My Top Ten Favorite TV Characters Of All Time

While I'm no Alan Sepinwall, I do like to think that I watch an unhealthy amount of television. And to me, there's nothing more important to a TV show than its characters. Here's a list of my favorite TV characters of all time. Do any of mine make your list?

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10. Bruh Man from Martin

Bruh Man (From the 5th flo) was just another crazy character in a show with a multitude of crazy characters (Many of whom who were played by Martin Lawrence himself). But Bruh Man was different, and any time he'd come through Martin's window uninvited, you knew something insane but hilarious was going to come out of his mouth. Definitely my favorite character on the show. No question.

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9. Sailor Mars from Sailor Moon

The feistiest of all the Sailor Scouts, Sailor Mars was like the Raphael (The Ninja Turtle, not the painter) of the group. She wouldn't take crap from Sabrina and was definitely the hottest of all the scouts with her black hair and red miniskirt. In later years, I found that I would flock to bad girls like Sailor Mars, but I would never hook up with them. They just weren't my type. Only on TV, only on TV.

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8. Proposition Joe From The Wire

Most people would probably cite Omar or Stringer Bell as their favorite character from The Wire, but, nope, not me. That position would go directly to Prop Joe, who was always my favorite character on the show. I just loved everything about him. I loved his nuggets of wisdom, his hair style, and even the way he would lean back in his seat, like a boss, and intertwine his fingers on his gut. He was a background character to be sure, but an important one. I would always smile whenever he made an appearance on the show. RIP, big dog.

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7. Raphael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Raphael was cool, but rude (Gimmie a break!), which is the reason why I loved him. Growing up in the 80s and 90s, the turtles played a huge part in my life, and Raphael was my absolute favorite. He was the rebel, the jerk, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Leonardo was definitely the leader, but Raphael was the one I always pretended to be on the playground. Gotta love those sais.

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6. Al Bundy from Married With Children

Looking back, I honestly can't believe my dad used to let me watch Married With Children when I was younger, but I'm glad he did, because I got to see one of the greatest TV dads in modern history was Al Bundy. Al was a true man of his era, and he was proud of it. Whether he was talking about scoring the final touchdown in high school or complaining about the fat chicks at his job, Al Bundy was always captivating and hilarious to watch. No, Peg.

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5. Brisco from The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.

While I know it's cool to love Firefly and Captain Malcolm Reynolds, I'll take Brisco Country Jr. any day of the week over it. You may ask, why I would make such a comparison, but I make it for a number of reasons. One is because both Firefly and Brisco County were westerns (Firefly was just a western in space), and two, it's debatable who's the better cult hero--Nathan Fillion or Bruce Campbell, and for my money, I'd going with Bruce Campbell. This was the TV role that defined him and it's why Brisco County is one of my favorite TV characters of all time. You can never get enough of the chin.

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4. Jack Bauer from 24

Before it got terrible, I used to LOVE 24. Absolutely love it. And the reason behind that love was squarely because of Jack Bauer, who was the toughest SOB on network TV. He would torture people to get what he needed and you just knew he'd make it out alive in the end. He even beat heroin in a single day. Jack Bauer, you're so cool.

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3. Homer Simpson from The Simpsons

The Simpsons might be all but unwatchable now, but back in its heyday, it was the best show on TV, bar none. And behind the laughter was Homer Simpson, who was the most dysfunctional father on television. What makes Homer so great is that he's such a moron, but entirely lovable at the same time. You can't hate him no matter what he does, even if it's strangling his own son. No other character in television history could get away with that before him. He's America's favorite dummy, a monkey that can talk.

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2. Tony Soprano from The Sopranos

Probably the most complex character to ever grace TV (Outside of my number one pick), Tony Soprano had issues, and that's why America loved him. Sure, he was the head of a NJ crime family, but what made people take notice was that Tony had probably more problems at home than he did in running his business. Played straight by James Gandolfini, Tony Soprano was fascinating in every single aspect of the word. RIP, Gandolfini. Your legacy will live on forever in your portrayal of Tony Soprano.

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1. Walter White from Breaking Bad

Anybody who knows me would have known this pick was coming a mile away. Walter White is the greatest character in television history because he had the most growth over the course of his five seasons. From mild-mannered teacher to child-poisoning scumbag, Walter White showed that every man has a dark side. It's the choice that matters, and Walter White made some of the worst and most intriguing ones. Best. Character. Ever.

Why the Breaking Bad Series Finale Was "Just Okay"

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As always, I'm in the minority again. For those who don't know me and are reading my work for the first time, this always happens to me. I wind up disliking something that [almost] everybody loves. I'm not trying to be a Contrarian, honestly, I'm not. It's just that my opinions don't usually jive well with others. So with that said, heed that as a warning for what I'm about to say next: The Breaking Bad finale was just okay and bordering on offensive. And do you want to know why it was borderline offensive? Well, it's because it took the easy way out, that's why.

Now, I'm sure I'm not the first person to say that today, as many people actually liked that the show took the easy way out and in turn, had closure. Nobody, except me, maybe, wanted an ambiguous Sopranos-esque finale last night, as everybody wanted the story to be wrapped up in a nice, little bow. And that's what show-runner and creator, Vince Gilligan did. He (Oh, and spoiler alert, by the way) killed off Walt because, well, Walt had to go, right? I mean, he was dying of cancer anyway. So why not off after committing one final good deed by saving Jesse? People like redemption stories, right? Well, here's yours, Walter White! What a nice guy!

But no, stop for a second. That's not fair. Or rather, it's actually too fair. Breaking Bad became my favorite show because it was so morally ambiguous. Many people, even to the very end, actually liked Walter White. They wanted to see him succeed and come out on top. But on the other side of the fence, you had those who wanted, nay, needed to see Walter White die. It wouldn't be a proper send-off if he got to live for the dastardly deeds he committed. But here's where I think the finale was offensive in its conclusion--it actually picked a side. And not only did it pick a side, but it picked the most predictable and anti-climatic one possible. This is a show that thrived on taking viewer expectations and throwing them out the window, but even it took the easy way out. Have Walt ultimately die in a meth lab, and revel in the splendor of its symbolism--Ooh, ooh, he died where he belonged! With his precious, precious meth. Hooray! Closure!

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And while I understand why people like this conclusion, I think it goes against the unconventional nature of the show. If any series deserved to leave its viewers feeling lost and deprived at the end because of a lack of a "proper" send-off, it was Breaking Bad. I'm not pretending that I could make an even better ending than the one we got last night. But Breaking Bad has consistently shown me that it is way smarter than me, and the ending we got last night is the kind of hackneyed, obvious finale that I probably would have written--Walt changes his mind, saves Jesse, and ends up losing his life protecting him in a very paternal fashion. And to top it all off, he staggers and dies in a meth lab while the cops are on their way. I mean, come on! Is that really the conclusion we deserve after having our emotions swirled about like egg yolks in a measuring cup these past few years? And what I hate most is people saying that "It couldn't end any other way." Uh, sure it could have. It could have ended a number of different ways. The thing is, what bothers me is that I didn't want to be able to come up with any of them, and Walt dying to protect Jesse was definitely one of them. But alas, I guess all "Bad" things must come to an end, and even if it's actually a bit of a "happy" ending, I guess I can live with it. Oh, well. I still stand by my assessment. Breaking Bad is the Best. Show. Ever. I just wish the ending was better. I guess it could have been worse. I'm just trying to figure out how, right now.