Along with all of the great shows in 2025, this year also introduced some television characters who we will never forget. The year saw the return of a lot of beloved shows and iconic characters returning to the small screen, like Joel in The Last of Us and the entire cast of Severance. However, there were also some characters who made unforgettable debuts and announced themselves to the world in big ways.
Whether these are characters from new shows or those who are just new additions to returning shows, these characters captured our hearts, made us laugh, made us cry, and had our undivided attention in 2025. In some cases, we will never see them again, but their impression this year will live on.
Ron Trosper - The Chair Company
Along with being one of the most underrated shows of 2025, The Chair Company also gave us the year's funniest character in Ron Trosper. Tim Robinson transfers his hilarious comedy style from I Think You Should Leave over to this comedic thriller as Ron is a mild-mannered guy whose one incident of public humiliation spirals into chaos.
The Chair Company is a surreal show that can have your whole body cringing with the discomfort of the situations. However, seeing such an unhinged character as Ron delving into this vast conspiracy is endlessly funny. His constant bewilderment and moments of pathetic rage will have you laughing out loud.
Chelsea - The White Lotus
The White Lotus is filled with characters who are hard to love, but Chelsea stood out as an immensely likable and good person among all the self-centered vacationers. While her boyfriend, Rick, didn't deserve her kindness, Chelsea's unwavering insistence that they were soulmates was endearing, and she stood up for herself while trying to help him.
Chelsea was also kind to everyone she met, filling the world with positivity and kindness. Though Saxon annoyed her, she didn't judge him so much that she was willing to write him off as a lost cause. She wanted to help people and allow them to help themselves, which gave a sweetness rarely seen in this series. Her tragic end also delivered one of the show's darkest conclusions.
Matt Remick - The Studio
The Studio is Apple TV+'s big hit of the year and one of the best comedies of 2025. There is no surprise that Seth Rogen delivers the laughs in his hilarious performance as Matt Remick in the series, but it is also the most complex and interesting character of his career. Matt is a lover of cinema who finds his dreams come true as the new head of a legendary Hollywood studio, only to be continually crushed by the job.
The fast-paced and frantic nature of the show is matched by Matt's chaotic personality. He stumbles from one situation to the next, often making bad situations worse with his attempts to fix things. He is hilariously self-involved, trying to prove to a group of doctors that his poop monster movie is vital to society. However, it is also hard not to get swept up in his idealism towards the movie industry.
Carol Sturka - Pluribus
After shining in a supporting role in Better Call Saul, Rhea Seehorn gets to step into the spotlight as Carol Sturka in Vince Gilligan's inventive sci-fi story Pluribus. Carol finds herself in an awkward situation as an alien entity has joined the majority of Earth's population into one blandly happy hive mind, with Carol left out of the collective.
The brilliant premise creates Carol as a protagonist faced with loneliness, the feeling of being an outsider, but also a strange freedom. She is flawed and suffering in many ways, but that is also part of her being human in a world that was robbed of that. It is a wild ride to feel sorry for Carol, as this outcast only to gradually see her as a beacon of individualism.
Jamie Miller - Adolescence
Adolescence became the most talked-about show of the year, and Jamie Miller was the fascinating character at the center of it all. Adolescence's one-shot approach raises the tension in this harrowing drama focusing on the young man who is accused of killing a classmate. What unfolds is an examination of one of the most complex television characters in recent memory.
The audience is constantly pulled in different directions when it comes to their feelings towards Jamie. He switches between innocent child, chilling monster, and heartbreaking victim over the course of a single episode. Young Owen Cooper deserves huge praise for being able to juggle the challenges of the role and create something we have never really seen before.