| 24 JUL 2008 at 9:20pm |
AndromusGuild Master
Posts : 5538
Joined: 6 NOV 2002
Status : Offline | Very interesting! I'll have to come up with a list of my own. I particularly like the picks of MacGyver, Dana Scully, and House. House reminds me of a high school teacher I had, who acted and even looked quite a bit like him.
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 12:03am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | Gosh Alkis, what a challenge trying to remember TV shows....
Let me see, the stand-outs that I would make an effort to watch would be:
Star Trek
Friends
M*A*S*H
and the odd sprinkling of British sit coms...
The Goode Life
To the Manor Born
'Allo 'Allo
Yes Minister
Gave up watching Lost and Desperate Housewives and House because I got bored waiting for something to happen. Same story every week really. [smiley=yawn.gif]
Mostly I prefer history/travel programs or movies. Very often I resent having to commit my time on a regular basis to watch a continuous show that then takes too long getting anywhere.
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 3:35am |
JKingSchattenjger
Posts : 2349
Joined: 4 MAY 2008
Location: 0
Status : Offline | Interesting list, indeed. Perhaps most interesting of all because, while I am familiar with several of the characters, none would make my list, I don't think. Well, maybe. Let's see!
Well, first I will say that my list is in no particular order. Other than the first listed here, it's difficult to rank linearly, because they are all very different characters in very different situations. So, I aware none save the obvious any particular preference. Onward!
James Kirk (William Shatner; Star Trek)
[img]http://www.tvscoop.tv/james_kirk.jpg[/img]
The hero of heroes, James Kirk is the captain who never says never, sticks to a decision once it is made, and does absolutely whatever he can to safeguard his ship and crew. Every day he is in danger, and every day he laughs in its face as he beats it back into submission. Kirk is a lover and a fighter, a steadfast friend and a fearsome foe, a loyal officer and a skeptical sheppard. He has saved the galaxy more than anyone would like to admit. He has out-reasoned god*. He is, quite simply the man. Thank you.
* I know it wasn't actually god. Shut up.
Benjamin Linus (Michael Emerson; Lost)
[img]http://lostpedia.com/images/b/b0/4x09-promo.jpg[/img]
Ben is the sort of man who, at first blush, you love to hate. Later, you can't help but admire him. He is one devious bastard, and on whichever side he really is, if he's on your side at any given time, you can be sure he's a powerful ally indeed.
Donna Noble (Catherine Tate; Doctor Who)
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/45/Donna_s4.jpg[/img]
Donna Noble is fire itself: Not even hordes of mutant aliens will keep her from what she wants, or keep her from doing what's right. She is bright, resourceful, and though out of her element, never lets herself despair at the immensity of the universe around her. Unlike those who came before her, Donna takes nothing for granted and comes to her own conclusions based on reason and observation. Always challenging accepted fact if it seems suspect, Donna holds within her enough compassion to soften the hearts of even the most callous time travellers.
John Casey (Adam Baldwin; Chuck)
[img]http://remote.lohudblogs.com/files/2008/03/adam-baldwin.jpg[/img]
Casey spends his every waking moment tirelessly working to save his country from countless threats internal and external, usually doing so with a scowl, smirk, frown or a look of pure, unadulterated hate on his face. He's funny. He's dangerous. He's sometimes unexpectedly soft-hearted. He can kill you with his little finger. John Casey is awesome.
Diana Skouris (Jacqueline McKenzie; The 4400)
[img]http://redakce.atlas.cz/edition_files/images/0/12945632.jpg[/img]
Diana is a character who evolved much over the course of The 4400: At first she was an agent just doing her job, skeptical of her new partner's worth. Later she becomes an uncertain mother, then a fiercely protective mother. She fights with the contradictions in her job every day, and in the end she comes out of it all a better person, her conscience, for the most part, clear. A very neat character; too bad a decent picture was so hard to find.
Ricky (Robb Wells; Trailer Park Boys)
[img]http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c367/alheno/ricky.jpg[/img]
What can one say about Ricky? Well, I guess you could say he swears, eh? Actually, he swears a whole <censored> lot. Sometimes he swears so much you just don't know what the <censored> he's even talkin' aboot. When he's not trying to quit smoking he's growing dope, and stealing something, so either way he's <censored>. <censored>. Anyway, one should appreciate Ricky for his schemes if nothing else: it doesn't take a rocket appliance to know he's a genius.
Dominic Da Vinci (Nicholas Campbell; Da Vinci's Inquest)
[img]http://files.myopera.com/edwardpiercy/blog/1DominicDavinci1.jpg[/img]
Da Vinci is never afraid to speak his mind. Whether it's about the injustice of drug addiction, problems with workplace safety or just tragic accidents, Da Vinci personally identifies with each death he investigates, and that empathy, together with his explosive wrath, serve to make him one of the most endearing characters on television.
Londo Mollari (Peter Jurasik; Baylon 5)
[img]http://www.freehomepages.com/jweyand1/londo.jpg[/img]
Though I frankly dislike the series because it took itself too seriously, Babylon 5 does present the viewer with an interesting character in Londo Mollari. Although initially functioning as little more than comic relief, he is in the end the show's most tragic character, tricked by circumstances into becoming his own worst enemy as he commits acts he will regret the rest of his life.
Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson; Eureka)
[img]http://www.buddytv.com/articles/Image/eureka/eureka-colin-ferguson-season-two.jpg[/img]
Carter is the perfect everyman, an average person in a town full of unusually bright people. Despite this he does his job, makes friends and finds a sense of home and belonging while never losing that which makes him who he is.
T. J. Hooker (William Shatner; T. J. Hooker)
[img]http://blog.blankbaby.com/blankbaby/images/tjhooker.jpg[/img]
Best cop ever. 'nough said.
You can't kill someone in a studio.
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 9:39am |
AyaGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 7277
Joined: 16 OCT 2002
Status : Offline | i like this thread! i'll try and make a top 10, though it'll be pretty hard... are cartoon characters allowed, or does it have to be real actors?
glad you left the greeks out btw... i'd hate to see such a list be marred by horse manure stains (unless it was "the unacceptables"!)
You have gotten the attention of the mysterious lady. She turns to face you. Her face is devoid of any flesh. You are frozen with horror as she begins ripping your body into a bloody mess.
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 4:56pm |
AyaGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 7277
Joined: 16 OCT 2002
Status : Offline | ok, i did it! it was almost impossible, and several great characters were left out, but i believe those 10 are the elite of tv characters... didn't include cartoon characters after all, since there was no way a list with both could be put together... i may do a separate list some time... also, the ranking of those characters does not also mean ranking of the shows... some of my all time favs (eg friends, drew carey show) just didn't have a top 10 character
Honorable Mention
"The Unacceptables"
[img]http://img11.imagehosting.gr/out.php/i183327_Aparadektoi.jpg[/img]
greek tv may feel like shoving two icepicks wrapped in razorwire thru your eyesockets and wiggling them around your brain until it all oozes out (and the results of watching greek tv are pretty much the same), but there was one show that rose WAY WAY WAY above everything else, and it is actually a sitcom that can be considered great with regular tv standards (of its time of course)... all 4 main characters are favs too, but if i had to choose just one among them, i'd choose vlassis (the one on the left, waving)... coincidentally, the order left->right of the chars in the pic is the order of my favs
10. Fox Mulder - The X-Files
[img]http://img11.imagehosting.gr/out.php/i183335_Mulder.jpg[/img]
(David Duchovny)
mulder IS the x-files... without him, scully (who btw is far from cute...) would probably star in detergent commercials
9. Cpt. Jean-Luc Picard - Star Trek TNG
[img]http://img11.imagehosting.gr/out.php/i183336_Picard.jpg[/img]
(Patrick Stewart)
picard just oozes respectability... i don't believe i've ever seen anybody, real life or tv, inspiring so much respect... i totally agree with alkis... as a person who despises orders (taking or giving), i would still feel honored serving under picard's command
8. Sonny Crockett - Miami Vice
[img]http://img11.imagehosting.gr/out.php/i183332_Crockett.jpg[/img]
(Don Johnson)
it's the clothes... it's the attitude... it's the ferrari! sonny crockett is the action icon of the 80s! nuff said
7. Al Bundy - Married With Children
[img]http://img11.imagehosting.gr/out.php/i183330_Bundy.jpg[/img]
(Ed O'Neill)
agreed with alkis here too... but if bundy is the extreme, then...
6. Ray Barone - Everybody Loves Raymond
[img]http://img11.imagehosting.gr/out.php/i183328_Barone.jpg[/img]
(Ray Romano)
...deep down inside, all guys are a ray barone! al bundy may be the extreme, but ray is the reality! and damn funny to boot!
5. Dr. Temperance Brennan - Bones
[img]http://img11.imagehosting.gr/out.php/i183329_Brennan.jpg[/img]
(Emily Deschanel)
the epitome of pure, raw logic... plus she gets to dive into decaying bodies and mess around with their skulls and bones! now you can't go wrong with that!
4. Adrianne Monk - Monk
[img]http://img11.imagehosting.gr/out.php/i183334_Monk.jpg[/img]
(Tony Shalhoub)
i very much identify with mr monk! a detective with issues about everything! and a great angle to solving mysteries, not in the "who dun it?" fashion, but rather "how he dun it?"
[size=12]3. Cliff Clavin & Norm Peterson - Cheers
[img]http://img11.imagehosting.gr/out.php/i183331_CliffNorm.jpg[/img]
(John Ratzenberger & George Wendt)
they count as 1! 11 seasons of cheers, watched countless of times, and not for 1 second did they become tiring or repetitive... will still be insanely funny 50 years from now
[size=14]2. Sledge Hammer - Sledge Hammer
[img]http://img11.imagehosting.gr/out.php/i183333_Hammer.jpg[/img]
(David Rasche)
sledge was meant to be a parody of over-the-top badass cop films and shows, esp dirty harry... and succeeded 110%! i consider hammer to be the funniest tv character ever created... who, btw, also spoke the most brilliant line in tv history:
Doreau (Hammer's Female Partner): ...Hearts represent love.
Hammer: Doreau, the heart isn't a wimp. It's a muscle, and it doesn't have time for love. It's too busy pumping blood.
[size=16]1. Michael Westen - Burn Notice
[img]http://img11.imagehosting.gr/out.php/i183337_Westen.jpg[/img]
(Jeffrey Donovan)
step aside macgyver... all hail the new king! as much as i absolutely hate using the word "cool" in this context, i cannot help but say it: michael westen is the coolest tv character ever! michael westen is what you get if you fuse macgyver, crockett and, well, a spy... if you haven't watched burn notice, then drop everything and start watching NOW!
but the ABSOLUTE GREATEST TV character of all time is neither human nor cartoon!
[size=24]*** K.I.T.T. ***
[IMG]http://i33.tinypic.com/imv0h1.jpg[/IMG]
no comments necessary!
You have gotten the attention of the mysterious lady. She turns to face you. Her face is devoid of any flesh. You are frozen with horror as she begins ripping your body into a bloody mess.
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 5:30pm |
| Deleted User | I'll do some pictures and some reasons later ; easier to start with the list first though:
1) Mr Spock. When I saw JKings' Captian Kirk, I went; : tra-la-la, where do you think silly fat 'ol Captain Kirk would be without Mr Spock, hmmmmm? As a little girl, my first reaction was to have a knee-jerk crush on Captain Kirk; but I soon realised that mr Spock was a far more mysterious, interesting character.
/me ducks quickly and JKings' rotten tomato misses her completely.
2) MY favourite Trekkie captain, is Jean-Luc Picard. Hands down. 8-)
3) Well, if someone else chose Scully, I guess I should choose Mulder? I liked their interacton as a pair, actually.
4) All Rowan Atkinson’s characters. Mr Bean, Black Adder, Inspector Raymond Fowler in “The Thin Blue Line”
5) Mmm… John Locke? I’ll have to think carefully which of the LOST characters is my absolute favourite. I think I’ll choose John Locke and Kate, as followers-up; and just because he’s such an enigmatic hottie, I’ll put Sawyer first. Jack is boring compared to him.
6) Horatio from CSI Miami.
7) Da Vinci’s ok; : - (for a Canadian, that is); but I think I prefer Gil Grissom, the bug-man from CSI
Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow . She’s just so.. – together, and versatile!
9) Mmm, can’t think of a 9TH one, right now. Maybe T’Pol, played by Jolene Blalock, from Star Trek Enterprise?
10) Oh, and before I forget – let me add my first love – as a tiny child : Rupert. Rupert The Bear.
Oh, my goodness! how could I have forgotten the best one of all! Ridge, Ridge Forrester from The Bold and the Beautiful! [smiley=love.gif]
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 5:44pm |
JKingSchattenjger
Posts : 2349
Joined: 4 MAY 2008
Location: 0
Status : Offline | /me considers throwing another tomato at TheTraveler for snubbing both Kirk and Da Vinci (and Canadians at large!), but reconsiders, instead slicing his remaining fresh supply and sharing them.
After all, a woman who appreciates Rowan Atkinson in all his forms can't be all bad, can she?
You can't kill someone in a studio.
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 6:14pm |
| Deleted User | Originally Posted By JKing (25 JUL 2008 5:44pm)
/me considers throwing another tomato at TheTraveler for snubbing both Kirk and Da Vinci (and Canadians at large!), but reconsiders, instead slicing his remaining fresh supply and sharing them.
After all, a woman who appreciates Rowan Atkinson in all his forms can't be all bad, can she?
Well, you certainly seem to be a good ambassador for Canadians in general, JKing!
/me smiles at the forgiving Jking, and bites a piece of tomato.
Da Vinci and Canadians I could grow to like; - I've just never been a William Shatner fan though. You say he's from Canada? Didn't know that, before. :
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 6:35pm |
Terry PenrodGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 6693
Joined: 16 OCT 2004
Location: US, Texas
Status : Offline | .
Great choices and I liked most all of them.
BUT... aren't we forgetting a few of the first and best-ever TV characters? Ones like the entire cast of the landmark sitcom, The Honeymooners with the inimitable Jackie Gleason as the original relentlessly put upon everyman Ralph Kramden and Art Carney as his crazy neighbor / sidekick / buddy played by Ed Norton.
Flashing foward and speaking of frenetically loony second bananas...
Michael Richards as Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld ranks high on my list of all-time funniest - along with Art Carney as Ed Norton and Christopher Lloyd as (Reverend) Jim Ignatowski on Taxi. Matter of fact, there were numerous other great characters on all the above shows.
Was glad to see that Cheers' resident barflies Cliff and Norm were mentioned above because together, they accounted for many of the funniest and most memorable moments in TV history.
But back again to earlier TV shows...
There were many truly amazing performers who created endible characters in sitcoms like I Love Lucy, The Carol Burnett Show, Your Show of Shows, The Dick Van D-y-k-e Show (forum filters are so lame), The Addams Family, All In The Family (especially Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker), The Mary Tyler Moore Show, WKRP In Cincinnati, Soap, and too many others to list.
Special Mention - Over the years, Saturday Night Live has produced a long list of great recurring characters too.
For dramas, westerns, sci-fi / horror, and other non-sitcom programs, the list is equally long with stalwarts like Lorne Greene as kingly rancher Ben Cartwright (and his three sons) in the long-running Bonanza, James Arness as rocklike Marshal Matt Dillon and and practically the whole cast of Gunsmoke, David Janssen as Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive, Larry Hagman as evil oil baron J.R. Ewing on Dallas, Dennis Franz as the brooding recovering alcoholic detective Andy Sipowicz on NYPD Blue, Edward James Olmos as Admiral William Adama in the recent remake of Battlestar Galactica, plus LOTS of TV doctors along with many, many others including and THE BEST TV CHARACTER EVER...
the unequalled Perry Mason as played by Raymond Burr and based on Erle Stanley Gardner's novels.
Cheers, Terry
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 7:44pm |
AndromusGuild Master
Posts : 5538
Joined: 6 NOV 2002
Status : Offline | This was hard for me as well, as I had 15-20 characters I would have liked to have included here. But in no particular order:
10. "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda, MASH)
[img]
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r8/Andromus/Hawkeye.jpg[/img]
Witty, sarcastic, and yet a deeply empathic character. He made the best sitcom ever what it was.
9. Lt. Columbo (Columbo, Peter Falk)
[img]
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r8/Andromus/columbo.jpg[/img]
"Excuse me sir, there's just one more thing." Loved the idea of a brilliant detective masquerading as a comic and unprepossessing figure.
8. Rod Serling (The Twilight Zone)
[img]
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r8/Andromus/rodserling.jpg[/img]
OK, I know, not a character as such, but he was responsible for many truly memorable characters.
7. MacGyver
A childhood hero of mine. I loved the way he could think his way out of any situation.
6. Londo Mollari
[img]
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r8/Andromus/mollari.jpg[/img]
I wanted to include a B5 character, and it was a toss up between Londo and G'kar. But in the end Londo won out. A really fascinating character, conflicted throughout the whole series.
5. The Doctor (Robert Picardo, Voyager)
[img]http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r8/Andromus/thedoctor.jpg[/img]
I kind of surprised myself with this pick. I looked at my favorite Trek series, Deep Space 9, for a favorite character and could have been content with a couple of choices from it. But though I really dislike Voyager as a series, I kept coming back to the Doctor instead, remembering how his character changed and grew as the series went on, and how much I liked Robert Picardo's urbane yet often sarcastic delivery.
4. Malcom Reynolds (Nathan Fillon, Firefly)
[img]http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r8/Andromus/malcolmreynolds.jpg[/img]
A very deadpan sort of guy you never know what to expect from next. Joss Whedon put some great writing in to him. Man, I really, really miss this show.
3. Frank Pembleton (Andre Braugher, Homicide)
[img]
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r8/Andromus/andrebraugher1.jpg[/img]
An extremely intelligent and passionately portrayed character. Braugher's interrogation scenes are some of the best television I've ever seen.
2. Batman (Batman:The Animated Series)
Dare I add a cartoon character? I do. One of the best cartoons of all time, with my favorite incarnation of Batman.
1. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks, Stargate: SG-1)
[img]http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r8/Andromus/danieljackson.jpg[/img]
He's a bookish and often abstracted historian and linguist who speaks over 20 languages. Who gets to explore alien planets, unlock secrets of ancient cultures, and carry and use a P90 from time to time. In other words, who I dream to be. (I've got the bookish and abstracted parts down pat, for starters.)
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 7:46pm |
Mr Innocent.Journeyman
Posts : 1317
Joined: 15 JAN 2008
Location: GR
Status : Offline | I agree with Alkis for the first two spots. I'd place Picard third. Won't elaborate more as I don't like "top lists" much... another character trait of Virgo's, or so I'm told.
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 7:48pm |
AndromusGuild Master
Posts : 5538
Joined: 6 NOV 2002
Status : Offline | Aw, Terry, this was hard enough to do. Don't give me more great choices to agonize over!
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 8:13pm |
alkis21Schattenjger
Posts : 2112
Joined: 23 OCT 2002
Location: GR
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Andromus (25 JUL 2008 7:48pm)
Aw, Terry, this was hard enough to do. Don't give me more great choices to agonize over!
What Andromus said... but since we're on the subject of giving credit to the old ones, I'll add an honorable mention:
Morticia Frump Addams (Carolyn Jones)
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/23/Morticia_adams_origional.jpg/200px-Morticia_adams_origional.jpg[/img]
The Addams Family (1964-1966)
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 9:10pm |
Terry PenrodGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 6693
Joined: 16 OCT 2004
Location: US, Texas
Status : Offline | .
Loved Morticia and all the Addams Family characters.
Was also glad to see Hawkeye Pierce from M*A*S*H highlighted by Andromus above (just one more all-time great, character-rich show I failed to list).
From Hawkeye, Trapper John, B.J. Hunnicut, Radar, Klinger, Frank Burns and Hot Lips Houlihan to Henry Blake, Sherman Potter, Father Mulcahy, Charles Winchester III and a huge cast of other regulars, M*A*S*H produced so many memorable characters during its storied run from 1972 to 1983.
More important was that the show always found a way to delicately balance wit, humor, drama, and romance - all set against the grim realities of war. It was in that way uniquely brilliant, relevant, and entertaining.
Heck, even the instrumental theme song (adapted from the Robert Altman film sans the lyrics) was one of the most effective ever.
Cheers, Terry
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 9:16pm |
JKingSchattenjger
Posts : 2349
Joined: 4 MAY 2008
Location: 0
Status : Offline | Good pick, Alkis!
For my part I nominate the sultry and seductive Cinnamon Carter, as played by Barbara Bain:
[img]http://www.tv-nostalgie.de/Cinnamon-Carter.jpg[/img]
Mission: Impossible just wasn't the same without her and Martin Landau. Well, it wasn't the same without Stephen Hill, either, but it was less the same without Landau and Bain.
You can't kill someone in a studio.
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 9:33pm |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | I haven't even heard of most of these TV shows. But I had forgotten Morticia and Gomez Addams. How I enjoyed that show. But surely, everyone was memorable, Lurch, Hand, Cousin It, Uncle Fester....
And Alan Alda while the sun of M*A*S*H, around which everyone else revolved, could not have shone so brightly without a damn good supporting cast. Hot Lips Hoolihan, Radar and Klinger....
The Doctor from Star Trek Voyager was a superb character - but in a literary sense, probably only the evolved version of Spock and Data. Pretty much the entire cast of DS9 were memorable - for anyone who watched the show.
And Mr Bean/Blackadder definitely needs mentioning. Also Basil Fawlty. Cultural icons both of them.
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 10:12pm |
AndromusGuild Master
Posts : 5538
Joined: 6 NOV 2002
Status : Offline | Yup, Mr. Bean is one of my favorite comic characters ever. And Fawlty Towers contains some of the best comedy ever produced in such a small space, a dozen episodes.
And Mission: Impossible was a good TV show in either of its small screen incarnations. I despise what they did to the concept with the films, however.
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| 26 JUL 2008 at 12:24am |
Terry PenrodGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 6693
Joined: 16 OCT 2004
Location: US, Texas
Status : Offline | .
Oh how could I forget the all-too-short-lived Fawlty Towers?
John Cleese was downright brilliant in that show.
Cheers, Terry
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| 26 JUL 2008 at 8:41am |
| Deleted User | I knew I wanted to mention John Cleese, but could only think of him in a Monty Python, sense, and A fish called Wanda, which were all movies, not TV shows. I'd completely forgotten about the battily funny Faulty Towers!
You guys are really remembering the Good Old Days here.
Mc Gyver was also a memorable character, and how could we have left out the Addams family? (My kids regularly wach a cartoon version of the Addams tribe).
And yes - The Doctor in Star Trek Voyager was a lovely character, wasn't he?
Alan Alda in M.A.S.H. I only remember rather vaguely, as I was still quite small when that show aired.
Talking of K.I.T.T., and Knight Rider – I used to have a childhood girly crush on David Hasselhoff, until I literally ran into him in real life by accident (bodyguards almost gutted me) , and I realised then already that he’s a narcissistic Pr***, even before I would have realised it while watching Baywatch.
Was Peter Sellers as Inspector Clousau (Pink Panther) never a TV series? I even liked the cartoon Pink Panther! [smiley=laughing.gif]
I know we're actually talking TV shows here - but Peter Sellers as he appeared in the film: "The Party"; is one of my funniest characters ever, in a movie! /me fingers her DVD copies of the Sellers classics fondly.
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| 26 JUL 2008 at 11:25am |
AyaGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 7277
Joined: 16 OCT 2002
Status : Offline | @traveller: monty python also had a tv show, "flying circus"... john cleese (and the others) played several different roles though, there was no specific tv character... if i voted for tv actors and not characters, then definitely benny hill would have been in the top 3, if not top 1!
as for peter sellers (one of the funniest men ever born), he didn't have any tv shows... all pink panthers were movies... the inspector in the pink panther cartoon though was based on clouseau (or maybe vice versa, but i'm not 100% sure)
You have gotten the attention of the mysterious lady. She turns to face you. Her face is devoid of any flesh. You are frozen with horror as she begins ripping your body into a bloody mess.
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| 26 JUL 2008 at 10:28pm |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | No one has mentioned Dr Who. Now here is a TV character that has been running longer than Star Trek and was put to air on a shoestring budget. The character was so written that several different actors have successfully made themselves 'the Doctor' to successive generations, like James Bond. I stopped watching in the 70s but it's still an incredibly popular show in the UK. Here are the early Doctors.
[img]http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/9518/drwhocya3.jpg[/img]
A later sci-fi show was Blakes 7. Very dark but with killer dialogue and again, a shoestring budget. Their computer Orac was a plastic box with flashing lights.
[img]http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/6145/blakes7logolgefy9.jpg[/img]
I think when we can remember the characters' names after a decent time period we can safely say that the series/character was memorable. So many shows are just 'more of the same' that we easily forget them. At least, I do.
And my teenage heart throbbed for Starsky, not Hutch.
[img]http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/3926/starskyhutchlt1.jpg[/img]
When I met my husband he was saving up to buy a red/white car like they drove - I made him put his money on a house instead.
I always fancied Yul Brynner but the lollipop king was King of the Cops for a while. Remember Kojak?
[img]http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/1640/kojakou6.jpg[/img]
and the 6 million dollar man? Although I secretly fancied Oscar more as being the brains behind the brawn.
[img]http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/7145/6milliondollarmanpa0.jpg[/img]
and I loved The Big Valley. Friday night after bathtime, Mum would give us all a bowl with fruit and (Galaxy) chocolate in it and we'd settled down for guns and horses and baddies and cowboys. My girly heart would flutter for the brother dressed in black leather - hmmmm.... a REAL man... [smiley=love.gif]
[img]http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/7375/bigvalleycastmb3.jpg[/img]
And The Virginian was on similar lines. Times have changed and the gun is no longer an acceptable social icon so my children have never seen Cowboy/Western stories. Pity.
[img]http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/8734/thevirginiangi9.jpg[/img]
And long before I even knew anyone could be gay, let alone this man, he was my romantic ideal. Macmillian and Wife
[img]http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/4044/macmillanandwifela5.jpg[/img]
Monty Python's Flying Circus could fill a page all on their own but is mostly remembered for the sketches.
Dead Parrot
[img]http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/8558/deadparrottx5.jpg[/img]
Lumberjack Song
[img]http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/2050/lumberjacksongtg3.jpg[/img]
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| 28 JUL 2008 at 4:58pm |
WimliGuild Master
Posts : 3259
Joined: 14 MAR 2003
Status : Offline | Ooh, TV series characters, great topic! Glad to see that some of my favourites have already been mentioned: Mulder & Scully (they really should be mentioned together, it was the interaction between them that made it work), Malcolm Reynolds (Firefly, probably one of the best written sci fi shows ever, all the other charachters were pretty memoraTwble as well), Basil Fawlty (pure comedy genius!), ...
Here are some of my favourites that haven't been mentioned so far:
1) Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan - Twin Peaks)
[img]http://bestuff.com/images/images_of_stuff/210x600/dale-cooper-1191.jpg[/img]
Running for only two seasons, Twin Peaks was one of biggest tv successes of the early '90s, and rightly so! Made by David Lynch, this was not your ordinary murder mystery. Moody atmosphere, memorable plot twists, original and addictively intriguing. And MacLachlans character, never without his tape recorder or without a positive attitude, was what kept it all together. Brilliant tv!
2) Faith (Eliza Dushku - Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
[img]http://blog.oregonlive.com/peteramescarlin/2007/11/medium_270px-Faith-buffy.jpg[/img]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer remains one of my all time favourite tv series. It was funny, original, action packed and, again thanks to Joss Whedons awesome creative mind, filled with memorable characters (Buffy, Angel, Oz, Spike, Giles, ...). Among those, one side character stood out: Faith, the slayer with an attitude and zero responibility that Buffy wanted, but could not be (duty calls and all). Though she went over to the dark side for a while, brimming beneath all the rage was intense vulnerability. Can't wait for Whedons new tv series, Dollhouse, again starring Eliza Dushku!
3) Nate Fisher (Peter Krause - Six Feet Under)
[img]http://popwatch.ew.com/photos/uncategorized/151840__nate_l.jpg[/img]
Six Feet Under is without a doubt one of the best drama series ever produced. One of the main factors that contributed to that was the evolution of the character of Nate Fisher (and how the actor portayed it so superbly). Going from family outcast to saviour of the family business until Spoiler Alertin the end having to face death himself, and dealing with that.
4) Patsy Stone Joanna Lumley - Absolutely Fabulous)
[img]http://blog.autoerratic.com/images/PatsyStone.jpg[/img]
Don't think this show is everyone's cup of tea, but I love it! Patsy Stone is, simply put, a revolting character, but her conviction is admirable, not to mention the many one liners she utters (eg The last mosquito that bit me had to book in the Betty Ford clinic :-)) between smoking, drinking and plain insulting everyone and everything that crosses her sights. Wonderful character!
5) René Artois (Gorden Kaye - Allo Allo)
[img]http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2006/06/reneartois_228x328.jpg[/img]
Who doesn't know the unfortunate owner of the café René? With a jealous wife, two waitresses who constantly seek his affection, the resistance demanding his assistance during crazy operation and the German officers requiring using his café to hide stolen treasure they want to sell after the war. Ah, timeless comedy indeed!
I could easily fill the remaining five spots with characters from Little Britain (Lou & Andy, Vicky Pollard, Anne, Fat Fighter leader Marjorie, Bubbles DeVere, and so on). Can't get enough of that show!
But of course there are more, also sometimes in shows that apart from that character were completely forgettable. Anyone remember this one for example :
[img]http://famoustv.web-log.nl/famous_celeb_tv/images/amanda_11.jpg[/img]
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| 28 JUL 2008 at 9:58pm |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | In his younger days, (before he let his hair go silver) everyone would comment on how like Rene my husband looked. I've just bought the entire series on DVD for us all to watch and laugh at. Great comedy.
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| 28 JUL 2008 at 11:32pm |
InlandAZGuild Master
Posts : 5586
Joined: 4 MAY 2007
Status : Offline | So I'm taking it that I'm the only Elvira fan here - (for some odd reason you have to click Show Picture to see these)
[img]http://www.elvira.com/gfx/oscar.jpg[/img]
And as good as that one is - the real Elvira's even better (wow - I am such a sucker for Strawberry Blonds)
[img]http://www.elvira.com/photos/CP_2005.jpg[/img]
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