Jayne! The man they call Jayne! Always and forever.

madmolly | May 19, 14:31 CET

I think most of them should (or at least will be remembered by me) for their Whedon roles (except the ones that have double the Whedon goodness, in that case, Faith and Fred). I think the two that I'd rather see remembered otherwise are Julie Benz and Vincent Kartheiser. Vincent is amazing on Mad Men and deserves the recognition.

The Xan Man | May 19, 14:45 CET

If it's (as per the blurb) what the actor should be best known for out of the choices given then:

Willow (not really watched HIMYM)
Angel (more interesting and for all his brooding, less annoying character)
Echo (shows Eliza's range)
Cameron (cos I have to pick one though I disagree with the blurb, they're quite different characters)
Mal (more substance)
Inara (more layers)
Jayne (more believable as an actual human)
Dawn (not seen 'Gossip Girl')
Darla (because with mortal Darla Julie got to play a kind of Rita-ish character as well)
Connor ('Mad Men' still on to-be-watched "pile")
Zoe (cos it's Zoe)
Fred (given more screen-time it would've been Saunders just because the character felt like she had more places to go).

If it's (as per the headline) which fans get to claim them (aside from the obvious answer "None, they're not ours to claim") then in every case it should be us of course ;).

Saje | May 19, 14:54 CET

Ditto Saje's list and general reasonings--except Echo (I always thought it showed Eliza's limitations). And Pete, although I bring my dislike for the Connor character to Pete. I just can't help it. I guess I'll never be able to give VK a break.

palehorse | May 19, 15:07 CET

It surprised me when I realized that Alyson was now Lily to me but there you go.
I love Adam Baldwin as John Casey and it's making me want to go back and look at Firefly and Angel SEason 5 with new eyes.

Xane | May 19, 15:10 CET

This list isn't too bad. Agree on many counts for once, but I'll always think we should rightfully claim them all.

cardea | May 19, 15:26 CET

With Aly, they could have added Michelle Flaherty as well. I'd still go with Willow, though. :-)

Dana5140 | May 19, 16:28 CET

I don't watch many of those shows on the list, so for me they're still the Whedon characters. I think the only person I'm not sure of is Aly, I think tan brunette Aly is Lily while pale red head Aly is Willow.

Sometimes when I'm flipping channels and I see David pop up I think, "Hey an Angel episode :D :D :D" Then I realize it's Bones and get a little sad (not an insult to the show, I just really miss Angel.)

nna_funk | May 19, 16:46 CET

Adam Baldwin as Special Agent Danny Love on "The Inside".

... crickets ...

MissKittysMom | May 19, 17:49 CET

I loved him in Independence Day.

kazzmere | May 19, 18:12 CET

Adam who?

Oh! - you must mean Animal Mother.


ETA: It would be really interesting if someone out there with web poll composition experience made a poll out of this topic using the following methodology (in order to avoid blind poll stacking):

For each actor, first list all the projects they've appeared in with a dropdown list box next to each one detaling how many episodes they've seen ("none", "less than 1", "more than 1", "more than 3", "more than 8", "more than 1 season", "entire run") then ask - point blank - "who is ACTOR_NAME?:" with radio buttons next to the names of each of their characters.

[ edited by brinderwalt on 2010-05-19 18:46 ]

brinderwalt | May 19, 18:25 CET

Adam Baldwin as Special Agent Danny Love on "The Inside".

Oh how I miss The Inside. A cancelled show cast almost entirely of actors from my favorite cancelled shows. Cruel world.

hacksaway | May 19, 18:59 CET

*obligatory mention of what a crime it is 'The Inside' still isn't available on DVD*

Saje | May 19, 19:02 CET

The Inside is barely even known enough to be considered underrated, it's so hard to get a hold of. Way before Lost was even around, Michael Emerson was being all uber creepy on that and doing it so so well. Although if it had stayed on I don't know that I could have handled The Inside, Bones, and Castle all being on at the same time, all having Whedony actors thus necessitating I watch. Too...many...procedurals! Too...many...suuuuiiiiiittss!

InevitableTraitor | May 19, 20:00 CET

I had forgotten that Emerson was on The Inside. I really enjoyed that show, but my memories of it grow dimmer and dimmer.

palehorse | May 19, 20:20 CET

Yes, I remember really liking The Inside... but I don't actually remember The Inside. My DVR hard drive has long since been erased...

Knuckleball | May 19, 20:39 CET

I feel like Castle and Booth are more like David Boreanaz and Nathan Fillion than Mal or Angel were.

Nicole | May 19, 20:45 CET

I feel like Angel/Booth and Castle/Mal are no contest (the Whedonverse characters, obviously), but I think the reviewer is right about some of the less central characters. Vincent Kartheiser, for example, is just much, much better on Mad Men. Stupid Connor.

goingtowork | May 19, 21:08 CET

Willow - I love How I Met Your Mother and Lily a lot, but we are talking about goddamn Willow here
Angel - I never got into Bones, loved Angel
Faith - not a huge fan of either Echo or Dollhouse and a huge fan of Faith
River Tam - I've never seen "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles", because I've never seen anything "Terminator" *gasp*
Mal - Easy, though Castle is fun enough, Mal & Firefly are simply amazing. Strange that they don't mention captian Hammer or Caleb.
Inara - Better character on a better show
Jayne - Gotta love Jayne (and I have to admit I haven't really given Chuck a chance yet)
Dawn - Again, I have never seen Gossip Girl
Rita - The one time the Whedon character loses (in my book) o how I love Dexter (and Rita... I'll miss her)
Connor - Couldn't stand Mad Men at all, least of all Kartheiser's character + I always quite liked Connor (though I hated the season 4 arc) & think the character is hugely underrated
Zoe - better show, better character (hey I'm saying this about all the Firefly people)
Fred - It will always be Fred (or atleast till Cabin)

I must admit I still haven't seen all the episodes of The Inside (nor Drive) but as far as I remember it was really good. Especially the pilot and the one with the killer killing vigilante I remember as being quite outstanding. Great cast too, apart from Baldwin they also had True Blood's Lafayette and Better Off Ted's Ted, if I remember correctly. A real shame that it got killed so quickly.

the Groosalugg | May 19, 22:24 CET

You should also realize James Marsters is being more known for "Caprica" than maybe "Torchwood" and that show about vampires...what was that one again....
This just proves the longevity of these fine people. Soon it will happen to Morena, Summer and Jewel.

impalergeneral | May 19, 22:25 CET

My first instict is of course to want them all for the whedon side. but DB is really good as Booth. and while NF is amazing as Castle and I love the show, he will always,always,always,be the Cap to me.
in the case of Eliza, since both characters are Whedon's, I don't choose, I love them both. though maaaaaybe Faith a tiny bit more.

okelay | May 19, 23:07 CET

I'd go with Saje's list...except for VK who is amazing on MadMen. His character is is so complicated and believable...he's such a jerk, but sometimes so smart- he's awful, but his relationships with other people- in which he's impossibly dire- can be nonetheless heartrending. I can't stand him, but I can always see where he's coming from...it's a well written part, but I think VK makes it truly remarkable. The guy is some actor.

toast | May 19, 23:47 CET

I'm sure actors don't want to be just identified as one character they played. Adam would probably rather be recognized as an actor who's given more than one memorable performance.

Tober27 | May 19, 23:52 CET

Well personally I'm more attached to Amy Acker as Illyria than either Fred or Whiskey (don't hit me). For the most part I agree w/The Groosalugg's list, particularly with the awesome performance by Julie Benz as Rita (I absolutely LOVE Dexter and I hope they give her some ghost action, er... I hope it has been long enough so that that isn't a spoiler anymore).

[ edited by SoddingNancyTribe on 2010-05-20 00:39 ]

embers | May 20, 00:21 CET

It hasn't. Thanks embers.

Tober27 | May 20, 00:34 CET

Always better to be safe than sorry with potential spoilers, even if this one, referencing an episode that first aired on December 13, 2009, is not technically a spoiler under our site rules . . .

SoddingNancyTribe | May 20, 00:42 CET

To me, AB will always be Ricky Linderman.

alexreager | May 20, 01:03 CET

What Tober27 said. Typecasting is in many cases unavoidable (who really thinks of Shatner as TJ Hooker?) But many fine actors can and do play completely compelling, totally differentiated characters. On that note, I was recently blown away when I abruptly recognized the OCD semi-Autistic character on FlashForward is played by BSG Baltar's James Callis.

On the other hand, for some old farts like me Adam Baldwin will forever be My Bodyguard.

ETA: Which is what alexreager posted (and I should have realized though I did not recognize the character's name.)

[ edited by peacemonger on 2010-05-20 02:53 ]

fanbuoyant | May 20, 02:51 CET

The Groosalugg - "I love How I Met Your Mother and Lily a lot, but we are talking about goddamn Willow here..."

Thank you.

And Adam is Jayne. Ask him.

And Morena just brings this beautiful confidence to everything she does... but it's Inara all the way. Magnificently elegant Inara Serra.

Willowy | May 20, 05:23 CET

I'll never forget the episode where Col. Jack Riles spent 40-some minutes washing his car in cut offs and tank. *sighs* Well, maybe not the whole episode. And Cabby points to the first person who knows which series/actor. Or is speedy on imdb. ;)

cabri | May 20, 06:08 CET

I recently bought and watched My Bodyguard. I enjoyed it still. But the age of it showed in the soundtrack. Nowadays it would be filled with popsongs, back then it was a background music kind of thing. Adam was very good in it and cute as heck.

Xane | May 20, 06:19 CET

I think I've seen enough of Bones to be able to judge that I'd like to remember Boreanaz better for eight seasons of playing Angel.

Can't choose between Faith and Echo for Dushku. She had some good scenes in her introductory Buffy season, probably the best of Faith in Buffy Season 4/Angel Season 1 (the body switching episodes, the torture of Wesley and subsequent breakdown in "Five by Five"), and I liked her little cameo that implied Angel was going to be visiting her for support at the end of Angel Season 2's premiere ep, but...I gotta say...I don't think her return in Angel Season 4 and Buffy Season 7 really lived up to the hype. It just felt like she was there because there was a story focused on slayers going on, but that they didn't really have anything adequately meaty enough to justify bringing her back. It seemed like pretty obvious fan-service, even if I did enjoy a line or moment here and there (honestly can't remember if I did, which is why it's bad--if the stuff that sticks out most are the earlier seasons for that character, it probably wasn't worth bringing her back, or they went about it in a weak fashion. 'Cause I can sure as heck remember amazing moments from a lot of the other characters, even in Buffy Season 7). A lotta good-to-great stuff as Echo/Caroline as well. Not gonna choose moments, there were a lot of them on Dollhouse. Faith still left an impression though.

Haven't seen enough of Terminator-TV to be even a tiny bit more on Cameron's side. Did Glau get scenes in The Sarah Connor Chronicles on the level of what we were given in "Ariel", "Out of Space", and Serenity ? If not, then it's no contest.

Loving Morena on V, she's one of the best things about it, so I gotta give this one to her role as Anna over Inara, even if Inara did get a few great moments and left a lasting impression as well.

I'll probably remember Julie Benz better for Dexter, but it was a lot of fun seeing her play bad on Buffy and Angel. I guess Angel Season 3 was Darla's best season, maybe Angel Season 2...hmm, dunno, would need a re-watch. Her give-birth-to-Connor arc was supposed to happen at the end of Season 2, but was shifted to the beginning of Season 3, so I guess it's all a Season 2 plot.

Amy Acker--Illyria, hands down. Though it didn't take long to fall for Dr. Saunders either (and become curious about Whiskey). Fred had her moments, but...eh. I liked Fred when she was a crazy guest character in Pylea, I liked Fred when she got to step up and save the day in Season 4's "The Magic Bullet", and I liked pothead teenager Fred in "Spin the Bottle", but I didn't like what Fred was the majority of the time--a "do-anything" genius character (above and beyond what Willow could do as a mere mortal, until Willow was introduced to magic) who didn't really add much to the show, IMO ("yes, she did!", you might say, "a female character!", but I'm not of the mind that a lack of strong regular female characters was really a flaw of Angel's. It had a few good recurring, one great, very long-lasting female villain in Lilah--closest thing the show had to a series-long villain, if not for The WB being unwilling/unable to step up and pay for Romanov as a main cast member in Season 5 and forcing Eve on us--and Cordy for most of it, it didn't need more. Angel was more of a boy's club, Buffy was more of a girl's, most seasons, both those aspects worked in their favors, IMO). Fred was worth the affectingly awful death of "A Hold in the World", for producing Illyria, and for giving Wesley some character-defining and arc-winning scenes.

Really haven't followed the former Buffyverse/Whedon actors around much, at least never intentionally (though I admit that the prospect of Morena Baccarin, Alan Tudyk, Elizabeth Mitchell from Lost, and Joel Gretch from a lot of things, was enough actor-power-lure to get me to check out and stick with V. Oh okay, and Scott Wolf--I have minor Party of 5 nostalgia, even though I didn't stick with that show long enough to see Sean Maher on it). Might get to How I Met Your Mother eventually.

Kris | May 20, 06:20 CET

I can't say I follow the 'verse actors around. I don't like Boreanaz, I think he's mean and ungrateful about Angel. I DO watch anything Charisma is in, because I think she's underrated and needs support. I do make a point to watch Marsters in whatever he's guesting in because, as in Buffy, he elevates everyone's performance just by being in the scene. I can't watch Aly. She's Willow. Goddamn Willow. That's it for me with her. I'm overly critical of Sarah and Eliza, and I only see/hear Anya when Emma's onscreen. Nick is Xander and Seth is Oz.

So it's just me. It's my own fault that I auto-attach MY Whedonverse baggage onto these actors. But I will watch Nathan and Tudyk and Denisof read the phone book.

Also NPH is Gaia. He can do anything he damn well wants. :)

Willowy | May 20, 06:30 CET

Willow - because she's Willow!
Angel - He's great as Booth but the character just doesn't have the depth and development that Angel had. David got to play many different sides to Angel's personality and did so fantastically.
Faith
River/Cameron - haven't seen Terminaor: SCC
Mal - he'll always be my Captain
Inara
Jayne
Dawn - haven't seen Gossip Girl. Don't particularly want to
Darla? - haven't seen Dexter, but I think I'll remember her more for Darla
Connor/Pete - haven't seen Mad Men. Sounds like it could go either way for me.
Zoe
Fred

Shep | May 20, 11:15 CET

Aw, these are sissy choices.

Here are much more fun ones.
Christina Hendricks: Saffron or Joan Holloway OR the Bar Maid in Angel
(I was rewatching Season 1 Angel and in Prodigal I suddenly said, wait a minute, that bar maid looks familiar. Saffron was not her first Whedon role.)

Joss Whedon: Numfar or creepy car rental guy in Veronica Mars OR horribly dying killed by River with a pen evil government psychologist in the River Tam tapes.

barboo | May 20, 14:35 CET

Numfar, do the dance of difficult choices.

MissKittysMom | May 20, 15:00 CET

(I was rewatching Season 1 Angel and in Prodigal I suddenly said, wait a minute, that bar maid looks familiar. Saffron was not her first Whedon role.)

Yep, she played 'Barmaid' which is a case of nominative determinism if ever I heard it, like geez, thanks Mum and Dad (her twin sister 'Bank Robber #2' got a much better deal IMO).

Car rental guy was funny and man could Numfar dance but I have to say, Joss took those horrible choking noises and really made them his own, were there an Oscar for say "Best Horrifically Disturbing Gurgly Death Scene by a Writer/Directer in Cameo" then that statue would be manning a Whedonian mantelpiece, no doubt. It's how I think he'd want us to think of him.

Saje | May 20, 15:05 CET

I dunno about this; I know fandoms for different shows don't always get along but can't see oen group of fans lettign another group kill the first group's love for their own version of the charatcer. So this article is (logically speaking) poorly titled albeit (emotionally speaking) it's a more interesting title than "Which Role Lets These Folks Do More?"

Can't participate since except for Lily, Echo, and Claire Saunders I only know the Buffyverse versions. Wish Charisma, Amber, and Mercedes (and Danny, and Alexis,) had steady gigs to qualify them for this poll.

Reminds me of little kids in the 60s yelling at bigger kids "Fess Parker isn't Davy Crockett, he's Daniel Boone!"

What *I* always wonder about is if the different characters would get along :-). (But I will *not* do a BtVS-HIMYM crossover fic to explore the issue. I burned myself out crossing Buffyverse with Doctor in the House.))

[ edited by DaddyCatALSO on 2010-05-21 15:25 ]

DaddyCatALSO | May 20, 17:52 CET

Saje,
It would have to be an Oscar for "Best Horrifically Disturbing Gurgly Death Scene by a Writer/Directer in Cameo" in a special category. The Tam River tapes weren't released as part of the film. They were an on-line release.

Actually wouldn't that have to be an Emmy? Boy there are some tough questions associated with being a Whedon fan.

barboo | May 20, 21:08 CET

Why doesn't anyone mention Nathan Fillion as Caleb? The First role I saw him play and it took me some time getting to accept him as another character after that. But in the end, he's just "Der Hammer" ;)

Good point about the two types of Aly, nna_funk. But though I think HIMYM is hilarious, I regret never getting to watch her full acting range again. With the comedy, everything's just typically a little OTT. Would love to see her do some serious stuff too. Hell, just think about SAD Willow (two words: Oz. Leaving.)

Oh, and I'm with everyone else on Kartheiser (I adore Mad Men where he's the one you love to hate. With layers.) and Benz (That was a spoiler for me, but not over here: stumbled across it checking out the link with the 50 Whedonverse women.)

Still a lot of goodies to watch: TSCC, V, Castle... Won't go for Bones, though, too many detectives crowding the small screen as it is.

Ava Vargas | May 22, 06:19 CET