They've been running a "tournament" to choose the best TV character ever on The Takeaway on NPR, and today's choices in the bracket are Hawkeye Pierce, Mary Richards, and Data. Please go vote for Data! I am. 
Best TV Character Ever Poll on The Takeaway
- Thread starter USS Triumphant
- Start date
I would have expected Spock before Data in a poll like this. But Data is definitely one of the best characters ever, and possibly the most memorable to me personally because I grew up with him.
Though I might have gone with Dale Cooper.
Though I might have gone with Dale Cooper.
His show was confusing as hell and I never knew what to make of the ending, but I loved him.
Voted for Data, didn't mind Hawkeye... but sometimes he really got on my nerves 
.
.
Data? Really? I liked the character but didn't think he was a breakout character.
Londo Mollari
No Spock, eh? How sad.
Thanks for the share. I had forgotten how good Alda could be. Because I pretty much watched MASH from beginning to end in as it ran through the years, I tend to remember more the 'preachy' Hawkeye that he became later on, and not the great character he had been over the run.
If I were to make my own list of best TV characters it'd include both Spock and Data.
My top ten would round out with:
Dale Cooper
#6
#6
Tyrion Lannister
Tony Soprano
Walter White
George Costanza
Stephen Colbert (Fictional character version)
My top ten would round out with:
Dale Cooper
#6
#6
Tyrion Lannister
Tony Soprano
Walter White
George Costanza
Stephen Colbert (Fictional character version)
One of Hawkeye's not so fine moments:
From The Consultant (sorry I couldn't find a clip)
Borelli: I didn’t drink at all in World War I.
Hawkeye: Was liquor invented then?
Borelli: In the second war, I never drank until I was through working.
Hawkeye: One for the road, Doc? Or two, or three? Maybe you’d like to take a few home in a doggie bag.
Borelli: Please don’t confuse my explanation for an apology. The place got to me. I wanted to get into the game, but I’d forgotten how rough the game can be.
Hawkeye: Uh-huh.
Borelli: Didn’t you ever have that problem?
Hawkeye: Not to your degree.
Borelli (points at the still): What’s that you’re leaning on, a bubble gum machine? You have a great many gifts, Doctor, it’s a pity you can’t number compassion among them. I’m suffering from the three sure signs of age: a bit of a spread, gray hair, feet of clay. I wish you better luck on your third war.
It's actually good though that he was shown in AHOLE mode, at least possible in this stage of the series, as it gave a more nuanced examination of his character compared with what became the boiler plate presentation towards the end.
We should do our own best character game in the TV and Media section. Perhaps with Trek characters excluded because we're biased.
Something where everybody gets to nominate one character per day to some large power of two then we run our own bracket.
Something where everybody gets to nominate one character per day to some large power of two then we run our own bracket.
