Okay, I know it's been awhile since I've done a top ten list, but I'm back, don't worry. I also know that this might sound like an obscure topic for a list, but bear with me; the cast can and most often will make or break a show. Are the actors good? Do they have good chemistry? Can you tolerate, let alone like, any of these characters? Those are the questions I asked myself when writing this.
A little heads up, in order to be eligible, the main cast must consist of at least four characters. In other words, sorry to The X Files, Sherlock, and Supernatural, but you didn't make the cut with your two leads (as awesome as they are). Doctor Who couldn't make the cut either because it's cast gets totally revamped every five years, so including it would be pretty confusing. Also, Arrested Development is not on this list because I haven't seen it.
10. Chuck
Starring:
Zachary Levi
Yvonne Starhovski (probably spelled that wrong)
Adam Baldwin
Joshua Gomez
Sarah Lancaster
Ryan McPartlin
Mark Christopher Lawrence
Vik Sahay
Scott Krinsky
Bonita Friedericy
What is the nerdiest show of all time? Many would argue the Big Bang Theory or the Guild. But I'm gonna have to say it's this; Chuck is the dramatically funny story of a nerd who becomes a boy who becomes a man who becomes a spy. Every character basically starts out as a (spy) movie cliche -the hitman, the femme fatale, the guy they're protecting, the worried sibling, and the moronic friend. Over the course of the show, they become somewhat human. And damn if it wasn't funny. All these actors are perfect for there roles, and they have what this show needed above all else: chemistry and comedic timing. What did Morgan say that didn't make you chuckle? Name one time Chuck and Sarah's relationship felt forced? When was Casey not awesome other then when he was praising Nixon? Plus, Jeff and Lester. 'Nuff said. Truth be told, the cast was the only thing the show had going for it in the horrendously bad final season.
9. Misfits (for the first two seasons, I mean)
Starring:
Robert Sheehan
Iwan Rheon
Lauren Socha
Antonia Thomas
Nathan Stewart-Jarret
Mathew McNulty
Imagine a show where you hate all of the characters. Now imagine that I'm not talking about It's Always Sunny In Philidelphia (didn't make the list, sorry). You've got Misfits, the darkly comedic story of five juvenile delinquents doing community service who get super powers after a being struck by lighting. And like I said, you pretty much hate all of them. You have Nathan, who takes sarcasm and foul-mouthedness to whole new levels, weird kid Simon, crude girl Kelly, hot girl Alisha, and Curtis. Oh, and the Super-Hoodie, don't forget about him. They're hilarious somehow, but you really can't stand them. These are the kinds of people who if you knew in real life, you'd punch in face. Granted, they do grow on you after a little bit, to the point where they seem slightly less awful. All these actors are great at being bad, too, and they work well together. I said up above "for the first two seasons", because Nathan left after season two, and season 3 just wasn't very good. And they've lost almost all of their original cast for season 4, so I doubt I'll even watch it. But the first two seasons were awesome in that weird way you can't describe.
8. That 70s Show
Starring:
Topher Grace
Mila Kunis
Ashton Kutcher
Danny Masterson
Laura Prepon
Wilmer Valderrama
If it was a 70s trope, one of these guys fit it. The comedic timing these actors had was almost unbelievable and you could actually believe that these people behave like this in real life. Plus, Tommy Chong!
7. Leverage
Starring:
Timothy Hutton
Gina Bellman
Christian Kane
Aldis Hodge
Beth Riesgraf
"Dammit Hardison!" "Dammit Elliot!" I know I've done my share of bagging on procedurals in the past, but this is the exception. And honestly, it was because of the cast, which includes some of the best actors on TV (Timothy Hutton anyone) giving there roles there all, and have pretty amazing chemistry. It's a show like no other, with characters like Hutton's generally drunken genius Nate Ford, Hodge's quirky, almost unbelievable nerdy computer hacker Hardison, Riesgraf's almost cartoonishly deluded thief Parker, and Kane's guy-who-could-kill-Dexter Morgan-but-won't Elliot. The only underdeveloped character is Bellman's Sophie, but in a show with this much personality and where an entire episode can't go by without everyone having a one-liner, someone is gonna get sold short. But the show's still awesome, or at least it was until season 4. But hey, that's TNT for you.
6. 30 Rock
Starring:
Tina Fey
Tracey Morgan
Jane Krakowski
Jack McBrayer
Scott Adsit
Judah Frielander
and Alec Baldwin
In case the words Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey didn't explain why this cast is awesome already, you've also Tracey Morgan playing himself but with a different last name, Kenneth, the man who's parents are technically brothers (no idea how that one works), the embodiment of wannabe stardom Jenna Maroney, and the unsung hero of the show, Dot Com! Everyone here rules, acts there ass off each episode, and at the very least make each other look funny.
5. The Office (through season 7 anyway)
Starring:
Steve Carrel
Rainn Wilson
John Krasinski
Jenna Fischer
Ed Helms
BJ Novak
Creed Bratton
Like Misfits, the show more or less fell to pieces after they lost the annoying wad of glue that held them together (Steve Carrel). But for the first seven seasons, the show boasted one of the best ensembles ever. Even when the episode sucked, the characters, played by some pretty hilarious people, could salvage things at least a little bit by being awesome. I'd give some examples, but seeing how this is probably the most quotable sitcom of all time, I'd probably start rambling. I'll say this though: Dwight, Creed, and Darryl are all winning.
4. Angel
Starring:
David Boreanaz
Charisma Carpenter
Glenn Quinn
Alexis Dennisof
J. August Richards
Amy Acker
Vincent Kartheiser
Andy Hallet
James Marsters
What started out as a three-character show quickly garnered an ensemble of well-nuansed, multi-layered characters. Seriously, the attention to character was awesome; the show killed off one of its leads ten episodes in, an the fan base collectively weeped. We shouldn't have cared that much, we barely knew the character, but the show made us care. It also took two characters you start out hating and makes you love them right up to the point where they get killed off. A lot of people died. All of these actors had great chemistry, and you really were rooting for them, even when they were all dying.
3. Seinfeld
Starring:
Jerry Seinfeld
Julia Louis Dreyfuss
Michael Richards
and Jason Alexander as George
Does this really require explanation?
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Starring:
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Nicholas Brendon
Alyson Hannigan
Charisma Carpenter
David Boreanaz
Seth Green
James Marsters
Emma Caulfield
Michelle Trachtonberg
Amber Benson
And Anthony Stewart Head as Giles
No one knows how to do an ensemble quite like Joss Whedon. The best known of his brain children featured constantly rotating cast of characters who you really felt for. Seriously, I don't think I've ever cared as much about a bunch of fictional characters as I have with this show, which is good, because at a certain point, if you don't care about these people, the whole show will be lost on you. But you'll care, trust me. And like Angel, by the time the show's over, a lot of them are totally different people. The cast's chemistry is always perfect too, probably because a lot of these people are best friends in real life...
1. LOST
Starring:
Matthew Fox
Evangeline Lily
Jorge Garcia
Terry O'Quinn
Naveen Andrews
Josh Holloway
Ian Somerhalder
Maggie Grace
Harold Perrineau
Malcolm David Kelley
Emilie de Ravin
Yunjin Kim
Daniel Dae Kim
Dominic Monaghan
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (can't pronounce that either)
Michelle Rodriguez
Cynthia Watros
Henry Ian Cusick
Michael Emmerson
Elizabeth Mitchell
Jeremy Davies
Ken Leung
Rebecca Mader
Nestor Carbonell
Jeff Fahey
Zuleikha Robinson
That's a lot of characters, I know. You'd think with this many series regulars, the show couldn't have possibly given them all equal screen time and development, right? WRONG! Pretty much the entire first season of the show, and a lot of the second, was used for character exposition and development. How'd they do it? Flashbacks. Literally every series regular had an episode centered around them in terms of flashbacks. No one is without layers, complexities, and vices. Some have tried to argue that LOST is the greatest show ever. I think that at the very least, it can be said that it's the greatest show ever in terms of characters, because they make everyone interesting. Some of these people, such as Desmond Hume, Mr. Eko, Daniel Faraday, John Locke, Ben Linus, Richard Alpert, and Juliet Burke, are some of my favorite characters from anything, ever. And when someone dies, which happens a lot, you really feel it. The actors are so good (I lost track of how many of them won Emmies) that you can't help but wonder why more of these people aren't huge movie stars. The show also had a habit of creating characters who served no purpose other then to die comically-like Frogurt!
What do you think killed him:
the arrow, or the irony?
This show was awesome for many reasons, and the characters were absolutely one of them. And as a result, only LOST could take the number one spot on this list.
So, what's your favorite TV show cast? Comment below, let me know
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