I saw the advertisements for this list on Bravo. I haven’t watched it yet, but I’m hoping my list is well, better. I know that TV for me is a part of who I am. I love movies, I love plays, I love Art and Music, but Television and I have a relationship. We know each other. We grew up together. I quote it, I worship it, I go to sleep with it, and on occasion I’ve even dated it. The characters on it became my babysitters, my parents, my best friends, and my confidants. I loved all of them. I knew who every single one of them was. If a character was that real to me, there were times when after they’d leave, I’d imagine what they were doing. What did Edith do with her afternoons until Archie came home? Where did Endora go when she popped out? Did Spock have leisure time?

I love television. Here’s my ode to it, and what I carry with me: My Obsession.







1. Xena

Xena was, for me, the Grand Duchess of warriors. She got out of everything, and did it with an edge. She wasn’t your average hero; she was a reluctant hero, and one with a dark side.

Portrayed by Lucy lawless.
Favorite episode: Xena gets impregnated.



2. Adrian Monk

With his fear of dirt. anything messy, and most human beings, he is the ultimate paranoid detective. The way he solves the crimes are usually more interesting to me than the fact that he actually does it.

Portrayed by: Tony Shaloub ( 2 Emmy Awards, 1 Golden Globe Award, 4 Nominations)
Favorite episode: Monk fires his assistant and has to search through the yellow pages.



3. The Cast Of The Golden Girls

This will probably happen a lot. I can’t single out one performance here, or one character. For me, all four of them are women I’d like to know. Dorothy, the loser, Blanche, the vixen, Sophia, the story teller, and Rose, the child. They make me laugh on a consistent basis and I’m never without a lump in my throat on those Very Special Episodes. Remember when they find the lottery ticket at the homeless shelter? I can’t stand it.

Portrayed by: Bea Arthur, Rue Maclanahan, Estelle Getty, and Betty White. (Each cast member won an Emmy, and each cast member was nominated 4 years in a row)
Favorite episode: Blanche has a dream that her dead husband comes back to life. Cameos by Lyle Wagoner and Sonny Bono.




4. Dr. Smith

With his flailing hands and his unbridled ability to create havoc, he’s one of my favorite villain/victims. I never knew what he was going to do next. And his relationship with Will Robinson was always surprising and a bit disturbing.

Portrayed by: Jonathon Harris
Favorite episode: Dr. Smith gets lost in a beautiful Oz-like Land, and becomes a completely different person.



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5. Endora

Her make up, her gowns, and by all means, her hair. She was Shakespearean in her witchcraft and venomous in her dealing with her mortal son in law: Derwood. Before the invention of the VCR, I would tape record each episode, play them back, and act them out, miming all of Endora’s lines and mimicking her arm movements. To this day, I can’t pass a piano without wanting to strum the high strings and summon her.

Portrayed by: Agnes Moorhead (6 Emmy Nominations, No Wins)
Favorite episode: Endora loses her witchly powers, and turns from a gargantuan force of nature, to a humble, whiny Mother In Law.




6. C.J.Craig

A woman I’d love to know. Smart, sassy, sexy, tall, and stands for no nonsense. Her devotion to America and what it stands for it admirable. I never once get the feeling that she’s intimidated by other powerful women, she is her own person, and makes no bones about it.

Portrayed by: Allison Janney (4 Emmy Awards, 5 Nominations)
Favorite episode: C.J.’s father goes into the hospital with Alzheimer’s.




7. Eunice

She is as brittle as a stick left out in the winter, and as soft as ice cream. Her once flashing eyes and upturned lip can turn into a sob and a wail at the drop of a hat. Always badgered by an emotionally inept mother, a barbaric sister, and a doormat of a husband, she is the Everywoman. Dreaming high and crashing low.

Portrayed by; Carol Burnette (5 Emmy Awards, 8 Golden Globe Awards, 11 Nominations)
Favorite episode: Eunice and the family decide to clean out the attic, as Eunice’s sister (played brilliantly by Betty White) reveals what became of Eunice’s beloved pet rabbit: Fluffy.



8. Julia

I always wanted Julia to be my Mom. The way she handled her career and her son were relationships that always stuck in my head. Plus, she was drop dead gorgeous. I loved when she would get dressed and go out on dates. Her ethnicity was something she fought with dignity and class in a time when being Black was still kept in the back of the bus. She taught me how to kill with kindness.

Portrayed by: Diahnn Caroll
Favorite episode: Julia just moves in to her apartment complex. She is confronted by a downstairs neighbor who is furious she lives in a complex with “someone like her.”.



9. Phoebe

I never thought of her as stupid. Phoebe always struck me as someone who was merely thinking of something else. Constantly. A heart like the open sky and a mind faster than a speeding bullet.

Portrayed by; Lisa Kudrow
Favorite episode: Phoebe catches Monica and Chandler making out across the street “My EYES! My EYES!”






10. Flo

Gun chewing, finger waving, Kiss-My-Grits-ing Gal. Every inch of Flo is bigger than life, and yet I always felt like she and I could sit down and have a true heart to heart. She was flawed but perfect. I adopted a Southern accent for almost a month until my Mother finally reminded me we were from Ingelwood.

Portrayed by: Polly Holiday (1 Emmy Award, 2 Nominations)
Favorite episode: Alice makes a cameo in her life, and the two have a huge fight that ends up in a duel of pies.



11. Herman Munster

I loved his laugh. He had the best laugh. Always a child and always different, to him, he never “wanted” to be normal, he just WAS normal. He was constantly surprised by people’s reaction him. Being different is something we both shared, and he got through by way of laughter. He helped me do the same.

Portrayed by: Fred Gwynne
Favorite episode: Herman gets fired and has to try a series of odd jobs, the best being a job making pizzas.



12. Keith Partridge

Oh that hair. That feathered hair and those dreamy, dreamy eyes. It wouldn’t have mattered a lick if he hadn’t a brain in his head; all I wanted was to get lost in that hair and those eyes. And then, he sang. I almost lost my mind several times throughout the run of this show. He is an artist. A lover, not a fighter. The ultimate 70’s Guy. Delicious and sweet like candy.

Portrayed by: David Cassidy
Favorite episode: Kieth is hounded by fans, but then finds a girl that doesn’t fall for his “shtick”. He sings: “I Think I Love You.” I died a little that day.



13. Jamie Sommers

Although first seen in the 6 Million Dollar Man, Jamie was by no means second rate. I loved her ability to save the world but remain human. Her inner conflict fascinated me. I also loved the way she curled her hair behind one ear and heard stuff that was going on a block away.

Portrayed by: Lindsay Wagner (1 Emmy Award, 2 Nominations)
Favorite episode: 6 Million Dollar Man comes back for an episode and helps Jamie crack the Nazis’ upside the head.



14. Gomez and Morticia

I loved everything about their relationship. I always knew that when the show was over, the two of them ran upstairs for a little nooky. On rusty nails.

Portrayed by: John Adams and Carolyn Jones
Favorite episode: Gomez and Morticia are stunned by how the neighbor’s are treating Halloween. Can you say: Costumes?






15. Maxwell Smart

“Would you belieeeeve??.....” Mel Brooks is a genius, and so is Maxwell Smart. He always got his man (or woman) and I always knew that no matter what happened in between, I was in for some laughs. His relationship with stealthy, sleek Agent 99 was blazing, and never far from a prat fall, or a pie in the face.

Portrayed by: Don Adams (3 Emmy Awards)
Favorite episode: Maxwell and Hymie meet for the first time. His dealing with the robot was one of the funniest bits in the history of the show.



16. James Evans

He was stern, a little solemn, and always had great advice to hand out. I loved the way he dealt with the kids, and his relationship with Florida was one of my favorites. He had a smile that could light up a room.

Portrayed by: John Amos
Favorite episode: J.J. bought a gun, and James was NOT happy about it.



17. Bob Hartley

The King of the phone conversations. Bob on the phone was funnier than most characters in any situation. He and Emily had an active relationship, and a sexy one. Most of their serious discussions took place in bed with the light switching on and off to punctuate a point. Usually he was the straight man to his patients that ended up nuttier in the office than anywhere else.

Portrayed by: Bob Newhart (2 Golden Globe Nominations, No Wins)
Favorite episode: Bob and the boys get drunk. Really drunk.



18. Vinnie Barbarino

“Ba, Ba, Ba….Ba, Ba-barino.” More hair, more eyes, and a butt like Texas. Vinnie was the brainless Hunk of Mr. Kotter’s homeroom. He was a man of few words, but when you looked like him, who needs to chat? I had a Vinnie poster above my bed throughout most of High School.

Portrayed by: John Travolta
Favorite episode: Vinnie gets elected to head a debate against the Smart Kids.



19. Ethel Mertz

Lucy Ricardo’s best friend, confidant, and buddy in crime, Ethel was the level headed one that usually gave in to Lucy’s plea to help her out with “..another hair brained scheme.” Ethel’s marriage was the polar opposite of Lucy’s. Ethel never allowed Fred to get away with anything, and was the true Mother of the famous foursome. And then there was her singing. No one could belt out Lilly of the Valley like our Ethel.

Portrayed by: Vivian Vance (1 Emmy Award, the first person to ever win in the Best Supporting Actress category)
Favorite episode: The foursome goes across country to Hollywood. On the way, they stop off at Ethels’ hometown, where she has portrayed herself as a Star and well known personality. The foursome then decide to put on a show, complete with a song from “The Chocolate Soldier” sung by our very own Ethel Mertz.






20. Ray Romano

Hapless, put upon, smothered, and downtrodden. Lovable Ray always kept me laughing and kept me rooting for him. He and his mother (the inevitably magnificent Doris Roberts) was everyone’s relationship. Watching him put things together without falling apart was always half the fun for me.

Portrayed by: Ray Romano (1 Emmy Award, 4 Nominations)
Favorite episode: Mom creates a statue that Ray and his wife believe looks like a giant Vagina.



21. Jack Tripper

A guy living with two chicks and having to pretend he’s gay in order to fool the landlord into allowing them to all live together in peace? WACKY! Jack was the protector of the household. There was never a time I didn’t believe he didn’t love those two girls and wouldn’t have done anything for them. As much of a leech as I thought he was, he also seemed like a great older brother to me.

Portrayed by: John Ritter 1 Emmy Award, 1 Golden Globe Award, 4 Nominations)
Favorite episode: Jack finally buys his own restaurant, and hires both Chrissy and Janet to waitress. Wackiness ensues.



22. Sue Ann Nivens

A Vampire knee deep in baked goods. She is a vixen and a harlot and constantly craving attention from every man within earshot, especially Mr. Grant. Although never consummated it was one of my favorite romances. Her eternal wish to scour everything on the planet and at the same time bed Phyllis’ husband Lars was the dichotomy that WAS Sue Ann.

Portrayed by: Betty White (2 Emmy Awards)
Favorite episode: Mary and Sue Ann go out of town on a business trip, They end up sharing the same hotel room. Sue Ann reveals why she smiles constantly.



23. Rob Petrie

Stan Laurell on speed. Rob was a working man and the head of the household. Although chaos ensued around him, he was never always completely blame free. Falling, tripping, and crashing into walls became his trademark. His wife, his two best friends, and his two neighbors made me plain feel good.

Portrayed by: Dick Van Dyke (3 Emmy Awards)
Favorite episode: A flashback telling the tale of the day little Richie was born. A classic study in physical comedy.



24. Ann Romano

I always wanted to have lunch with her. I wanted to live in that house with those daughters and I wanted to drop by and just visit Ann. She took no prisoners. I loved her relationship with Schneider. Never wanting any help, but accepting what he offered, I saw her as a hero, and human.

Portrayed by: Bonnie Franklin (2 Golden Globe Nominations)
Favorite episode: Ann’s Mom (Nanette Fabray) comes to visit. One of the best Mother/Daughter scenes ever.






25. Uncle Arthur

His infectious, corny jokes. The way he popped in and out of the lives of Samantha and Darrin, and his ability to turn any situation into a lounge act in Vegas. Uncle Arthur was the Uncle I always wanted. He was one of the few that actually seemed to tolerate Darrin, and that always mad me happy as well. He had so few relatives in his corner.

Portrayed by: Paul Lynde (1 Emmy Award Nomination)
Favorite episode: Uncle Arthur and Serena lose their powers temporarily, and are forced to get mortal jobs. They end up working in a factory where their job is to dip bananas into chocolate sauce.