The 2000s marks a particularly important decade in the context of television history. With the pivot towards more commanding dramas and exploring what the medium could offer in regard to ongoing stories rather than just serialized entertainment, the decade both launched and established television’s golden era by featuring some of the greatest series the small screen has ever seen. It stands to reason that many of these series contain some of the greatest characters of all time as well.
Ranging from callous criminals who stand among the most challenging and complex figures modern audiences have ever seen to sitcom scene-stealers who have defined television comedy at its best, these magnificent characters epitomize television entertainment throughout the 2000s. The fact that they also stand as some of the truest and most triumphant icons of the medium as well is a testament to their greatness and their enduring cultural impact.
10
Sheldon Cooper
Sheldon Cooper
‘The Big Bang Theory’ (2007–2019)
Able to both humanize and lampoon geek culture, The Big Bang Theory endeared itself to millions of viewers over the course of its 12-season run with its offbeat humor and its eclectic range of characters. No one embodies the series’ quirky charm quite like Jim Parsons’ Sheldon Cooper, a socially inept genius whose incredible intellect is matched only by his compulsive adherence to his set routines, many of which border on the completely yet hilariously ridiculous.
The character’s impact on pop culture is evident through the popularity of his catchphrases, with his quippy “Bazinga!” being an obvious highlight, but also through the multitude of awards Parsons won for his performance, including four Emmys, a Golden Globe, and two Critics’ Choice Television Awards. With the character’s story being continued via the prequel series Young Sheldon, it is impossible to deny the seismic impact Sheldon Cooper has had on television since he first graced the small screen in 2007.
9
Sterling Archer
Sterling Archer
‘Archer’ (2009–2021)
Spies have always had a certain status in film and television that makes them defining icons of the medium. Whether it is the exuberance of James Bond or the quiet composure of George Smiley, audiences have always had an affinity for secret agents tasked with operating in the shadows. It is no great surprise, then, that a razor-sharp parody of spy movie lavishness has also resulted in not only an icon of 2000s television but one of the defining characters in the history of animated comedy.
With his confident spy craft and dashing dare, hilariously clashing with his needy and narcissistic personality, Sterling Archer (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) is a brilliant parody of spy movie tropes and the fantasy of masculinity they portray. Both anachronistic and timely, Archer is one of the most piercing and profound comedy series of the 21st century, and it is no surprise that its titular character has become such a beloved and iconic figure of the small screen.
8
Leslie Knope
Leslie Knope
‘Parks and Recreation’ (2009–2015)
Defined by her unwavering optimism, infectious positivity, and her enthusiastic dedication to her work, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) is not only one of the most iconic sitcom characters of all time, but one of the most hopeful and uplifting figures the small screen has seen this century. With Parks and Recreation following the mid-level bureaucrat’s efforts to rally her eccentric subordinates to make the community of Pawnee a more welcoming and beautiful place.
While the series features several impressionable characters—namely Nick Offerman’s red-blooded American Ron Swanson—Leslie Knope establishes herself as the show’s beating heart with her unconquerable work ethic and radiant passion. She is the embodiment of wholesome, heartfelt positivity, a beacon of progress and change that is as memorable for her political journey as she is for her many endearing quirks. As a result, she is not only one of the greatest characters in sitcom history, but one of the most iconic women television has ever seen as well.
7
Michael Scott
Michael Scott
‘The Office’ (2005–2014)
The Office is an incredible series in that even today, more than 10 years since its finale, it remains one of the most beloved and relevant comedy series of the modern day. A huge reason for this enduring popularity is its wonderful array of eccentric and memorable characters, be it the playful prankster Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) or the strict and stringent Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson). However, the defining icon of the series has always been Steve Carell’s Michael Scott.
The well-meaning but inept manager of Scranton’s Dunder Mufflin paper supply company, the character is a masterclass in cringe comedy that illustrates painful social misjudgments and awkward interactions while still being eccentric enough to offer uproarious laughs aplenty. Not only hilarious but often heartfelt and wholesome as well, Michael Scott is a true fan favorite of modern television.
6
The Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor
‘Doctor Who’ (2005–2010)
Starting in 1963, Doctor Who is nothing short of one of television’s most iconic series ever, with its rudimentary creativity marrying with its sci-fi wonder to charm many millions of fans across generations. Unsurprisingly, given this immense popularity, many iterations of the Doctor have excelled as defining figures in television history, be it William Hartnell’s pioneering portrayal, Tom Baker’s record seven-year tenure, or new classics like Matt Smith’s legendary depiction. However, in terms of defining Doctor Who in the 2000s—and, by extension, in the modern age—there is only one name that stands out.
Starring as the Tenth Doctor, David Tennant strikes a perfect balance between the character’s zany and eccentric style and his more serious and commanding tone. This ability to alternate between silly and serious imbues Tennant’s incarnation of the character with a whimsical charm, a nuanced and textured emotional range that makes for compelling viewing. Only enhanced by the brilliance of Tennant’s performance and presence, the Tenth Doctor is a striking icon of sci-fi television.
Doctor Who
- Release Date
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1963 – 1989-00-00
- Network
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BBC One, BBC Television
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Barry Jackson
Gordon Lowery
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5
Aang
Aang
‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ (2005–2008)
Throughout the 21st century, anime has gone from being a niche interest to one of the leading forms of entertainment. The platform for this meteoric rise in popularity was set through the ‘90s and early 2000s, with Avatar: The Last Airbender being one of the most important titles in the genre, given how it engulfed millions of new fans. As a result, the series’ main character can only be regarded as one of the most iconic characters of the 2000s, as well as one of the most important figures in animated television.
Set amid a conflict between four elemental nations, it follows Aang (voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen)—an Avatar capable of mastering all four elements—as he strives to bring peace to the land. While a complex and flawed character who struggles with the responsibilities thrust upon him, Aang ultimately thrives as an emotionally intelligent and courageous depiction of positive masculinity, one who embarks on a fascinating arc as a child whose effervescent outlook on life evolves and matures throughout the series. A great character who has become a cultural icon, Aang is the face of small-screen animation in the 2000s.
4
Barney Stinson
Barney Stinson
‘How I Met Your Mother’ (2005–2013)
Undoubtedly the defining figure of sitcom entertainment across the 2000s, Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) thrives as the scene-stealing sleazeball who injects How I Met Your Mother with an irreverent effervescence. With the story following Ted Mosby’s (Josh Radnor) recollections of his early adult life in New York City, navigating the trials of love and life with his friends, including the immoral, womanizing businessman defined by his over-the-top confidence, his complete immaturity, and his underlying vulnerability.
Bolstered by Harris’s exuberant charisma that indulges every ounce of comedic brilliance in the design of the character, Barney Stinson stands as a surprisingly endearing embodiment of juvenile impulses and emotional shallowness. Defined by his “legen-wait for it-dary!” screen presence, elaborate schemes, sharp style, and his many delightfully controversial and confounding antics, Barney Stinson is simply the face of American sitcom entertainment throughout the 2000s.
3
Don Draper
Don Draper
‘Mad Men’ (2007–2015)
Entrenched among the greatest television characters of all time for his compelling complexity and antihero ambiguity as well as for his arresting sense of style and his razor-sharp tongue, Dan Draper (Jon Hamm) is at the forefront of television’s golden era of prestige entertainment. With Mad Men following the professional and personal obstacles he faces as an advertising executive amid the social upheaval of the 1960s, Draper is one of the most fully realized and brilliantly explored characters television has ever seen.
Amid the stunning period setting and the lavish luxury the series presents, Draper thrives as an enigmatic and even contradictory character, an obsessive, selfish, and lost man who, despite his intelligence and creative brilliance, is seldom certain of what he wants most in life. Perfectly portrayed by Hamm and written with a layered excellence, Don Draper is one of the greatest and most iconic TV characters of all time.
2
Walter White
Walter White
‘Breaking Bad’ (2008–2013)
Not only one of the most compelling protagonists television has ever seen, but quite possibly the best villain to have ever graced the small screen as well, Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is as complex a figure the medium has ever seen. A high school science teacher who takes to producing crystal meth as a way to provide for his family when he is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer, Breaking Bad follows his descent from a petty criminal motivated by honorable intentions to a power-crazed drug lord defined by greed and cruelty.
Propelled by Cranston’s astonishing performance, which netted four Primetime Emmys among many other accolades, the character is an entrancing marriage of a Shakespearian tragedy of corruption and ambition, and a relatable figure of misfortune and desperation. Even more than 10 years after the series’ conclusion, Walter White remains one of the most impressionable television characters of the modern era, a captivating embodiment of moral decline whose story will endure as one of the greatest ever put to the screen for decades to come.
1
Tony Soprano
Tony Soprano
‘The Sopranos’ (1999–2007)
The Sopranos may have started in 1999, but it is impossible to think of a character that defined 2000s television as emphatically as Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini). The sensational crime series follows the New Jersey mobster as he begins seeing a psychiatrist in secret to help him cope with his complex work-life balance after a series of panic attacks. Depicted as assertive, menacing, and explosive, but also imbued with a certain vulnerability and philosophical tenderness as well, Tony Soprano is the most intriguing character television has ever seen.
His compelling nature has made him an enduring icon of small-screen entertainment, a pioneering example of the depth and nuance that characters can be realized with when the extended storytelling format of television applies itself to exploring their stories and psyches in great detail. As such, The Sopranos is the most important show in the context of the medium’s history, and Tony Soprano is the perfect spearhead for such an innovative series. He’s a complex, challenging, and confronting character, an examination of humanity at its worst that is rife with sympathy, contradictions, and pathos. It culminates in not only the greatest icon TV has ever seen, but one of the most brilliant and richly explored figures in the history of human storytelling.