2018 Character Cup - Winner and Stats

2018 Character Cup Winner

Lucifer Morningstar

63+ polls later and we have a winner! Congratulations to the Lucifer fandom for voting Lucifer Morningstar to the top in a super close finale to end the 2018 Character Cup. While Magnus Bane from Shadowhunters led for most of the 24-hour poll, Lucifer started gaining in the last few hours and pulled off the victory by less than 300 votes. It was yet another very close finale, capping off an exciting Character Cup! It just goes to show how each vote matters. To become the winner, Lucifer defeated Lorelai Gilmore, Jack Pearson, Oliver Queen, Sherlock Holmes, Andy Flynn, and Magnus Bane. He also had the most votes in a single poll with 7,241 and finished the contest with 22,335 votes altogether.

As the winner, Lucifer joins Jack from LOST, Dean and Castiel from Supernatural, Root and Shaw from Person of Interest, and Alex Danvers from Supergirl in our Hall of Retired Winners. In our bronze place poll, Buffy Summers defeated Andy Flynn to take third place again. Congratulations to Lucifer, Shadowhunters, Buffy, Major Crimes, and all other fandoms who supported their favorites. Our breakout character this year was Magnus Bane from Shadowhunters, who jumped a whopping 55 ranks to land in the #2 spot. Over in the Favorite Animal Contest, our winner was Scooby-Doo with Salem from Sabrina placing second.

Interested in other stats about the 2018 Character Cup? Check out the stats page here.

Prediction Contest and Wish Lists:

By correctly predicting Lucifer as the winner, we end in our first technical tie for our weighted prediction contest. Randi and Srothie both received 143 points, which took them to the tiebreaker. Since Randi Rezendes guessed 46/63 polls correctly and Srothie guessed 44/63 polls correctly, the bragging rights go to...Randi. Congratulations and great predicting in a contest that went topsy turvy right from round 1. In 3rd place, was Monica with 139 points. Awesome job to all of you! I am impressed! Fun fact - If we had run the Prediction Contest the same way as last year, where each round was worth the same number of votes, then we would have had a 3-way tie between Randi, Bradley, and Amber.

Over in the wish lists, Randi also took the top place with Ellie and Joanna in second and third. However, if we go by number of polls where a favorite won, Joanna was in first with 37 happy polls and Caomoyl came in second with 36 happy polls. Congratulations for having the most positive results of the contest.

Thanks!!!

First and foremost, thanks to Andy for running SpoilerTV and hosting this contest every summer. If you haven’t been to SpoilerTV before the Character Cup, I urge you to stick around and try it out. Not only are hundreds of shows covered but the people who make up the STV community are knowledgeable, thoughtful, passionate, respectful, and eager to discuss. You will not find better, balanced conversation about TV anywhere online. It is my privilege to be a part of the STV team. Next up in our summer roster are the STV Awards, which you get to decide, and the Favorite Show Competition, always an intense ride. You don’t want to miss them.

Special thanks also go out to Richard A. Murray. He spent countless hours editing many of the pictures used in this contest to create higher-resolution images. He even spent his weekend making sure that we had great pictures for the later rounds. I very much appreciate all your work, both this year and last. Thanks also to ALL the people who found pictures, not only for their favorites but also other characters in the contest. I didn’t have to worry about finding pictures, which saved me hours. By being the awesome people you are, you cut my work in half and I can’t thank you enough.

Everyone who knows me knows that the TV Talk Topics are my favorite part of this contest and you didn’t disappoint. I appreciate everyone who shared their thoughts, whether it was every time, just once, or somewhere in between. You are the reason why so many people are drawn to SpoilerTV. A special thanks also to everyone who nominated topics. I’m sorry if we didn’t get to yours, but we now have a great mix of topics to start us out next year.

Finally, a huge thank you to everyone who participated in any capacity. There is no contest without you. I appreciate your nominating, voting, discussing, mini-contest ideas, spreading the word through social media, and sharing your thoughts on the topics or characters. Once again, I had a blast during this contest and I can’t wait to see you next year for the 2019 Character Cup.

Character Cup Fun Facts:

Since this is the 5th year that I have run the Character Cup, I thought I’d share some stats from the contest as a whole. Data from the first 2 years of the Cup are not included because it was run differently. (More than 1 character per show is the primary difference.)

Shows represented: 125
Characters represented: 173
Shows that have only been in the Cup once: 40
Characters that have only been in the Cup once:  98

Shows that have been in the Cup all 5 years: 17
The 100, Arrow, The Blacklist, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Criminal Minds, Doctor Who, Fringe, Game of Thrones, Grey’s Anatomy, LOST, Once Upon a Time, The Originals, Sherlock, SHIELD, Supernatural, The Walking Dead, The X-Files

Characters that have been in the Cup all 5 years: 5
Raymond Reddington, Buffy Summers, The Doctor, Sherlock Holmes, Dana Scully

Shows that ranked in the Top 5: 17
Lucifer, Supernatural, Person of Interest, Supergirl, Shadowhunters, Outlander, Arrow, Castle, Shameless, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Agent Carter, Beauty and the Beast, Major Crimes, The 100, The X-Files, The Mentalist, Once Upon a Time

Shows with the most characters representing it:
Grey’s Anatomy - April, Cristina, Derek, Meredith
The 100 - Bellamy, Clarke, Lexa
Arrow - Felicity, Laurel, Oliver
Game of Thrones - Jon, Sansa, Tyrion
Once Upon a Time - Emma, Hook, Regina
Orphan Black - Cosima, Helena, Sarah
Person of Interest - Finch, Root, Shaw
SHIELD - Daisy, Leo, May
Supergirl - Alex, Kara, Lena
The Walking Dead - Carol, Daryl, Rick

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, loves live tweeting, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Previously she wrote a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

2018 Character Cup - Finale

After 540 characters nominated and 64 competitors, we are now down to the final 2. Woo hoo! Congratulations to the Shadowhunters and Lucifer fandoms for getting their characters to the last round. It wasn't easy. Magnus had several close races, including the super close semi-final race. To get here, he defeated April Kepler, Klaus Mikaelson, Regina Mills, Jamie Fraser, and Buffy Summers. Of the two finalists, he had the hardest competition and as such has topped out at 67% of the vote. Magnus is coming into the finale the same way he started - as the underdog. With over 2,500 less overall votes than Lucifer, the Shadowhunters fandom will have to come out strong to come out on top. However, they already moved Magnus up 57 spots after he narrowly even made it into the Cup. With that dedication, a #1 spot may be theirs for the taking.

Lucifer fans have dominated much of this contest, handily defeating Lorelai Gilmore, Jack Pearson, Oliver Queen, Sherlock Holmes, and Andy Flynn. Coming in with over 15,000 overall votes and receiving over 5,000 votes in the semifinals, he is statistically the odds-on favorite to win. While his competition may not have been quite at the level of Magnus Bane's, he also has never had a close match here and Lucifer has a habit of winning at SpoilerTV. In the end though, past statistics are just that - the past. With both fandoms heavily organized, this should be a much closer contest than the semifinals. Who will prevail? Let the voting begin!

Note: The poll between Buffy Summers and Andy Flynn is only to determine their place in the rankings. The winner will take third place, while the other will be in fourth. Also, don't forget to vote in our Favorite TV Animal poll where it is cartoon dog vs sorcerer cat, as Scooby-Doo and Salem face off.


Rules
Stats/Rankings/Brackets
Round 1A / Round 1B / Round 1C / Round 1D
Round 2A / Round 2B / Round 2C
Round 3 / Round 4 / Round 5

Prediction Contest and Wish Lists:

While round 5 wasn't nearly as exciting as round 4 was in the polls, it still provided a major shakeup in the prediction contest. With only one round left, Randi and SRothie are tied in first place with 111 points each. Monica with 107 points and Bradley with 100 points trail them. This may end up being the closest finish to our prediction contest yet. Randi also joins the wish lists in third behind Joanna and Caomoyl, who have lead since round 1. Congrats to everyone!

TV Talk Topic - It's a Woman's World?:

First off, thank you to everyone who nominated topics for this Cup. I appreciate the ideas. Before delving into our last topic of the Cup, I thought I'd share some of the most popular topics nominated that we didn't cover. I choose topics based on what's nominated, what others bring up in the comments, past topics nominated but not used, how recently the topic was discussed on SpoilerTV or in previous Cups, how specific the topic is, and how likely it is that the topic will lead to bickering. If you nominated a topic that we did not use, please check back next year or see why below:

Most Nominated Topics Not Chosen This Year:
1. Show XYZ should not be cancelled. (This is too narrow. Instead I changed it into the TV Grief topic.)
2. Show runner/Writer/Fan Power (We touched on this with the fandom topic. Most of these were also too narrow, focusing on not liking how a specific character was treated.)
3. The way Hollywood writes females (Today's topic)
4. Shipping (This will never be a topic because it goes off the rails too quickly.)
5. Ratings (This is a frequent topic on STV, but we may use it next year.)
6. Social Media (Topic last year.)
7. Sensitive topics / politics (Topic last year.)
8. Characters leaving / Character development (Likely topic next year.)


Today's Topic:

As the third most requested TV Talk Topic, I wanted to do this earlier but female characters as a whole didn’t last very long this year. By the time I originally planned to post this topic, there were only a couple of females left in the contest and that felt too pointed. So with Buffy officially out, let’s talk females on TV. Who are you favorite female characters now and on previous shows? Are there any prevailing stereotypes that Hollywood needs to work on? In what ways, if any, do fans tend to judge female characters differently than male characters? Would you like your favorite character as much if they were of the opposite sex? Is writing for female characters easier than males? Are women over 40 being represented more or less? How are issues traditionally considered more female-oriented like body image portrayed on TV? How do you expect gender issues to change on TV in light of the #MeToo and other movements? (Thanks to the following for nominating this topic: Joy, Samantha, Jill, Jessica, Ivana, Alexandra, Yvonne, and DJ)

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, loves live tweeting, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Previously she wrote a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

2018 Character Cup - Final Four

Wow! The last few rounds have been exciting, with major contenders defeated and polls coming down to the last few minutes. Round 4 saw the #1 ranked character beaten by a mere 16 votes. Although the Outlander fandom came on strong in the final hours, the Shadowhunters fandom maintained their lead and earned Magnus Bane a spot here today. It also confirms that Magnus already has the biggest increase between his original rankings and the final one. (For those keeping track at home, this is the 3rd time that Jamie has been in the top 5 of the Character Cup since I took it over 5 years ago. I have no doubt we will see him again next year.) The other races weren't quite as tight but no one earned over 58% of the vote, making it the closest round. Joining Magnus are Buffy Summers, Lucifer Morningstar, and Andy Flynn. Statistically, today's round should be less nail-biting. Both Magnus and Lucifer had more votes individually than the Rosa vs Buffy poll altogether, and while Andy got more votes than Buffy, it was still much less than the top two. Will this be the end of our upsets or will the underdogs prevail once again?

Mini-contest: While the character polls were super tight, the animal polls were not. Salem from Sabrina took the lead quickly and ended up with a whopping 90.3% of the vote, the biggest percentage of this Cup. At one time he had more votes than both Buffy and Rosa. Also moving to the next round are Scooby-Doo, Flipper, and Lassie. Which one will take the crown for STV's Favorite Animal?


Note - This round will end around 6:30 pm CST. Then we will take Saturday off and start the final round on Sunday morning. Good luck to all and happy voting!



Rules
Rankings/Brackets
Round 1A / Round 1B / Round 1C / Round 1D
Round 2A / Round 2B / Round 2C
Round 3
Round 4

Prediction Contest and Wish Lists:

With Jamie's defeat, brackets busted all over again. This round sees Bradley in the lead with 84 points. Amber trails with 80 and Randi rounds out the top 3 with 79 points. Congratulations to all of you! There's also a shake up in the wish lists. Joanna stills leads with Caomoyl behind her. However, Onskelista has jumped up to 3rd place. Congrats to you guys too!

TV Talk Topic:  

As the world becomes more global, so does TV. Shows that you used to only be able to see in the country of its origin are now available through streaming platforms and other ways. How do international and American shows differ? How are they the same? Are there any countries whose TV you particularly like? What changes would you like to see regarding access to TV from other countries? If you are from the US, what non-US shows do you watch? If you are not from the US, which shows are most popular in your country? Does your country primarily air American TV or shows created in your own country? (Thanks to Flynn Maze and RN the Andrian for the topic suggestion.)

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, loves live tweeting, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Previously she wrote a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

2018 Character Cup - Stats, Rankings, and Brackets

Stats to Geek Out On:

Round Results:

Characters Still In:  

Round 5:  Magnus Bane, Lucifer Morningstar

Round 4:  Magnus Bane, Buffy Summers, Lucifer Morningstar, Andy Flynn

Round 3:   Lucifer Morningstar, Jamie Fraser, Magnus Bane, Buffy Summers, Andy Flynn, Sherlock Holmes, Sam Winchester, Rosa Diaz

Round 2:  Jamie Fraser, Magnus Bane, Lucifer Morningstar, Bellamy Blake, Regina Mills, Oliver Queen, Rosa Diaz, Barry Allen, Andy Flynn, Leo Fitz, Sheldon Cooper, Spencer Reid, Buffy Summers, Sherlock Holmes, Eleven, Sam Winchester

Round 1: Jamie Fraser, Lucifer Morningstar, Magnus Bane, Damon Salvatore, Greg House, Jethro Gibbs, Barry Allen, Regina Mills, Klaus Mickaelson, Andy Flynn, Sherlock Holmes, Oliver Queen, Buffy Summers, Cameron Black, Shaun Murphy, Leo Fitz, Bellamy Blake, Sansa Stark, Jack Pearson, Veronica Mars, Sheldon Cooper, Rosa Diaz, June, Bill Adama, Joan Watson, Spencer Reid, Olivia Benson, Jessica Jones, The Doctor, Eleven, Sam Winchester, Mia Elster


Characters Out: 

Round 5:  Buffy Summers, Andy Flynn

Round 4:  Jamie Fraser, Rosa Diaz, Sherlock Holmes, Sam Winchester

Round 3:   Bellamy Blake, Spencer Reid, Oliver Queen, Barry Allen, Regina Mills, Eleven, Leo Fitz, Sheldon Cooper

Round 2:  Sansa Stark, Klaus Mikaelson, Damon Salvatore, Jethro Gibbs, Jack Pearson, Olivia Benson, Shaun Murphy, June/Offred, Joan Watson, Cameron Black, Jessica Jones, Greg House, Veronica Mars, Mia Elster, The Doctor, Bill Adama

Round 1: Lucy Preston, April Kepler, Merlin, Dana Scully, John Locke, Brooke Davis, Maeve Millay, Emily Thorne, Lorelai Gilmore, Elizabeth Jennings, Sara Lance, Red Reddington, Justin Foley, Lena Luthor, Olivia Dunham, Ross Poldark, Callen, Matt Murdock, Sydney Bristow, Annalise Keating, Temperance Brennan, Villanelle, Wynonna Earp, Quinn King, James Cole, Carol Peletier, Uhtred, Cheryl Blossom, Liv Moore, Elizabeth McCord, Martin Riggs, Tommy Shelby


Polls with the Most Votes:

Magnus Bane vs Lucifer Morningstar = 14,192
Lucifer Morningstar vs Andy Flynn = 7,927
Jamie Fraser vs. Magnus Bane = 7,720


Characters New to the Character Cup:

Magnus Bane, Rosa Diaz, Andy Flynn, Sansa Stark, Shaun Murphy, June/Offred, Cameron Black, Mia Elster, Bill Adama, April Kepner, Merlin, John Locke, Justin Foley, Lena Luthor, G. Callen, Villanelle, Quinn King, Carol Peletier, Uhtred of Bebbanburg, Cheryl Blossom, Tommy Shelby


Shows New to the Character Cup:

The Good Doctor, The Handmaid's Tale, Deception, Humans, Merlin, Killing Eve, UnREAL, The Last Kingdom, Peaky Blinders


Losing Characters with the Most Votes:

Round 1 =  Lucy Preston, April Kepler, Merlin, Dana Scully
Round 2 =  Sansa Stark, Klaus Mikaelson, Damon Salvatore
Round 3 =  Bellamy Blake, Spencer Reid, Oliver Queen
Round 4 =  Jamie Fraser, Sherlock Holmes, Sam Winchester


Characters with Biggest Improvement between Initial Rankings and Final Rankings: 

Magnus Bane (+55)
Greg House (+30)
Sheldon Cooper (+26)


Closest Polls:

Mia Elster vs Wynonna Earp - 2 votes
The Doctor vs Temperance Brennan - 15 votes
Magnus Bane vs Jamie Fraser - 16 votes


Returning Characters:

Number of returning characters  - 43
Number of returning characters who improved their ranking - 14
Most Improved Rankings:  Jack Pearson (+38), Maeve Millay (+23), Joan Watson (+18), Brooke Davis (+16)


Returning Shows:

Number of returning shows - 55
Number of shows that improved their ranking - 17
Most Improved Ratings:  This Is Us (+38), Westworld (+23), Battlestar Galactica (+20), One Tree Hill (+16), Brooklyn 99 (+ at least 16)


Gender Breakdown:

This Year - male = 32 / female = 32
Second Round: male = 21 / female = 11
Third Round:  male = 12 / female = 4
Fourth Round:  male = 6 / female = 2
Final Four:  male = 3 / female = 1
Finals:  male = 2


Network Breakdown:

This Year: network =29 / cable = 20 / streaming = 2 / ended shows = 13
Second Round: network = 17 / cable = 9 / streaming = 1 / ended = 5
Third Round:  network = 10  / cable =  5/ streaming = 0 / ended =1
Fourth Round:  network = 3 / cable = 4 / ended = 1
Final Four:  network = 1 / cable = 2 / ended = 1
Finals: network = 1 / cable = 1


Total Votes:

Lucifer (22,335), Magnus (19,462), Andy (10,434), Jamie (9,830), Buffy (9,503), Sherlock (5,592), Rosa (4,674),  Sam (4,400), Bellamy (3,580), Barry (2,931)

Final Ranking List:  

01.  Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer)
02.  Magnus Bane (Shadowhunters)
03.  Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
04.  Andy Flynn (Major Crimes / The Closer)
05. Jamie Fraser (Outlander)
06. Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock)
07. Sam Winchester (Supernatural)
08. Rosa Diaz (Brooklyn 99)
09. Bellamy Blake (The 100)
10. Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds)
11. Oliver Queen (Arrow)
12. Barry Allen (The Flash)
13. Regina Mills (Once Upon a Time)
14. Eleven (Stranger Things)
15. Leo Fitz (Agents of SHIELD)
16. Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory)
17. Sansa Stark (Game of Thrones)
18. Klaus Mikaelson (The Originals)
19. Damon Salvatore (The Vampire Diaries)
20. Jethro Gibbs (NCIS)
21. Jack Pearson (This Is Us)
22. Olivia Benson (Law & Order: SVU)
23. Shaun Murphy (The Good Doctor)
24. June/Offred (The Handmaid's Tale)
25. Joan Watson (Elementary)
26. Cameron Black (Deception)
27. Jessica Jones (Jessica Jones)
28. Greg House (House)
29. Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars)
30. Mia Elster (Humans)
31. The Doctor (Doctor Who)
32. Bill Adama (Battlestar Galactica)
33. Lucy Preston (Timeless)

34. April Kepner (Grey’s Anatomy)

35. Merlin (Merlin)

36. Dana Scully (The X-Files)

37. John Locke (LOST)

38. Brooke Davis (One Tree Hill)

39. Maeve Millay (Westworld)

40. Emily Thorne (Revenge)

41. Lorelai Gilmore (Gilmore Girls)

42. Elizabeth Jennings (The Americans)

43. Sara Lance (Legends of Tomorrow)

44. Raymond Reddington (The Blacklist)

45. Justin Foley (13 Reasons Why)

46. Lena Luthor (Supergirl)

47. Olivia Dunham (Fringe)

48. Ross Poldark (Poldark)

49. G. Callen (NCIS: LA)

50. Matt Murdock (Daredevil)

51. Sydney Bristow (Alias)

52. Annalise Keating (How to Get Away with Murder)

53. Temperance Brennan (Bones)

54. Villanelle (Killing Eve)

55. Wynonna Earp (Wynonna Earp)

56. Quinn King (UnREAL)

57. James Cole (12 Monkeys)

58. Carol Peletier (The Walking Dead)

59. Uhtred of Bebbanburg (The Last Kingdom)

60. Cheryl Blossom (Riverdale)

61. Liv Moore (iZombie)

62. Elizabeth McCord (Madam Secretary)

63. Martin Riggs (Lethal Weapon)

64. Tommy Shelby (Peaky Blinders)

Original Ranking List:  

Characters are listed by their bracket ranking, based on nominations and polls. I've included what shows they are from as a handy guide for predicting or voting.

01. Jamie Fraser (Outlander)

02. Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer)

03. Andy Flynn (Major Crimes/The Closer)

04. Leo Fitz (Agents of SHIELD)

05. Bellamy Blake (The 100)

06. Mia Elster (Human)

07. Lucy Preston (Timeless)

08. April Kepner (Grey’s Anatomy)

09. Cameron Black (Deception)

10. Bill Adama (Battlestar Galactica)

11. Sam Winchester (Supernatural)

12. Sara Lance (Legends of Tomorrow)

13. June/Offred (Handmaid’s Tale)

14. Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds)

15. Oliver Queen (Arrow)

16. Jethro Gibbs (NCIS)

17. Barry Allen (The Flash)

18. Shaun Murphy (The Good Doctor)

19. Jessica Jones (Jessica Jones)

20. Rosa Diaz (Brooklyn 99)

21. Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

22. The Doctor (Doctor Who)

23. Elizabeth Jennings (The Americans)

24. Regina Mills (Once Upon a Time)

25. Klaus Mikaelson (The Originals)

26. Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock)

27. James Cole (12 Monkeys)

28. Sansa Stark (Game of Thrones)

29. Olivia Benson (Law & Order: SVU)

30. Cheryl Blossom (Riverdale)

31. Jack Pearson (This Is Us)

32. Damon Salvatore (The Vampire Diaries)

33. Justin Foley (13 Reasons Why)

34. Raymond Reddington (The Blacklist)

35. Joan Watson (Elementary)

36. Villanelle (Killing Eve)

37. Martin Riggs (Lethal Weapon)

38. Eleven (Stranger Things)

39. Lena Luthor (Supergirl)

40. Maeve Millay (Westworld)

41. Dana Scully (The X-Files)

42. Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory)

43. Temperance Brennan (Bones)

44. Matt Murdock (Daredevil)

45. Annalise Keating (How to Get Away with Murder)

46. Liv Moore (iZombie)

47. Uhtred of Bebbanburg (The Last Kingdom)

48. John Locke (LOST)

49. Merlin (Merlin)

50. G. Callen (NCIS: LA)

51. Tommy Shelby (Peaky Blinders)

52. Quinn King (UnREAL)

53. Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars)

54. Carol Peletier (The Walking Dead)

55. Ross Poldark (Poldark)

56. Brooke Davis (One Tree Hill)

57. Magnus Bane (Shadowhunters)

58. Greg House (House)

59. Wynonna Earp (Wynonna Earp)

60. Sydney Bristow (Alias)

61. Elizabeth McCord (Madam Secretary)

62. Olivia Dunham (Fringe)

63.  Lorelai Gilmore (Gilmore Girls)

64.  Emily Thorne (Revenge)

Official Brackets: 

A downloadable PDF copy is here, if you would like a blank printable bracket to play along.  The names do get cut off though.   (Hint - download it before you fill it out or it won't keep what you typed. I learned that from experience..ugh!)

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, loves live tweeting, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Previously she wrote a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

2018 Character Cup - Round 4

Round 3 was brutal. Several polls went down to the wire and in the end, both the 4th and 5th ranked characters ended their race. It was another major upset, one that frankly I didn't expect to see until the 4th round. Today's polls are equally interesting. Both Jamie Fraser and Magnus Bane are facing their biggest competition of the Cup yet - each other. Both fandoms have shown that they can bring the vote, but only 1 can prevail to make it to the Final Four. Sadly, in the second poll, our only remaining female characters go against each other. This will be another tough call and I have no idea what to expect of the votes, but there are guaranteed to be 3 males and 1 female in the Final Four. Statistically, Buffy Summers should prevail but Rosa Diaz has defied expectations over and over again. As for the third poll, stats and recent history say that Lucifer Morningstar should easily win this round, as he has had over twice the number of votes as Sherlock Holmes, but Sherlock has climbed up from 26th place to make it this far and has a big fanbase too. Will they show up today? The final poll should statistically be a blow out too. Sam Winchester has the least number of votes of any character in this round, while Andy Flynn has almost double his votes. Major Crimes fans traditionally do well in SpoilerTV polls, while Supernatural's winning days seem to be behind them. This is the farthest Sam Winchester has ever come. Will he extend his run or will this be the first time Major Crimes will be represented in the Final Four?

If none of these races interest you, then you are in luck. Not only do we have another TV Talk Topic, but we also start the Favorite TV Animal contest. I had a lot of fun going through the nominees and there's a great mix of current and older animals represented. The first poll here is a doozy. Perennial favorite Person of Interest's Bear goes against one of the most famous cartoon dogs ever, Scooby-Doo. Cartoons get a second bid with Brian from Family Guy going against the classic dolphin Flipper. Elementary's trusty turtle Clyde meets another classic in Lassie, most famous for ever rescuing her owner, Timmy. Finally, cats get in with Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch facing Galavant's lizard/dragon Tad Cooper, who even got his own song. Animal lovers, don't forget to comment on the TV Topic about your favorite TV animals.


Rules
Rankings/Brackets
Round 1A / Round 1B / Round 1C / Round 1D
Round 2A / Round 2B / Round 2C
Round 3

Prediction Contest and Wish Lists:

With the loss of both Leo Fitz and Bellamy Blake, the brackets were once again upended. Felip is currently in the lead with 71 points. Bradley (68 points) switched places with Noor (66 points). However, RN the Andrian is the only person who still has all Final Four picks in the contest. Will another major upset shake things up again? Over in the wish lists, the standings remain the same. Joanna is in first with Caomoyl and MariaSol right behind. That said, no one's list is really going their way since at most people only have 2 of their favorites still in the Cup. Only 10 out 19 have anyone left on their wish lists at all.

TV Talk Topic - Wild Kingdom:

In honor of our mini-contest, which of your favorite TV animals did not get in? What animals make the most interesting characters on TV? Do you feel animals add to a character or storyline? How can animals be best incorporated into a show? What animals would like to see more of on TV? If you could give your favorite characters a new pet, what would it be?

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, loves live tweeting, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Previously she wrote a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Quote of the Week (July 1-20)

A weekly feature highlighting the best quotes on TV as picked by the Spoiler TV team. We'd love to hear your picks too so please sound off in the comments below.

The 100:
1. Octavia: “The farmers won't save the world, Monty. The warriors will.” (Jimmy)

Cloak & Dagger:
1. O'Rielly: "Even with the sweatshirt, and the resemblance, and the anniversary, why would he believe you're Billy's ghost?" (Prpleight)
2. Tyrone: "Have either of your read Tell Tale Heart?" Fuchs: "In high school. ..... Okay, maybe it was the abridged version." Tyrone: "It's a short story." (Prpleight)

Dietland:
1. Kitty Montgomery: “I’m eating tums like a cheerleader gobbles c***!” (Claire)
2. Verena Baptist when Plum come to an important realization: “Well, look who’s awake!” (Claire)
3. Sana about misogynistic porn: “Do they look like us? No, they’re perfect, the ‘precious ones.’
And how’s that working out for them?” (Claire)

Freedom Fighters:
1. Black Falcon: "I'm into dudes, dude!" (Jaz)
2. Ray Terrill: “"Did you think I got got jumped because I was gay? Well I wasn't jumped but I am gay." (Jaz)

The Handmaid’s Tale:
1. Emily to Aunt Lydia: “I’m wondering why such an important, brilliant man would take in such a sh*** handmaid.” (Claire)
2. June after having given birth alone: “I think I deserve a whole cake!” (Claire)
3. Commander Lawrence about his wife: “Life didn’t turn out the way she wanted it to. She was an art professor. She wanted everything to be beautiful.” (Claire)

Instinct:
1. Dylan: “Would anyone stand to benefit here by her death?” Joan: “Honey, this is a publishing house, not Game of Thrones.”
2. Brophy: “You’re fishing and there’s nothing in the lake.”

Killjoys:
1. Khlyen: "When you are lost, when you are breaking, when you have no strength left to fight her, find John Jaqobis. He is your true north, your only way home." (Prpleight)

Me, Myself, and I:
1. OALex: “Even after you leave a house, the home you had there stays with you forever. And the best part is when you do eventually leave that house, it gets to be somebody else’s home too.”
2. Justin: “This is Nori Sterling. You have to be smooth. More Fresh Prince, less Urkel.”
3. Darryl: “You live in my garage. Having you over for one meal is not what makes you a burden.” MAlex: “Ooh, you took a shot at me. Feels like Thanksgiving already.”
4. Mom: “Your father has become obsessed with cars going too fast for the neighborhood.” MAlex: “I thought he was obsessed with finding the perfect pair of cargo shorts.” Mom: “Every week of retirement is a new, fun adventure.”
5. Ron: “I thought this would go without saying, but when wooing a woman, don’t woo the brother. The woman’s the one you want to woo.”
6. MAlex: “Look, you were right, Daryl. Ever since the divorce, I’ve had all these feelings of anger and hurt just bottled up. It all came out in one ferocious punch like I was a young Mike Tyson.” Daryl: “Well, how young are we talking here? Like, age four.”
7. Justin: "We're not in the keeping promises business, we're in the getting elected business." (Prpleight)

Preacher:
1. Jesse: “I'm glad you came back.” Tulip: “Yeah, me too.” Jesse: “To the end of the world.” Tulip: “To the end of the world.” (Milo)
2. Jesse: “You never know what a person'll say, 'til you ask 'em right.” (Milo)
3. Cassidy: “Yeah, but I heated it up. That sanitizes things, don't it?” (Milo)

Reverie:
1. Alexis: “Reverie is supposed to make people’s lives better, not end them.”
2. Mara: “I want an answer that doesn’t feel like I’m doing the wrong thing.”
3. Chris: “You want advice? Here it is. It’s not okay to give up. It isn’t not now and it wasn’t when you did it to me.”
4. Paul: “If Holly chooses to stay in the program, at some point, isn’t that her decision.” Alexis: “What? No.” Paul: “She’s an adult. It’s her life.” Alexis: “We’re not letting clients die in Reverie. What kind of company do you think I’m running?”

Salvation:
1. Roland Cavanaugh: “You remind me of my second ex-wife.”
~~~In a scene between real-life spouses Jennifer Finnigan and Jonathan Silverman (Donna)

Sharp Objects:
1. Camille: “Hi, momma.” Adora: “Goodness, I didn't expect you. The house is not up to par for visitors.” (DarkUFO)
2. Girl: “What if, after you die, part of you goes to heaven, part of you stays here, just to see how things turn out?” (DarkUFO)
3. Camille: “My demons are not remotely tackled. They’re mildly concussed.” (DarkUFO and Donna)
4. Richard: “This is a crime about power for someone who feels powerless.” (DarkUFO)
5. Adora: “You were never sweet.” (DarkUFO)

Suits:
1. Samantha: “There are three things that happen when I tell different people different stories. One, they don't recognize it, which means I don't need to worry about them. Two, they know I did it, but don't have the balls to say anything, which means I need to worry about them even less, or three, they call me on it. And believe me, three is my kind of guy.” (Jimmy)
2. Donna: "There are players who never put up good stats but you keep them around because they make the people around them better." (Ellys)

Take Two:
1. Sam: “The last time I was here, we were engaged.” Eddie: “I thought the last time you were here, you snuck in and you set his bed on fire.” Sam: “Either way, lots of memories.”
2. Eddie: “Yeah well, the heart’s like a funhouse mirror. It distorts things.” Sam: “You read that on a fortune cookie?” Eddie: “No, Snapple cap.”
3. Eddie: “What just happened? You just turned my no into your yes?”
4. Eddie: “We’re gonna do everything we can to get that video back.” Sam: “You swear.” Eddie: “I swear. And then we’ll kill your ex and bury the body. Okay?”
5. Sam: “Aram is...is your cool, fun mobster. Not ‘kill you, bury you in cement’ mobster.” Eddie: “You’d be surprised what kind of mobster he can be.”

Trial & Error:
1. Lavinia Peck-Foster: “I’ve had more lasers pointed at my privates than James Bond.” (Pop Culture Guy)
2. Lavinia Peck-Foster: “Lawyer, what do you know about laws?” (Ellys Cartin)
3. Carol Anne Keen: "The bruises on his head are consistent with being struck by a wealthy woman.” (JW)
4. Lavinia Peck-Foster: “Children were the one thing Edgar couldn’t give me. Or anything on the top shelf of the cabinet.” (JW)
5: Man Warning Drivers: "Lady Driver, coming through! Lady Driver!" (JW)

Younger:
1. Liza: “That fact checker was trying to age-shame us for being young, so I told them I’m old in protest. And it’s like, who cares? I don’t identify as any age. They were so focused on how successful we were for our age and it shouldn’t matter how old we are.” (Ellys)
2. Kiara: “Reese is in pieces.” (Ellys)
3. Liza: “I’m nobody’s hero, I’m a fraud. But you do what you have to do.” (Ellys)
4. Diana: "I don't know what to expect, Liza. I have to be prepared for polyester, but it's worth the risk." (Ellys)
5. Charles: "How did you get it?" Liza: "I didn't run away." (Ellys)
6. Enzo's mother (in Italian): "Just how old are you?" Diana (in Italian): "Madam, none of your business." (Ellys)




Random Disney movie: Gabby: “Wow. Even autocorrect can’t help this kid.”

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, loves live tweeting, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Previously she wrote a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

2018 Character Cup - Round 3

Note - I'm not sure how people are finding the polls before they officially begin, but any votes cast before the round officially starts will be thrown out and the poll reset. Please do not vote in these polls anywhere but here or at SpoilerTV. It just takes up valuable time needed to get each round started and will not help your favorites.


With round 2 over, our 64 characters have dropped to the Sweet Sixteen. Congratulations to all characters who made it to this round. Unlike round 1, there were no major shakeups - although it did get very close for some fan favorites. Comic-Con was the major player in fandom attention this week so some characters here didn't start gaining in votes until close to the end. With four rounds left, there's no telling who will prevail.

Round 4 will start our mini-contest and I've made a note to myself to be more clear in the nominating directions next time. As much as people may love them, Magnus Bane, Jamie Fraser, and Bellamy Blake cannot be contestants in out Favorite TV Animal contest. We're looking for creatures with more than two legs. Also, I didn't specify that all nominated animals need to be named, unless there really are that many unimaginative TV pet owners, who named their animals "dog" or "cat." Finally, I needed to specify that the animal and TV show had to go together. I don't remember hearing about a penguin in White Collar, a hippo in Outlander, a shark in Shadowhunters, or a sloth in Lucifer. If I'm wrong though, let me know. Anyway, sorry for the confusion. I will be much clearer next year but in the meantime, thank you for bringing a smile to my face while reading them. With that, it's time to open round 3. Stats will be updated soon. Happy voting!



Rules
Rankings/Brackets
Round 1A / Round 1B / Round 1C / Round 1D
Round 2A / Round 2B / Round 2C

Prediction Contest and Wish Lists:

Over in the prediction contest, things are moving around a little. Currently, Amber is in first with 52 points. Right behind her is Noor with 50 points. Bradley is in third with 48 points. It should be interesting to see how the rankings shake out with Lucy Preston out, but I think it is the fourth round that will really determine things when major hitters go against each other. As for the wish list, no one still has their whole Final Four in the running and only two have 3 out 4 still in contention. Pulling out ahead in her wishes is Joanna, followed by Caomoyl, and MariaSol. Lucky them! Thanks to everyone who has participated in these contests.

TV Talk Topic - When TV Meets Life

Many times when we talk about fandom, we talk about the negative things, but fandom can be a powerful tool for good as well. It bonds the lonely, helps the sick recover easier, inspires the bored, raises money for worthy causes, and encourages the introverted. A fandom united can build schools (SPN), restock underfunded libraries (Harry Potter), replenish blood drives (The 100), and donate thousands of dollars to charities and national disaster relief efforts (LOST and well, almost every TV fandom out there). However, even without the fandom experience, fictional characters can encourage us in hard times, give us courage to make a stand, make us laugh after a hard day, and help us believe in our ourselves. It's no wonder people are passionate about their favorite characters and science suggests that being a fan of something might actually be good for us. So what about you? How has fandom changed your life for the better? Has any TV character or show ever inspired you to do more with your real life? (Thanks to Toni for inspiring this topic.)

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, loves live tweeting, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Previously she wrote a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Take Two - Death Becomes Him - Review

Calling all Castle fans! Today’s guest star is Seamus Dever, formerly known as Kevin Ryan. Here he plays Todd Garlin, a man who is much better with tinkering than he is with people. Finding out that he has pancreatic cancer, he hires a hitman to kill him. Trouble is that he isn’t really dying and he was so good at hiding his plan that he doesn’t know how to stop the hit. Enter Eddie and Sam, who find the hitman in less than 20 minutes, cracks about lengthy legwork notwithstanding. Sadly, the hitman also finds them and

locks them in a Faraday cage, meaning it’s electrified and cancels out phone service. Not one to wait to be murdered, Sam stops Eddie’s heartfelt apology for likely getting her killed and takes off Eddie’s belt and her bra to Eddie’s interest and confusion. Let’s just say Eddie was right in the intro. “It’s never what you think it is.” Sam isn’t making a move; not even this show moves that fast. Instead she MacGyver’s a way to try to get Eddie’s gun back. 30 seconds later, Eddie fries the hitman with his own electric cage and it’s case solved. They could make this show a sitcom in that time. Unfortunately, the hitman may be in police custody but Todd is still not safe. While on the phone with him, Eddie realizes that a bomb is about to go off in Todd’s car and Todd narrowly escapes death...again! From there, wacky hijinks and red herrings ensue as they follow the clues to the first person most viewers probably suspected.

Highlights:

~Despite their relationship being as cliché

 as you can get, Eddie and Sam have chemistry and they balance each other out nicely. Sam brings a sunny attitude and levity to the show, while Eddie brings the know-how without crushing her spirit or making her feel unduly stupid. They give and take well, especially for having so few episodes.

~Like all good camp, Take Two doesn’t take itself very seriously. There are winks and jabs at the traditional crime procedural even while they are doing the same thing. Case in point, Eddie tells Sam that fake deaths on TV are nonsense and a lot of work. The very next scene, he’s convincing Chris to pull together the logistics to do just that and viola, they have one still breathing dead guy.

~Speaking of Chris Rollins, she was a delight in this episode. Nothing made me laugh harder than when she asks what kind of statement they want her to make about the evidence bag with Sam’s bra and Eddie’s belt in it. Just the expression on her face cracked me up. I am truly glad that they are not making Chris and Sam rivals. I hope they have time to create a real friendship between them. I also liked Chris’ dry humor at the hospital. I’m committed to my pension too.

~Eddie, surprisingly, gets the big emotional moments most of the time. He saves Sam from the judge’s jail sentence and talks her down from a panic attack over her ex. I really enjoyed how they reverse that this time. It is Sam who takes charge of the heartfelt discourse and who ends up getting Eddie just the right present to help him remember his dreams. It’s another example of balance between the characters.


~It was good to see Seamus Dever back on my TV. The Ryan and Esposito bromance was my favorite thing about Castle.

Issues:

~It’s a good thing that the leads are engaging on Take Two because the writing is still weak. The “bad guy” was instantly predictable and the red herrings could have come with title cards, they were so obvious. This episode also had pacing issues. I like a good “where’s my life going” conversation but there were too many of them, it felt clunky, and the exposition was all over the place. Plus, as much as I like Sam making the big gesture this time, it is highly unlikely that, with what she knew from Eddie’s story, she could have tracked down the surfboard. That required a little too much suspension of disbelief from me just to hammer home the theme.

~While Chris got better this episode, I liked Monica less. Her character seemed forced and the subplot didn’t help the overall pacing of the story. I did like how Berto got a bit of backstory, but they need to develop his character more. Being the 5th episode though, they have plenty of time to flesh out both characters.

~Sam needs skills. They rely way too much on her being an actor so they have to force the episode to incorporate it. The entire funeral scene was a fail for me. It was dumb and it was dangerous. They need to approach Sam more like Elementary’s Watson. Sam can use her acting experience and it can be valuable, but she also needs to be picking up detective skills on the way. She has shown that she is smart enough to be a detective so use it.


Grade: B

~Overall this episode was fun and the leads are well-cast. The show is starting to find its rhythm and it makes for good, light-hearted summer viewing. However, they need to tighten up the writing, slow down the romance cliches, and continue to develop the characters. I also like how this episode was a great way to reminisce about Castle. They would do well to bring back others from the show too.

Best Quotes:

1. Eddie: “Chris, I’m just trying to keep the guy alive. Look cops and doctors, aren’t they all committed to saving lives?” Chris: “No, they’re committed to keeping their jobs and pensions.”
2. Sam: “I think that gun takes more than a C-cup.”
3. Todd: “Anyway, this is like Final Destination. Maybe I was really supposed to die of cancer and this is God’s way of fixing His mistake.” Eddie: “God doesn’t plant car bombs.”
4. Sam: “I am not going down without a fight and I’m definitely not dying in some dank garage in the Valley.”

5. Berto: “I faked my death once.” Eddie: “Who were you running from? A gang?” Berto: “A girl. She wouldn’t leave me alone. When I was like 14, this girl Chloe was sweatin’ me so I had a friend of mine tell her that I was dead.” Chris: “You literally ghosted her.”
6. Eddie: “You know there’s 2 things that I’ve learned in life, Sam. Nothing good happens after 3 am and it’s never what you think it is.”
7. Sam: “I told you to find someone who stands out, not be someone who stands out.”
8. Eddie: “All we’re saying is that if you know a Todd Garlin, and he did hire you to kill him, he just wants to terminate his contract.” Sam: “Bad choice of words.”

Episode Awards:

Best Reason to Watch - Eddie and Sam complement each other’s skills
Best Plan - Eddie pulls the killer forward and shorts out the Faraday cage
Best Bait and Switch - it looks like Todd is going to shoot his brother but he’s really there with the police
Best Moment - Sam and Todd talk about him becoming a better husband and father
Best Product Name (tie) - Aorta Recorda / Intella-brella
Biggest Aww Moment - Sam tracks down Eddie’s old surfboard
Biggest Laugh - Chris hands Eddie back his belt and Sam back her bra
Biggest Surprise - they take down a contract killer in 20 minutes
Dumbest Idea - bringing the “dead” man to the funeral
Weirdest Close-Up - the stairway handrail

Least Surprising - the brother did it
Least Realistic - finding the surfboard
Most Disconcerting - Seeing Niall Matter as an attempted murderer after watching him play the good guy in all those Hallmark Christmas movies
Most Realistic - faking a death is harder than it seems on a TV episode, even this one
Most Dramatic - the “very important” music swells in the score
Most Improved Character - Chris Rollins
The “Smooth Move” Award - Eddie drops his gun right when they need it most
The "Welcome Back" Award - Seamus Dever, Niall Matter, Christine Chatelain


Screencaps by SpoilerTV, Give Me My Remote, IMDb, Laughing Place, ABC Go, TV Time, and Tumblr.

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, loves live tweeting, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Previously she wrote a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."