The Most Memorable TV Characters of All Time: A Prologue to An Upcoming Four Part Series

It's been a while since my last blog. I tossed around a few concepts over the past week. A discussion of THE SHINING and how it has affected and influenced me over the past 33 years; an overview & review of the films I've seen over the past couple months as well as in the weeks to come; my opinions on the costs and issues regarding music licensing and how it has impacted film and television; or perhaps a thinly disguised tirade blasting both sides of the political aisle.

Sure, I considered all those ideas, but eventually I settled on a time-honored chestnut (how appropriate for this time of year) of compiling a list. Yep, another list. 

A list that would cover my choices for…

THE MOST MEMORABLE TV CHARACTERS OF ALL TIME.

As with many ideas, be it in Hollywood, Washington D.C. or whatever's percolating behind your eyeballs as you read this -- this isn't a terribly original one. The spark that ignited this was from a fellow Facebooker, who in an effort to post a message thread that would crackle with activity, he asked his friends to post their three "most memorable TV characters". 

Of course, such a proposition was like a vein to the brain hit of heroin to this certified television junkie. And being one who is renown (if not downright infamous) for taking list queries to extremes no rational minded person ever intended, I subsequently split my answer into several sections, separating comedy from drama as well as lead characters from supporting players.

At the very least, I did stick to the rule of three, only cheating further by having three actual answers as well as three honorable mentions. So I found a way to take a question that asked for a threesome and blew it into an all-out orgy of twenty-four, and as the Don here will tell you…

24 is the highest number. 

Actually, it was more than that -- due to further fudging (albeit legitimate) such as nominating duos like Felix and Oscar for one slot. Turns out I might have exceeded 24 after all (don't tell the Don).

I later recalled that Entertainment Weekly did a slightly similar cover story back in 2010. Their list was more all-encompassing: the 100 Greatest Fictional Characters of All Time, covering film, television and books. And while I could possibly muster up a middling excuse of a list to cover film (though my once keen memory has dulled with age and disuse) -- TV is the one medium that has remained in razor-sharp focus for me (even as the LED display on the DVR has become blurry to these eyes).

When searching for an image to dress up this lightweight blog, I realized that beyond that EW story, this was a topic that has been done on any number of infotainment websites, publications and so on. Well, I did say it wasn't original. This upcoming blog series is only meant to provide folks with fodder for conversation, to wile away a few more minutes until something more significant comes along.

With that thought in mind, the four part series will proceed as follows:

Not Just the Right-Hand Man or Woman:

My Top 25 Most Memorable Dramatic Supporting Players on TV

More Than a Second Banana: 

My Top 25 Most Memorable Comedy Supporting Players on TV

The Heroes and the Anti-Heroes:

My Top 25 Most Memorable Dramatic Leads on TV

They're All Gonna Laugh at You:

My Top 25 Most Memorable Comedy Leads on TV

I'll begin releasing these after Christmas to give folks something to discuss and debate over the next several days. Feel free to share links to this blog on pages and sites devoted to TV fandom, as I like getting new fans almost as much as making new enemies.

See ya on the 27th with Part One!