Sunday, September 10, 2006

My Top 25 TV Characters

Taking a clue from James Gunn, Joss Whedon and Michael Patrick Sullivan (Who?) I am giving you my list of my top 25 tv characters of all time...

Here are the rules if you want to play yourself(No JR, not play with yourself!):

No puppets or cartoons, otherwise Kermit and Homer would definitely be on this list.
No mini-series, otherwise I'd definitely include Philip Marlow from THE SINGING DETECTIVE.
No reality show people, otherwise Matt Kennedy Gould from THE JOE SCHMO SHOW would be on here.
All characters must be regulars on the show. Okay, here we go


1. TOM QUINN - SPOOKS/MI-5 : Because he's very cool and serene even in the most dire of circumstances and yet he's human about it all.

2. VIC MACKEY - THE SHIELD: Vic is a moral swamp, but damn if he doesn't make you want to go out and be a badass every now and then.

3. THE PRISONER - he didn't break.

4. EMMA PEEL - THE AVENGERS: Steed was trained as an agent, but Mrs. Peel was a "talented amateur." That and the catsuits makes you instantly like her.

5. JACK BAUER - 24: Jack sacrifices for the cause - his life, his wife, and his values. He gets the job done no matter what it takes.

6. STRINGFELLOW HAWKE - AIRWOLF: The interesting name. The cool chopper. Part of the reason I joined the USAF. Too bad Jan-Michael Vincent couldn't take some of the qualities of the character and embrace them in his personal life.

7. PAPPY BOYINGTON - BLACK SHEEP SQUADRON: An air ace who shot the enemy down every week - and he was real! Sparked my interest in history which led to a bachelor's degree.

8. STEVE AUSTIN - THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN: Okay, who didn't want to be Steve Austin when they grew up?

9. HANNIBAL SMITH - THE A-TEAM: Sarcastic, caustic and always the smartest strategist in the room. Liked the stogies too...

10. MR. SPOCK - STAR TREK: Strong, cool , different. Made women understand that brainy was sexy (okay, they already knew that, but he educated young males on this fact) .

11. TONY NEWMAN - THE TIME TUNNEL: I wanted to hop around in time and see things for myself.

12. STEVE BURTON - LAND OF THE GIANTS: As a kid, I just thought the idea of giant people was cool. I also have a yearning to be Ant-Man but don't tell anyone.

13. HORACE RUMPOLE - RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY: How I always imagined all British barristers were in real life. Imagine my surprise I find the show was created by a former barrister...

14. JOHN KOENIG - SPACE: 1999 - Feeds into my love of explosions and model s. Perhaps this is also a holdover from my MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE phase.

15. NICK KNIGHT - FOREVER KNIGHT: has been the topic of conversation lately. I like the idea of having time to do all of the things I want. I don't like the whole blood and no tan business.

16. BRITT REID- THE GREEN HORNET: It was the car...and the fact that everyone thought he was a bad guy. What a perfect cover. I used to watch the show with my Dad when it was on, because that was the only night during the week he was home before I went to bed. It was our thing.

17. JAMES WEST - THE WILD WILD WEST: Robert Conrad at his finest. Many episodes directed by William Witney - serial director extraordinaire.

18. ALEXANDER MUNDY - IT TAKES A THIEF: Smart, funny and the epitome of 60's cool. Runs neck and neck with Robert Culp and I SPY.

19. DAVID BANNER - THE INCREDIBLE HULK: the form for my teenage angst. Everything would have been so much better if I could have turned green and grown monstrous when I was angry... and I was that a lot.

20. SIMON TEMPLAR - THE SAINT: Another crook gone over to the good side, sort of...Roger Moore should never have become James Bond.

21. MICHAL SCOFIELD - PRISON BREAK: Cold, calculating and yet ultimately the guy who's doing the right thing for his brother. Genius.

22. FRANK PARKER - 7 DAYS: Another time travel show, but the character of Frank Parker was interesting. Get an expendable crazy man to take on the most dangerous assignments ever...

23. DUNCAN MCLEOD - HIGHLANDER: Better character than Conner. More developed (Obviously). Again, appeals to my immortality kick.

24. MICHAEL - LA FEMME NIKITA: cold, ruthless but with a heart of justice. Doesn't waste anything - time, movements, words. Efficient beyond measure.

25. ROBERT McCALL - THE EQUALIZER: When I get older I want to be this guy. Seen and done a bit of everything. Dedicated, fearless. Knows and keeps secrets.

8 comments:

DecoderRing said...

PAPPY BOYINGTON!

A great list... but Pappy's the one that hit the wellspring of memory ond made me think Oh *%$*#!!, yeah!

Can't argue with those. Probably would have worked Doctor Who and Jim Kirk in there somewhere. And Hawkeye Pierce (I like to preted the last couple seasons of M*A*S*H* never happened. Like the last six or seven seasons of Simpsons and the Star Wars prequels)

DecoderRing said...

Oh, yeah! Jim Rockford... Wojo... Matt Dillon (even though Gunsmoke was better on the radio...) Solid. Awesome.

I didn't so much mind the liberalisim, nor would I mind the polar opposite. What I objected to was the fact that they forgot to bring the funny.

m said...

Fantastic list, so many I had in consideration as I sat down to do mine.

Especially Number Six.

m said...

Oh, also...not too often I get mentioned in the same breath as either James Gunn or Joss Whedon, so cool there too.

Boxer said...

My number 1 is Jack Bauer and my number 2 is Tom Servo.

wcdixon said...

...great list

MaryAn Batchellor said...

Buddy Sorrell/Dick Van Dyke Show

said...

You're #3 would be moi's #1.

Did you ever see
"The Scarecrow Of Romney Marsh"" It was also a McGoohan gig.
If'in ya ever view the series I bet you have a new character in your Top 25.

Stay on Groovin' Safari,
TOR