This week I was going to share a list of my favorite current tv characters, but there's really only one character that comes to mind: the loudmouth, scene-stealing, hilarious Tammy Diffendorf on Mom (Kristen Johnston). First appearing in season 4 as Bonnie's incarcerated ex-foster sister who held a grudge against Bonnie for getting her kicked out of their foster home, sending her down a dark path towards prison (she robbed an Outback Steakhouse), Johnston clearly made an impression. This season, 2 years later, the show brought the character back full-time. Newly released after a 7-year prison stint, Tammy is now having to readjust to life on the outside, in episodes focused on her finding a job, reentering the dating scene, and living with first Christy and Bonnie but now Marjorie. Johnston steals every scene that she's in by imbuing the character with an unfiltered but endearing vibe. Many have complained that the character is annoying, but I think that she's almost single-handedly revived a sitcom whose quality was starting to wane. Instead of stealing time from other characters, her presence adds to their storylines. She often annoys the heck out of her new friends, but her love for them is palpable, providing a needed break from the biting wit and sarcasm thrown around by everyone else. I would compare her addition to that of Bernadette and Amy to The Big Bang Theory; it feels like she's simply part of the gang and has been there all along.
I've been a fan of Johnston since her time on the 90's sitcom 3rd Rock From the Sun. In real life she's gone through a lot of hardship since she first appeared on television, dealing with things like drug addiction and lupus (which has caused a noticeable weight gain). One of the best things about Mom, a show about recovering addicts,is that it has a history of employing actors that are in recovery themselves. Jaime Pressly, who plays the wealthy, snobbish divorcee Jill, is well-known for her alcohol addiction and DUI arrest in 2011. These experiences give the actresses an advantage at believably playing their characters, but they don't need much help as they are both talented comics to begin with.
When Tammy was absent from a recent episode, her presence was definitely missed, especially considering that she was originally just supposed to be a guest star. Here's hoping Johnston continues on the show during its just-announced 2 additional seasons.
Several months ago I finally began binging the American version of The Office on Netflix. I'm probably one of the only tv fans who had only seen a handful of episodes of the popular workplace sitcom, which ran for 9 seasons from 2005-2013. I'm currently about midway through season 6. Michael is dating Pam's mom, Pam is pregnant, and Michael and Jim are co-managing the Scranton office of Dunder Mifflin. I thought that it would be a good time to rank the show's many supporting characters. It seems that fans have varying opinions about which characters they love and which they are indifferent to. for the purposes of my list, I'm excluding main characters whose names appear in the show's opening credits: Michael, Jim, Pam, Dwight, and Ryan (who probably would have been near the bottom of my list...). So, here we go.
17. Andy: His antics and dorkiness, although similar to those of Michael, to me make him more creepy and annoying than lovable. His relationship with Angela didn't make much sense to me either. I'm a little confused why the show felt the need to add a less-likable version of Michael in season 3.
16. David Wallace: As Michael's boss who works at Corporate in New York City, David is good at looking bewildered by Michael's antics...but that's about it. Also, the show never convincingly explains why David never fires Michael despite multiple antics that threaten the company's well-being.
15. Charles Miner: Yes, Idris Elba is cool. But this was a nothing character who briefly ran the Scranton branch while Michael, Pam, and Ryan went off to start the short-lived Michael Scott Paper Company. Although it was kind of funny how Angela and Kelly fought for his affection.
14. Karen: She's mostly there as a foil to Jim and Pam being together. She's only a regular for about a season, and the show never takes much time to flesh out her character before she inevitably has to go. Wisely, the producers decided against their original plan to build a spinoff around Karen, since Rashida Jones's character on Parks and Recreation turned out to be much more interesting.
13. Erin: As the receptionist who takes over for Pam once she goes into sales, Erin is sunny and pleasant but mostly kid of boring. I did like her with Andy though.
12. Angela: She's a shrill, religious, and a mostly humorless cat lover. She has her funny moments, especially as the head of the office's party planning committee. Her relationship with Dwight was odd but actually kind of worked. But her unpleasant personality does get kind of old and unappealing after a while, especially in season 4-5 when the show over-uses her.
11. Jan: As Michael's original boss and eventual love interest, Jan starts off as being a tough corporate bitch but turns into a complete nutjob who is even crazier than Michael. Still, she has some very funny moments, particularly in the dinner party episode.
10. Hannah: It's a shame that Hannah only lasted for a couple episodes. Because, as one of the transplants from the Stamford, CT branch, Hannah is absolutely hilarious in her few appearances. She uses a breast pump in the office and gets mad when Pam mistakes her son for a girl.
9. Oscar: As the show's only gay character, Oscar is actually my favorite "straight man" (sane, relatively normal character) on the show. He puts up with a lot of teasing from Michael and actually takes advantage of his politically incorrect boss by taking freebies from the company in lieu of suing it. The episode where Oscar's sexuality is revealed is probably the most politically incorrect but hilarious things that I've ever seen on network television.
8. Holly: As the short-lived replacement to Toby as the Scranton branch's HR rep and Michael's love interest, Holly seems normal. In actuality though, she's totally weird but adorable, a perfect match for Michael. She has several standout moments with Michael, such as their beat-boxing riff and their awkward sketch at the company picnic.
7. Kevin: Kevin is just adorable, like a wide-eyed kid in a candy store and without a mean bone in his body. Dwight memorably tricks Holly into believing that Kevin is mentally challenged. Kevin's brief relationship with the socially awkward Lynn is also one of the show's sweetest couplings.
6. Phyllis: She's one of the "normal" characters early on, but later on she gets some of her own quirks, like when she blackmails Angela into taking control of the party planning committee, or when she and husband Bob Vance have sex in a restaurant bathroom, leaving double date partners Jim and Pam to wonder where they went. She's one of the sweetest and most likable characters on the show.
5. Meredith: As the office's resident alcoholic and promiscuous grouch, the show wisely uses Meredith sparingly. But whenever she appears, she has some great one-liners and sight gags, mostly memorably when she reveals a bit too much during the office's casual Friday, or when Michael hits her with his car in the parking lot.
4. Kelly: Yes, her character is one-note (a pop-culture obsessed dimwit who is obsessed with a man who treats her like garbage), but Mindy Kaling breathes so much life into this role that I always want more of her onscreen. It's no wonder that she left the show before the end to start her own sitcom, The Mindy Project.
3. Creed: Like Meredith, Creed doesn't get a whole lot of screen time, but his creepy and secretive criminal old man character is hilarious. His conference room confessional scenes, where he drops details of his weird and criminal behavior, are the best of any character.
2. Stanley: Stanley, always annoyed by Michael, has some of the best facial expressions on the show. He's one of the few characters to call Michael out on his bullshit, although Michael usually just ignores him.
1. Toby: I've had an ongoing debate with a friend about whether Toby is a good character; in fact I think he's the absolute best supporting character. One of the best running gags of the show is how Michael absolutely hates Toby just for doing his job as an HR rep. He's awkward and lovelorn, with an requited crush on Pam. But the best part of Toby is just his overall look of constant exhaustion and absolute misery, in his job dealing with the absolute HR disaster that is the Scranton branch.
The TLC network is known for its wide array of trashy but often entertaining reality shows. Little People Big World, My 600lb Life, 90 Day Fiancee, Sister Wives, My Big Fat Fabulous Life, I could go on and on. Some, like Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and 19 Kids and Counting, have also courted controversy over issues like child sexual assault, leading to their cancellations. Several years ago, in the same summer that the E! network premiered I Am Cait, its reality series about Caitlin Jenner, the most well-known transgender person in the world, TLC quietly premiered its reality series about transgender teen and activist Jazz Jennings, called I Am Jazz. While Jenner, with her sometimes conservative views and frequent foot-in-mouth public statements, is a polarizing figure, I would argue that Jennings is the true face of the transgender movement.
I Am Jazz follows the life of Jennings, now 18 years old, who has asserted from a very young age that she is a girl, even though she was born a boy. Her parents Jeanette and Greg made the controversial decision to block her development of male puberty, to allow her to live a convincing and happy life as a teenage girl. And looking at her, you would never know that she is different from any other teen girl. The show delves into all aspects of her life, including her friendships with other trans teens like JoJo and Noelle, dating, and her activism for the LGBTQ community. It also follows Jazz's other family members, including her older sister Ari, older twin brothers Griffin and Sander, and mom Jeannette's parents Jack and Jackie, who must reconcile their conservative upbringing with supporting their trans granddaughter. The current season is following the weeks leading up to and after Jazz's gender confirmation surgery, which took place last June. The surgery is particularly unusual and risky, considering Jazz's young age and the fact that her puberty had been blocked. With unexpected post-op complications and Jack's own simultaneous health crisis, the last few episodes have been more dramatic than any network or cable drama currently airing.
Whatever your thoughts or hesitations about watching a show about a transgender person, I would encourage everyone to check out this show to educate yourself and be entertained by a truly inspiring, interesting, and actually pretty average teen girl. The show is understandably serious when it needs to be (it's tackling some heavy issues after all), but it also allows the Jennings family's goofiness and fun side to shine through.
