The Best Heroes on TV
filed in Lists, Television Lists, television on Jan.13, 2009
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So you’re disappointed in season 3 of Heroes so far? That’s ok, we are too. But thankfully there are plenty of awesome heroes on tv. For instance… Michael Westen
We recently awarded Burn Notice the best show on cable. This is true for a number of reasons, but a big one is the fact that Michael Westen is probably the smartest character on tv. Sure, the nerds of The Big Bang Theory are all super geniuses, but that only ever translates into geeky on the screen. Michael Westen solves crimes in ways that the viewer often doesn’t see coming, and his internal monologue (narration) walks you through everything from how to best hide sensitive data in your house to how to take out your local drug dealer (but don’t try that one at home). Nathan Ford
If Robin Hood never existed, people would call robbing from the rich and giving to the poor “being a Nathan Ford.” Leverage is a cleverly written show about a team of expert thieves who all come together to do more than just make money. Each episode, they stick it to evildoers and give back to victims…ok, that and they make money…they are thieves after all. The team is led by one honest man, Nathan Ford, an ex-insurance fraud investigator. Having been on “the right side of the law,” Ford knows all the different cons that work…where were these guys during the Freddie Mac bailout? Jack Bauer
The best heroes are the ones who are flawed. Watching someone perfect just reminds us how we are anything but. Jack Bauer is perhaps the most interesting hero on tv because he’s single-handedly saved the world more times than Superman, while being one of the most disturbed personalities on tv. His daughter spends most seasons hating him, he spent the bulk of a season (albeit only hours in 24-land) addicted to heroine, and he shot an unarmed, handcuffed prisoner because he figured it was the best way to get in with a gang. Bauer’s actions make the viewer stop and think about whether or not the ends can justify such extreme means…and while 24 has suffered a little bit of jump-the-shark-syndrome (how many times can one guy be the only person fit to save the world?), it’s still one of the most addictive, heart-pounding shows on television. Hiro Nakamura
So far, Heroes’ third season has sucked…but we’re hoping that volume 4 will put the train back on track. Either way, we really like Hiro…and maybe his time-traveling ability makes the show boring sometimes (the suspense gets killed over whether or not something will go wrong, because Hiro can go back and fix it), but Hiro is one of the most likable guys ever. Whether he’s scrunching up his face or shouting out joyous Japanese phrases, he’s equal parts super hero and giant teddy bear. Derek Reese
When Brian Austin Green (let’s just call him BAG for short) came to The Sarah Connor Chronicles, everyone old enough to remember Beverly Hills 90210 mourned. More than once I yelled “David Silver, get off my tv!” And it took a lot of episodes for me to get used to him, but BAG has actually grown on me. Gone are his days of playing a Vanilla Ice wannabe. Now he’s the character I can most rely on to shoot bad guys without a moment’s hesitation. Sarah has moments of guilt, Cameron occasionally shows glimpses of evil pro-machine desires…and just like in T2, John is simply too much of a sissy. Sarah Walker
We’ve got a few reasons for liking Chuck, and special agent Sarah Walker is one of them. Every man’s inner 17-year-old sheds a tear of joy for this busty, butt-kicking, blond bombshell. Sarah Walker is exactly the kind of CIA agent we would want protecting us if someone put a government computer in our brain. Though we have to admit that we miss seeing her in the Wienerlicious uniform. Everyone
The guys in “the 303rd Logistical Studies Group” (AKA The Unit) are collectively the most badass team on tv. A super-covert special ops team, The Unit is assigned the trickiest, stickiest jobs. They somehow manage to be sly and covert, while blowing stuff up all the time. Watching The Unit makes you think our military budget-bloat could be solved if instead of employing tens of thousands of soldiers and far too many “private security firms,” the U.S. military just had The Unit go around the world kicking butt and taking names. And they are led by President Palmer from 24…what more could we want?
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