I gave some long thought to this earlier in the gym. Presented here in no particular order is my list of the best-written, best-presented television characters of all time:

• Jack Donaghy (30 Rock)
• Omar & Stringer Bell (The Wire)
• Benjamin Linus (LOST)
• Ron Swanson (Parks & Rec)
• Poussey & Suzanne (Orange Is the New Black)

With honorable mentions going to:

• Tyrion (Game of Thrones)
• Al Swearengen (Deadwood)
• Phillip & Elizabeth (The Americans)
• Josiah Bartlett (West Wing)

These are all amazing works of theater – “television” is a bad label for it. I would have to say that The Wire is probably the single best series of them all. If, somehow, you have not seen it, stop what you’re doing right now and go cue it up on Netflix. For sheer acting talent, Orange Is the New Black definitely leads this list. It’s so ridiculously stacked that there’s no real comparison – I had to drop Taystee (Danielle Brooks) from this list just to not make it ridiculous. LOST’s acting, by comparison, was actually pretty bad – besides Linus (and Hurley), I wasn’t super impressed, but the story was just super compelling. The Americans is probably the least-watched of all of these shows, but I think that’s going to change. It’s an incredible show – great writing, solid acting, compelling drama and all the 1980s kitsch you can ask for. I’m looking forward to seeing more from Westworld, which we’ve really been into, but so far I haven’t been blown away like with these other shows.