10 Favorite Television Characters

Stephanie decided to do a list of ten favorite television characters so I thought I would join her. Here's my list:

Lucille Bluth from Arrested Development (2003-2006)
"Oh, hello, Buster. Here's a candy bar. No, I'm withholding it. Look at me, 'getting off'."

I laugh at everything that comes out of Lucille's mouth, whether she's belittling her children or joking about her neighbor's widowhood. She's like a Hitchcock mother without the decency to have a limit to the verbal and manipulative cruelty she can reek. Part of reason the show's premise works is due to the fact that with Lucille in their lives, I have no problem seeing how the characters became so dysfunctional.

Bree Van de Kamp Hodge from Desperate Housewives (2004-present)
"I know you think I'm kidding myself, but I'm not. I'm nothing like you people. I just don't have a compulsive personality."

In my opinion Bree is the most satirical character on the show, putting the roast in the oven and the walking past her framed picture of Reagan and out the door of her spotless house to plant drugs in her son's locker. Like Lucille, Bree manipulates but always quietly and properly and if she had learned her techniques from Miss Manners. Bree's antics are always my favorite on the show.

Andy Millman from Extras (2005-2007)
"The happiest day of my life - oh, quick, I'll do the invites and bake a cake and get a press tent."

There are exactly three things from television shows that always make me cry - two are crises of C.J. Cregg and one is the brilliant speech Andy Millman gives in the Christmas special. The time I enjoy about Andy is that he's a terrible person and basically a good guy. His penchant for rudeness and insensitivity come from his failure to obtain his dream of making it as an actor and creating an intelligent sitcom. He's unable to balance his ambitions with the actualities of the world, and it's only when he's sunk to the very depths of selling out that he's able to redeem himself.

Dr. Frasier Crane from Cheers (1982-2003) and Frasier (1993-2004)
"I'm listening."

Though I tend to gravitate toward minor characters, I've always liked Frasier the best. He's urbane and pompous and cared only for the finer things in life. While he seems to have all the answers and a first class education, he's just a man seeking validation and happiness... and the prestige of winning a local broadcasting award.

Hyacinth Bucket from Keeping Up Appearances (1990-1995)
"Rose, you will not commit suicide, I forbid it. No one in this family has ever committed suicide, and I'm sure we're not going to start on the day I'm having the new vicar for tea and light refreshments."

Change my situation slightly, and I could be Hyacinth Bucket and succumb to the wonders of etiquette books, cookbooks, and plans for spectacular candlelight suppers. More than any other television character I know, she wants the world to be a happy place with no pollution, musical galas, and an air of pleasant snobbery. She's just so lovable as she looks down on poor relations and trying to create a beacon of gentility and good breeding in her English suburb.

Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996)
"There's just something that doesn't seem right."

Who wouldn't want the resolve of Jessica Fletcher? Yes, a plethora of her friends and acquaintances have been murdered, but she still continues to write bestselling novels and do some freelance sleuthing on the side.

Murphy Brown from Murphy Brown (1988-1998)
"I hope you're better than my last secretary."

Who couldn't like Murphy Brown as she asks the hard hitting questions and sings Motown standards in a voice that gives Simon Cowell nightmares? My parents watched Murphy Brown while I was growing up so I identify it with my childhood.

Lisa Simpson from The Simpsons (1989-present)
"Wait Dad! Good news, everyone! You don't have to eat meat! I've got enough gazpacho for everyone."

Part of the reason that I finally decided to pick up a book about Buddhism is the episode where Lisa becomes a Buddhist. She encapsulates the motivational dichotomies in my own personality.
I love Lisa because despite her preaching and air of mental superiority, she also enjoys watching violent cartoons and taking part in the brain dead antics of her father and brother. Yes, she plays jazz and read Faulkner, but she also prank calls Moe.

Veronica Mars from Veronica Mars (2004-2007)
"Some girl going wild? As I understand it, it happens all the time in college. I'm on the verge of it right now. "

Veronica is smart and sassy despite the world-of-television odds. When we met her, her best friend has been murdered and her place in the world has been shattered. Most television characters (with the exception of Jessica Fletcher, see above) would fold under these insurmountable circumstances, but armed with a taser and rapier wit, she proves herself to be tough and capable, yet there are heartbreaking moments where you realize just how vulnerable she is.

Claudia Jean "C.J." Cregg from The West Wing (1999-2006)
"Sir, this may be a good time to talk about your sense of humor. "

It was difficult to choose a single character from The West Wing since much of the show's brilliance comes from the interplay between the characters. If you take one away, the both the show and the character become less than they were. (When Sam left, it took a little time for the show to adjust.) However, C.J. is the standout character, the one that I could watch in a different setting and get just as much enjoyment out of it. Strong and opinionated, she oscillates between being to voice of reason and the voice of emotion. She also grows more than any other character, taking on new challenges and relationships as the series progressed.

Honorable Mentions

Lorelai "Rory" Gilmore and Emily Gilmore from Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)
Jessica Tate from Soap (1977-1981)
Brendan Small from Home Movies (1999-2004)