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May 21, 2013

TV's best characters, according to Joss Whedon

by Anna Johns, posted Aug 22nd 2006 12:03PM

josh lymanJoss Whedon took a cue from screenwriter James Gunn's list of the all-time best characters on television and made his own. Whedon's list includes George Michael Bluth, Josh Lyman, and Lou Grant, among many others. Gunn's list, which also includes rules about no Muppets or cartoons, includes Buffy, David Brent, Jack Bauer, and Creed and Pam from The Office (Gunn's married to Jenna Fischer).

Without putting too much thought into it, here are a few of my faves (and my list shows a far inferior knowledge of television):
  • Claire Huxtable, The Cosby Show, the perfect balance of cool mom, tough love mom and working mom;
  • Elaine, Seinfeld, for being one of the guys;
  • David Brent, The Office (British version), because he's wickedly, uncomfortably funny;
  • Capt. Mal Reynolds, Firefly, for being a funny, loving man underneath a thick shell of mean;
  • Fox Mulder, The X-Files, for not giving a rat's ass what others think and believing in the wholly unbelievable;
  • Dana Scully, The X-Files, for being the perfect complement to Mulder.
Who are your all-time favorite television characters?

[Via Pop Candy]

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Tim McCleese

Sharon Valerii (Battlestar Galactica)

September 09 2006 at 6:35 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
The Jeremy


How can people mention Fox Mulder and Dana Scully without giving props to the tv character that inspired their very creation? CARL KOLCHAK!

Toolz.

The Doctor (Doctor Who) also needs to be listed. Gawd knows without that series Whedon couldn't have riffed as much material to put into Buffy, and the Wachowskis would still be obscure filmmakers.

August 24 2006 at 7:21 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
scott mclendon

Floyd the Barber
Alan Brady
Ted Baxter
Inspector Morse
Sarah(Upstairs Downstairs)
Spike
Hoss Cartwright
Jim West
President and Mrs. Charles Logan
Seth Cohen
Michel(Gilmore Girls)
Major Frank Burns
Aunt Esther

August 23 2006 at 9:40 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Rick

Let's go back to the golden age: the one, the only...Barney Fife

August 22 2006 at 9:58 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Rob

Jack Bauer
Jack Bauer
MacGyver
Jack Bauer
MacGyver

August 22 2006 at 8:57 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tina

Leo McGarry
Frank Pembleton
Murphy Brown
Tony Soprano
Sue Ann Nivens
Dana Scully
'Fitz' (Cracker) Fitzgerald -- the original of course
Isaac Jaffe

August 22 2006 at 6:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
DT

Al F@!*&ing Swearingen ! Best character ever.

Fox Mulder & Dana Scully as people have said

Monk great memorable character

Capt. Picard (better actor then Shatner)

The entire cast of Arrested development and Seinfeld (the two funniest shows of all time)


and lastly, The fresh Prince of Bel Air, when Will Smith was still funny and genuine.

August 22 2006 at 6:26 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
OneCharmingBastard

Fun topic - and in the interest of brevity, I'll nix the idea of doing them by sex that my instinct is to do.


Homer Simpson. Never.Not.Funny. I know he's a cartoon, but he in many ways embodies the best and worst in humanity. And is never not funny after season 3.


Uncle Arthur. Everybody loves a clown. And growing up gay, he was the one shimmeringly unapologetic sistah we knew we could count on, if only for a wacky time.


Dana Scully. I love to watch the reruns now - man, she was mousy in the beginning. When Gillian started bringing that undercurrent of sensuality to Dana, the whole character icon-ified to me. She was my Jessica Fletcher, someone I would stay loyal to until I was 90. Like Matlock. Only way hotter.


Alan Shore. The most complicated human being I ever felt like was being written for the most compelling parts of my psyche. Spader is arguably as bankable as Kelsey Grammer, talent wise, and I for one feel he was robbed of a nomination this year.


Frasier Crane. For the simple fact that he violated the natural law of television - the spinoff can not be superior.

August 22 2006 at 4:59 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
scully1058

Gregory House
Hawkeye Pierce
Fox Mulder (and cigarette smoking man)
Malcolm Reynolds
Dr. Who (old and new)
both spies from "I Spy"
Michael Bluth
Bailey and Christina on Grey's Anatomy
...to name a few


August 22 2006 at 4:02 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
BobbyBuz

I forgot to include: Colombo

August 22 2006 at 2:51 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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