I'm having thinky thoughts again. Someone should really stop me.

[lirazel]

I want to have a discussion. About casting on TV. Really, really great casting, that is.

This discussion is inspired by my current affection for whoever it was who cast Benedict Cumberbatch on Sherlock, because he is so ridiculously, insanely right in that part that it sends me into spasms of delight whenever I think about him.

So what I'm talking about is those actors who are just married to the right material right off the bat: they come in and instantly they just work as the character, selling it immediately and becoming so one with the writing that they create someone real. Who make you sit back and want to write love letters to the casting director (if you're me, anyways, and I'm well aware I'm a bit crazy) thanking them for finding this perfect person for just this perfect role.

This isn't, though, just about good acting. For instance, neither Sarah Michelle Gellar nor James Marsters would be on my list, despite being really wonderful. Smidge wouldn't be there because even though I think she's fantastic in her role as Buffy, I don't think she's so ultimately, awesomely perfect that I can't hardly stand it right from the very beginning--it took me a while to feel that way about her. JM wouldn't be there because that role really grew up around him--he was supposed to be killed off rather quickly, and they just kept bringing him back and giving him more things to do, writing specifically for him, because he was great. But that, to me, is more the show lucking out getting someone so talented than the casting director finding someone indispensable for the role. The same might be said of Enver Gjokaj (whom you all know I adore), I can't decide: the nature of that role was to constantly change, so maybe he is a good example? I'm not really sure.

As another example, I wouldn't put Gillian Jacobs as Britta on Community on the list, either, because even though she's great and is becoming pretty iconic in my mind, I feel like the show floundered a bit trying to figure out who she was. Eventually it did, and it was a glorious thing to behold, but it was a bit wobbly at first. And any actor for whom a character was created isn't going to work either, like Rob Lowe on The West Wing. Or like Christina Hendricks on Mad Men--they changed the part to fit the actress, and thank goodness they did.

Anyways, this is obviously subjective and all based on who just pings for me as a viewer, and I'm not quite sure that I can concretely define what would earn someone a spot on my list. It's like pornography--I know it when I see it.

But here are the people who just popped into my head in the last ten minutes:

- Connie Britton as Tami on Friday Night Lights (a show with some really fabulous casting all-around)
- James Callis as Gaius Baltar on Battlestar Galactica
- Richard Schiff and Allison Janney as Toby and CJ on The West Wing (another show whose casting is so fabulous it seems a shame to single anybody out)
- Leighton Meester as Blair on Gossip Girl (yes, really. Whatever else can be said about that show--most of it bad--girlfriend is Blair Waldorf)
- Danny Pudi on as Abed Community (yeah, there's another one of those wonderfully well-cast shows)
- Hannah Murray and Nicholas Hoult as Cassie and Tony Skins (okay, I need to quit naming shows that just have really strong casting, okay?)
- Hugh Laurie as House on House

Anybody else want to play? Remember, we're talking TV--if we expand it to movies, too, the lists would be endless!

Comments

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

PARKER AND HARDISON. SOOOO MUCH LOVE. I'm ridiculously behind on that show, too.

Adam Baldwin's pretty great on Firefly, too. And so is Gina Torres.

[next_to_normal]

Haha, Adam Baldwin is pretty great there, too, but it took me a while to warm up to Jayne. And in general I have a much harder time connecting with the characters since I just didn't like the show.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

See, and right from the scene where he threatened the guy with the knife, I thought he was perfect.

Sometime I'd like to have a talk with you about your feelings on Firefly. Mine have changed drastically over time and are currently conflicted.

[next_to_normal]

Heh, in fairness, I'm not sure I could defend my feelings about Firefly anymore. I only watched it once a few years ago, so I don't actually remember details or much about the episodes. I just have sort of general impressions of things.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Well, if anything in particular pops into your head, I'm always interested.

[next_to_normal]

Haha, basically, I broke the characters into tiers:

Awesome and wish they were on a better show: Wash, Zoe, Jayne
Eh, they're okay: Kaylee, Mal, Inara
OMG DIE ALREADY: River, Book, Simon

The show itself I thought was a little too clever for its own good, extraordinarily problematic at times, and revealed Joss' painful weakness with world-building. Some of the individual episodes were not so bad, but nothing I wanted to watch a second time. Okay, maybe the Christina Hendricks ones.

I distinctly recall watching the pilot and being bored to TEARS. I didn't watch the rest of the show until at least a year later.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with your first tier, but I'd switch Kaylee and Simon. Kaylee drives me crazy. And I like Ron Glass, but Joss's attempts to write a Christian show so painfully that he really doesn't get it at all that Book just doesn't work.

The show itself I thought was a little too clever for its own good, extraordinarily problematic at times, and revealed Joss' painful weakness with world-building.

I agree with this entire statement. I like the show overall more than you do, but I can't argue with anything you say here!

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

Butting in to WORD the majority of this conversation, especially the bit about Joss writing about a Christian/religious character and not doing so hot. That's where Aaron Sorkin pwns Joss - he can write any worldview and have it resonate, no matter what his personal opinions are. See: Ainsley, Harriet Hayes on Studio 60 (which y'all should Netflix right now, just because it's Sorkin writing about TV. Not his best work, but Sorkin's mediocre is better than most people's best.)

Re:

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

he can write any worldview and have it resonate, no matter what his personal opinions are.

Very, very true. And Pres. Bartlett, too. And I like the way he writes Toby's Judaism, too. And he does so much right by Ainsley that I can't help but respect him. I think what's so fun about his writing, especially on TWW, is that you can tell what he loves to do is have people discuss things from various angles and have people really interact with ideas. It's such a delight for me. I haven't watched any of his other shows, but I'm'a get on that soon.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Mine have changed drastically over time and are currently conflicted.

Please talk more about this! I adore Firefly and it's one of those shows that I feel have held up really well.