Top 20 Television Characters of the Past 10 Years

#17) Gob Bluth (Portrayed by Will Arnett)

Father of Steve Holt, blackballed founding member of the Magicians Alliance, ventriloquist of the great African-American puppet Franlkin—these are the things that Gob Bluth are known for. He is the glue that holds Arrested Development’s comedy together. He could burst into tears or venture into self-loathing at any moment in which he is challenged or disappointed. Without Gob, the Bluth family (along with the show Arrested Development), wouldn’t be known as one of the most interesting and hilarious things to come across our television screens ever. Unfortunately, Fox is the fucking dumbest network in the history of television, and they cancel anything worth watching. With a pending movie in the works, the Fox execs must all be thinking the same thing: “I’ve made a huge mistake.”

Top 20 Television Characters of the Past 10 Years

#18) Andy Bellefleur (Portrayed by Chris Bauer)

The character in True Blood that everyone laughs at and nobody respects, Andy is a simpleton who is obsessed with one thing: pigs. He hates those fucking things. When he sees a pig, he yells “PIIIIIGGGG” and chases after it like a madman. One of the few likable humans in Bon Temps, Andy fucks everything up until the great moment in Season 2 when he and Jason Stackhouse team up to save the town. Hopefully going into Season 3 this summer we will get to see even more of this lovable doofus. “You got a live stock permit for that piiigg??”

Top 20 Television Characters of the Past 10 Years

#19) Benjamin Linus (Portrayed by Michael Emerson): [No Lost Spoilers)

Ben is the first of many characters on this list that blur the line between villain and friend. Like many of the great actors who play these roles, you don’t know whether to love him or hate him. He does horrible things on Lost, but he just loves mindfucking people so much that you know he is having fun, which corresponds to us (the constant viewer) to have a blast too. You know you have something special when you don’t know if you want to murder a character or have him over for dinner. The (very deserving) Emmy-award-winning Emerson plays this Character with such cruel nonchalance, it makes for compelling viewing. He also provides one of the best quotes to end any Lost episode ever: “So?” in Season 4.

Top 20 Television Characters of the Past 10 Years

Throughout the next few weeks, I thought it would be fun to talk about my favorite 20 television characters of the past 10 years. They are mostly from some great dramas, with a little comedy thrown in. There are 50 others that I could list, but these are my favorites with one thing in common: they made T.V. worth watching for the past decade. Let's do this!!

#20) Jeff Greene (Portrayed by Jeff Garlin):

One of Larry David’s few real friends on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Jeff Greene brings great situations and comedy to one of the best comedies of the last decade. He’s also one of the most sympathetic characters in modern Television; the second you hear one of his wife Susie’s violent tirades against him (“Fuck you, you carwash cunt!”), he immediately becomes likable. He also provides this show with horrific and hilarious situations for himself and Larry to get into, whether it’s his daughter Sammie’s “Judy” doll incident, or having sex with Funkhouser’s sister who had just been released from the mental institution. Above all, he’s a friend that Larry can count on no matter the uncomfortable situation.