For the longest time, television had hooked viewers into this pretend world with a bunch of quirky, flawed characters and showcased some of the indelible ones in entertainment history. Come take a walk with us down memory lane for some of the TV shows’ best-written characters by the best script writers whose complexity and depth were left in remembrance by so many viewers from all around the world.
Walter White, Breaking Bad (Vince Gilligan):
What Bryan Cranston has done with Walter White, the high school teacher who goes into methamphetamine manufacture, is mesmerizing beyond belief. For there are few series that show the protagonist first appearing and being somewhat of an ordinary family person but then seen advancing ferociously into becoming a drug kingpin; he’s a hybrid of meekness and absurdity with very poor intentions. White himself is a character study in human nature’s complexity, a true form of excellent story power.
Walter White is a triumph of television writing, how complex his personality is, his capacity for good and evil makes him a character that audiences will never forget him and will continue to be a topic of debate.
https://youtu.be/wMEq1mGpP5A?si=3jKIDNJHP7yVqfKL
Tony Soprano – The Sopranos (David Chase):
James Gandolfini’s portrayal of Tony Soprano, a New Jersey mob boss with problems balancing his criminal empire with his personal difficulties, gives a work of art in character development. Tony’s internal conflict, mental duress, and moral ambivalence release the best—or worst—within him as a deeply flawed but still part-endearing protagonist. Any soul journeying through these treacherous waters that define the world of Tony will be faced by none other than power, loyalty, and all that has to stand up, rude, in the name of Truth.
Tony Soprano’s development as character is a tribute to the power of complex storytelling, his portrayal as family man and loving father who is deep inside the dark world of crime creates a captivating persona, leaving the audience to get to their own interpretation of his personality and his actions.
https://youtu.be/9EakBKZvfSo?si=soCKHTlwU76hrm1P
Liz Lemon – 30 Rock (Tina Frey):
Tina Fey’s character, Liz Lemon, is the triumph of the mind and the ability to relate to the most common people. She embodies quick wit, incredibly sharp-tongued, self-deprecating comic redemption, which makes her one of the modern TV icons. Probably making her beloved and relatable with the public in her own kind, viewers laugh along with Liz’s misadventures in love and her commitment to her career, surely finding themselves reflected in the struggles and triumphs of this girl.
Without a single doubt this character’s personality lies on its relatability, she is the flawed, stressed out and cheese obsessed friend everyone would want to have.
https://youtu.be/9dYW_m5I074?si=s2XOU567mD-pLjCo
Don Draper – Mad Men (Matthew Weiner):
It stars Jon Hamm in a multi-layered role as Don Draper, a rather mysterious but brilliant creative director of a Madison Avenue ad agency. Viewers get to see peeling layer after layer of his carefully constructed front and into a man wrestling not only with identity and ambition but also with existential angst. Draper is a ‘contradiction’—a deeply flawed yet enigmatic personality whose journey not only self-justifies but reaches out and touches the audience at the same level.
https://youtu.be/KkJJJOumJ7I?si=HPaMCY3slbxSx442
Leslie Knope – Parks and Recreation (Nick Offerman):
Poehler essays Leslie Knope, the sunny, indefatigable deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department in fictional Pawnee, Indiana. Warm, passionate, and ambitious to a fault, Leslie Knope has an unwavering belief that she can effect positive change for her community. Watch as Leslie tirelessly muscles her way forward with resilience, warm-heartedness, and an indomitable spirit.
Leslie Knope is more than just a funny character, we see her as a symbol of hope, perseverance, and how powerful it is to always believe in a better tomorrow.
https://youtu.be/JLhO2gazhWU?si=hYQOebpviT0bL85j
Omar Little – The Wire (David Simon):
Michael K. Williams’ Omar Little, a charismatic yet feared stick-up man on the streets of Baltimore, an enigmatic character given to myriad contradictions, might be best compared to a study in contrasting elements. Vehemence, discipline, and a steady moral compass sting where it hurts the most when those who possess the majority fail to self-regulate. As one follows through with the gritty urban landscape of The Wire, he is drawn into the orbit of Omar, captured by the conflict and allure.
https://youtu.be/UmtuRRhtGQw?si=Ofoe7_YIGjbU_cMS
Daenerys Targaryen – Game of Thrones (George R. R. Martin):
Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen does, after all, give the exiled princess-turned-Mother of Dragons a heartening portrayal—wow. She is the force of resilience and determination. And in watching the life of how she grows from a vulnerable girl to an absolute leader, every viewer will be inspired by her indestructible mission for justice and freedom and faith in herself. Daenerys Targaryen represents everything that goes against and outside the familiar outlook, leaving a strong mark on Westeros and abroad.
The mother of dragons is a multi faceted character who is a villain and a hero at the same time, she is a very complex and contradictory character that continues to captivate audiences
https://youtu.be/i-rpIdDAeSo?si=3_P5IJvucLeXOolI
All of them make these characters, through their qualities and flaws, part of the pinnacle of television storytelling. This tapestry of life that viewers feel themselves immersed in, taking its powerful impulses for changed provocation and thought, vibrates deeply among audiences worldwide. In the modern world script writers have it easier when it comes to creating the best written characters with all the tools we have such as script calculators, character counters, word to time and many more, so don’t hesitate in creating your own iconic characters!
