TV IN 2021 IS NOT WHAT IT WAS IN 2000. When this century started, “streaming” was something which referred to a river not a way to watch TV shows as well as movies. Over the 20 years that followed, the medium has gone through a number of different golden ages, as difficult men dramas paved the way to complicated women sagas as well as the growth of streaming services flooded our screens with far too much TV.
It’s with all of this firmly in mind that we set about debating out this list of the absolute best television characters of the 21st century, an agonising endeavour which will certainly make some readers very angry. And yet we marched ahead with this fool’s errand as TV has never been more vital. We’ve realised this while sitting at home for the past few months, holding our Netflix subscriptions close to our hearts and bingeing all that we are able to quiet the chaos of the world outside.
Looking at the characters that we’ve chosen, you are able get a good sense of how tastes as well as formats have changed over the past 20 years in addition to just how vast the landscape has become. We’ve really attempted to include a little bit of everything:
- Animation,
- Sketch comedy,
- prestige dramas, and
- network sitcoms.
Tina Belcher (Bob’s Burgers)
Voiced by Dan Mintz
Tina Belcher was an immediate phenomenon when Bob’s Burgers came onto FOX in 2011. Case in point: There have been a lot of Bob and Linda couple costumes being seen during Halloweens since, a fair amount of Louises with her unmistakable pink bunny ear hat, however it’s costumes of Tina, who is the eighth grade horse girl that is voiced by comedian Dan Mintz who pens erotic fiction and loves boys’ butts, which feel most long lasting.
Not like other characters on this list, she surpasses her show: She’s a meme, a twerking reaction GIF, a long “uunnnggghhhh” noise, a relatable mood board. Even if you haven’t seen the TV show, you almost certainly haven’t escaped the reach of Tina Belcher’s awkward and horny budding teenage mind.
Frank Underwood (House of Cards)
The one American President (at least in a fictional environment) to make this list, Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood is good at nought if not getting individuals on his side with a charming approach to conversations – he speaks directly to his audiences, no matter what side of the screen they sit or stand. Sure thing, he’s not always the most trustworthy husband or boss, however TV viewers are neither married to him nor employed by him. We just love seeing how he works as it’s usually with an iron thumb and the oval office surrounding him. Heaven help us if someone like Frank Underwood ever actually makes it to the White House in real life!
Jack Bauer (24)
If this list handed out faux superlatives, Bauer would be the unanimous pick for “Worst Person to Mess With.” The unhinged off-and-on federal agent sought justice and righteousness. Sure, sometimes his methods were, best-case scenario, unethical. However he fought and investigated for his family and trusted his gut. In a world of moles, he (together with partner-in-crime Chloe O’Brien) was the only CTU employee guaranteed to not be on the take. We owe him eight times over for all his prevention efforts.