An obsessive compulsive detective, Adrian Monk is the last person you'd want to hang out with on a Friday night. But just because he has to vacuum his carpet just so, doesn't mean he's not unlovable. I mean, who else would give us such zingy quotes like "you can't clean nature with nature!"? Plus, the physical comedy that Tony Shaloub brings to the character is absolutely brilliant. Obsessive compulsive behavior is easily something that you could make formulaic and flat, but Monk is not simply made up of his phobias. What makes him so interesting is that he dives into a world that anyone, not to mention an OCD person, would be afraid of. And he does so with humor and wit.
9) Burton Guster, Psych
Can we just focus first on the fact that this guy can tap dance? That is freaking sexy. But that's not even half of what makes Gus so entertaining. He puts up with being the second in command in an accepting and hilarious manner. Not only does he keep Shawn from getting completely out of control, but lets himself become "magic head" to a fake psychic. Not many people have that kind of humility. Gus is the realist, but not the downer in this fabulously funny pair--and I think we can agree that he has perfected the line "you must be out of your damn mind!"
8) George O'Malley, Grey's Anatomy
Okay, I think this is where my personal soft spots come into play more than ever, but I couldn't ignore the sweet soul of Grey's Anatomy. Amongst the interns, George is at the bottom of the totem pole. He lets himself be used. But he has got the kindest, most genuine nature that just isn't the most accepted in a hospital environment. If I were to hang out with any of these characters, George O'Malley would be my first choice. Why he got killed off the show, I don't know, but I was paralyzed in anger for days. He sees life as an absolute miracle--his eyes alone are miracles. Just saying.
7) Lorelai Gilmore, Gilmore Girls
Sure, this show has been off the air since 2007, but that makes Lorelai Gilmore no less memorable. This woman has got spunk to the upteenth degree. Plus, she shares my obsession with coffee. The number of references Lorelai can spout out in a single episode is impressive and terrifying at the same time. But what I love most about Lorelai is that she's got ambition, but she can still use her determination to be playful and enjoy life. She could see her life as one giant mess and wonder what her life would be like if she hadn't had to become a parent at 16. Instead, she sees Rory as an addition to her wonderfully crazy life, and she gives her daughter the respect she deserves. Lorelai, like any human being, makes mistakes, but she never ignores the people who are most important to her. Her tumultuous relationship with her parents is one of the most genuine parent-child dynamics I have ever seen on television, and Lorelai's reactions to Stars Hallow eccentricity are some of the funniest.
6) Luke Danes, Gilmore Girls
I couldn't help but designate two characters from Gilmore Girls to my favorites list. Luke Danes carries every trait every "grumpy old man" ever had. He's a hermit. He's bitter. Yet we love him--and we realize that his intentions are always in a good place. He may not run around being all "shiny happy people and rainbows and shit" but the care he has for a select few shines through the side that rants about kids having "jam hands." Luke Danes isn't necessarily your typical diner manager personality, but I certainly wouldn't mind having him as a friend. More often than not, Luke is clueless rather than malicious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0mbK_yT8bY 5) Max Braverman, Parenthood
While Max is not a character many of us can relate to, he is one of the first characters in television to deeply explain aspergers syndrome. Oftentimes characters with aspergers are portrayed as scary or even evil, but Max is a sympathetic character. Perhaps his youth helps us see him as any other kid with a vivid imagination, but it's a step in the right direction. At points, we cringe at Max, but we cringe at our own family, right? Max is a fine example of someone we have trouble accepting into our social stigmas, yet someone we deeply care for. We may grow annoyed with him, we may not understand, but the show would be missing an integral piece without Max Braverman.
4) Hannah Horvath, Girls
Her life is directionless, and she tries begging off her parents for money, but she still leads her life with fierce ambition. To Hannah, there are only life experiences, no failures. Yet she doesn't convey this in a high school counselor-y, "smiles and hugs everyone!" kinda way. She's still delightfully sarcastic and real. So many television characters are glamorized and walk around feeling and looking perfect all the time. Hannah's not like that. She has meltdowns over small things. Sometimes she lets her ego get in the way. She sticks around in a relationship that has long since turned ugly. She lets the hilarious side of being a human shine through, but she doesn't try to hide the negative aspects of "floating twenty-something syndrome" either.
It's difficult to separate Hannah from Lena Dunham because of the realistic nature of the show, so I'd like to applaud Dunham for 1) Having the guts to show a real "I-haven't-starved-myself-to-the-point-of-exhaustion" body, and 2) for having such witty and strong observances of the world. This is one of the most impeccably written shows and I was shocked to learn that Dunham is only 25 years old.
3) Sheldon Cooper, The Big Bang Theory
Sheldon has little social grace, and if you wanna talk ego, he has a huge one. Although he's alarmingly smart, I still grow annoyed at Sheldon. However, it's admirable to see what was once the comic relief is now a main character. We may be consciously laughing at and judging Sheldon's eccentricities, but his character helps us subconsciously recognize and appreciate intelligence. Our culture teaches us to hold back from what we know and "dumb it down," but Sheldon rejects such social stigmas with no shame. He's smart, and he's gonna let the world know it. He's free to bask in his own intellectual glory rather than struggle to fit in with the Pennys of the world (that being said, I do greatly appreciate Penny).
2) Eddie Izzard
So he's not a television character per se, but there are days when I'm quoting him more often than saying original sentences. I'm not a huge fan of stand-up comedy, but Izzard is a huge exception. I admire his ability to dress up however he likes, put on makeup, and go onstage basically saying "this is who I am; deal with it." It's clear that Izzard is vastly intelligent and he makes even myself enthralled by history. Also, he spoke in French for like fifteen minutes in one sketch, so my love for him has deepened. Stand-up comedians are notorious for poking fun at others until they leave a bruise, but Izzard manages to make fun of concepts rather than people. He observes cultural differences with both keen awareness and outstanding wit. And sure, there are times when he forgets what he's saying, but he doesn't let that effect him; instead, he simply flows to another part of the sketch. And that's really hard when thousands of people are staring at you and only you.
1) Ross Geller, F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
It was difficult to decide which character from F.R.I.E.N.D.S. I was going to pick, since I love them all, and there are times when I dis-illusion myself into thinking I could chill with Jennifer Aniston whenever I so choose. But I tend to side with the underdog, and Ross has been massively underestimated as "that annoying academic." People in academia are still unjustly under-represented in prime time television, so have such a loveable professor portrayed in the early '90's was pretty damn awesome. Ross is the most serious of the friends, but he's not just that person the others can bounce their zinger lines off of. Ross is the most effective foil character, but his quirks add humor and depth. And like with any quality character, there's relatability (shut up, it's totally a word). Perhaps most of us haven't gone through 3 divorces, but we've all had times where we've felt like we fucked up big time in life. There are also times where we've gotten on our high horse when discussing a certain subject (don't try to deny it, it's true). But the sheer humanness, rather than pure comedy, of Ross is what makes him so intriguing. Here's this guy, on a sitcom, who makes us sit down and really think about our lives. Ross shows us how to balance young life with old responsibility, how to be passionate, and not to EVER wear leather pants.
Namaste.
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