Monday, February 9, 2009

The Best characters on TV

I was reading several blogs on yahoo! TV.com and most of the blogs are negative. House is worse than ever. Grey's Anatomy sucks. Private Practice is horrible. Come on yahoo! Be a tad more positive. Instead of talking about what's WRONG with TV right now (a LOT I grant you), let's discuss what is RIGHT with TV. Television may not have a Seinfeld, West Wing, Cheers, or M*A*S*H right now, it does have a TON of great characters. I will now break down the top 10 on TV RIGHT NOW!!!!

10. Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) from Lie to Me. What a fascinating character. This is a guy that knows when you are lying and can read you like a novella. Yet for some reason he can't or won't use these powers in his personal life. He doesn't always know when his daughter is lying and he won't use his talents to get his ex-wife back...or his hot co-worker in between the sheets. You want to know why he got into this and you can tell he is damaged and is possibly trying to correct the wrong that was done maybe as a kid. Lightman maybe means he can shed light on the common man?

09. Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) from Friday Night Lights. This character started out as a senior, then stuck around for another season and then stuck around ONE MORE YEAR. He was able to get the homecoming queen and she turned him into a bit of a lover and a one-woman-man. You got to see a softer side of him in season 2 and now in season three he is kind of whipped, but he is still Riggins. He still delivers the one-liners, but he set a goal of getting Lyla and he got her. If he has to tone down his cowboy ways, so be it. he is still Tim Riggins, the guy that tagged his 30+ neighbor while he was 16. Nice work Riggins. His dialogue is the best of the whole show; he is so witty.

08. Patty Hewes (Glen Close) in Damages. I don't watch this show, but Michael Wilbon of Pardon the Interruption loves her and I have caught an episode or two. I give her props. I read a few of the show recaps and it sounds like a show I could get into.

07. Brenda Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) in the Closer. The star of the most successful cable show ever. How can you not have her on this list? I actually HAVE seen a few of the episodes and she is good. While I can't get into the show, I can respect it. She is tough and gets her confession every time.

06. Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) in The Mentalist. He uses his MIND to solve crimes. While this has been done before (The Profiler comes to mind) this guy is dreamy. I can say that very heteroly, but he is. His show is one of the hottest new shows out there and I cannot wait to netflix it. Let's be honest, his character is just plain interesting.

05. Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) in Friday Night Lights. Whether he is giving a speech to his Panther football team at the half or it is a discussion with Buddy, a heart-to-heart with a player (Saracen, Street, Riggins, Smash) or a husband/wife moment with Tammy, Coach Taylor is a great communicator, even if it is with just a look sometimes. he can speak from the heart, provide comedy, provide inspiration...he is the total package. I know the writers give him great material, but he pulls it all off. PLUS he is a UGA guy. But even if he wasn't, his attitude is classic and his character SHOULD go down in the annals as one of the greats. He schools Bud Kilmer and Billy Bob Thornton's Taylor.

04. Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland) in 24. I don't watch 24 (mainly because I still have a problem with when he goes to the bathroom), but the guy has saved the world 6 or 7 times. And he is short, so that makes it even more impressive.

03. Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) in The Office. Everyone has had a boss like this guy. Everyone. He is funny and annoying and if I ever become a boss, I hope I become as successful as he is. He is the World's Best Boss (according to his coffee mug) and those things JUST DON'T LIE. He inspires his troops and clearly he is good at what he does since his bosses have him touring around, giving speeches. I think what I like the most is that he is the every-man boss. Everyone has had one like him and he plays it to a T. Better than Ricky Gervis. Yeah, I said it!

02. Don Draper (Jon Hamm) in Mad Men. His dark side and shady past have intersected with his picture perfect family and great job. His character is so smart that I KNOW I don't understand all of his faucets. He can convey so much by just glancing out of the side of his eye while taking a drag off of a ciggy or sipping scotch. His quiet words are powerful and his past, revealed bit by bit makes you just want to tune in again and again. You want to know the REAL Don Draper. You may not understand it but you want more.

01. Greg House, MD (Hugh Laurie) in House. Of course House is winning. Heck, I put this list together BECAUSE of yahoo saying that House had lost his balls. Is he still the same prick he was in season one? No, but he has evolved. If he had not, yahoo would be saying that "Oh he needs to branch out!" You see how House does care about some of his friends (Wilson, Lucas), how he deals with his women (Cameron, Sela Ward, Cuddy), how he deals with his new team (a mistake, granted. Why get rid of the old team? The new one stinks in comparison.) But House is still twisted and still very funny. How he is able to solve cases by just looking at a plate of french fries is fascinating. i think THAT is why I watch: to see how he will solve the case this week. I do like that House is trying to branch into personal lives a bit more than just the cases. But I wish they would give House a relationship with Cuddy straight out. Just do it. Enough flirting. Put them together already! House is fun and I missed it tonight.

Just missing the cut: Ari Gold, Temperance "Bones" Brennan, Michael Scoefield, Dr. Christian Troy, Dr. Sean McNamara, McDreamy, Jim Helpert, Dwight, Tommy Gavin (rescue me)

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