I'll get the descriptions for Homer and my pick 2 written tomorrow night or Tuesday. Pick 2: Prince Zuko Avatar: The Last Air Bender Matrim55, you're up.
Pick 2: Sam Malone Cheers He's the consummate jock, an ex relief pitcher who's handsome, athletic, petty, vain, ignorant and stupid. But he's also caring, empathetic and surprisingly insightful about the people around him. Sam takes losses hard and celebrates victories harder and is always on the brink of giving in to his vices. He's often so stupid he's smart, and whenever he tries to be smart, he's invariably stupid. I miss him and his bar quite a bit. @Ombak you're up.
With my second pick I take: Tony Soprano The Sopranos I'll add more tomorrow. Felixx219 is next (and I'll send a PM).
Wow, this is flying. Londo Mollari from Babylon 5 When the series first started, we find Londo in a rare moment of freedom. Born and raised in the conservative Centauri royal court, his vision is circumscribed by the weighty history of his empire's former greatness. But that greatness is gone and his responsibility is limited, and so he spends his time at the casino. Then he is given a choice - only it wasn't a choice. Given his position, his expectations, and the burden of Centauri history he could only have answered one way. But it leads him down a very dark road he didn't expect. The universe is plunged into turmoil and billions are killed and Londo can do nothing to stop it until the very moment before the destruction of his planet, when he has to kill his own Emperor and take power. Taking refuge on Babylon 5 while the turmoil in the royal court dies down, he again finds himself with a rare moment of freedom, and he becomes a powerful force for good. He forges peace with his enemies, unity among the worlds, and strength to the rebellion against the Earth dictator. Eventually he returns to take his place as Centauri emperor, but discovers that, as he was once chosen to bring about galactic war, he is now chosen to bring about the enemy's revenge against the Centauri. He is to be a prisoner in his own body from then on. The scene when he accepts his fate is the saddest point in the series. Babylon 5 is strongly based on prophesy, and I'm not a big fan of that as a literary device. But it really worked with Londo and his vision of his own death. He always saw it as the final battle between implacable foes, but it was just the opposite - the final redemptive act of a man whose life was written for him.
Through 2 rounds: Demosthenes Spock (Star Trek TOS) Walter White (Breaking Bad) Karloski Cosmo Kramer (Seinfeld) Bender Bending Rodriguez (Futurama) ASU55RR Homer Simpson (The Simpsons) Prince Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender) * Matrim55 Al Swearengen (Deadwood) Sam Malone (Cheers) Ombak Eric Cartman (South Park) Tony Soprano (The Sopranos) * Felixx219 Eric Taylor (Friday Night Lights) Cliff Huxtable (The Cosby Show) * spejic Faith (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) Londo Mollari (Babylon 5) Ismitje Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report, The Daily Show) Jean-Luc Picard (Star Trek: The Next Generation) *
Don't have time for a full write up, but to keep things moving, here's my third pick: Dana Scully from The X-Files Karloski you may proceed with your next pick.
I'm at work so gotta be quick...I'm going with.. Dr Richard Solomon 3rd Rock from the Sun Played Brilliantly by John Lithgow, he brings to life perfectly the childlike amazement of experiencing everything for the first time. He says and does what he thinks with hilarious consequences.
Can't really fault any of the picks so far, but I am surprised that the large majority of them have been from relatively recent TV shows. The "oldest" two characters so far come from shows that are still under 30 years old. It's a bit odd from the perspective that re-runs and syndication have opened up older shows to generations of new audiences.
You missed Spock. Star Trek: TOS is close to 50 years old. But in general, TV is much better now than it used to be. So it makes sense that more recent characters would be picked.
So about Picard - I might select him for this segment alone, from "The Inner Light" Then also, where would internet chat boards be without this Picard photo?
It's draft tradition to justify your pick in some way, if for no other reason than to inform people who may not be familiar with the pick. You only need a few sentences - Matrim55's comments are perfect and they are only 2-3 lines. I have a particular reason why mine are long, and are histories of the character instead of descriptions of why I like them. Hopefully it will be clear later.
People are generally going to take early what they think other people will pick and more recent characters are more likely to go first. Also, TV is much better now than it use to be. With the emergence of cable tv drama's, tv is just a hell of a lot better with more developed and complex characters. Personally, I have a hard time watching older television shows because they just arent up to par with shows like Breaking Bad or Homeland. It is probably also my preference for edgier material.
Write-up on Cliff Huxtable: In one of the world's best entertainers signature role, Bill Cosby, made Cliff Huxtable the perfect TV dad of the 80s sitcom era. Cliff was the type of parent most people wish they could be. He guided his army of children and subsequently grandchildren while having fun and doing so with his humorous personality.
I'll generally agree with Felixx here and point out that while people may have plenty of fondness for an old character there are just that many better characters today. Even if an old show is iconic it might be made up of superficial characters surrouding one charismatic performer or character. At any rate that's my general guess as to why overall there will be many more new characters (as well as the fact that they're just fresher in our memory).
I could think of several absolutely iconic characters from before 1970 -- characters who define the concept of "great/memorable television character." But I'll be honest: my emotional attachment to those characters isn't very strong. I understand their importance as cultural figures, and I understand their contributions to the medium of television. But I decided not to base my draft purely on who is most iconic or influential.
Personally, I don't think being iconic has anything to do with being a great character. I can think of lots of iconic figures from the 50's, 60's, and 70's which are considered stilted and one-dimensional by today's standards. Good characters need unique personalities and moral quandaries which is why the "edge" in modern shows is so conducive to producing those characters.
Inspired by the numerous Sci-Fi picks, my third pick is: Elim Garak Star Trek: Deep Space Nine The mysterious and intriguing back-story of the one Cardassian that remained on the station was enough to form an interesting character, and the eerie, yet gentle, charm that actor Andrew Robinson used in his portrayal of Garak added an additional layer of intrigue. Haven't forgotten my backlogged descriptions, will get those written tonight now that I have some time. Matrim55, you're up.
Descriptions: Homer: Thinking of a short description for Homer Simpson is difficult, as simply saying: "A boorish, frequently misguided and impulse-driven slob," or "a take on the average working-class American father," doesn't really do the character justice. Rather what makes Homer such a great character is something that has to be experienced over The Simpsons's ~10 great years (and not the 12 increasingly crappy ones). Zuko: While Homer was difficult to describe, Zuko was difficult to choose a quote for, since his character goes through so much development that a quote from season 1 would have little relevance to who he is in season 3. Introduced as a rather narrow single-minded character, he develops a lot of nuance as the series explores his tragic background and evolving journey. One trait that does follow him through the series is determination, Zuko is always stubbornly seeking his destiny.
Round 3 pick... Moe Syzlak The Simpsons All those things that make Sam Malone so great? Yeah, Moe has none of those. He's greedy, petty, rage-filled, uncharismatic, and ugly. Oh so ugly. The proprietor of an eponymous tavern, Moe displays both homicidal and suicidal tendencies. He is a rank misogynist prone to fits of vulgarity. He is a registered sex offender. He stalked Maud Flanders. He has done everything he could to bed Marge Simpson. He considers his patrons - who double as his only friends - the lowest form of scum on earth. The only thing he really loves is his kitty, Mr. Snookums. And that means he's all right with me: @Ombak you're up
Well, the sci-fi grabs have me worried but I really did not expect Garak to be swiped. Nice pick ASU So, I now owe you all a write-up for Tony Soprano and: Dr. Gaius Baltar Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi Channel/Ron Moore version) Felixx219, you're up.