With so many wonderful characters on television, it's hard to pinpoint which character had the best arc throughout a show's seasons.
My friends know that my favorite TV drama was Felicity. She was an extremely awkward girl who followed her high school crush all the way from California to New York just so she could be close to him.
Sure, her intentions were characteristic of a stalker, but let's face it, we've all at some point had our Ben Covingtons in our lives. How can her intentions not be relatable?
What's great about her character was that she came into her own as a young, independent adult navigating life in the Big Apple, without sacrificing her affable temperament we've come to love so much.
Curious to hear about input from others, Redditor FEZ3 asked:
"What TV show character had the best character development?"
The Hour-Longs
The following characters strongly resonated with these Redditors.
From M*A*S*H
"Major Charles Winchester from M*A*S*H."
"He came from a rich family in Boston. He was born into a wealthy Republican family; He was a Boston Brahmin who went to Harvard medical school. He believed he was not suited to be in army service with the plebes, of an Army surgical unit."
"Then we see other characteristics about him. His family sends him ridiculously expensive chocolate for Christmas. He doesn't share that with anyone. His friends think he is being selfish. Turns out he was donating the candy to a charity so kids in war torn Korea can taste what 'real chocolate' tastes like."
"He gets pissed off at an officer who makes fun of a solider who stutters. Turns out Charles's sister has a terrible stutter, but listening to the tapes that she sends him was one of the few things kept him sane in war-torn Korea."
"The most moving episode was the one with the chocolate. Turns out the orphanage was selling the candy, at black market prices, instead of giving it to the kids. Charles corners the charity guy and yells at him. Then the guy apologizes and explains, yeah the chocolate may give the kids a moment of joy, but now we have enough money to buy the orphanage rice and vegetables for a month."
"Charles says HE is the one who should apologize. 'How can we expect a child to enjoy a dessert, when he didn't have a meal'".
"That was an amazing story arc."
– tinkrman
The Mad Men Ensemble
"Honestly, a handful of characters from Mad Men would definitely qualify. That show was an absolute masterpiece at character development."
– FAST102
"Peggy from the beginning to end is great."
AMC Must Sees
AMC was where viewers would tune in for these wild and compelling characters.
The Spaghetti Western
"Walter White."
"I'm surprised how far down in this section Pinkman is. As amazing as Walter White was, Pinkman's character made me continue watching the show in later seasons and El Camino, just to see how things ended for him."
– derks90
What About Jimmy McGill?
"If you are following Better Call Saul then I love how Jimmy McGill is becoming more and more the Saul we all know."
– fedemasa
Don't Mess With Her
"Carol from The Walking Dead"
"Came here for this answer! From meek, abused housewife to friggin' bada**."
Comedy
We want these people in our lives, amirite?
Alexis Rose
"Alexis Rose - Schitts Creek"
"She definitely became a much nicer person, they all did. They became kinder, more empathetic."
We have such a luxury of binge-watching shows now.
Back in the day, viewers had to wait a week to see what would happen to specific characters on regular network TV.
And season cliffhangers? Forget it.
I can't imagine waiting for months to see if Felicity chose Ben or Noel at the end of that masterful first season. Now we can just revisit her on Hulu and watch all four seasons!