They say that the whole is the sum of all of its parts. By that logic, I suppose that there really is no such thing as a great TV show — only great characters.
So in an effort to determine the best of the best, I’ve set out to compile these 10+ TV characters who had the best storylines ever.
Dwight K. Schrute from *The Office*.
Question: why is Dwight the best character from The Office ? Answer: Because he’s a paper-pushing, beet-farming, proverbial prank victim that answers to no one — idiot!
It kills me that we will never get to see his failed spin-off, The Farm .
Charlie Kelley from *It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia*.
Do you remember when Charlie wrote, “The Nightman Cometh”, for the gang to perform? And in the end, it turned out to be one giant musical rouse to ask The Waitress on a date?
That’s just one of the countless examples as to why Charlie is the Rat King.
Richard Harrow from *Boardwalk Empire*.
When we first meet Richard, he’s little more than a silent assassin.
But as the series progresses, we come to learn that this man wasn’t born a monster, he was made that way through the trials of war.
The Trinity Killer in *Dexter*.
Season 4 is Dexter at its absolute finest. For the first time, Dexter encounters someone whose skills surpass his own.
But beyond that, The Trinity Killer has found a way to appear completely and totally normal! Something that Dexter covets with extreme consequences.
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Robin Scherbatsky in *How I Met Your Mother*.
Robin Scherbatsky would still be great if she was nothing more than the gun-toting, scotch-swilling, poker-playing hoser that she is.
The fact that she also happens to be a former Canadian pop princess is just the maple syrup on the cake.
Nicholas Brody in *Homeland*.
Brody was the best part of Homeland , hands down. For the majority of the entire first season, you really didn’t know if he was good or bad.
After he met his end, it was all downhill from there.
Ron Swanson in *Parks And Recreation*.
You might think of him as Parks Department manager, Ron Swanson. But to me, he will always be Duke Silver: the silver-tongued jazz master from Pawnee.
Ron’s disdain for government and apathy toward his job was one of the most enjoyable elements of Parks and Rec . But his smooth jazz is what I’ll always remember.
Gustavo Fring in *Breaking Bad*.
Season 3 of Breaking Bad is really when things begin to hit their stride, thanks largely to Gustavo Fring.
There was never a more intimidating or paradoxical villain than Gus. He pushed Heisenberg further than any past or future foil.
Patrick Brewer in *Schitt’s Creek*.
If you don’t agree that David Rose and Patrick Brewer are the love story of the decade, then you are a robot.
Patrick helped open David’s heart, allowing him to see for the first time what truly matters in his life.
Arya Stark in *Game Of Thrones*.
What do we say to the god of death? “Not today.”
Arya sure has come a long day since her water-dancing lessons. Seeing her slowly become one of the most deadly assassins in the Seven Kingdoms was beyond satisfying.
Her battle with Brienne of Tarth was legendary.
Ian Gallagher in *Shameless*.
When Shameless began, Ian was still in the closet. In a family full of lunatics and criminals, he seemed to be the only sane one in the bunch.
But shortly after entering into his relationship with Mickey, signs of Ian’s wavering psychosis begin to show. His struggles are the highest and lowest point of the series.
Spartacus in *Spartacus: Blood and Sand*.
Spartacus was a real person. He was sold into slavery, became a gladiator, and eventually led a slave army comprised of more than 130,000 soldiers against Rome .
Blood and Sand tells the tale of how a slave that became a gladiator; of a gladiator that defied an empire.
Angela Abar in *Watchmen*.
Why is Angela Abar the greatest part of Watchmen ?
Maybe it’s the fact that watching her memory-hop is one of the greatest uses of cinematography in TV history. It could be that she may or may not be Dr. Manhattan.
Or maybe it’s because she just looks so damn cool?
Eleven from *Stranger Things*.
I know this isn’t a popular opinion, but I would have been fine if Stranger Things stopped after season one.
Discovering Elle’s origins, fighting the Memagorgon; that to me is the pinnacle of Stranger Things .
Phoebe Buffay from *Friends*.
No matter what, Phoebe always managed to find herself in one zany circumstance after the other.
Although, the time that she sang her “songs of truth” to preschool kids definitely ranks high on the list.
