Everyone loves to watch a good TV show now and then, and one of the most engaging things about any TV show is a strong central character. Today we’re looking at the fifteen most iconic TV characters in history, from detectives, to kingpins, all the way to magical dragon-riders. Let’s check out the best TV has to offer!
Columbo
The distinctive detective and title character of Columbo, played by the excellent Peter Falk, was the quintessential TV policeman in the 70s. His initially inept-looking behavior belies the mind of a true investigator, and his penchant for quipping, “just one more thing…” before laying the case out never gets old.
Michael Scott
The initially unlikable boss from The Office grew on audiences over the years, perhaps in part due to Steve Carrell’s inimitable performance. He somehow was able to portray a man who was both pitiable and infuriating simultaneously, though he eventually grew to be a genuinely good person.
Chandler Bing
The late Matthew Perry’s performance as Chandler Bing was central to making Friends work. His quippy, sarcastic attitude would go on to influence humor and even entire sitcoms for years to come, to the point that it’s retroactively seen as somewhat annoying in hindsight. Still, at the time, Chandler was easily the most iconic character from the show.
Buffy Summers
Equal parts relatable teenager and uncompromising warrior, Buffy Summers was unlike anyone else on TV in the late 90s. Sarah Michelle Geller’s portrayal of the high schooler moonlighting as a vampire hunter made the show a massive hit in the late 90s, and it even spawned comics and spinoffs.
Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch)
Sherlock Holmes is already an iconic detective character in his own right, but Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal of him in the 2010 BBC show set a new standard for the character. Cumberbatch plays Holmes with a combination of cold, calculating intellect and utter, abject loneliness.
Tony Soprano
The Sopranos kicked off a slew of shows about morally compromised people doing very bad things. TV from this era was preoccupied with testing the audience. “Do you still like this character? He’s a monster now, do you still like him?” Tony Soprano was the archetypal antihero, but the show was so well-made that it was impossible to look away from his harrowing life of crime.
Eleven/Jane
Stranger Things, the breakout Netflix hit, was buoyed by a lot of strong performances. One of the most surprising elements in the show that really worked was Millie Bobby Brown’s portrayal of Eleven, eventually known as Jane, the young psychic who escapes from a terrifying government lab. Her role could have been annoying and unbelievable, but the young actress absolutely nailed a combination of steely determination and childlike vulnerability that the show needed to function.
Leslie Knope
Amy Poehler is so infectiously joyous that she was cast as the personification of Joy in Inside Out. That’s on full display with Leslie Knope, her hilarious and inspiring character from Parks and Rec. Poehler’s performance portrays Knope as a woman who really could reshape small-town politics and succeed all the way to the White House.
Rosa Diaz
Brooklyn 99’s secret sauce was in the way all of its charismatic actors perfectly played off one another. That goes triple for the incomparably charming Stephanie Beatriz in the role of the gruff, no-nonsense detective Rosa Diaz. Rosa’s character arc, coming out as bisexual to her friends and family during the show, was remarkable for bi visibility and a very important moment for a lot of fans.
Spock
Pretty much the entire crew of the Enterprise could have earned a spot on this list, but, in the interest of fairness to non-Stark Trek shows, we’re going to just list Spock. How awesome is Leonard Nimoy? Aliens on TV were never presented as relatable human characters until Trek, and a lot of that has to do with Nimoy’s precise performance as the logical Vulcan.
Barney Stinson
Neil Patrick Harris playing an outlandish womanizer on How I Met Your Mother was a stroke of genius. Barney is about as different from the real-world (gay and happily married) Harris as possible, and yet he’s still somehow a natural fit for the role as an amoral scoundrel who also concocts schemes to pick up women.
Harley Quinn
Before you hit us with chorus of “well, actuallys,” Harley Quinn is not originally a comic book character. The beloved DC villain was actually created by the writers of Batman: The Animated Series as a minor flunky for the Joker. Quinn’s menacing yet sympathetic portrayal struck a chord with viewers, though, and quickly found herself airlifted from the cartoons back to the main comics canon. Her progress from Joker’s victim and right-hand assistant to full-blown antihero (and girlfriend of Poison Ivy) is one of comics’ best stories.
Daenerys Targaryen
The Unburned, the Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi, the Queen of the Andals, the R—okay you get the idea. Daenerys Targaryen, thought for years to be the last surviving member of the Targaryen royal family, is one of the most important characters on Game of Thrones. Her journey to Essos and back, complete with her acquisition of three dragons and her accomplishments in freeing countless slaves, made her a fast fan favorite.
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The Doctor
Is it unfair to list “the Doctor” as a whole when the time-travelling do-gooder has been portrayed by no fewer than 17 actors? Well, don’t overthink it. Insert your favorite Doctor from Doctor Who’s long history here and that’s who we’re talking about! Never cruel or cowardly, always running toward danger and saving lives, the Doctor is exactly who you want to see when the day needs saving.
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Walter White
Watching an unassuming high school chemistry teacher morph “from Mr. Chips to Scarface,” to paraphrase series creator Vince Gilligan, is the main thrust of Breaking Bad. Sure, other genuinely amazing actors put on career-best performances in the series, but you’re here to see Bryan Cranston’s Walter turn into Heisenberg and destroy everything he ever loved in the process. Drugs are bad, okay?
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