AfterElton's Top 50 Favorite TV Characters!

38. Burt Hummel, Glee (Mike O'Malley)

[On Air: 2009-Present] Burt Hummel is the supportive dad everyone wishes they had. A blue-collar champion and tireless defender of his son, Burt stands up for Kurt even though he may not always completely understand him. After all, Kurt was all he had after his wife died and before new wife Carol Hudson came along.Some of the series’ most emotional moments revolve around Burt and Kurt Hummel’s relationship, from Kurt singing “Blackbird” while keeping vigil at his father’s bedside after Burt suffered a heart attack to Burt admonishing Finn (Cory Monteith) to stand up for his stepbrother at school. No matter what, Burt is always in Kurt’s corner. And because of that, we’re always in Burt’s.

10. Santana Lopez, Glee (Naya Rivera)

[On Air: 2009-present] Actress Naya Rivera and the Glee writers have taken the typical bitchy cheerleader character — which could have been nothing more than a cliché in less talented hands — and turned Santana into a character who seems refreshingly real, with shades of humor, sadness and vulnerability.

Sarcastic? Hells yeah! She has some of the best one-liners of any character currently on the airways. But she’s also been known to break down in tears while singing a song to her true love and fellow Cheerio,Britney S. Pierce (played by Heather Morris, Rivera’s real-life best friend). It doesn’t hurt that she’s got that amazing voice either. But Santana’s real importance lies in being a multi-dimensional character who is not defined by her sexuality, but rather her complexity.

2. Kurt Hummel, Glee (Chris Colfer)

[On Air: 2009 - Present] Kurt strikes a chord with many gay viewers because he reminds us of our own high school experience: the social outcast, loner or misfit.

A groundbreaking TV character on a one-of-a-kind series, Kurt has been slowly evolving out of the victim role (being thrown in a dumpster in the pilot, multiple Slushies to the face) into a more mature, stronger mentor. Witness his recent forgiveness and friendship with former bully, Dave Karofsky (Max Adler) for proof.

While many of Kurt’s storylines in the first two seasons of Glee revolved around his sexual orientation (and they sometimes still do) his character has become more well-rounded and is currently looking hopefully toward the future — life after high school. Kurt is a hopeful sign of the future for many of today’s gay teens: It may be a long, rough journey, but it will get better.

1. Blaine Anderson, Glee (Darren Criss)

[On Air: 2009 - Present] We fell in love with him from his first appearance on the show, where he shimmied and crooned the sweetest confection of a Glee number ever, serenading Kurt Hummel with Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream." That smile, those moves, that voice, and a navy blazer with red piping. We were instantly hooked.

The song was perfect for him because Blaine really is a teenage dream. Young girls and boys alike crush on him. Like the perfect Tiger Beat cover boy, he's both cute and yet completely non-threatening at the same time. Another part of his appeal? Blaine seems completely unaware of precisely how hot he is. (A personality trait he seems to inherited from actor Darren Criss.)

source: afterelton.com