Characters are the heart of all of our favorite series.
You tune in for practically any type of plot as long as the characters are compelling enough and the interesting storylines move you — whether to tears, laughter, or pulling your hair out.
The point is that the best part about television viewing is when the characters keep us talking, and that’s why we want to round up some of the standout TV characters of the week.
Of course, we’ll never know if you’re into this unless you tell us. So, hit the comments, save our posts, share them with like-minded fans, and debate their merits.
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Sinatra – Paradise
Sure, many of you who tuned into Paradise already streamed it on Hulu, but the ABC weekly showings have been such a delight for those who haven’t had that opportunity.
And we’ve certainly enjoyed discussing the series in our Paradise Coverage.
But while Xavier Collins is at the center of the series, and it’s been delightful watching him navigate an ever-growing complex situation as he unpacks what’s beyond the President Bradford murder mystery, Sinatra stood out this week.
Damn, what a character and arc. Paradise Season 1 Episode 2 gave her the flashback treatment and delved into why the mysterious paradise exists.
It was both poignant and shocking, and really upped the stakes as we dive into the third episode. I don’t know where this is going, but Sinatra is such a fantastic character, and I need more intel about her.
Watch Paradise Online
Bunny – Law & Order: Organized Crime
During the Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5 premiere, Stabler crosses paths with this street-smart 12-year-old girl while undercover. Bunny is the perfect mix of innocence and deviance, getting him to pay her $5 to give him back his baseball bat after she tries to steal his stuff out of his bag.
He forges a connection with her throughout the first half of the episode, making her death during his attempt to rescue her from human traffickers one of the most heartbreaking in the series.
During the second half, Bunny appears as a ghost/dream figure while Stabler is in and out of consciousness at the hospital, which is not easy for any actor to pull off, let alone a preteen.
Watch Law & Order: OC Online
Ormewood – Will Trent
There’s no question that Will Trent is having its best and strongest season to date, and they’ve truly been pushing the characters to new emotional heights.
We’ve already discussed Ormewood’s MVP status this season. If his growth wasn’t apparent before, Will Trent’s Season 3 Episode 14 confirmed it with his most emotional and serious arc.
The series finally explained his headaches when he began having visual problems, though we never expected he still had shrapnel in the brain.
Hearing he had a brain tumor sent him spiraling, knowing that Ormewood is the main parent of Max and Cooper. They are his world, and he struggled with telling them, since he never got closure with his father.
For so long, Ormewood has been used and known as the series’ comic relief. Still, with the introduction of that arc, it was clear that all Ormewood thought about was fearing how to tell his kids because he remembered losing his dad and being unable to say goodbye.
The season has focused so much on his life as a single father, and it feels like he’s found his rhythm, so to have it all disrupted in such a shocking way was a gut punch. Now, can we expect the team to rally behind him even more?
Honorary Mention – Rafael
Another exciting element of this week’s episode was exploring Will’s past with his foster brother, Rafael.
Thus far, all season, they’ve had this seemingly love/hate dynamic: Will trying to support and protect Rafael and his family while also taking him down because of his criminal work.
Through that bond, especially as Rafael and Will came together for Grandma’s funeral planning, we got the endearing quality of how they were like brothers, and even flashbacks to how their dynamic blossomed and ended up on opposite sides of the law.
Both Rafael actors were fantastic during this hour. As in the past, it helped fill some blanks in understanding the complex love between these two brothers and even the allure of Rafael’s criminal life centered on supporting his family.
Ultimately, choosing that family, even if it meant relocation, made for a strong full-circle arc for the character.
Watch Will Trent Online
Matty and Olympia – Matlock
During the Matlock Season 1 Finale, Skye P. Marshall’s Olympia Lawrence delivered a cliffhanger that fans of the show won’t soon forget. The character reached a crisis of faith, which showed that she may be more complex than viewers previously thought.
As a woman with strong convictions, watching Olympia struggle with the decision to turn the culprit in was incredible. It sets the stage for how Matlock Season 2 will kick things off.
However, the best part was watching Kathy Bates reveal all of her tricks of the trade to Olympia’s shock, but also awe. In just one episode, Matty went from being Olympia’s employee to her mentor, teaching Olympia all the little skills Matty had picked up along her mission.
Both women are steering Matlock’s story at this point with powerful performances full of raw emotion and palpable chemistry between the actresses.
Watch Matlock Online
Yancy Grey- Ransom Canyon
I adored all the characters on Ransom Canyon, but Jack Schumacher brought layers to Yancy’s bad boy cowboy with a heart of gold.
He yearned to be accepted by his grandfather, whom he thought had tossed him aside. While part of him wanted revenge, he looked so at home helping run that ranch.
Yancy Grey represented the epitome of Ransom Canyon, which was the struggle of forming your own legacy or finding the love of your life.
Watch Ransom Canyon Online
The Intelligence Unit – Chicago PD
In a moment that gave diehard fans of the series goosebumps, Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 18 makes good on over a decade of one of the series’ most prominent issues: It had the entire Intelligence unit stand their ground, reminding Voight that his cardinal rule of “Tell me the truth so I can lie for you ” goes both ways.
It was such a pivotal moment for all of the characters because they’ve all benefited from Voight’s protective streak over the years.
He does whatever it takes to preserve his team and eliminate any threats in their way. But Voight, chronically a lone wolf, always fails to consider that his team is every bit as ride-or-die for him as he is for them, and they have to be in the know to help slay another dragon.
In many ways, it solidified the new era of Intelligence while also nodding at its past. Burgess led the charge in reiterating that Intelligence works best when everyone is in it together.
It was a shining example of loyalty, devotion, family, and badassery, highlighting how this season has the team feeling the most united it has been in some time.
Watch Chicago PD Online
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