There are certain types of fans who are never satisfied. Some of the so-called diehard fans of a show will cry and complain when even the most minor detail is changed. I can see plenty of "Torchwood" fans whining about how different the show is and therefore how bad it is (primarily because fans have already been whining from the moment the new filming location was announced). This perspective never made much sense to me in terms of this show because "Torchwood" seems to pride itself on being able to evolve with the times and adapt to survive. Can't afford a whole season? We'll do a miniseries. That miniseries, "Children of Earth," ended up being an excellent sci-fi thriller with more focused story-telling while staying true to the show that spun off of the famous "Doctor Who." As far as I'm concerned, fans got extremely lucky that 1) "Torchwood" survived to see another season and 2) found a home on cable instead of a basic network that would water it down. Indeed, the show is different. But that doesn't always mean bad. Lots of people love tuning into a show that is the exact same every week. Hence the success of procedurals such as "NCIS" or "Law & Order." But "Torchwood" is not that kind of show and this next step in its evolution is welcome to this fan.Probably my favorite thing about the new setting is the bigger budget. "Torchwood" was the kind of show that dreamed big, and now it has the budget to follow through with the heavy action it does so well. "Torchwood," in my opinion, was always meant to be the darker, more kickass, older brother of "Doctor Who." So imagine my delight when we have the Torchwood team taking down a helicopter with a rocket launcher!
This first episode was a whole lot of setting up - setting up the characters that some viewers know well and some viewers don't, setting up the plot of nobody dying (a simple yet horrifying idea), setting up the tone of a show that isn't a reboot but isn't the same animal as the last season. I love the possibilities set up with this plot and I am dying to know what and who caused the switcheroo on mortality. Was reversing mortality the only way to target Jack Harkness once and for all? He has made some powerful enemies over time (and this is my prime theory at this point.) Is it all some cruel lesson from some self-righteous humans who got their hands on technology beyond their comprehension? Or is it just a fluke in the space/time continuum? As long as the answer stays strictly science fiction and doesn't veer into magical/spiritual mumbo-jumbo (see: "Lost"), then I'm a happy camper. Now that we've brought the Torchwood team back together, I hope we see plenty more of the characters we know and love. While it was a good premiere, it had too little Captain Jack and Gwen for my tastes. Really, too little Jack. I was thrilled, however, to see Andy. Like Rhys, he's always been on the periphery of the cast which equals the best chances for survival - not so insignificant that they're glorified extras, but not so central that they get killed off. Of course, it would be Russell T Davies' cruel little joke to kill of Gwen, the last remaining team member. Or worse yet, Captain Jack Harkness. You've damaged our poor little psyches with all the character killing. Are you determined to be the British Joss Whedon or something?
All in all, a solid premiere. No sign of Lauren Ambrose yet as the evil journalist. I'm not sure if we're supposed to like Mekhi Phifer or not (guessing not considering that intro he got), but he manages to play a prick very well. Perhaps as he's burned from the CIA he'll come to appreciate and work with Torchwood and become a tragic hero (I don't see the mortally wounded coming out of this deal in one piece. After all, that would be the great sacrifice - say goodbye to your loved ones so we can all accept the necessity of death).
There were some great moments in the premiere. One came early, with a CIA agent correcting another that the Institute's name wasn't "Touchwood," a great reference to the series' sexual history. My other favorite moment came near the end, in the very quick montage of traveling to Wales. Mekhi Phifer's character hilariously describes Wales as "the British equivalent of New Jersey." In all seriousness, I was happy that they shot at least something in Cardiff. It would be odd to completely abandon their old home, so I'm glad they paid their respects. Another thing that stood out to me was that Jack used Owen Harper's name when posing as an FBI agent. I'm sure there wasn't much deep meaning to that and rather just a shoutout to the fans.
I'm very interested to see the terms of this eternal death thing. It clearly isn't like Jack's immortality, because as we learned in "Children of Earth," his body parts reassemble when detached and his wounds heal. Rather, this is more like Owen's eternal death, where he couldn't heal. Except he didn't have a pulse. But the factor that plagues me the most is the fact that the mortally wounded aren't dying and coming back to life, a la Jack and Owen. They just aren't dying at all. This leads me to believe that it isn't caused by some great time/space rift like in Jack and Owen's cases, but rather something artificial but powerful that is interfering with human life. Also, what was the Torchwood glitch in the CIA's computers? Is someone calling out for help to the one group who can solve this? Or is someone trying to call attention to the only group who can solve this in order to eradicate them once and for all? And on those overly analytical notes, I hope you enjoyed the premiere. I certainly did, and I am very optimistic about the rest of this season.
I'll admit, I'm not a big fan of "Buffy." I find it to be one of the most overrated shows out there. One of the reasons I have a hard time watching it is because of the fact that I don't like any of the characters. Any except Giles, that is (and Spike). I've only gotten four seasons into the show so my love of Giles is based solely on them, but from what I've seen he's the only person on that show who can get anything done. Buffy can kick ass but she's not very bright, Xander's a useless dork, Willow's smart but weak, Anya is a bitchy third wheel, and Angel was a moody miserable stalker who didn't become interesting until he got his own show. Giles, on the other hand, is brilliant and can kick ass if he needs to. The introduction of Wesley improved his image, but I liked him from the beginning. If the world was in jeopardy from supernatural forces, Giles would figure out what was behind it and how to stop it.
This spot would go to River Tam, but she got to be awesome in basically only one episode in "Firefly." "Serenity" is where she shined and if this was a movie heroes list she'd definitely place. But Mal is the hero of "Firefly" that I would want around when the shit hits the fan or any scary monsters are around going "grrr, argh." Okay, he wasn't exactly a hero in the strictest sense of the word, but he was a damn good leader of his little outfit and he did the right thing when making tough decisions.
Some of my heroes aren't action stars, but they still fit my definition of hero. Anytime someone has screwed you over, Veronica is able to get to the bottom of it - and look great doing it. But more than just super sexy eye candy, she's clever and she knows how to work her appearance to her advantage. While someone like Giles could solve problems with his book smarts, Veronica would fill out the team with her street smarts. She's the kind of girl who could get a criminal to confess without him even realizing it. She's kind of ninja-like in that way.
He's sort of the male version of Veronica, but with much more experience in the professional world of espionage. He's also got that whole MacGyver thing going on which would totally help in my hypothetical doomsday scenario. He also has an ability unlike anyone else on this list to assume false identities for his jobs and that earns him a spot on this list.
He's a human lie detector. What more is there to say? Lightman keeps a strong commitment to finding the truth and looking at a situation rationally. Sure, Dr. House can declare that "everybody lies," but Lightman can tell you who specifically is doing the lying and what about. He backs up his natural skill with years of scientific experience and study, so you can trust him to save the day when your ass is on the line. His expertise with interrogation would stop us from needing a Jack Bauer character to come along and torture an answer out of someone.
I've raved about Olivia for some time now, so of course she earns a top spot on this list. She's another take-charge lady with nerves of steel who can travel through universes just to help someone she cares about. She can face the strangest of the strange with a level head and still serve justice. I absolutely love her and would have to enlist her in my team of fictional superheroes. (Super referring to their awesomeness, not their comic book based powers.)
This might seem strange to put her so high on the list, as she wasn't my personal female hero like Olivia, but she had a lot more to deal with than Olivia did. In a world full of deadly machines, she was truly the unstoppable force to be reckoned with. She combined top-notch combat skills with fierce maternal instincts and I'm sure even the FOX execs who cancelled her show would agree that she would be ideal to have by your side when the world is in peril.
This is the start of "my list, my rules" because I am counting the next two as package deals. Sam and Dean Winchester with the help of Castiel are quite the team. Sure, they started the apocalypse, but they also managed to stop it, sort of. The self-sacrificing goes beyond what they do for each other and extends to what they sacrifice to help other people. When Dean lives a Twilight Zone version of his life if he wasn't a hunter, he cannot accept a life where others died because he wasn't around to rescue them. Sam agrees that their lifestyle "is unfair, and it hurts like hell, but it's worth it." Castiel rebels against the corrupt establishment in Heaven to try and save the Earth and gives up everything he had to do it. It's a shame the Heaven in the "Supernatural" universe is in such disarray because if anyone deserves it, it's these three heroes.
Talk about more self-sacrifice in the line of duty. Three out of the original five team members died and Captain Jack Harkness had to sacrifice his grandson to stop a horrifying alien threat. Jack is a dashing hero who can't even die which makes him an incomparable hero. He's smarter and much more responsible than he seems and he picks loyal team members. An immortal ex-Time Agent, a cop, a doctor, a computer genius, and the tea boy who was so much more made one powerful group of heroes. Which is why it's that much more painful that the show insists on killing them off! (Oh, and you're pretty much ensured crisis sex with this horny bunch).
This is no shocker. The Doctor saves the universe every season and does it without firing a gun or throwing a punch. He'll take care of those damn Daleks every time they come back, he'll stop the Cybermen whenever they reappear, and he'll even burn his own planet out of existence to stop a threatening race bent on genocide. River Song put it best, when she commented that "now and then, every once in a very long while, every day in a million days when the wind stands fair and the Doctor comes to call, everybody lives." 
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There's a LOT of hate for this character, even more than the hate for everyone else on this show. I think most of it stems from a general hatred out there towards Teri Hatcher for some reason. I'd like to clarify that I don't even like Susan Meyer - in fact, she irritates me quite a bit when her neurotic side takes over (which is, let's face it, often). But I also find her neurotic disposition and gossipy lifestyle to be painfully realistic sometimes. These qualities are exaggerated for comic effect, but I think there are plenty of people in the real world who are just as annoying. People get really nasty about this character because of lots of reasons that combine into one giant force of annoying. Lots of people hate Teri Hatcher. Lots of people love to hate "Desperate Housewives," since it's cool to bash it and try to make yourself look smart and superior. Lots of people hate Susan because she's silly, clumsy, and immature. Some complaints on this subject are warranted, but it shouldn't take the nasty form it often does.
I put this one low on the list because it's a rather dated reference by now. Luke is a good example of character assassination because the writers demanded it but didn't bother to make it realistic at all. After Luke and Lorelai finally got together, the writers decided they needed obstacles, so they threw in Luke's long-lost daughter April, a lispy precocious young teen who drove a wedge between the couple. As that season progressed, Luke became more and more distant as he kept Lorelai and April apart for no reason whatsoever leading Lorelai to eventually explode and run into her ex's arms. While I hated Luke during the season or two he became even more crotchety than normal, I think the hatred by a lot of fans was unfair. His change in personality was out-of-character and completely contrived. It was the kind of personality change where it takes you out of the show to the point where you can hear the writers pondering "hmmm....should we bother giving them an organic conflict that leads to a satisfying resolution and deepens their relationship? Nah, let's just make Luke act like an ass so we can have fun with Christopher again! We already know Luke and Lorelai will end up together at the end of the series, so let's not bother worrying about things like consistent characterization."
People really started to hate Mohinder. I might be a little biased in my opinion since I had a major crush on him and I stopped watching the show for a while when he finally got more storyline, but I still think he was unfairly reviled. To lots of people, he came off as preachy and ineffective. But he was one of the only people on the show with no powers, the cast of the show was huge and he wasn't given enough screen-time to flesh out his character, and the brief arc where he was pals with Sylar (when he didn't know it was Sylar) certainly didn't do him any favors. Now, I missed the storyline of him getting his own powers somehow, so maybe it was awful and he deserved the hatred for that, but a lot of the hate was spewed before that season and I just felt really bad for him.
Grace is the type of character you either like and enjoy or find grating and dislike. She's the standard neurotic, flustered female you get on a sitcom. This definitely falls under the category of "if you loathe the main character, why are you watching this show?" "Will & Grace" is a sitcom - you're pretty much ensured this kind of character. I feel like the kind of people who go around talking about how much they hate a character like Grace are the kind of people who feel like they have some sort of obligation to humanity to convince everyone that the show sucks as much as they think it does, even though every person is completely free to watch or not watch depending on how they feel on the subject.
Once again, you know what you're getting into with a sitcom - wacky characters. I'm in the camp of people who love Jack. But I can understand where some people are coming from in hating him. He's played as a stereotype and a lot of the humor on "Will & Grace" comes from stereotyping. But once again, it's a sitcom. Almost every sitcom has some sort of stereotypical character. I don't see people up in arms over "Glee" reinforcing stereotypes of drama queens and gay characters, yet I know "Will & Grace" received plenty of criticism for this. The way I see it, it was a groundbreaking sitcom still held back by a time period of considerable homophobia. And while the characters were often stereotypes, they were also endearing, funny, heartwarming, and compassionate friends. Jack may have been a stereotype, but he was not a negative character by any means.
This is just a character that lots of people don't like. But since she's the star of the show, complaints about Meredith often lead me to wonder once again, "then why are you watching the show?" Many people hate the voiceover device. I like it when used well but I don't mind it so much to the point of hatred even if it's vague and adds nothing to the show. Physically, Ellen Pompeo isn't a stunner and I do have a hard time imagining guys fighting over her. She's like primetime TV's version of Bella Swan (although that may be a bit too harsh. Okay, extremely harsh). And personality-wise, she isn't the most fun either. But I find her to be a realistic character in the way her dark and twisty-ness comes out. She complains about legitimate things most of the time - like her issues with her mother's affair, her father's abandonment, and all sorts of other family trauma. She's not the most immediately likeable character, but I think there's something human about her in that, once you get to know her, her eccentricities make sense and her dark attitude becomes justified. Also, I give "Grey's Anatomy" and Meredith major points for allowing the character to change and evolve over the years. Meredith isn't still doing the same dark and twisty routine she did in early seasons. She's married, she's matured, and dealt with many of her childhood traumas. She's got a good relationship with Lexie and her marriage to Derek is surprisingly - dare I say it? - healthy.
This one might be pretty controversial for "Chuck" fans. I was by no means a fan of Shaw, but I think this is another case of The Powers That Be influencing the narrative negatively. I could understand just not liking him - Brandon Routh is like handsome cardboard. And I could understand not liking him for coming between Sarah and Chuck. And maybe it's my own opinion, but I never felt like Shaw was that big a threat. Romantically with Sarah, he never had the same charm and magnetism that Bryce Larkin did. I knew that he was thrown in to give Chuck and Sarah another obstacle, I knew that Sarah was afraid of getting involved with Chuck and afraid of what Chuck was becoming so she might find solace in fellow spy Shaw, and I knew that Chuck and Sarah would end up together anyway. So yes, I understand he wasn't a likeable character, but I think people went way overboard with how much they despised him. I think this backlash was more from the Shipper fans, who couldn't stand to see anyone come between Chuck and Sarah. (Oh, and to note: this was my attitude before he became the finale villain and killed Chuck and Ellie's father. Then we were supposed to loathe him. I'm talking about the period before, when we were supposed to accept him as a team member. Later, I loved-to-hate him since he gave us some epic Chuck vs. Shaw action).
Poor Freema had a very tough position. She had to follow the beloved Rose Tyler played by Billie Piper. She was also saddled with a forced crush on the Doctor that was, of course, not going to end well. In retrospect, she gets an even worse rap since people adored Donna Noble as played by Brit comedian Catherine Tate. One of the biggest disadvantages Freema had was being an unknown. While unknown to us US viewers, both Billie Piper and Catherine Tate were already famous before being cast as companions and therefore already had solid fan bases. Freema didn't get this luxury and ended up with an uphill battle to win fan support. I personally think Donna is as overrated as it gets. People loved her habit of "knocking the Doctor off his high horse, calling him on his mistakes, and generally keeping him grounded." I hated her habit of being an annoying bitch most of the time. (She had her highlights though. I actually really loved her in "Partners in Crime" and "Turn Left.") Martha was smart, driven, and an asset to the Doctor. It was about time to have a companion who wasn't a doe-eyed worshipper of the Doctor, but Martha wasn't the fluttery preteen-like fangirl that many "Doctor Who" fans make her out to be. If nothing else, I think she should get major points for being gorgeous. Not to be entirely shallow, but she did have redeeming qualities on a purely physical level! (And now that I sound like a lesbian creeper....on to number one!)
The inspiration for this list. It's a little late coming since most of the hatred was released in the wake of her death as people everywhere declared "good riddance." Me, I could never understand why people hated or even just didn't like her. I loved her with Dexter and loved seeing how he became a better person when he was with her. Most, if not all, of the complaints came from Rita's purported "nagging" of Dexter. Apparently people think a wife should be perfectly fine with her husband being gone at all hours of the night or gone on secret trips, even if he's had a history of leaving you for another woman amidst a heroin addiction. What a pain in the ass, a woman wanting to know where the man she loves is! What a nagging bitch, asking you to commit to your family! I wasn't thrilled when she got killed off and hope her character gets a proper send-off on-screen, since many "Dexter" fans celebrated her off-ing. Rest in peace, Rita. 
I'm going to get right down to it. The revelation of the Sideways world as purgatory. More than that, it seemed to be more purgatory from Jack's point of view as it all went on. Everything that happened on the Island was real, Sideways world was not. This disappointed me immensely, and not just because it was what everyone sort of predicted in the beginning. It was almost like they went down the list of cliche series endings and said, "hmmm, well people really hate the 'it was all a dream' scenario. What's the next best thing? They all died!" I'll let that slide for the most part. If they had all died in the initial plane crash? That would have been unforgiveable. But I hated this reveal for a number of reasons. 
Thanks for the memories, "Lost." You were never an obsession of mine, but you made the Top Ten list consistently. Now we just have to deal with all the annoying people asking what show is going to be the next "Lost." Which, I think, is unfair to any promising shows with great potential as people will assess it in terms of the "Lost" greatness formula. And no, none of them will be the next "Lost" because "Lost" is unique. But in terms of phenomenon, I'm sure something will come along in the near future. Who knows, what with "Glee" being renewed for a second and third season, maybe everyone will get onboard with that and people over the age of 23 will be head over heels about it. Or something amazing will come to HBO or Showtime or some other cable network that will have the creative vision and ingenuity to take the nation and world by storm. (I'm hoping for the latter.) 
And nerd number 2! Played once again by Gorham. "Jake 2.0" ran for 16 episodes in 2003 on the UPN so I won't begrudge anyone for not having a clue who I'm talking about. But Jake was the original Chuck Bartowski. He worked at the NSA fixing computers until he stumbled upon super powers thanks to some TV technology. He then got to work as an NSA field agent. He was sort of like Chuck with Intersect 2.0 but he was also able to interface with technology. He beats out Chuck though as my dream TV boyfriend, and I'm not completely sure why. Maybe just because I love Christopher Gorham. Maybe because Gorham, unlike Zachary Levi, can authentically play a nerd. (Levi can act like a nerd, but he will never look like one).
This was a toss-up between him and Mitchell (on left), the hottest vampire around (don't let anyone fool you, Edward Cullen has nothing on that sexy Irish beast.) But going on which character I rather date, I'd have to pick the sweet, adorable werewolf George. As long as I avoided him during his time of the month, we'd make a fine couple. And if I ever got kidnapped by or mixed up with some bad vampires, he'd come to rescue me. Not that he'd do it very gracefully, but I'd appreciate the gesture. 
Take away the music snobbery, and Jess would be an ideal boyfriend. After his rough years, of course, when he finally got his act together. I liked Dean well enough, but he was never right for Rory and Jared Padalecki was better off as Sam Winchester. And I absolutely loathed Logan and was thrilled when Jess told Rory what a jerk he was. Jess may have been a bit of an ass to people he didn't like, but he was great with Rory most of the time. And he definitely knew how to romance a girl - take her on a picnic lunch, ice cream, concerts, attend town events, talk endlessly about movies, music, and books. 
He started out as a nerd, but he definitely held his own in "Serenity." You know, until he got shot. But he finally manned up and told Kaylee how he felt, and that's the kind of man you want. He's a genius, but more than that, he gave up everything, all the privilege in his life, to save his sister. More than simply smart, he was noble and selfless. 
On one hand, you'd think he'd definitely make the cut because he saves the universe on a regular basis. On the other hand, you'd think he wouldn't make the cut because being his companion means you will meet an unfortunate end at some point. At best, you'll end up in an alternate universe. At worst, you witness the massacre of planet Earth and the torture of your family at the hands of a maniac. But as Sarah Jane Smith said, he's worth it. He's probably not the best boyfriend material, what with all the emotional baggage, but I'd settle for being a companion. Or a stowaway on the TARDIS...or a time agent/stalker...or a member of UNIT/stalker...
This is yet another criminally unknown show since it was cancelled early in its run. Much like "Pushing Daisies," it was quirky, clever, and critically acclaimed. For those not in the know, that equals cancellation in the TV world. But in the short time I got to know him, I adored Aaron. He's getting his PhD in comparative religions, he's an atheist, he's still a bit of a slacker, he doesn't see the point in always buttoning his shirt up all the way, and he is very sweet with his eventual girlfriend, Mahandra. He genuinely worries about his sister and even goes to Canada to rescue the family housekeeper. He's probably the most realistic dream boyfriend on this list, which makes it all that much more painful that he doesn't exist.
He bakes pies and wakes the dead. Need I say more? He's got his own emotional baggage, but unlike his girlfriend, I could actually give him a hug to make him feel better. While I'd have to compete with Chuck and Olive, I'm game. He leads a pretty sheltered life, running the Pie Hole and solving crimes, but I'd rather take a quiet, long life with Ned than a crazy, short, ill-fated life with the Doctor. 
This one might shock some of my friends, as Ned almost wins first place. My personality type would probably go best with Ned, but my absolute favorite onscreen man is Scotty. I know this is cheating though because one, he's gay and two, he's taken by his husband Kevin. But since this is all hypothetical, I can dream about him. Of course, then it depresses me to think that there are no straight guys in existence like Scotty - he's sweet, a perpetual optimist, incredibly sexy, a fantastic chef, and a loyal partner. And he clearly has the patience of a saint to be able to withstand the Walker clan he married into.
