I had lunch with a few friends today, and part of our conversation turned to the various television shows that we watch. I was kind of shocked (and also embarrassed) to realize that between DVDs and regular primetime viewing, I watch about 12 different shows that are still on the air!! Yikes, I need to get a life or something here!
Anyway, we began talking about our favorite TV characters, those creations that we would love to know in “real life”. It was an interesting discussion, and I was surprised by some of the choices my friends made. They were likewise surprised by a few of my choices as well, but I think I picked some pretty likable (or at least interesting) people.
Dr. Gregory House: I jumped on the House love train a bit late, but it’s been full steam ahead ever since I saw the pilot about a year and a half ago. The main reason I tune into the show is to see what antics Greg House (played by Hugh Laurie) will get away with next. He’s brilliant, cares more about results than rules, and is almost always right. Admittedly, I don’t like the way the writers have been turning him into more and more of an ass with fewer redeeming moments, but hopefully that will change in Season 5. After all, the last two eps of S4 were positively heartbreaking and should move even a man like House to change — at least a little.
Barney Stinson: When I first started watching How I Met Your Mother, I couldn’t stand Barney, as portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris. He was more annoying than funny, and I liked the other characters far more. But he has slowly grown on me, and NPH has an uncanny ability to steal practically every scene he’s in. Now, I find myself more interested in a good Barney storyline and less interested in who Ted’s future wife is. And boy oh boy, can Barney wear a Hugo Boss suit or what?!
Shirley Schmidt: I watch Boston Legal on DVD, and am only on the third season right now, so things might very well have changed in the interim, but I think Shirley Schmidt is hands down the best female character out of all the shows I watch. She’s smart, successful, funny, and incredibly sexy — all at an age when most women would be thinking about nothing more than zoo outings with their grandchildren. Candace Bergen has been a favorite since Murphy Brown, so it’s not surprising that I like her in this role as well. What a fantastic character Shirley is; I hope the writers don’t mess with her too much!
Dr. Izzie Stevens: This is probably my most controversial choice, as most Grey’s Anatomy fans can’t stand the way Izzie’s character has developed over the past two seasons. While I do admit that I get just as exasperated with Izzie as everyone else does and while I know that there’s no way in HELL she would still be a doctor if Seattle Grace were anywhere near the real world in terms of medical malpractice laws, I still like the character. Perhaps it’s because everyone else on the show sucks or maybe it’s because I have a total girl crush on Katherine Heigl. Whatever the reason, I like Izzie, and now that she’s finally not with George anymore, I’m hoping her character gets back to the S1/early S2 version that I enjoyed so much.
Jack Bauer: As far as heroes go, Jack Bauer is probably the least appreciated. How many times has he saved the country from nuclear disaster and other terrorist threats? How many times has he saved the lives of Presidents and other heads of state? And yet through it all, he’s persecuted by bureaucrats who complain about all the little laws he breaks along the way. Sheesh! Personally, I’m all for Jack’s hard-line approach to interrogating suspects. Half the time, he just scares them into giving up info because he looks and sounds crazy enough to pull out a gun and start shooting right there in CTU. Oh, wait… he has done that before, hasn’t he? Heck, who cares! I say hand each suspect an adult diaper to cut down on the mess and let Jack loose. It’s a lot faster than waiting for “Johnson” to come in with the sodium pentathol — and you know that clock is always ticking!!