‘Walking Dead’ and ‘Game of Thrones’ standouts also among MTV News’ favorite TV characters of the year. By MTV News staff Naya Rivera as Santana on “Glee” Photo: FOX From vampire/werewolf hybrids to food-hungry travel enthusiasts, MTV News’ list of the 50 greatest television characters of the year has been an eclectic one, to say the least. And as we’re winding down toward our final set of small-screen titans, the list is only getting weirder! Want a military sniper-turned-gangster assassin with a half-blown-off face? We’ve got you covered. How about a zombie-killing hillbilly or a sword-wielding 9-year-old? That’s taken care of too. From “The Walking Dead” to “Glee” and beyond, here’s our next set of the year’s best TV characters! 20. Walter Bishop, “Fringe” If there’s another television show featuring a mad scientist who achieves impossible feats of fringe-science lunacy while snacking on double-dipped beer-battered onion rings from Sully’s in his Harvard laboratory (where the awesomely named Gene the cow lives), I’m not watching it. And frankly, I don’t want to. Walter Bishop is the best man of science on TV since Jack Shephard, and I’m not just saying that because he reminds me way too much of my own weird dad. (Though, seriously, the similarities are eerie and I’m beginning to wonder whether I’m from a parallel universe. That’s neither here nor there.) Walter is hilarious, heartbreaking and horrific all in one stroke, thanks to the unparalleled genius of John Noble and the “Fringe” writing staff, and the fact that Dr. Bishop isn’t an Emmy-winning character is absolutely beyond me — but hey, he’s solved weirder problems in the past. Give the man some time. -Josh Wigler 19. Wilfred, “Wilfred” I am a dog person. That is a fact. I am such a dog lover, in fact, that I don’t speak to them in stupid dog voices, because that is disrespectful. But assuming I did speak to my dog in a stupid dog voice, would he talk back in an Australian accent? No. Would he spend hours upon hours smoking weed? No. Nor does my dog appear to me as a 6-foot-2, 35-year-old, slightly overweight guy in a gray dog suit — no, that’s all Wilfred, portrayed on the offbeat F/X series by Jason Gann. And that’s exactly why he’s on this list. -Brian Phares See our Top 50 TV Characters of 2011, 50 to 41, including a masked bachelor and dashing novelist/crime-fighter. 18. Elliot Stabler, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” Have you been watching “SVU” lately and felt like something was missing? Well, that’s because it is, and that something is the butt-kicking Elliot Stabler, a layered man who just wanted to serve justice and catch bad guys. When Stabler (played by Christopher Meloni) exited the “SVU” scene earlier this year, the war on sex-related crimes was really lost — for the viewers, at least. Sure, Benson has our collective backs, but it’s a two-person job, and currently we are down a man. -Jocelyn Vena 17. Richard Harrow, “Boardwalk Empire” What could be cooler than an eye patch? How about a half face mask? Richard Harrow was made to be a fan favorite. He’s a sympathetic character (a disabled WWI vet) who has a badass ability (sweet sniper skills). That’s classic awesomeness algebra. Richard (played by Jack Huston on the HBO series) stole the show’s first season, made the jump to series regular for the second and hasn’t looked back once, if you’ll forgive the pun. -Kevin P. Sullivan 16. Jenna, “Awkward.” Relatable teen characters are hard to come by unless you grew up on the Upper East Side or in a certain Beverly Hills zip code. So it’s always refreshing to see a high-schooler just like us — or how we once were. Jenna (Ashley Rickards) struggles with the kind of issues we’re all familiar with: identity, relationships and a newfound infamy thanks to her rumored suicide attempt. (OK, maybe not so much on that last item.) Regardless, Jenna is the sort of self-conscious everyteen we can’t help but root for. -Amy Wilkinson See our Top 50 TV Characters of 2011, 40 to 31, including a “hootie hoo!”-hollering chef and funnyman talk-show host. 15. Randy Marsh, “South Park” Everyone’s favorite borderline-OCD, super-embarrassing, stereotypical I-will-punch-the-coach-in-the-face-if-he-doesn’t-put-my-kid-in-the-game dad had to be included on our list, because, let’s face it, every season of “South Park,” we are just praying for that one, always amazing Randy Marsh episode. Cr
