The one guy that keeps you watching?

[The Borgified Corpse]

Sometimes even our favorite TV shows will try our patience to the limit. But there will be one character that keeps you from dumping the show entirely, and will often lead you through a rough patch back to greatness. Who is that character?

Some of mine:

Jack McCoy, Law & Order.
I used to hate crime dramas. However, there is something about Sam Waterston's impassioned delivery that hypnotizes me. It has made Law & Order one of my all-time favorite shows. Now, there are other characters that I'm quite fond of as well, like Cyrus Lupo & Michael Cutter. But in the beginning, there was just Jack.

Gaius Baltar, Battlestar Galactica.
By Season 3, I had realized that all of these characters were contemptible scum. I found myself wishing that the Cylons had been more thorough in exterminating humanity in the mini-series. However, I find Baltar fascinating. At least he is aware of how flawed he is and is aware of how he uses other people to feel good about himself.

Rodney McKay, Stargate Atlantis.
There was a period, around Season 3, when he was the only thing about the show that was still worth watching. Even Col. Sheppard had been marginalized to merely a comic relief character.

The 10th Doctor, Doctor Who.
Season 3 was largely crap. But David Tennant was able to charge through the series on nothing but charm & manic energy. At the end of the tunnel, we got Season 4, where he was paired with the delightful Catherine Tate as Donna Noble.

John Munch, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
It's pathetic, but often I would suffer through whole episodes just for a fleeting glimpse of the one & only Richard Belzer. Man, he needs to get more screentime.

What about you folks? Who is that one guy that keeps you watching?

 

[TheSeeker]

The only one I can think of off the top of my head would be Tim the Bear from the Cleveland Show. I am having a really hard time getting into the show but I like the Bear quite a bit.

 

[Harvey]

Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe, Burn Notice.
Often he'll have mere minutes of screentime, but compared to the skeleton that is Gabrielle Anwar and the lifeless cardboard of leading man Jeffrey Donovan, he's the only actor worth watching. Okay, points also go to Sharon Gless, but it's Bruce Campbell who keeps me tuning in.

 

[auntiehill]

Trip on Enterprise. The first two season of this show were pretty shaky, but what kept me glued to the TV was the character of Trip. He was infinitely likable and made the show far more enjoyable.

Carter on ER. John Carter was the back-bone of the show, in my opinion. He was a deeply complex and flawed character, yet he was dedicated, caring and devoted to his patients. His own somewhat tragic story just got brushed aside, but I kept watching just to see what the character might do next.

Prof. Arturo on Sliders. This show, despite a wonderful premise, was so screwed up by the network execs, that it took a nosedive pretty quickly. However, what kept me watching was Arturo. He didn't look like just another Hollywood cookie-cutter actor, and his strengths were his intelligence and experience. The character started out fairly one-dimensional, but quickly grew and became very complex. Without Arturo, there was no reason for me to keep watching.

Daniel Jackson on SG1. OK, yes, the man is gorgeous, but what really hooked me was his kindness and his intelligence. He saved planets, for God's sake, with intelligence, compassion and diligence. I am usually drawn to the scholar, rather than the soldier; it's my nature. Plus, his sly, self-deprecating humor and his brotherly relationship with Jack were a real treat to watch.

Also notable: Sam Axe on Burn Notice.

 

[sidious618]

Fox Mulder- Even a bad episode of the X-Files was made okay by his appearance.

 

[Kira's Mom]

Wilson on House. As long as House and Wilson are both there to bicker with each other, the show will be worth watching.

Munch on SVU. But he's hardly on enough now.

 

[Greg Cox]

The EMH on Voyager.

 

[freak]

Here are a few of mine:

EMH on Voyager-he would always make me laugh no matter how crappy the episode of the show was that particular week!

Castle on the show Castle-Nathan Fillion's character is absolutely histerical and I could watch him every week. Also want to make a note that I also liked his character on "Firefly" as well.

Anthony DiNozzo on NCIS-love watching his bantering with Ziva as well as McGhee and love the names he gives him like Magoo, McGeek, McGoogle, etc. I can watch that guy every week as well. Plus he's ever so delectibly hot and a bit of a pig as well. Also love how Gibbs is always head slapping him for his antics!

Dr.McCoy on TOS-that guy was also hilarious and was always bantering with Spock about his logical upbringing. Plus he's a bit grumpy and I can relate to him!

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Dot Branning from EastEnders.
Maggie Simpson from The Simpsons.

 

[Valandil]

Dr. Rush on Stargate Universe.

Peter Benton/John Carter on ER.

Archer on Enterprise - none of the rest of them were developed enough, really.

 

[melancholymecha]

Nathan from Heroes- too bad his role has been greatly reduced this season.
Sometimes I wish they had just gotten completely rid of him so I could stop watching the show...

 

[Trekker4747]

Alan Shore (James Spader) - Boston Legal: Spader was just awesome in this role as a misogynistic, long-winded, high-priced attorney with some ethics issues, but when he delivers his closing arguments it's pretty damn awesome.

Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) - House, M.D.: If there's a more watchable character on TV then I don't know who it is. Laurie makes Dr. House the most fascinating, brilliant and complex character on TV by far.

At one time: John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) - Lost

During Lost's first couple seasons or so Locke was just aweome. An interesting character, with an interesting back-story and an interesting role on The Island. Then he turned into a giant douchebag who went around killing people/getting people killed.

 

[Canadave]

Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble), Fringe.

He's always entertaining, and even when the show has a misstep you can count on him to be funny or entertaining. As well, they've done a good job of making him into a character with some depth—he's not just quirky comic relief hanging around in the lab.

 

[auntiehill]

Alan Shore (James Spader) - Boston Legal: Spader was just awesome in this role as a misogynistic, long-winded, high-priced attorney with some ethics issues, but when he delivers his closing arguments it's pretty damn awesome.

YES! I couldn't agree more. I would love to get a book with all his closing arguments. They're brilliant and James Spader's delivery was wonderful.

 

[Checkmate]

Eric Cartman and Butters Scotch from South Park: They're the only reason I still watch the show. Cartman is just so ridiculously evil and Butters is so ridiculously naive that it's a beautiful, beautiful thing when they collide. They make the show tolerable for me even when the episode is inane or just flat-out stupid, which is the case more and more often.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth(Frasier and Lilith) on Cheers. The last few season of Cheers I thought was really formulaic. The writing was on autopilot where all the jokes revolved around exaggerations of the characters quirks. But Frasier and Lillith were so perfect in their roles they were consistently funny and fresh.

 

[Trekker4747]

Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth(Frasier and Lilith) on Cheers. The last few season of Cheers I thought was really formulaic. The writing was on autopilot where all the jokes revolved around exaggerations of the characters quirks. But Frasier and Lillith were so perfect in their roles they were consistently funny and fresh.

Bebe's Lilith was just awesome.

Diane tells Lilith something, Lilith has a mild couple of mouth-closed stiff laughs and sighs, "Thanks, Diane. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time."

And Niles Crane on Lilith: "I learned that when you kiss her you get an ice-cream headache."

 

[Kegg]

Definitely the Doc on Star Trek: Voyager. He was the centrifuge of the whole show, and had Enterprise had a character I found half as good I may have stuck with that too.

Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth(Frasier and Lilith) on Cheers. The last few season of Cheers I thought was really formulaic. The writing was on autopilot where all the jokes revolved around exaggerations of the characters quirks. But Frasier and Lillith were so perfect in their roles they were consistently funny and fresh.

Bebe's Lilith was just awesome.

Yes. Yes she is. "Dinner at Eight-ish" is my favourite episode of Cheers, and "Room Service" is one of Frasier's best, also.

I'd concur also in the later years of Cheers Frasier and Lilith really were two of the best things about the show, but then, they'd always been up there.

 

[Ben Sisko3]

Rose, Bernard and Frank, Lost

Jack Carter and Henry Deacon, Eureka (before I stopped watching)

Lafeyette, Terry, Andy and Jason, True Blood

Oliver Queen and, previously, the Luthor family, Smallville

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

Any of the chicks on Smallville, to be fair Welling does well enough for what he has to work with. I'll say either Lois Lane or Tess Mercer. Previously it was John Glover that even got me watching the show actually.

EMH or Seven on Voyager. Forget the rest. I still say they should've LOST IN SPACED the show and had it focus on Seven, the Doc and Naomi Wildman (maybe rotate Icheb with her).

Wonder Woman on Wonder Woman, yeah, that seems silly to say, but her plots were as fun as 60's Batman usually. So watching the show for Lynda Carter's awesomeness.

Kahlen on Legend of the Seeker, though Zed is decent, too.