15. William Adama, Battlestar Galactica
Who are they? The commanding officer aboard the Battlestar Galactica, military leader to the last remnants of humanity, and father to the headstrong Viper pilot Lee Adama.
Why do we love them? Bill Adama is the guy you want when a tough decision needs to be made. He's the strong, stoic, sometimes stern father figure to the entire crew of Galactica, shepherding his troops and giving them the motivation they need to press on through increasingly dire circumstances as the Cylons continuously close in on the fleet. Edward James Olmos is a master at oscillating between a hardened military veteran shouting orders amidst chaos, and a lovable ol' teddy bear grunting out words of comfort or chuckling into a glass of whiskey during quieter moments. Adama's also the perfect counterpart to President Laura Roslin: they're both wise, noble, and principled leaders, even if their ideals sometimes clash.
Defining moment/scene: In season 2's mid-season finale Pegasus, Adama is locked in a standoff with Admiral Helena Cain, the commander of the newfound Battlestar Pegasus. Cain's just ordered the execution of two of Adama's top men, who accidentally killed a Pegasus crewmember while stopping him from committing a heinous crime. In a brusque, authoritative tone, Adama demands the need for a proper trial. When Cain doesn't comply, Adama orders the deployment of Viper fighters, effectively putting his foot down and asking nicely one last time that his troops be handed over. "I don't take orders from you," Cain seethes. "Call it whatever you like. I'm getting my men," Adama cooly replies, perfectly conveying the decisiveness determination he has when it comes to protecting his people. Lucas Sullivan
Read more: 5 ways to do the Battlestar Galactica movie right
14. Captain Malcolm Reynolds, Firefly
Who are they? He’s the war hero who fought on the wrong side… sorry, the losing side, and became a starship Captain, so he’d never have to be under the foot of anybody ever again. Along with a ragtag band of loyal crew members, he works as a smuggler (among other things) and tries to stay off the grid as much as possible.
Why do we love them? Not many people can pull off braces. Especially not in space. Especially not while being threatening… or at least, pretending to be threatening because really they’re a good guy. Mal can pull of braces, and he does it with a mixture of fierce loyalty for his crew and badass criminal activity, that’s just oh so charming. You don’t want to mess with this guy, but he knows what’s right and he’ll fight you for it with a joke on his lips and a twinkle in his eye.
Defining moment/scene? Out of Gas is Mal’s defining episode (yes, I’m picking a whole episode, ok?). Not only does it include flashbacks which show how his crew (see: family) found each other and why he chose this life in the first place, but it showcases every aspect of his character with brilliant clarity. Basically, everything we love about him - his strength, his loyalty, his determination, his love, even his stubbornness… and at the end, it shows how he’s valued by all the other characters in the series when his crew return to him. Lauren O’Callaghan
13. Walter White, Breaking Bad
Who are they? The meek and mild high school science teacher turned accidental drug baron, whose criminal career is kickstarted by an inability to pay for cancer treatment, before becoming an all-consuming obsession.
Why do we love them? If there's ever been a more powerful, detailed, believable, or complete evolutionary character arc over multiple seasons of a show, then... Well, there just hasn't. Walt's ascent (descent?) from hapless desperation to justifiable anger, to rage, to brutal, calculated professionalism and clinically intelligent, merciless self-empowerment, is a stunningly crafted drip-feed of character growth. Far more than a simple, gradual shift in morality, the change feels like a multi-faceted, living thing, fed by a million little moments and decisions (conscious and otherwise), and expressed, explored, and explained by richly thoughtful writing and an unfathomably nuanced central performance. By the end, it will be impossible to say for sure whether Heisenberg was Walter White's alter-ego, or just his real self finally allowed to come out.
Defining moment/scene? The moment that Walt lets business partner - and only loyal friend - Jesse's girlfriend, Jane, choke to death in her sleep. He barely makes a move, doesn't make a sound, and isn't even technically responsible, but the unspoken decision-making process is loud like a shotgun blast. Observation and opportunism melting into a monstrous, self-serving choice, from which there is no way back. David Houghton
Read more: Let Netflix convince you that The Walking Dead is a sequel to Breaking Bad
12. Don Draper, Mad Men
Who are they? Don Draper is an ad man extraordinaire, embodying every twisted fantasy of what you’d imagine that role to be. He likes whiskey, women, and other sensory delights, but also has a strong moral compass. It just may not swing to the same true north as yours.
Why we love them: This show is all about identity. Don Draper’s journey is about the vision you have for yourself and all the contortions and machinations it takes to keep living that vision. Yet Don plays a part every day at work, but the same questions about which parts of him are the mask and which are his real self seep into his time outside the nine to five. You’re never quite sure who he really is, because he’s still figuring that out himself. We may not like asking ourselves the same questions Mad Men poses, but at least Jon Hamm’s star performance makes that soul-searching easy on the eyes.
Defining moment/scene: “What you call love was invented by guys like me…to sell nylons.” That heartbreaker of a line from the first season sums up a lot of the show’s ethos and what to expect from Don. Anna Washenko
11. Sawyer, Lost
Who are they? Born James Ford, but best known as Sawyer, this heartthrob of Lost was a con artist before (and after) the crash on the island.
Why we love them: He’s a classic rogue with a soft side, a stock character we’ve seen in countless science fiction and fantasy worlds. Even when he’s got good intentions, you’re never quite sure you can trust him. Over the course of the show, he transforms from a revenge-focused jerk into a man willing to sacrifice everything for someone he cares about. Sure, we’ve heard that tune before. But rogues like Sawyer never go out of style.
Defining moment/scene: The Long Con, an episode from season 2, shows just how devious Sawyer can be to get what he wants. He puppeteers friend and enemy alike to gain control over the all-important stash of guns, giving him immediate authority over the group. It’s a master manipulation that shows that Sawyer is the expert of the unexpected and not to be trifled with. Anna Washenko
Read more: 20 of TV's most loveable rogues
10. Dr Robert Ford, Westworld
Who are they? The creator and controller of Westworld, a futuristic theme park where the robot inhabitants are near indistinguishable from the human guests who pay big money to spend time with them.
Why we love them: Westworld season 1 is Robert Ford. He’s pulling the strings of the whole season, from the very first episode onwards. Few TV performances can match Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of the manipulative, calculating genius, as he constantly stays one step ahead of both the other characters in the show and the audience itself, delivering surprises, shocks and quiet moments of revelation in almost every episode. While the plot of Westworld is wonderfully smart, Robert Ford absolutely carries the show through to the thrilling climax, the culmination of his ‘new narrative’ a perfect ending to one of 2016’s most exciting shows, and an absolute masterclass in acting from one of the world’s best.
Defining moment: It’s a dead heat between his manipulation of Bernard into killing his lover, Theresa, or the end of his new narrative in the final episode, where Ford’s speech finishes in perfect synchronicity with Dolores’ assassination of him. It’s the moment that perfectly sums up Ford’s immaculate plan, executed without hitch from the start of Westworld to the very end. Andy Hartup
Read more: Everything you need to know about Westworld season 2
9. Eleven, Stranger Things
Who are they? Eleven is a captive of a secret government program. She's been groomed since birth to develop extra-sensory perception in order to become the perfect espionage and intelligence agent. Once she escapes, she discovers friendship and love (of frozen waffles).
Why we love them: We've all wondered how life would have turned out for Steven King's Carrie if she'd actually had a decent support network instead of just a horribly judgemental mother, right? That's Eleven in a nutshell. She's mentally scarred from her upbringing and capable of terrifying psychic power - with her only parental figure treating her more like a living tool/weapon to be perfected than a human being - but she's still a kid. Once she finds a group of friends in Mike Wheeler and the gang, she starts bouncing back remarkably quickly. And she really rocks that blonde wig.
Defining moment/scene: While we flash back and forth from her time in the government's sensory deprivation chamber, Eleven awkwardly-but-implacably secures her new favorite treat from the frozen foods section of the grocery store, throwing off a pursuing store manager with some not-so-subtle psychokinetic roadblocks. The Eggo heist in episode 6 perfectly encapsulates the tragedy, comedy, and overall weirdness that make Eleven so darn lovable. Connor Sheridan
Read more: Everything you need to know about Stranger Things season 2
8. Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock
Who are they? A fiendishly smart man solving crimes as a consultant for Scotland Yard. He talks fast and thinks even faster, and has little patience for those who can’t keep up.
Why we love them: In this iteration, helmed by Steven Moffat and as portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch, the Sherlock character enters the present day. Rather than simply a brilliant detective, the portrayal is honest about what the human being attached to that highly observant mind would be like. The result is far from the dashing super-sleuth of the past. Sherlock is difficult, harsh, and kind of a sociopath. It’s that mix of ingenuity and intensity that makes Sherlock such a favorite. He’s electric on screen, and especially shines through his friendship with Martin Freeman’s Watson.
Defining moment/scene: The death scene that wasn’t. At the finale for the show’s second series, the detective appeared to fall from a roof to his apparent demise. What actually transpired was deviously deceptive, but that’s exactly why the fans couldn’t stop talking about it, trying their best to outsmart Sherlock at his own game. Anna Washenko
Read more: The top 50 TV detectives of all time
7. Dr. Gregory House, House
Who are they? A belligerent but brilliant doctor who can diagnose the undiagnosable, while somehow cultivating a small group of followers and friends who seem to love him, despite his inability to be anything other than rude and offensive.
Why we love them: Because, even though he’s a monumental a-hole, he’s brilliant. A grumpy, rude Sherlock Holmes if Sherlock Holmes only did diseases. No one seems to question the almost infinite number of freakish and unusual cases that enter House’s hospital, they just know that only he can solve them. If a man came in vomiting spiders and gently steaming at 11 in the morning, House would have prescription at 12pm and a cutting putdown for the first person he saw after. He isn’t just a belittling bully though. Well, he is... but there’s also the small matter of a painful lifelong injury which leads to a debilitating painkiller addiction, so maybe there’s a little slack to be cut.
Defining moment/scene: More an entire episode than moment, season 1’s Three Stories sees House using a case of chronic leg pain in a diagnostic lecture to teach his students. It allowed for plenty of House sass as he laid into his class, but also exposed a more vulnerable side when it’s revealed one of the scenarios is his own crippling story. Leon Hurley
6. Dexter Morgan, Dexter
Who are they? The ever-conflicted psychopath with a soul, living a rigidly disciplined life in order to aim his bloodlust only at the guilty.
Why do we love them? Because, regardless of the serial killer metaphor, Dexter's central struggle between what he wants and what is right - and above all the fear that he might not be strong enough, might not be good enough to live up to his own standards and the needs of those around him - is constantly, immediately relatable. That Dexter handles all of this while also remaining capable of winsome, cheery lightness, hilarious, razor-sharp pith, and swift, professional, bloody vengeance against those who deserve it, only furthers his status as one of the most roundedly cathartic characters around.
Defining moment/scene? It's the nature of the show that Dexter has a defining moment every season, each story arc bringing him a new friend or villain to define his approach against. In terms of his overall evolution though, it's the Thanksgiving Dinner scene in season 4. Having identified, tracked, and come to admire the Trinity Killer for seeming to attain the family life / murder balance he himself aspires to, Dexter witnesses the truth behind the facade. Trinity is a brutal bully to his family, and despite playing the amiable house guest thus far, Dexter snaps, suddenly recognising his would-be mentor as a stark example of everything he doesn't want to be. A belt strangulation and near-stabbing later, and the lines are drawn. David Houghton
