Culture of Pop

The Best Characters on TV Right Now: 70-61

It’s time for the next installment in my list of the best characters on TV right now. I pulled from a wide range of TV shows to find the characters that fascinate and entertain me the most. Here are my picks for 70-61. Be sure to check out 80-71, 90-81 and 100-91.

70. Annalise Keating (How to Get Away with Murder)

Annalise Keating is revealed to be more and more fascinating as the series unfolds. At first she seemed like a strong, smart and unstoppable mentor. She is definitely still strong and smart, but it’s been wonderful pulling back layers of flaws and vulnerabilities.

69. Beverly Goldberg (The Goldbergs)

Overbearing mother Beverly Goldberg is the heart of The Goldberg‘s comedy. She lands the most punchlines, but is also the most sympathetic character. As embarrassing as she can be, she’s a loving person who is a joy to watch.

68. Jimmy McGill (Better Call Saul)

Jimmy was something of a comic relief character on Breaking Bad, but he shines as the central character in his own drama. It’s impossible not to feel for him through each of the stumbling blocks the show throws at him.

67. Quinn King (UnREAL)

Quinn is equal parts villain and inspiration. She’s the catalyst for all of Rachel’s problems, yet their relationship is also the heart of the show. She’s wonderfully evil but never so much that you’re not invested in her.

66. Miles Hollingsworth (Degrassi: Next Class)

Miles fits a somewhat common archetype– you can see plenty of Chuck Bass in his rich bad boy ways. But, there’s something incredibly earnest in truthful in the way Miles is written and acted that I’ve never really seen before. In a TV landscape where it’s extremely common for teen characters to look and act like adults, Miles really stands out for always feeling like a real teenager, even if the drama is dialed all the way up. The show has found a perfect tone where Miles’ issues with his father, rather than feeling like an overused dramatic well, feel fresh because they’re handled with a rare emotional honesty.

65. Dre Johnson (black-ish)

Dre rides an impressive line. Obviously, the audience is meant to laugh at how out of hand the antics get when he reads into everything, but at the same time, his belief that racism is everywhere is true and so the audience also identifies with him on a deeply resonant level. A less well-written show would have a lot of trouble achieving this, but black-ish makes it seem almost effortless.

64. Sue Heck (The Middle)

The eternally optimistic Sue has been one of the most emotionally resonant characters on TV for six years now and she’s the biggest reason The Middle‘s audience is still passionate about the show. It would be so easy for the show to get the audience to laugh at her for being pathetic, but instead we’re laughing because we’ve been there. She’s a survivor and, at the end of the day, she’s really more inspiration than cautionary tale.

63. Rachel Zane (Suits)

Suits had a very difficult challenge in writing Mike Ross’s love interest. Rachel is smart and independent and deeply principled, yet the story calls for her to overlook and sacrifice a lot out of her love for Mike. They’ve managed to achieve this without throwing her character out the window. It’s been an interesting journey that has made for some great, emotional television.

62. John Diggle (Arrow)

Diggle is the ultimate protector and his love for the other characters is a huge part of the show’s emotional core. He’s a complex character whose backstory and development are just as rich as the protagonist’s.

61. Wilson Fisk (Daredevil)

Daredevil‘s villain ended up being the stand out part of the show. His romance with Vanessa was easily the most entertaining part of Daredevil‘s first season and his backstory provided the material for the best episode.

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