Favorite TV Characters

[Piel]

Before reality TV shows were carried by characters we loved (and loved to hate). Who are some of your favorite TV characters? Starting with my current favorite....


Dr. Gregory House - Hugh Laurie - House
Dr. Jeffrey Geiger - Mandy Patinkin - Chicago Hope
John "The Biscuit" Cage - Peter MacNichol - Ally McBeal
Nurse Carol Hathoway - Julianne Margulies - ER
Chris Stevens - John Corbett - Northern Exposure
Murphy Brown - Candice Bergman - Murphy Brown
Adam Dalgliesh - Roy Marsden -PBS /Mystery (P.D. James' series)
Guy Perron -Charles Dance - PBS/MT TheJewel in the Crown
Sarah Layton - Geraldine James - PBS/MT The Jewel in the Crown
Douglas Brackman, Jr. - Alan Rachins - L.A. Law
Arnold Becker - Corbin Bernson - L.A. Law
Dr. Donald Westphal - Ed Flanders - St. Elsewhere
Mick Belker - Bruce Weitz - Hill Street Blues
Chris Cagney - Sharon Gless - Cagney and Lacy
David Powlett-Jones - John Duttine - PBS/MT To Serve Them All My Days
Maxim de Winter - Charles Dance - PBS/MT Rebecca
Mrs. Danvers - Diana Rigg - PBS/MT Rebecca
Jim Rockford - James Garner - The Rockford Files
David Addison & Maddy Hayes - Bruce Willis & Cybill Shepherd - Moonlighting
J. R. Ewing - Larry Hagman - Dallas
Angela Gioberti - Jane Wyman - Falcon Crest
Richard Channing -David Selby - Falcon Crest...... also played on the guilty pleasure from my teen years.....
Jonathon Frid - Barnabus Collins - Dark Shadows

 

[Aloft04]

Molly Dodd (can't remember her name) - "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd"
Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) - "Arrested Development"

 

[iluvtodd]

Alex (?) Keaton - played by Michael J. Fox in "Family Ties"
Dr. Huxtable - played by Bill Cosby in "The Cosby Show"
Marcus Welby - played by Robert Young in "Marcus Welby, M.D.
Archie & Edith Bunker, Gloria & "Meathead" -in "All in the Family"
Rhoda Morgenstern - played by Valerie Harper

 

[Piel]

Molly Dodd (can't remember her name) - "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd"
Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) - "Arrested Development"

:agree: Blair Brown was Molly Dodd. I loved that show

 

[Aloft04]

That's right!! Thanks.

 

[bdreampixie]

I only have 2:

Buffy played by Sarah Michelle Gellar on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Sayid played by Naveen Andrews on Lost

 

[nicole_l]

Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher) in the OC
Charlie What's his face (David Krumkoltz) in NUMB3RS
Stewie Griffin in Family Guy
uh, that's it I think.

 

[NJSk8Fan]

Val Ewing on Knots Landing played by Joan Van Arc

Caroline Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie played by Karen Grassle

Jack Tripper on Three's Company played by the late John Ritter

Gil Grissom on CSI played by William Petersen

Quincy on Quincy by Jack Klugman

I'm sure there are plenty others that I'm not thinking of at the moment

 

[BronzeisGolden]

I really enjoy the entire cast of "Lost". The characters are so interesting and many of the performances are superior (especially for television), IMO. I especially like:

Matthew Fox as Jack
Evangeline Lilly as Kate
Terry O'Quinn as Locke - I finally got past looking at him only as the overbearing skating Dad in "The Cutting Edge". He is so subtlely creepy in this show....I love it!
Emilie de Ravin as Claire
Naveen Andrews as Sayid
Dominic Monaghan as Charlie

 

[Tonichelle]

The Huckstables - except maybe Vanessa and Sandra...
B.F. "Hawkeye" Pierce - MASH
BJ Honeycut - MASH
Trapper John McIntyre - MASH
Nick Stokes - CSI
Greg Sanders - CSI
Walter "Radar" O'Riley - MASH
Elliot Stabler - Law & Order SVU
Olvia Benson - Law & Order SVU
Danny *brain fart* - Without A Trace

I am tired I can't think straight right now...

 

[CzarinaAnya]

• Quentin Collins-David Selby in Dark Shadows
• Barnabas Collins-Jonathan Frid in Dark Shadows
• Angelique- Lara Spencer in Dark Shadows

My LOST faves

• Charlie Pace-Dom Monaghan
• Hurley-Can't remember his name!
• Claire-Emilie DeRavine
• Sawyer-Josh Holloway

• Lionel & Jean-Jeffrey Palmer and Judi Dench in "As Time Goes By" on PBS

• Everyone on the BBC to PBS show, "The Last of the Summer Wine"

• Main cast of "Bonanza" I watch it almost everyday on TVLand

• Michael Landon as LIttle Joe on BZ, Pa Ingalls in LHOTP, and Jonathan on "Highway to Heaven"

• David Krumholtz-in anything sigh....

• "Gordo"-Adam Lamberg from Lizzie McGuire (I miss him!)

• "Lucy Camden"-Beverly Mitchell, from 7th Heaven

I have too many favorites to list them all.

 

[mmscfdcsu]

Illya Kuryakin in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Haven't watched much television since then

 

[equestrianguy]

Kim Cantrell as Samantha on "Sex and the City"
Frances Conroy as Ruth Fisher on "Six Feet Under"
Jennifer Saunders as Edina Monsoon on "Absolutely Fabulous"
Johanna Lumley as Patsy on "Absolutely Fabulous"
Kathrine Helmond as Jessica Tate on "Soap"
Esther Rolle as Florida Evans on "Good Times"
Cartman as Cartman on "South Park" lol
Clair Danes as Angela on "My So-Called Life"
Joan Collins as Alexis Carrington on "Dynasty"
Sara Gilbert as Darlene Connor on "Rosanne"

There are many more I can post later...lol

 

[Rgirl]

Piel and Aloft!!! (Imagine Rgirl running towards you with tears in her eyes to hug you.) Another two of the small but infinitely intelligent -- ahem -- viewers who grooved to the great writing on the show, the superb and understated comic timing of Blair Brown, and the entire cast and guest stars on "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd" (NBC, one season, early-80s). That makes us and two people I know in Florida and the makers of a TV documentary I'll talk about later. Yippee!

This show had such a following and was so good that Lifetime bought and kept it running for either four or five more seasons. This was in the early days of cable and absolutely unheard of. It is also considered the first "dramedy" i.e., mixing comedy and drama, like "Six Feet Under."

Funny "Molly" should come up since I recently saw a show on the Trio cable channel (all pop culture) that addressed the shows that had the greatest impact on the "landscape of television" and "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd" was very high on their list -- number three, I think.

BTW, have you ever seen Blair Brown do any straight dramatic roles. Awful, sorry to say.

As to other favorite TV characters:
Butters -- "South Park"
The entire now "deceased" cast of "Six Feet Under."
I liked the Rob Morrow character the first two seasons of "Northern Exposure." Then they changed executive producers as shows are want to do and NE went in the toilet.

Boy, I have to really think back. Was there a time before reality TV? Do you believe in Realist or Fictionalist TV? I know my first crush was on the "Bonanza" son Adam (Pernell Roberts).

And I guess that's about the length and breadth of my TV viewing history, lol, at least other than movies, figure skating, and shows like "World's Greatest Autopsies."

Oh, Aloft and Piel, you've made my night! Who did you have pegged for the father of Molly's baby? How cool is it that Moss is now playing Edward R. Murrow? Unlike poor Blair, David Stratheirn is a wonderful dramatic and comedic actor. Well, don't get me started...

RDodd

P.S. Mmscfdcsu: Ilya Kuryakin was my second TV crush. In fact I got grounded for running back to the TV so I wouldn't miss "Mr. Kuryakin" and leaving the ice cream out to melt, so I've paid, yes I have paid. Where was TIVO back then?

 

[equestrianguy]

John Ritter as Jack Tripper on "Three's Compamy"
Delores Herbig on "Dead Like Me"
Shirley on "Good Times"
Tom Baker as The Dr on "Doctor Who"
Megan Mellony as Karen Walker on "Will & Grace"
Isabel Sanford as Louise Jefferson on "The Jefferson's"
Melissa Gilbert as Laura Ingalls on "Little House on the Praire"
Delta Berk as Susanne Sugarbaker on "Designing Women"
Estelle Getty as Sophia Patrillo on "The Golden Girls"
Gilda Radner as Rosanne Rosanna Dana on "SNL"
Julia Sweeney as Pat on "SNL"
Mike Myers as Linda Richman (Coffee Talk) on "SNL"
Dana Carvey as Church Lady on "SNL"

and many others.........

 

[RealtorGal]

P.S. Mmscfdcsu: Ilya Kuryakin was my second TV crush. In fact I got grounded for running back to the TV so I wouldn't miss "Mr. Kuryakin" and leaving the ice cream out to melt, so I've paid, yes I have paid. Where was TIVO back then?

Ya know, it is just so obvious why we are Twinnies! I had THE biggest crush on this guy, too! Now for the REALLY funny part. My brother was the first to notice that my husband looks EXACTLY like a dark haired version of him! It's really amazing. If you hold up a photo of David McCallum next to one of my hubby (especially when he was younger), it's uncanny!

Okay, other characters I've liked (I'll stick to those not previously mentioned since many of my faves have already been listed):

Bebe Glazer (Harriet Sansom Harris) on Frasier (never has evil been more hysterical)

Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley) on Cheers (brought new meaning to the word "loser")

Lillith Sternin-Crane (Bebe Neuwirth) on Cheers and Frasier

Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) in I Love Lucy (I never get tired of her antics)

Fran Fine, CC Babcock, Niles the Butler (Fran Drescher, Lauren Lane, Daniel Davis) on The Nanny (I've never laughed as much as I do watching this show, esp. these characters. Must be that Jewish humor--I've lived it.)

Maryann Thorpe (Christine Baranski) in Cybill (as in Shepherd)

Lily Manning (Sela Ward) in Once and Again

 

[RealtorGal]

Oh, and Toni, I need to tell you that your new signature photo is GORGEOUS!

 

[Aloft04]

Piel and Aloft!!! (Imagine Rgirl running towards you with tears in her eyes to hug you.) Another two of the small but infinitely intelligent -- ahem -- viewers who grooved to the great writing on the show, the superb and understated comic timing of Blair Brown, and the entire cast and guest stars on "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd" (NBC, one season, early-80s).

Oh, Aloft and Piel, you've made my night!

Get those Florida friends - I feel a group hug coming on!!

 

[mmscfdcsu]

Illya Kuryakin fans of the world unite. I was so traumatized the year that U.N.C.L.E. went to being shown on Friday evenings. No vcrs in those days. My parents made me go to dancing lessons on Friday nights! Miss Pettingales Ballroom Dancing Lessons. So unfair. I should have called child protective services. That was abuse. LOL. Nowdays I have no interest in tv, too passive for me, but I know that many folks find it relaxing.

Oh, around the same time, I loved Emma Peel from The Avengers, and The Prisoner.

 

[RealtorGal]

Oh, yeah, Emma Peel! My favorite! How COULD I forget that one??

Twinnie, this is for you: