Tony Soprano- Is any explanation really necessary? The Sopranos was essentially an epic, operatic character study of a depressed, charming sociopath who charmed the audience as much as he repulsed them.
Hank Hill- King of the Hill has never gotten the respect it deserves, stuck in the shadow of The Simpsons, and then Family Guy, but Hank Hill has grown from a simple caricature of small-minded America, into a well-rounded voice of reason, and one of the relatively few convincing and sympathetic conservative characters on American television.
The Monarch- Everything he says is instantly quotable. The real reason why everyone should be watching The Venture Bros.
Pam Beesly- The obvious choices are Michael and Dwight, but for me, Pam is the heart of The Office. When she's sad, I get sad. When she finally dumped Roy, it felt like a personal victory for me. When her relationship with Jim hits an inevitable snag next season, I'll be depressed for a week.
David Brent- The other reason why I couldn't put Michael Scott on the list. Brent is a different character from what Michael Scott became, but he's the real gold standard for the obnoxious, completely lacking in self-awareness boss.
G.O.B. Bluth- "I've made a huge mistake". "Come ON!". "I heard that the jury is still out on science." and Franklin. As easy a pick as any character on this list.
David Fisher- I don't know why I like David more than Nate. I also just realized that I chose two characters played by the one Raleigh actor on the list, but there you are.
John Munch- Chosen in no small part to cover both Law and Order and Homicide, but you have to give it up to any character who has shown up on that many different shows (he even popped up on Arrested Development)
Lisa Simpson- Just about the only member of the Simpsons family who has managed to keep her dignity over the last eight seasons. I nearly chose Moe.
Eric Cartman- Everyone's favorite racist, anti-Semitic, occasionally murderous 4th grader.
Dexter Morgan- The other character played by Michael C. Hall on the list, and another sociopath. I'm wondering what that says about me.
Chloe O'Brian- Jack Bauer has seen some character development past the basic Tom Clancy spy who can do anything required of him, but it's still hard to think of him as a real person. Chloe on the other hand was money in the bank from her first snarky, occasionally off-putting appearance.
Gregory House- Probably the best dramatic character not to debut on HBO during the last decade, even when the show is hopelessly formulaic Hugh Laurie's portrayal of House demands attention be paid.
Ben Linus- Honestly, I've gotten sick of almost all of the survivors (Hurley and Sawyer are about the only exceptions) and Linus completely stole the fourth season, becoming as oddly sympathetic as he is manipulative and condescending.
Kara Thrace- I've grown a little weary of the single-minded, prophetic Starbuck of the recent episodes, but from her first appearance in the poker game (I've forgotten whatever name they came up with for cards in the future) Starbuck stole the show. And not just because she's so hot.
Dan Rydell- Less whiny than Casey ("Am I in love with Felicity Huffman? Let's drag it out over two seasons and never really get anywhere with the storyline" ) except when he starts talking about his dead brother.
Adrian Monk- He's become a complete cartoon character, but when Monk first began, the character was a flawed revelation of how to reinvent the tired "genius detective" character.
Liz Lemon- Alec Baldwin's Jack Donaghy would have also been a good pick, but Tina Fey gives Liz a touch of realism that Baldwin doesn't need to bother with. "Food network doesn't have a news show Jack".
Maggie Jacobs- I chose Maggie in part because I didn't want two Ricky Gervais characters, but she was often funnier than Andy Millman on the show, and in a weird way she was the more sympathetic character.
Bender- I probably should have chosen Fry, but Bender had so many of the show's best lines that I couldn't resist him.
Dana Scully- Probably the last character to make the list. I don't have much to say about Scully.
George Costanza- Seinfeld only barely made the list, because it barely scooted under the ten year demarcation. But George remains my favorite.
Ari Gold- "Who's Jeremy Piven?" "We don't know."- The Simpsons
Al Swearengen- I respect any character who can say "Cocksucker" that many times without the word losing all its meaning.
