and blogs designed with nothing more than lists. For me I drew my inspiration from reading one of Cherlyn’s top ten lists.

She did her top ten favorite (got to be Canadian about it), favourite TV shows of all time. I don’t want to copy what she did or any one else for that matter so I tweaked my list to take my top ten favorite characters from my top ten favorite shows. This post has required much more thought and time than I initially set aside so I am not going to go into much detail as to why I chose the characters I did, however, if you have comments, criticisms or a why him or why her question — don’t hesitate to ask.

It wasn’t easy creating this list. It was twice as difficult to come up with a list that wasn’t completely science fiction, but I did it.  Now is the part where you tell me who I left off and why did I include that person… Looking forward to it. Bring it on! Some of these shows I was alive to see and a few of them I wasn’t born yet. Although I did not see them as they appeared, watching them on DVD with no commercial interruptions is a much better atmosphere and more conducive for ultimate television enjoyment.

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1. 24

Jack Bauer found himself in the most unbelievable situations season after season and yet he was the most believable anti-terrorist agent I have seen portrayed on television. He was fed up with how his hands were tied trying to do his job. He was fed up with having to resort to the tactics he used which made him less human each time. He was Jack Bauer! 24 was thoroughly entertaining and I miss it. I hope they live up to their word and make a 24 movie.

2. Star Trek (all incarnations)

Unfortunately I could not come up with a definitive winner for these shows. There was something special about all the Star Trek shows and that is why I bunched them together as one. Also, I would have used up three of the ten choices on Star Trek shows.

Three characters jumped to my thoughts immediately. One from the original series, one from Voyager and lastly, one from The Next Generation. It’s safe to say that without strong captains, Star Trek would be hardly worth watching. For that reason alone I didn’t care too much for Star Trek Enterprise. I think there was a huge chunk of personality missing from Scott Bakula’s character portrayal.

The three way tie for number two in my favorite Star Trek characters are William Shatner as Captain Kirk, Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data and Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine.

3. X-Files

Dana Scully wasn’t originally my favorite character from the X-Files. Without her play against Mulder and his tunnel visioned obsessiveness the show would not have been as interesting to me. Dana was just as obsessed with not believing in the existence of x-files as Mulder was in believing. No matter how much evidence was presented to her, he pig-headed attitude kept her form even considering the existence of the ‘unknown’. People like her irk me and amuse me at the same time.

4. Stargate SG-1

Colonel Jack O’Neill of Stargate Command is my favorite character from this show. It wasn’t an easy picking a favorite. Teal’C, Commander Carter and Dr. Jackson all make the SG-1 what it is, however Richard Dean Anderson’s character has something the others do not. Very dry humor. The kind that keeps me laughing even after the show is over. The kind that flies over the head of some people.

5. NCIS

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was a difficult pick because the cast is so well acclamated to one another. They are truly a family, the way you hear actors talking at times. Being the leader of his the NCIS team is why I chose Gibbs over the other cast members. He is the father figure. Not perfect but always trying to be. He’s the glue that keeps the team together even when he’s not in the picture. He’s also flawed. We get to see the humanity in the federal officer. He used his skill as a sniper to kill the Mexican drug lord responsible for killing his wife and child. Wrong, yes. Human, absolutely.

6. The Carol Burnett Show

Tim Conway played many different roles on The Carol Burnett Show but my favorite, if I could pick one was all of them. What made Tim Conway so special is his ability to ad lib and keep the cast laughing during a serious sketch. My favorite times are when Tim and Harvey Korman were in the same scenes together. This show made me laugh to the point of tears. Tim Conway is now the voice of Barnacle Boy on SpongeBob.

7. Heroes

The first two seasons of Heroes were the only ones I enjoyed. Every now and hen I would tune in just to see what Hiro Nakamura was up to. Hiro’s power was time travel. He was like a kid in a candy store when he first found his powers. His father, Sulu from Star Trek, also made the show interesting. In fact there was a huge Star Trek crossover built into Heroes. Just to mention one, was Kaito’s license plate on his limousine read NCC 1701. Sylar was Spock in the Star Trek movie, but I digress. Hiro was innocent and naive. He was the soul of the show even though most of the attention went to Claire.

8. Doctor Who

Over the years there have been many memorable companions for The Doctor, however Freema Ageyam as Martha Jones, was my all time favorite. Fresh out of medical school and only on with The Doctor for one season, she was the best. Just when I was really getting to know her character the powers that be yanked her off the show. She did make several appearances on the poor excuse for a sci-fi show, Torchwood, but I still couldn’t watch. Freema Ageyam can now be seen on Law & Order UK.

9. The Six Million Dollar Man

Steve Austin, played by Lee Majors was married to Farrah Fawcett and on screen was on love with the Bionic Woman, Lindsay Wagner. How could you not like him and his character. This show had some of the most memorable sound effects and I think every child made the sound when he jumped. An American hero, Steve gets rebuilt into a cyborg with super strength, got me into liking spies shows. Even though it was off the air before I was born, I still find it a special show and one my sister watched with my mother of all people.

10. Columbo

Lt. Columbo played by Peter Falk is by far one of the most intuitive and intelligent police detectives on any crime drama I have seen. Lacking the 21st century knowledge, training and resources found on shows like Bones, NCIS, Lie To Me, and the many CSI incarnations, he was still able to solve the crime and at the onset of the investigation always had the instinct to know who the murderer was right away. Despite his persona as an incapable bumbling and poorly dressed idiot, Columbo had the goods — on everyone.

Bonus
11. Emeril Live

I have always love to cook. I believe Chef Emeril Lagasse single handedly turned America on to once again enjoying cooking for family and friends. The Food Network is ultimately responsible for putting Emeril on television, but I believe him to be the catalyst for American’s eating at home again. He may not always cook healthy on Emeril Live but he includes garlic in almost all of his dishes and garlic is very very good for you. Now Emeril is on Planet Green Network with Emeril Green. He stops shoppers in Whole Foods and teaches them how to prepare several healthy dishes. He has also lost a lot of weight. Thanks Mr. Lagasse for being the inspiration for getting April interested in getting me to teach her how to cook. BAM!

A Few More Worth Mentioning

Fox Mulder, X-Files

President David Palmer, 24

Jill Munroe, Charlie’s Angels

Remington Steele, Remington Steele

Maxwell Smart, Get Smart

Ziva David, NCIS

Monk, Monk

Speed, Speed Racer

Horatio Caine, CSI: Miami

Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek, The Next Generation

Helena Kyle, Birds of Prey

David Addison, Moonlighting

Fred G. Sanford, that’s S-A-N-F-O-R-D, Sanford & Son

Gomez Addams, The Addams Family

Samantha Bloom, Undercovers