My 50 Favourite TV Characters – Part 3

30. Oscar Leroy

Series: Corner Gas (CTV)
Portrayed by: Eric Peterson

Oscar Leroy is the cranky, old curmudgeon of Dog River, SK, and along with his cantankerous behaviour comes a lot of laughs. Oscar can be as giddy as a school girl one minute and then as grumbling as an old bear the next.

29. Sydney Bristow

Series: Alias (ABC)
Portrayed by: Jennifer Garner

Syd is a character with many different facets and one who elicits are empathy. Shes got a lot to deal with; shes a grad student as well as a double agent. She constantly has to juggle her separate between her work who doesn’t know her secret, her CIA handler, and her friends who have no idea about her secret life. Then there’s also her very complicated relationship with her parents. And we know that the only way Syd is able to handle all of this is because deep down inside her she is a truly good person.

28. Omar Little

Series: The Wire (HBO)
Portrayed by: Michael K. Williams

In the world of The Wire, Omar Little is a legend on the streets of Baltimore. He is notorious for robbing powerful drug dealers without fear. He’s one of those characters who lights up every scene he’s in, and I always look forward to any time he comes on screen.

27. Preston ‘Bodie’ Broadus

Series: The Wire (HBO)
Portrayed by: J.D. Williams

Its funny; in the first season, I really didn’t care for Bodie at all. But with the revolving door of characters in The Wire, Bodie became a pretty solid touchstone and a reliable constant. And after a while he really grew on me. And before I knew it, he was one of my favourite characters on the show.

26. Gareth Keenan

Series: The Office (BBC)
Portrayed by: Mackenzie Crook

Dwight may be one of the most outrageous characters on TV, but his British counterpart Gareth is just as outrageous but in a more realistic way. We never quite know whether to feel sorry for him or be disgusted with him, but which ever it is we’ve almost certainly laughing at him.

25. Pam Beesly

Series: The Office (NBC)
Portrayed by: Jenna Fischer

Why is Pam so high on the list? She’s not one of the overly funny characters on the show. No, but she is one of the most relateable and most charming. Yes this charm has worn off due to the smugness of her and Jim in this last season, but it was once there in full force. How can you not love Pam?

24. Kate Austin

Series: Lost (ABC)
Portrayed by: Evangeline Lily

This may anger Lost fans, as there has been a lot of anti-Kate sentiment over the last few years. I, however, have never felt that. Kate has always been one of my favourites. She and Jack are the core of the show, and Lily lays her so naturally and convincingly that I really do feel her struggles on that island.

23. Sam Seaborn

Series: The West Wing (NBC)
Portrayed by: Rob Lowe

Sam was one of the wittiest and smartest characters on The West Wing, among a cast full of smart and witty people. He was brilliant and idealistic and we loved him for it. He could be sentimental and ruthless all in the same day, but above all he was a visionary who brought promise of a better democracy to TV viewers everywhere. When Rob Lowe left the series half way through, the entire tone of the show changed. It takes a powerful character to do that.

22. Tim Canterbury

Series: The Office (BBC)
Portrayed by: Martin Freeman

The character of Tim is actually one of the most well-rounded characters in The Office (both of them really), yet you wouldn’t know that at first glance. Tim represents the 30 year old male who is really quite frightened in committing to any one path in his life. He is truly in a rut and though he wishes to get out of it, he is too scared to take the risk to do so.
Besides that, he’s funny as hell and his romantic tension with Dawn is played masterfully.

21. Dr. Gaius Baltar

Series: Battlestar Galactia (SCI-FI)
Portrayed by: James Callis

Gaius Baltar was once the evil count who controlled the Cylon race, but in the new and improved Battlestar his character is much more complex and far more interesting. Baltar is one of the most selfish men on television and very eccentric besides. He continues to see visions of the female Cylon who tricked him into betraying the human race and his odd behaviour is always fun to watch. He is a great villain mostly because we’re never sure whether he is actually a villain or not, and he’s never sure about that either.