Gushing About Characters You Like (Sugar Wiki)/Live-Action TV: Difference between revisions

 

== Star Trek ==

** He was so badass, he travelled back in time and became a [[Crazy Awesome]] attorney who goes by the name Denny Crane.

*** And in his spare time, he makes the world a better place by helping folks get better travel rates by using Priceline.com.

** Hello, how about ''Bones''? Charisma so thick you could ''cut'' it, and absurdly pretty with gorgeous baby blues to boot.

*** Correction, charisma so thick you ''couldn't'' cut it, even with an [[Absurdly Sharp Blade]].

*** And he [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|gave Khan lessons on how to efficently cut a throat]] -- ''[[Crowning Moment of Awesome|while Khan was holding a knife at his neck]].''

** No love for Spock? He can knock someone out without punching them! He can ''communicate with whales''! He does that thing with his eyebrows. He's always calm in an emergency. His place on this list is only logical.

** [[You Are Not Alone]]. But we can't forget the awesomeness that is his friend-though-he'd-never-admit-it Dr. McCoy. Or the magnificent Captain Picard.

** Or Sulu. He seems to be the most cheerful one, he picks up a new hobby on every shore leave, and he mysteriously managed to sire a daughter at some mysterious time with some mysterious woman.

** What ''really'' won me over was Worf's stone-cold refusal to give the mortally wounded Romulan a blood transfusion. It might not have been the noble choice that the other Starfleet boy scouts would've made, but Worf's dedication to his own personal code blows everybody else out the water. Keep in mind, even though he has no problem watching a Romulan die, he's willing to do if Picard orders him to do so.

** And how many characters, or even real people, actually practice what they preach? Worf is pretty much the only character who consistently lives up to [[Planet of Hats|his people's]] ideals. Worf is the definition of honor.

** Find an instance when Picard or someone tries to come up with a [[Humans Are Special|definition of humanity that puts it in a positive light]]. Then compare that definition to the characters. Who fits it best? The answer is invariably Data.

* Now that Data's already been mentioned, am I the only one who wants to gush about Barclay? Seriously brilliant and awesome.

** I never thought unbridled rage would bring me to [[Sugar Wiki]], but I have to praise Louise Fletcher for her incredible job as Kai Winn. She plays a [[Smug Snake|smug]], [[Holier Than Thou|sanctimonious]] mega-bitch, to the ''[[They Plotted a Perfectly Good Waste|fucking hilt]]''. It's blatantly obvious that Ms. Fletcher is rolling around glorying in her hammy, bitchy evilness like a cat in a field of catnip.

** Sisko. Captain Benjamin Lafayette. The '''celestial fuckin' prophets''' checked out ALL of time and space and determined that that dude was the only Starfleet officer badass enough to be their emissary. My case is rested.

**** Thirded. Easily ''Trek'''s most complex, endearing, fierce, adorable, loving, fearless, faithful, gorgeous, tender, fiery, well-developed, well-rounded character to date, and [[Nana Visitor]]'s performance is equalled by no one. ''No one'', although there are plenty who come pretty damn close.

** Gul Dukat, [[Magnificent Bastard]] incarnate and perhaps the greatest villain in sci-fi... including [[Star Wars|Darth Vader]]. Let's see. {{spoiler|He is to the Bajorans what Hitler is to Jews. Then he releases all the prisoners of a secret prison camp. Then he uses an orphan to try to bring down a political adversary. Then we learn that Dukat put Odo in charge of station security because of respect. Then we find out he's a devoted family man. When a computer program of his nearly kills the senior staff of the station, he arrives to save the day... but finds out his second-in-command modified the program to take out Dukat if he left in a crisis. When he's helping Sisko chase down a rogue starship, his biggest regret is that he's missing his son's 11th birthday. When Sisko proves that Bajorans were able to reach Cardassia in an antique design solar-sail ship, refuting a tenet of Cardassian superiority, Dukat greets him with fireworks. Then he switched sides on his government, following the new leaders after a coup, only to be stripped of rank, privilege, and family when his half-Bajoran daughter came to light (oh, and he nearly killed her). Following that, he gets the Cardassians to join the Dominion, conquers Deep Space Nine, gets booted, alienates his daughter only to see her die in front of him. And THEN he goes crazy... Everything up to this point has been the work of a rational, albeit twisted mind. He starts to hallucinate, swears vengeance on Bajor as a whole and Sisko in particular, turns to Bajoran heretical teachings and kills Jadzia Dax. Finally, he disguises himself as a Bajoran, seduces their religious leader, and uses his heretical powers to summon the Prophet's nemesis and get himself and Sisko thrown into the fiery depths.}} In a show characterized by darkness and character development, Gul Dukat stands out. Hell, even Ronald D. Moore said "I don't think of him as being completely evil... But there is a "critical mass", if you will, where the dark deeds attributed to one person become so overwhelming that they swamp all the redeeming characteristics." That's right - the guy who did everything listed above isn't completely evil. Hats off to you, ''Star Trek''.

*** Seconded!

** An entire Star Trek section and nobody mentions Odo? Or Quark? Watching Quark made the entire Ferengi race awesome. As for Odo, he's the first character I've seen since Data who can be so badass yet so adorable at the same time.

*** Quark? What about his family? Lovable [[Genius Ditz]] Rom and their ''awesome'' Moogie, the [[Man Behind the Man]] for the Grand Nagus and the epitome of a profitable Ferengi.

** The Doctor. A great comedic character and a great dramatic character, sometimes in the same episode. He may be obnoxious and arrogant, but deep down he absolutely loves his crew and would sacrifice himself for their sake with little thought. Ironic that an [[Artificial Human]] should seem like one of the show's most realistic people.

 

== Buffyverse ==

** Cordelia Chase, anyone? A snarky bee-yotch with a heart of gold. What's not to like? I try to forget the [[Character Derailment]] of Season 4 of Angel and remember her as she was before.

** Angel himself is one of the best heroes I have ever seen. Despite the world being against him, having an evil law firm in his face all the time, and [[Can't Have Sex Ever|not being able to be with the woman he loves]], he hasn't given up or run away. He does what is right, and is prepared to sacrifice himself to save another. That's what a true hero is.

*** Six words: [[Tear Jerker|"Is that it? Am I done?"]]

** I really, REALLY love Fred. She's smart, she's cute, she can [[Motor Mouth|rattle off fifteen words a second]] ... what's not to like? Not to mention how she doesn't let [[The Woobie|being struck in Pylea for five years a slave]] bring her down, and becomes a valuable member of the team. I went from wanting to give her a hug in comfort, to practically worshipping the very ground she treads on because she's Just. That. AWESOME!

** Xander and his complete normal-ness amongst his friends combined with the fact that he still fights along side them gave me, an [[Unlucky Everydude]], the strength to keep going so many times.

*** It's easy to miss this if you're not paying attention, but Xander is totally brave in every episode (except when it comes to his engagement). No wonder he was the Heart part of SuperBuffy.

*** Sorry, but more ''does'' need to be said about Faith. Come on, the Dark Slayer herself?? Willing to walk on the road of redemption even after being told by Angel that she might never get there? And played by the indescribable hotness that is Eliza Dushku? Win, win, WIN!!!

*** Total and absolute agreement on this! The Dark Slayer fighting her evil tendencies to try to atone for her sins - in other words, the female version of Angel? And even more agreement on the hotness that is Eliza Dushku. One of my saddest days was when it became official that there would be no Faith spinoff. Ah, what might have been.......

** Oz. He never said much, but every word was hilarious.

** Anya. The Dance of Capitalist Superiority.

** Screw you fandom, Dawn is awesome! She's cute, loving, funny, smart, surprisingly [[Badass]] and has issues up to her neck. What's not to love?

*** Totally. I always thought she was really cute.

** Glory is epic and awesome in every way possible. No questions.

** No Giles yet? Intelligent, witty, [[Badass Bookworm|badass]], and played by one hell of an actor.

** Jenny Calendar doesn't get NEARLY enough love. Everyone's favourite techno-pagan is smart, beautiful, witty and charming. She wraps Giles around her little finger (she took him on a date to a Monster Truck rally!) and has some brilliant snarky lines, plus a cool backstory. Not only that, but she also stays to help even after the whole group ostracises her, and it's only through her efforts that Angel gets his soul back. She was just a fantastic character who {{spoiler|died too soon in a brutal and tragic way.}}

 

* I heart [[Law and Order|Det. Lennie Briscoe and Lt. Anita van Buren]], but ''especially'' Lennie. Dare to disagree with me, ''[[Law and Order]]'' fans.

** Not taking that dare. Hasn't been a detective on that show or any spin-off that could match Briscoe for being Made of Cool.

** Baltar is the guy you love to hate. He has pulled so much shit off in the series despite starting it off by betraying humanity to the Cylons that you can't help but admire him and enjoy his character, even if you want to put a bullet in his brain.

** And then there's Starbuck, who's maybe the most human person I have ever seen on television. Complex, emotional, flawed, badass and huggable at the same time.

** President Laura Roslin, [[Fan Nickname|Madame Airlock]] herself. Forty-third in line of succession, she kicks ass and takes names, and, oh yes, will ''airlock'' your ass. How many teachers do you know that can not only survive the end of the world, but beat terminal breast cancer enough to serve two terms? And should you shoot her boyfriend? She will be [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|COMING. FOR. ALL. OF. YOU.]]

*** Seconded. She is one of my favorite tv characters of all time.

** And she does all of this while remaining an incredibly human character.

** I would like to nominate Sharon and Helo Agathon, who kick ass and have one of the few relationships that doesn't deteriorate over the course of the show.

** There's also [[Almighty Janitor|The Janitor]]. Highest laugh per minute ratio of any character ever. All around awesome.

** Aw, come on, how come everybody overlooks JD? Okay, there was all that character derailment in the later seasons, but he's still sensitive, imaginative, geeky, smart and goofy. Cloudcoocoolanders around the world probably rejoiced that one of their own was for once not a supporting character.

* [[Mystery Science Theater 3000|Joel Robinson, Tom Servo and Crow T Robot]]

** And Michael J. Nelson, Dr. Forrester, TV's Frank, Pearl, and Gypsy.

* [[Mork and Mindy|Mork]]. Mork Mork Mork Mork... I know what you're thinking, "Oh, Mork's pretty funny, but he's not really awesome.". Let's see... Not only is he funny, he's sweet, he's kind, he's lovable, he's cute... [[Berserk Button|and if you mess with Mindy]], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yR6PcwZtB0 he will pwn your ass], [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|giving awesome one-liners as he does so]].

** Parkman deserves some serious credit, especially as of season three. How does he react to his powers and all the craziness that's going on? Not by angsting, or pondering what his destiny is, but just by using them as best he can to help people. And he does a pretty good job of it.

*** To be fair, all Babylon 5 characters are flawed - they wouldn't be as complex if they weren't. None of them are black and white, and while she's one of the whitest she's manipulative and evasive like most Minbari. Her insecurity seems to come from her new human side and the fact both humans and Minbari are suspicious of her - I don't think it's repulsive, it gives her depth. Delenn is wonderful (even if she did get a bit too love-interesty later on), and you can thank Mira Furlan for a lot of her charisma - she could have been annoying in the hands of a lesser actress.

*** Londo Mollari. How can such a bombastic [[Large Ham]] party animal turn out to be such an eloquent [[The Woobie|walking tragedy]]? And how is he still awesome when it's all his own doing??

** Wilson, Wilson, Wilson. Where do I begin? He's OTT, he's adorable, he's gorgeous, he's a snarky sweetheart and his meddling, manipulative, slutty ways makes me love him all the more.

*** This one acknowleges the description above and concurs on Wilson's awesomness.

*** Oh Wilson, I liked you back in season one when you were [[Only Sane Man]], but now I know you're as fucked up as everyone else, my devotion to you knows no bounds.

** Eric Foreman. It's difficult to get a Black character on television who isn't the [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]], the [[Ethnic Scrappy]], or the [[Magical Negro]]. But then you get '''Foreman'''!!! He's so [[Badass]], he will open tell House the fuck off while everyone else cowers in fear. And he gets the girls, even the bisexual ones (go Thirteen!!) All this, and yeah, he's probably at least as smart as House himself. Foreman for President!

* ''[[Juken Sentai Gekiranger]]'': Rio the Black Lion. [[Badass|Powerful]], menacing and [[Evil Is Cool|evil]], but also [[Pet the Dog|honourable]]. [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|Wipes the floor with the Gekirangers]] more than once, but also willing to [[Enemy Mine|join up with them]] if a third-party threat rears its ugly head.

** And Sam, of course. A sweet, sensitive guy who is willing to do ANYTHING for his brother and is a total Badass to boot. He made some bad choices, but that only makes him even more sympathetic.

** Castiel. He's a soldier of heaven, and he started out cold and stern, but he's changed into an angel who's slowly gaining emotions, to the point that he chose saving the world over the orders of Heaven. An ''angel'' who chose Earth over ''Heaven''. His growing affection for Sam and Dean is also very adorable to watch.

** Gabriel. He only made a handful of appearances, but between the snark, his slightly manipulative but oddly well-meaning personality, he's brilliant. And if you tilt your head, you can actually see how he was Good All Along. And never has a death inspired so much heartbreak. Well, except Sam and Dean.

** Don't forget Lucifer, largely because of the seductive, predatory way Mark Pellegrino plays him.

** Jayne Cobb. Thuggery, [[Obfuscating Stupidity]], badassery, firepower, sweatiness, earthy sex appeal and big arms.

** Kaylee is possibly the most adorable petty criminal ever. And an awesome mechanic, too.

** Wash is hilarious and wacky, a great husband, and surprisingly often the voice of reason. And when he wants to be, pretty badass.

** Simon Tam. Not only is he kind enough to ''actually'' hug River and tell her everything is going to be okay, but he can swing all the way to [[Beware the Nice Ones|calculating criminal mastermind]] if she's in danger! Best big brother in the 'Verse.

** Oh I agree and I am a big brother so perhaps it takes one to know one. Simon has a curious but appealing combination that could combine tenderness, rationality, and even occasional bits of ferocity that one would never expect from so gentle a person. He was tremendously brave(sometimes a "Sensitive Guy" is also a "Manly Man") and generous, but he had a subtle undercurrent of [[Knight Templar Big Brother]] that had just enough of a hint of a dark side to make him human. He made a tremendous sacrifice and stuck to it throughout but at the same time he never seemed so good as to be intimidating. He was a very decent person but also one you might like to meet someday. And he is believable enough to make me wonder if I have ever met someone like him.

** Inara manages to be at the same time elegant, snarky, and cunning as a vixen. She's the classiest <s>whore</s> space hooker ever.

**** Apart from River's feet. (Oh wait, now they have.)

* [[The Sarah Connor Chronicles|Cameron.]] Come on, do I ''need'' to say anything else?

** Seconded. Cameron is just about the the most [[Moe]] walking death machine that I have ever seen. And yes, I am including Lucy from ''[[Elfen Lied]]'' into that calculation.

** [[Book Hobbit|Someone else does.]]

** You are not alone. KITT is the most endearing machine ever, and there are a lot of endearing machines out there.

** Al Bundy, the lovable bastard. NO MA'AM forever!

* My childhood hero is [[MacGyver]]. Because he is awesome ... no other words suffice.

** Father Mulchahy. His [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|Crowning Moments]] blow everyone else out of the water, he manages to keep up his job in a thouroughly unreligious community when it's a wonder he can even [[Only Sane Man|stay sane]] at the 4077th.

** Not enough reallys above. Seriously, have you ever '''seen''' this woman???

*** Y'know what? She might be so damned sexy, but let's face it, Sarah is by far one of the best examples of an [[Action Girl]] on a television program to date. She just kicks so much ass.

**** BIG MIKE!!

** [[Cloudcuckoolander|Volkoff]], [[Large Ham|Volkoff]], [[Magnificent Bastard|Volkoff]], [[Timothy Dalton|Volkoff]].

* [[Burn Notice|Michael Westen]] jumped out of a helicopter and into my heart.

** Sam Axe. Because his [[Obfuscating Stupidity]] is more awesome than yours, because he told Michael and Fiona NOT to save him when he was captured, because he blew up Madeline's house with ''Christmas tree lights'', and because hey, smooth is smooth, baby. Proof positive that spies never retire.

** Fiona. The [[Axe Crazy]] arms dealer is just awesome. She's loyal, and manages to be funny, awesome, scary, and incredibly competent all at once, and her relationship with Michael is believable. It's also touching and sad all at once, and a sub-plot. Fiona is also wonderfully unsubtle, and prefers the direct approach and bigger explosions.

* Mason from ''[[Dead Like Me]]''. Despite being a drug dealer/petty thief and (more often than not) under the influence, he's an all-around likeable guy. Fun, [[Cloudcuckoolander|a teensy bit weird]], a big brother to George, sweet to his crush Daisy and (almost) unwaveringly friendly to everyone else.

** Also, George, whose angst doesn't come across as [[Wangst]], whose snipes are genuinely snarky, who actually bothers to think things though and is a surprisingly loyal and conscientous member of her team despite being the youngest.

** Everyone from this show, really. Of course the idea and show of Dead Like Me is good itself, but I am fully convinced the unusually strong characters are what makes the show so great.

* [[Dollhouse|Adelle DeWitt.]] It would take me quite a while to explain all the reasons, but: Fencing suit.

** Bennett. I think perhaps I love her a little more than is healthy (especially because she only appeared in three episodes) but...I just can't help it. She's a socially awkward genius who was so happy when someone finally paid attention to her that she perceived Caroline's leaving her behind as rejection. (Is it bad that I can understand that?) Plus, it's [[Summer Glau]], do I need to say anything else?

* Sir Humphrey Appleby, [[Magnificent Bastard]] and master of [[Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness]] from ''[[Yes Minister]]''. His speeches alone would make me fall in love in him!

** President David Palmer. If every American politician was one-third the man he was, this country would have to rename itself the USA; United States of Awesome!

** Without David Palmer, we might not have had president [[Barack Obama]]. He was that awesome that he is credited for America voting in the first African president.

* [[The Big Bang Theory|Dr. Sheldon Cooper]] for the win!

** And [[The Big Bang Theory|Dr. Leonard Hofstadter]], for putting up with him, and doing it usually relatively unfazed.

** No love for Jed Bartlet? Come ''on'', people. It would make no constitutional sense in the slightest, but him and David Palmer should be elected co-Presidents on the Awesome ticket.

*** There isn't a single non-fictional person in the universe who doesn't adore [[The West Wing|Jed Bartlet]]. Not even Republicans.

** Aw, hell, no. ''[[The West Wing]]'' gushing '''begins''' with Claudia Jean "C.J." Cregg, [[Deadpan Snarker]] and [[Cute Clumsy Girl]] extraordinaire. There is a ''reason'' [[Allison Janney]] won four Emmys, people - she played C.J. exquisitely through all seven seasons and no matter what John Wells [[Character Derailment|did]] to her or what [[Oscar Bait|Emmy-bait]] episodes she got stuck in, Janney sold her every single moment of every single episode. From "Is there anything I can say other than 'The President rode his bicycle into a tree'?" and "The ''crackers'', Danny!" to "Oh me-oh, oh my-oh, Oh, Cleveland, ''Ohi-o!''" and right on through "Frank Hollis wants me to take ten billion dollars to go and fix the world," and "Yeah. Something," C.J. was always beautifully, exquisitely, gorgeously ''C.J.''

** Toby Ziegler is a beautiful, beautiful man. He's prickly, and arrogant, and almost always pissed off, yes. But it's because he believes ''so deeply'' in his lofty, near-unreachable ideals about the good that government can do for its people that when everyone around him is playing politics and compromising instead of going for the money shot and doing the absolute best thing for the greatest number of people, he is offended on behalf of ''humanity''. He's the picture of what politicians should be in the very best universe.

** The entire SG-1 team (at least the original) were Crowning Characters Of Awesome in their own right. O'Neill has got to be one of the wittiest characters ever, Daniel Jackson's pure goodness and anthropologic and cultural wisdom, Teal'c's sheer badass-ness, Carter's [[Techno Babble]] and competence...

*** Oh, agreed, and I would add Daniel's completely-believable transformation from nerd to badass over the series. Except that he's still pretty much a sweet nerd, he's just badass now. And that's ''awesome''.

*** Vala Mal Doran. She's just so quirky and spunky. She's also determined, and an incredibly nuanced character behind her cheerful theif persona. Her character development is believable, and her introductory scene was [[Crowning Moment of Funny|HILARIOUS!]] She doesn't let her dark past bother her, and is one of the funniest characters after Jack O'Neill's sad, sad promotion. Also, seconding Ba'al, with his being a [[Magnificent Bastard]] and [[Affably Evil]] and pulling it off perfectly. And seconding Daniel Jackson's character development. Watch a season one episode, and then an episode from season ten, you'll be horribly confused and gaping at his badassery and sarcasm, and how he blends it with being a nerdy nice guy who'd rather talk it out. Watch all the episodes, it makes perfect sense.

** What makes Teal'c soooooooooo damn cool is the fact that he isn't trying to be funny like O'Neill, or smart like Jackson or Carter. He's being dead - fucking - serious. He says the deepest things when you least expect them, so matter of fact. Consider, after Merlin dies, Ba'al is able to speak again, now that Merlin's spell keeping him silent is broken. Teal'c's deadpan response, "Yet another reason to mourn his [Merlin's] passing." You can't buy priceless quotes like that. And if he wasn't bad enough, when wannabe [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]] Ronon got too big for his britches, Teal'c fought him one on one to a draw. A draw because if he really wanted to, Ronon's dreds would've been used to mop floors.

* I'm the only one who thought Lt. Colonel Cam Mitchell was just really cool??

* [[Lost|John Locke]] is one of the most wonderfully messed-up characters on television today. His arc can best be described as [[Badass Decay]] and tragic [[You Suck]] done ''right''.

** Ben Linus: a consistantly fascinating [[Magnificent Bastard]]. For a lot of fans, he's the only reason to watch the show. It helps that the writers know when to show his highs and his lows as a character, and his remorse over {{spoiler|his daughter's death}} takes him out of cut-and-dry villain territory.

** Charlie Pace is hands down one of my favorite TV characters EVER. His wit, his dedication to Claire and Aaron, his struggles and successes and losses and god fucking damnit why did he have to die? I have never sobbed so much at the death of any other character...ever.

** DESMOND HUME. No words necessary.

* [[CSI|Gil Grissom]]. The coolest forensic guy ever.

** Calleigh Duquesne. Please, someone, sack Horatio.

*** I will here and now proudly say that I love Horatio Caine and I always will.

** From the original CSI: Greg Sanders. Metal-head spikey-haired lab tech anyone?

* [[Waking the Dead|Stella Goodman]]. One cool lady.

* [[John Munch]]: Everybody's favorite Jewish [[Deadpan Snarker]] who still manages to get some of the best lines and tearjerkers.

** You gotta love Munch for not taking any crap and telling it like it is.

'''Mitchell:''' I know. }}

** Nina, from the same show. Sticks to her principles no matter what, even when they could get her and hers killed. And having worked with drunks in A&E for two years, she doesn't take any crap from anybody. Watch her tear the social worker to shreds in ''The Longest Day'', getting her so turned around she thinks letting Nina is doing her a favour when Nina lets her off with no investiagation. She basically just rocks.

*** And then there's the episode where she bails George out of prison in the same way, ''while they're both turning into werewolves''. And she disguises her intense pain (a heart attack, kidney failure, breaking bones, etc) as her being annoyed with the guards.

*** I must agree that Garcia is amazing. She provides the light side to an otherwise dark show. Plus, she has the best lines ever.

*** Or how about when {{spoiler|he became so determined to save Adam/Amanda because after all Tobias Hankel had put him through, he still felt bad for him?}} I'm sorry, rest of gushing fanbase, but we're getting married someday.

** And Tobias! "I just Blue myself", come on!

** Lucille is the perfect [[Evil Matriarch]]! "I don't understand the question and I won't respond to it!"

** How about Carson Beckett? You'd be hard pressed to find a sweeter, gentler character in fiction. And he has a Scottish accent to boot! Honorable mentions go to Sheppard for his general awesomness, slightly rebellious attitude and being almost as smart as McKay. Also Teyla for being so sweet and tough at the same time, and Ronon for being badass and able to pull off dread-locks pretty well.

** Eli Wallace. In the beginning, he was a socially awkward nerd. In the end, he ''flew Destiny through a fucking blue supergiant!'' Then casually strolls off to save Park. And in the end, he chooses to stay behind. Even [[Insufferable Genius]] Rush admits that Eli is basically smarter than him. And this is without slipping into insufferableness himself, he remains his humble self all the time.

** Hell, Mulder and Scully are too awesome to not cause fans to explode in fangirly nuttiness every time they do a rewatch.

** And then there's the Lone Gunmen.

* [[Arcadiarika|I]] happen to have some ''[[Power Rangers]]'' characters I like.

** From [[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers|the original series,]] I kinda like Trini. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one who thinks that first = best, but there is something about her that makes her likeable. A strong female character, a great fighter, and cool and collected.

** And from ''[[Power Rangers Mystic Force]]'', I like Koragg. I know that it's weird that I like a villain ({{spoiler|Or is he?}}), but he was very noble (not defeating the Rangers every time he has them on the ropes) and a good fighter. And I like his voice!

* [[Bones]] Lance Sweets even though he's mocked by everyone, his assesments are usually spot-on; he's very loyal to Booth and Brennan, he's kind, smart, dorky and totally in love with [[Genki Girl|Daisy]]. He lived through a horrible childhood but was adopted and because of that he believes people can be truly saved. He's adorable and awesome.

** How about the ENTIRE cast of Bones? Seriously. Brennan is incredibly endearing with her social awkwardness, Booth is handsome and brave and strong, Angela and Hodgins are just plain wonderful, Zack and the rotating Squinterns are all equally [[Adorkable]] and fun, Cam is absolutely loveable, even lesser characters like Caroline Julian are a special treat. And the chemistry between the entire cast is really excellent...they all just fit so well together, making a perfectly dysfunctional family.

* [[True Blood|Sookie Stackhouse]]. [[Cleolinda Jones]] sums her up perfectly: "50% grandmother, 50% teenage girl". And manages to have a remarkable grip on her powers without getting too angsty about it. And say want you want of her relationship with Bill; they're adorable together, m'kay?

** Abby is an awesome, perky, happy goth who sleeps in a coffin sometimes and is one of the few, few people in the world who can joke around with Gibbs. She's also one of the few, few people in the world who can kill you and leave absolutely no trace of forensic evidence.

** Agent Timothy McGee. A brave, kind, adorkable special agent who writes novels in his spare time?

* I love Vince Noir from [[The Mighty Boosh]]. He's funny, charming, handsome, funny, handsome, treats women like gold, is a raving bisexual, has the best fashion sense I have EVER seen, has a smile that makes everyone, regardless of gender, absolutely ''melt'', and has no sense of reality, exactly like previously mentioned troper. May have something to do with the fact that Noel Fielding. He dressed up ''as a freaking jazz spirit'' and looked like sex. I could go on all day.

** I have to second this. He's just so damn cheery, it's impossible to be in a bad mood when he's on screen (much like wearing a poncho). That, and I can't get through a single episode without pointing out at least one article of clothing of his we either both share, or I want. And I'm a GIRL. He (and Noel, to the same extent) are one of my partial fashion inspirations. I can't say I always have the courage dress quite as flamboyant as he, but he's always on my mind when I try to have a little fun with my daily outfits.

* ''[[Ashes to Ashes]]'' really has to begin and end with some love for [[Cowboy Cop|Gene]] [[Licensed Sexist|Hunt]], who manages ''three'' Crowning Moments of Awesome in the pilot alone, and just keeps racking them up as he goes on. He could arguably be the personification of [[Refuge in Audacity]] - see "trick with the pool table, the". Under the [[Jerkass]] exterior, he loves his team, every single one of them, and keeps his city ([[Life On Mars|both]] of them) safe.

** Series Three has been amazing, and for me, 90% of that is due to the new [[Big Bad]], [[Magnificent Bastard]] Jim Keats, who is arguably the first serious threat to Gene Hunt we've ever seen.

* Alright, I have to say it: Jack McCoy from the original [[Law and Order]] series. He was snarky, scrupulous, and a bit of a jerkass but despite his many flaws he had an unwavering commitment to the law and his passionate closing arguments give me chills. It is a sign of my nerdiness that his jerkass legal technobabble is [[Geeky Turn On|my favorite part of the show]].

* Alan Shore from ''[[The Practice]]'' and ''[[Boston Legal]]''. He's very psychologically complex, has both [[Badass]] and [[Woobie]] moments, and has one of the most touching [[Heterosexual Life Partner]]/friend-ships ever portrayed on television with his apparent polar opposite [[William Shatner|Denny Crane]]. He'd die for his moral principles and will do delightfully legally questionable things to stick to them. He delivers really awesome if [[Anvilicious]] closing arguments. And best of all, next to every episode ends with him and Denny contemplating philosophical subjects, trying to get to the bottom of their own fucked-upness, or having general male bonding moments. I'll never get tired of that guy.

** Also, Eli Loker. He is also very smart, and very, ''very'' funny. He's not above manipulating other characters when it suits him, but he's still just so sweet that you can't help but want to forgive him, And his adorable curly hair does not hurt at all.

** Doctor Gillian Foster, Cal's partner in crime. Sexy, sensible, and oh, by the way, {{spoiler|pulled a long con on ''Cal'' for seven years, playing [[Mama Bear]] to a daughter that she didn't even know at the time}}. Gillian's only just begun to reach her potential as a brilliant character.

* Oh come on, we've got to give some props to Dr. Huang from [[Law and Order Special Victims Unit]]. Because he's just...so...so...sexy? Yeah, sexy. I don't know. This is the same troper that wrote the entry for Spencer Reid, so maybe I just have a thing for FBI criminal psychiatrists.

** On that note, ''Kurt fucking Hummel''. For ''real''. Yeah, the guy has his issues. But I completely resent the assertion that he never got called on his manipulations. He didn't ''need'' to - ''he'' was the one who got bit in the arse by all his scheming, while everyone else got something great out of it, and he knows it, too. And he really is a sweetheart. Not to mention that [[Chris Colfer]] is easily the best actor in the cast, with the possible exception of Jane Lynch. Kurt is just so beautifully ''real'' it amazes me.

*** Kurt is one of the best characters on TV. He is the first real network portrayal of a gay teenage boy struggling for acceptance, and oh my goodness, it really is done so well. Special mention to Blaine Anderson, who receives a lot of unwarranted hate, but in my opinion is incredibly brave and caring.

** Don't forget Santana. She can be a bitch but is freaking hilarous.

** Mercedes Jones. [[Sassy Black Woman]]? Absolutely. But there's more to Mercedes than just the diva; a loyal friend to Kurt and Quinn, a no-bullshit force for change in the club, and a singer who reminds us that there's more than Rachel Berry in the world.

** No love for Duncan? He's the most [[Adorkable]] [[British Accents|British]] [[The Alcoholic|drunkard]] I've ever witnessed on television.

* Flynn of ''[[Power Rangers RPM]]''. '''God''' I loved his [[Day in The Limelight]] episode showing how as a kid he always wanted to become a hero and how he was never appreciated for doing the right thing before he became a Ranger. Then he takes out a bunch of mooks with his ''post-transformation sequence explosion''. Not to mention I loved his accent.

* Vyvyan from [[The Young Ones]] is the most awesome character in any sitcom ever. Period. Pretty much all of the main cast in that show can claim their characters to be the high points of their careers, but this applies most to Adrian Edmondson. There's no practically no point of comparison, certainly not in ''Bottom'' or any of Edmondson's other later works. See [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FTFifA3btU this].

** Mike. Unflappable in the face of danger, completely unsurprisable, more than able to think circles around the other flatmates, always out for a quick buck, and just witty in general. He set up a roller disco in Rick's room ''while he was in the bathroom''. An unexploded atomic bomb crashes into their house and his intial reaction is to ''sell it to foreign governments.'' Being sane is a pretty big plus in ''[[The Young Ones]]''-verse, but to be [[Genre Savvy]] enough to use the craziness to your advantage puts him over the top.

* Two words: [[Sabrina the Teenage Witch|SABRINA SPELLMAN]].

* Cat and Jade from ''[[Victorious]]''. Now, every character in that show is pretty awesome in their own way, but Cat and Jade reach [[Character Depth]] unheard of in a Nickelodeon show.

** Cat is hilarious and adorable; you're practically guaranteed to like her from the very first moment you see her. Initially, she seems like "the ditzy one", but as the show goes on, you come to suspect that there are things we aren't seeing. She's aggressively childish, gets upset at even the most innocent of statements and can never seem to keep a mood for more than two minutes... Personally, I believe it's all an act, a refusal to grow up. Or perhaps she's seriously messed up in the head. Either way, I cannot wait to see where they'll take it.

** Jade is, without a doubt, the deepest character currently on Nick. In the pilot, she seems like just "the mean girl". But then there's the dynamic between her and Beck, the unlikely friendship she has with Cat, the recurring dreams she can't tell us about, the way she defaults to hate regarding just about everything... There's definitely more than just being mean. A lot more. Like with Cat, I cannot wait to see her character explored in greater depth.

* [[Castle|Detective Kate Beckett]] is, in the words of the creators themselves, practically a superhero. A savvy, [[Action Girl|tough]] woman [[Broken Bird|who's seen the darker side of life]] but hasn't let it break her and did I mention [[Fair Cop|heart-stoppingly gorgeous]]?

** Castle himself, for that matter. Starts off as a bit of a [[Jerkass]], and definitely a guy with a bit of a Peter Pan complex, but under it he's brave and loyal, and he's willing to step back to see the woman he loves be happy. Also he's a [[Papa Bear]] and that won me over from the get-go.

*** But you're forgetting the some of the best things about Castle! He's [[Fun Personified]]. He's [[One of Us]]. He's a freaking Shipper! He's [[Genre Savvy]] from being a writer and he keeps the show light-hearted and a barrel of laughs. [[Papa Wolf|Unless you mess with his daughter, mother, or Beckett]].

** Oh, and Alexis, who is a teenager and somehow the only sensible person in her family, but still wonderfully snarky and independent.

** I have a soft spot for Ryan. Lovely bromance with Esposito, has his moments of awesome - "Knockdown" in particular. And he's just so ridiculously adorkable.

* ''[[The Wire]]'' is filled to the brim with amazing characters, but the one who stands out the most is, of course, everyone's favorite [[Badass Longcoat]] wearing, shotgun slinging, catchy-tune whistling gunslinger, Omar Little. Seriously, the guy's an ''unbelievable'' badass, who makes his living ''robbing drug dealers''. The fact that he also happens to be incredibly deep, intelligent, well-written, and a gay character who isn't a stereotype (!), however, is what truly earns him a mention.

** There's also the sorta-main character, Jimmy McNulty. He's a hard-drinking, loud-mouthed, and kind of arrogant [[Cowboy Cop]] asshole, but he's such a well-written, entertaining, and extremely likable asshole that you can't help but keep your eyes on him whenever he's on screen.

* Jamie Reagan in [[Blue Bloods]] . He is so adorably idealistic and such a sympathetic character.

** That list starts with Sydney Bristow, [[Determinator]] [[Badass]] extraordinaire. Can [[Ms. Fanservice|wear the hell out of a red bra and panties]] while [[Combat Pragmatist|garotting your with her bracelet]]. Speaks over a dozen languages, has survived torture, and [[Earn Your Happy Ending|earned the]] ''[[Earn Your Happy Ending|hell]]'' [[Earn Your Happy Ending|out of her happy ending]].

** Irina Derevko, who puts the "magnificent" in [[Magnificent Bitch]], who ran the long con on Jack Bristow (and ''still'' managed to stay in love with him), and who, until her [[Badass Decay]], was the most ambiguous and awesome [[Big Bad]] on television.

* [[Alex Mack]]. The [[Naive Everygirl]] who could turn into a puddle, tried to stop her hometown's dangerous chemical plant and had an awesome assortment of hats. A great Nickelodeon Nineties character.

* No love for [[Leverage]]? Everyone is awesome. EVERYONE. My personal favorites are [[Badass Adorable|Parker]] ([[Phantom Thief|brilliant thief]], [[Cloudcuckoolander|more than a little crazy]], great character arc as she learns to care about people, and oh yeah, [[Fetish Fuel|gorgeous]]) and Eliot ([[Badass Long Hair|extremely badass]], [[Real Men Wear Pink|gourmet chef]], [[Deadpan Snarker|cranky]] [[Papa Wolf|but protective]], [[Obfuscating Stupidity|way smarter]] [[Hidden Depths|than people]] [[Genius Bruiser|give him credit for]], and played by the [[Mr. Fanservice|insanely hot Christian Kane]]). But then there's [[Team Dad|Nate]] and [[The Heart|Sophie]] and [[Techno Wizard|Hardison]], and even secondary characters like [[Magnificent Bastard|Sterling]] and Maggie. All worthy of being gushed over.

*** That was mean what the writer did to him. He had to be gotten rid of, but I would have had Lennier die heroically defending Delenn. [[Tropes Are Not Bad|Who cares if it's a cliche?]]

* Leslie Knope from ''[[Parks and Recreation]]''. She's just this perfect ball of happiness and positivity and sunshine, and she loves her friends, and she's really good at her job, and she's not afraid to look like a doofus, and she's just so wonderful. No wonder Ben is totally in love with her (even though [[Oblivious to Love|she doesn't seem to notice]]).

* [[Smallville|Lionel Luthor]]. Say what you want about Lex, or any other [[Superman]] villain, he was THE villain of the show. He's the [[Trope Codifier]] for [[Magnificent Bastard]], and a wonderfully complex villain with believable motivations, who doesn't use his substantial [[Freudian Excuse]], as well, an excuse, and whose [[Heel Face Turn]] was actually believable. I miss him so.

** Come to think of it, Major Zod too. No one quite [[Large Ham|hams it up]] the way he does. He was one of the first seasonal villains to not be just another Lionel rip-off, instead focussing on his abilities as a [[Badass]] military commander and [[Classic Villain]]. He shone at it.

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0uVGCYRP4I This scene] from the first season of the Canadian series ''[[Slings and Arrows]]'' is one of the many, many reasons Geoffrey Tennant absolutely bursts with awesome.

* Frank and Mike of ''[[American Pickers]]''. Their enthusiasm for what they do is infectious, and they're very fair wheelers and dealers. They can get the most crotchety men, men who may rarely speak to even their neighbors, to like them.

** Holly, at least Norman Lovett's version, if only by virtue of the fact that he got most of the best lines. The practical joke about Lister's three-million-year-old sausage covering the Earth never fails to crack me up, nor does his opening narrations. Also, one word: [[Awesome Moments|Queeg]].

* '''[[Fringe|Walter. Bishop.]]''' Television has been without a genuine, honest-to-God [[Crazy Awesome]] [[Mad Scientist]] for far too long.

* OK, I might be alone in this but Len, from [[Kamen Rider Dragon Knight]]. He goes from not wanting any help and trying to steal Kit’s deck, to accepting Kit as a fellow rider and close friend. Once he starts to trust other, he tries to keep them safe, but he has very little leadership experience, so it's not easy. When he loses a teammate, he takes the lost hard, and it’s when he loses someone that his rage comes out. When his girlfriend, Kase (who is also a Ventaran Rider) is vented, he makes Strike (whose got a nice body count and had nearly beaten him before) [[Bring Me My Brown Pants|need some new pants]]. It also doesn’t hurt that he uses a rapier, which just is epic.

* Thomas Cromwell on ''[[The Tudors]]''. For all that he's King Henry's go-to guy for getting nasty work done (like framing Anne Boleyn for adultery), Cromwell himself is not evil or sadistic. He lacks the blatant cruelty of several other prominent schemers (Thomas Boleyn, Edward Seymour, Henry himself at times) and genuinely believes in his Reformation. He's technically cast in a villain role, but he never goes after a person just because he doesn't like them, which can't be said for, well, anyone else in the main cast. (Except for Jane Seymour and Katherine Parr, maybe.) And even if you hated him, you ''cannot'' say he deserved to die the way he did.

** Anne Stanhope as well. She's a minor character, an utter bitch, but damn is she fun to watch. She has some fantastic lines in seasons 3 and 4, a [[Pet the Dog]] moment in the second last episode of season 4, and gives the feared Bishop Gardiner a much-deserved verbal smackdown (with a nice dash of blackmail) in the series finale.

* [[The Inspector Lynley Mysteries|Barbara Havers]]. Barbara Havers, Barbara Havers, Barbara mother-effing ''Havers''. '''Jesus'''. What is ''not'' awesome about this character?? She's so adorable it's insane, and so broken and lonely and strong and vulnerable and ''human'' all at once, and never has a more exquisite story of [[Character Development]] been put to film. ''Ever''. She's so gloriously insecure, such a beautiful disaster, so ''real'' and well-rounded and three-dimensional it's unreal. She's no saint but she's got a heart of pure, solid gold and you just want to scoop her up and cuddle her and make all the horrible things that have ever happened to her go away. This is a woman who will throw herself in front of a bullet for a stranger and cold-cock a guy on the head with a rock to save a child, this is a woman who will let her heartbroken partner sleep on her sofa when he just can't go home and does her best to help him fix things with his wife when she's blatantly in love with him herself. She giver her all to everything she does and never holds back, she pushes people away because she's scared to trust but she'll say "You resign, I resign" because she is loyal to the very end. She'll lie about having an affair with her partner to save his butt even on their first case when all she wants is to get rid of him, and she'll admit when she's wrong but she's so very human and stubborn, she'll outwit someone who tries to drug her to sleep and she'll go to the wire to save her partner. Her loyalty, her passion, her vulnerability, her flaws and her incredible heart - they make her the most captivating character ever to hit television. She's perfect in her imperfections, and I adore her beyond all reason.

** Sarah Jane Smith, full stop. Snarky, determined, smart, and brave enough to face down the destruction of her planet without a weapon, she was so awesome they had to give her her own show.

** [[The Brigadier|Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.]] Dude punched out ''the Master'', not to mention the countless times he fought to protect Earth.

** How could you leave out Captain Jack Harkness? He's sexy and no matter what gender/race/species you are, you're definitely in with a chance. And River Song, who is one of the best Doctor Who characters in a long time.

** Donna Nobel. Not in love with the Doctor like his last two companions. Mocks the very thought of it more than once. Not willing to assume he's right all the time. Ready to defy the laws of Time in order to save Pompeii and when that failed, put aside all pride and begged the Doctor to save just one person. Used her insane temping skill to stop a genocidal war, figure out the clue that stopped the Sontaran invasion of earth, and shut down the Daleks and Davros. Threw herself in front of a truck on the off chance that there might be a better world waiting and saved 27 planets. The universe had been wating for The Doctor-Donna.

* No love for [[Rome]]? Starting with Caesar who is a [[Magnificent Bastard]]; sexy and often naked Mark Antony; bad boy with a heart Titus Pullo and the stoic Lucius Vorenus. The series is full of great characters. One of my friends even has a thing for the 'little goatee man'.