LogFAQs > #947554995

It's strange that I became such a passionate devotee to the medium of television given that I began my life by-and-large committed to reading. Somewhere along the way, reading became this anchor in school, and the joy of it became a chore, and I guess in late high school, I began to find myself escaping away into the small screen and video games more and more often. In college, I spent most of my free time watching movies; however, at this stage of my life, television is my favorite hobby. I think we're just now exiting a golden age of television. For years and years, networks have been raising the bar and upping the ante when it comes to excellent, serialized storytelling. The bubble seems to be bursting as a glut of streaming services are desperate to convert existing properties into evergreen material for themselves, and as such, the pool is diluted with too much, and the quality across the board suffers.

Still, the history of television has churned out a host of excellent characters over time. In fact, this list really won't do the medium justice in the slightest. Really, this is a conglomeration of my personal favorite characters and nothing else. You'll see major names omitted, for example. Be prepared for a lack of Walter White and George Costanza, neither of which have ever really resonated with me (and in Costanza's case, was topped by a better version of the character a few years after the final episode of Seinfeld). Be prepared for bizarre niche picks that no one knows about, much less cares about. This list is indicative of only one thing, and that is what my personal viewing habits look like.

As to why we're ranking 108, the reason is simple: Suikoden taught me to believe that a list isn't complete without that auspicious 108th entry. So there we go. Blame Steiner, who gave me the idea.

Another minor note: this list does not include any animated shows. I feel like that could be another list, at another time, but for now, my focus is on live-action television.

In any event, before we get started tomorrow with the big list, here is a little bit of trivia. 86 shows are represented on this list, with 18 receiving two or more spots. Only two shows landed three or more characters on the list, and one of those shows sits head and shoulders above the rest with a massive five representatives. Feel free to make your guesses as to which shows are the multi-reps! I'll give you a hint: Big Bang Theory was snubbed.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful