Top Ten Tuesday: My Top Ten Favorite Television Characters

It’s Tuesday again and over at The Broke and the Bookish that means it’s time for another Tuesday Top Ten!

This week’s topic is a Top Ten Tuesday Freebie! Which, may have been more fun had I not cheated on the topic a few weeks ago ;-). BUT never fear! I love the idea of a challenge and coming up with my own unique top ten list. That and the freebie gives me a chance to jump away from books for a bit and channel my love for tv characters. ( You can blame Lauren @ The Housework Can Wait for the inspiration for this week’s list)

So, this week’s list is my Top Ten Favorite Television Characters (in no particular order):

1. Willow Rosenberg from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I love Buffy, a lot, and I think she’s a fantastic character, but Willow has always been the one who intrigued me most on the show. I also think she’s the one who grew the most and had the greatest character development over the course of the seven seasons. She goes from being an extremely nerdy, painfully shy girl who tries to remain invisible, to this powerful, confident and incredibly talented wiccan. Love her.

2. Hoban “Wash” Washburne from Firefly. Oh Wash. From the very first moment you appeared on the screen with your toy dinosaurs I was smitten with your character. And then, you captured my heart with your witty banter and clever comebacks. I wasn’t even disgusted by that thing you called a mustache when it appeared on your face in a flashback. Wash, you are delightful in every way possible.

3. Veronica Mars from Veronica Mars. Veronica is one of my top female characters of all time. She’s spunky and dedicated and puts up a tough exterior to make sure that no one can ever hurt her. But once someone is allowed past that façade they see how caring and sensitive she really can be. I love that she’s a flawed character and that she makes tons of mistakes, accuses the wrong people and just generally screws up sometimes. She’s human and she’s relatable and I think that’s why I love her so much. Also, her relationship with her father is one of my favorite father-daughter relationships ever.

4. CJ Cregg from The West Wing. I am still convinced that when I grow up I will get to be CJ Cregg. She is my ultimate female role model and I aspire to be like her in every way possible. She is incredibly intelligent and holds her own in a very male dominated world. She gives as good as she gets and she won’t let anyone, including the president, tell her that she can’t do something. Also, her secret service name is “Flamingo”. How can she not be awesome?

5. Admiral Bill Adama from Battlestar Galactica. I would follow Adama into the deepest, darkest depths of space. He commands loyalty and respect from his crew and it’s obvious that they don’t hesitate to give it. He makes difficult decisions and sometimes he made the wrong choice, but he is always honest it what he does. He inspires his crew even in the most bleak of situations and he loves them all as if they were his own children. He’s a fantastic character and one of the reasons I stuck with BSG til the very end.

6. Spike (or William the Bloody) from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Spike has always been my favorite vampire,from his first appearance in Sunnydale when he crashed through the sign to the last moments he battled side by side with Angel & Co. While I don’t deny the appeal of Angel, it was Spike’s snark and unapologetic attitude that drew me in. He consistently has some of the best lines in the show, walks the line between Evil and No-So-Very Evil with a swagger and keeps Buffy on her toes. One of my favorites scenes from all seven seasons is in the final episode of season seven,, between Buffy and Spike.

7. Joshua Lyman from The West Wing. He may well be my favorite tv character of all time. He’s witty and snarky, clever and quick, sweet and caring, attractive and he knows it. Josh is loyal and fights for his friends without really a second through for himself. He has some of the best lines from the entire seven seasons of the show and I often find myself quoting them in regular conversation. Joshua Lyman, why aren’t you the real deputy/chief of staff?

8. Captain Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly. Do I even need to explain why Captain Tightpants is one of my favorite characters? I mean, this is Malcolm Reynolds we are talking about, he’s a Big Damn Hero. He saves the Universe and things. He’s also super protective of his crew and loves them like family. His tough, trash talkin’ exterior is just there to hide his gooey, adorable marshmallow center. How can you NOT love Mal?

9. Seeley Booth and Temperance Brennan from Bones. These two are a package deal and I simply can’t pick one over the other (or choose one without the other). I love how these two characters balance each other out while at the same time they drive each other absolutely crazy. They just work together in a way that’s difficult for others to understand, but I think that’s why they make up one of the best crime solving duos on television.

10. Jason Walsh from The Unusuals. So, he was a in cop dramedy that was cancelled after a ten episode first season and I’ve only recently watched it in it’s entirely. So, it’s a bit odd that he made this list, however anyone that knows my deep-rooted love for Jeremy Renner will understand! Walsh is a standout cop who genuinely cares about the people on the force and the people he is trying to help, and he doesn’t care about the glory or the spotlight that some cops seem to crave. Also, he wears an apron and cooks in his “diner”. It’s adorable.

Honorable Mentions:
Rupert Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Really, how can you NOT like Giles? I mean, he wears tweed and he’s a librarian!
Lorelai Gilmore from Gilmore Girls.
Sydney Bristow from Alias – She’s a super spy! Isn’t this obvious?
Sam Seaborne from The West Wing – He’s so idealistic and hopeful. It’s almost contagious.
Jane Rizzoli from Rizzoli and Isles – I’d like to also be her. She’s so badass.