As we wind down the traditional season and gear up for some summer shows, here’s a look at 10 TV characters who have my attention:
10. Captain Rex (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker), “Star Wars Rebels” – I hate a lot of what Disney has done with “Star Wars,” but I kind of like “Rebels,” which executive producer Dave Filoni has slyly made into a de facto “Clone Wars” continuation. However, Ahsoka, Darth Maul and Darth Vader aren’t in every episode. The crew of the Ghost is growing on me, but it helps tremendously that Rex is now part of the crew. And it’s nice to know that not all the clones were brainwashed into staying with the evil Empire; some were able to think for themselves.
9. Maxwell Lord (Peter Facinelli), “Supergirl” – Far too many of “Supergirl’s” villains are of the evil Kryptonian variety. Maxwell provides a human and relatable element, as his schemes often have some defensible logic to it. And he’s not even really a villain – he’s more like someone who has gotten on the wrong side of too many of the DEO’s and Supergirl’s missions. But if he is a full-on antagonist next season, the show will be more interesting for it.
8. Morgan (Lennie James), “The Walking Dead” – Morgan’s philosophy of not killing because all life has value was tested last season, and it’ll be interesting to see it tested further if he goes against Negan’s Saviors, who even the most hardened pacifist has to admit are in dire need of being killed.
7. Audrey (Bex Taylor-Klaus), “Scream: The TV Series” – The writers did a nice job of providing both a conclusion and a cliffhanger in Season 1. Audrey wasn’t the killer, but she seems to be linked to the killer. Hopefully, that means plenty of screen time for this “Killing” veteran who many fans say is slumming for being on this mediocre show.
6. Rachel (Shiri Appleby), “UnReal” – It’s still weird to see Appleby play so against type as the self-involved producer of a reality TV show. Because of the actress’ background of playing girls-next-door, I feel like Rachel is self-involved as a survival mechanism, whereas other characters, such as her boss, are more of the “born evil” type.
5. Sheriff Alex Romero (Nestor Carbonell), “Bates Motel” – “Lost” veteran Carbonell is always fun to watch, and the sheriff is in the midst of an interesting arc: Husband to Norma, stepfather to the furious Norman … and being investigated by Drug War agents. Something tells me Alex and Norman might form a bizarre partnership when the DEA officers come knocking.
4. Dr. Ravi (Rahul Kohli), “iZombie” – Other characters get the more colorful roles, while Ravi often has to provide exposition about zombie plague experiments on mice back at the lab — although the writers have thrown him a bone with his romance with Peyton. Kohli plays all his scenes with verve and just the right touch of humor for this material.
3. Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz), “Gotham” – It starts with the spot-on casting of the earnest Mazouz, but the writers have made Bruce an even more compelling character in Season 2 as we’ve seen him take his first Bat-steps: Learning street smarts from Selina and fighting moves from Alfred, while being exposed to the corruption of Gotham through his father’s files and Detective Gordon’s investigations.
2. Nick (Frank Dillane), “Fear the Walking Dead” – Instantly the best character on this prequel/spinoff when it premiered last summer, Nick provides a contrast to the rest of the gang: While they painfully adjust to post-apocalyptic life, this former heroin addict feels like the world has caught up to him, and he’s right at home. Much like Daryl on the parent show, Nick has gone from zero in society to hero in a post-society world.
1. Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom), “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” – In addition to being the creator of the show and presumably contributing to the songwriting, music-based comedian Bloom is completely lovable as the crazy (in a colloquial sense) lead character. We want to take Rebecca under our wing just like Paula does, while hoping Josh succumbs to her charms and forgiving all of her numerous flaws.