Favorite TV Character Staff Picks: Lyle

We're closing of our Favorite TV characters poll tonight at midnight and you've heard Dennis, snicks, Louis, Brian and Ed weigh in with their favorites. It's my turn to try to sway your votes with my picks.

TV has a long history with great characters. I could have easily made a list of characters from my favorite brilliant-but-canceled shows, and whittling down a list of great TV characters into ten favorites is a big challenge, but here are the characters I've selected:

Jane Christie (Gina Bellman), Coupling

Most sitcoms have a character who has a fragile grasp on reality, but I always wanted to know what was going on in Jane's head. She could cover up her dumber moments with a bit of crazy, or use the force of her personality to make people overlook the crazy. In the end, she probably wasn't as dim or crazy as it initially seemed. After all, at one point she admitted Jane was an evil twin she created for herself, and that bit of role play eventually stuck. Haven't we all had moments where we could reinvent ourselves to such an extreme?

Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), Breaking Bad

I almost named Skyler since she's the true evil genius in the White family, but I can't overlook the badass ways Gus took down his enemies. Twice. Mix that with the way Gus convinced DEA agents he was just a harmless small businessman, and Gus is a marvelously delicious character on a show known for amazing characters.

Jaye Tyler (Caroline Dhavernas), Wonderfalls

With most shows, I fall for the supporting characters and keep wishing the lead would stop hogging screen time that clearly belongs to my favorite (Ross, Rachel, Monica, Joey and Chandler, I'm looking at you), but Jaye is the rare lead who holds up to her wacky pals. In Wonderfalls' too-short run, Jaye transitioned from jaded slacker to a reluctant messiah in a series that managed to be flippant and profoundly spiritual at the same time.

Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), Doctor Who

As a companion of The Doctor, Captain Jack was a revelation, a true rogue who could roll with any number of setbacks and laughed in the face of overwhelming odds. He oozed charm and flirted shamelessly — basically, he was sexy and he knew it. It takes a lot for a mortal to seem like a match for The Doctor, and this omnisexual schemer was up to the challenge. It's too bad Torchwood seemed oblivious to the qualities that made Captain Jack such a great character.

Abby Fairgate (Donna Mills), Knot's Lading

I love a soapy villainess who can coldly scheme and deliver harsh judgements as much as many gay men. However, what made Abby so compelling was how she never fully joined the dark side. Abby truly broke out as a character when she accidentally inspired a lackey to kidnap a couple of babies. Appalled, Abby spent the storyline trying to get the babies returned to their mother while working to make sure her involvement wasn't discovered. Abby's shaded morality is also responsible for one of my favorite soap opera cliffhangers — when Abby walked out of a restroom wiping her hands clean to find her daughter leaning over Peter Holister's body, each clearly thinking the other one was the killer.

Rick Hunter (voice of Tony Oliver), Robotech

It's a surprise to look back at Robotech and realize how much it dared to ask young viewers to be able to handle. Not only did it ask kids to follow a serialized storyline that dealt with the costs and ethics of war, one of its biggest storylines was a love triangle that doesn't get resolved until the guy in the middle of it gets a clue about the meaning of companionship and responsibility. Sure, Rick could have had the fantasy, pop star/beauty queen girlfriend, but in the end he realized he wanted someone with similar interest and goals in life.

Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss), Mad Men

When Mad Men debuted, I didn't care for it. I thought it was one of those shows that took a privileged look backwards at the bad old days, laughing at the problems we've "solved" by today. However, as the series developed Peggy became more than a reminder of how few options women had in the 50s and 60s, but a portrait of the challenges of being a trailblazer. Most importantly, she's a reminder of how breaking down barriers doesn't stop one from having all those human moments of uncertainty and insecurity.

Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), Doctor Who

I tried to avoid having two Doctor Who companions but I think its noteworthy how they created a hero with a strong intuitive sense. Donna started out shallow and oblivious to the world but by the end of her run she was capable of observing things others overlooked, something that compounded the tragedy of how her story ended. I can't think of sci-fi characters whose contributions to saving the day were like Donna.

Officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), Southland

We've seen plenty of gruff, rough street cops on TV before, but Cooper had an additional dimension to him, even if you overlook the groundbreaking nature of him being gay. Southland's largely a drama about how depressing it is to work in law enforcement, and how people struggle to hold onto their humanity when they regularly see people at their worst behavior. So far, that storytelling burden has fallen most heavily on the veteran Cooper, who has managed to survive years of service without turning hopelessly cynical, and still believing in the mission of his job.

Lindsay Weir, (Linda Cardellini), Freaks and Geeks

A big part of growing up is the period where you start to realize all the things you don't have in common with your parents, when you start to notice the different paths your life can take. Freaks & Geeks wonderfully captured this moment, the one where the sparring elements of your life battle for your attention. Lindsay was a girl who was focused on getting good grades and going to church until she became involved with the school's outsiders, making her aware of The Grateful Dead, neglectful parents, drug use and, overall, that there's a much larger world out there.

Have you voted yet? If not, there's a voting form below. The polls close Friday at Midnight.

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