To my mind, there’s a visual element to it as well. If you see a picture of the character, you’d instantly think of the character, rather than the actor. When you see Det. Sipowicz, you don’t think ‘Dennis Franz’, you think ‘Andy Sipowicz’. When you see Rachel Green, you think ‘Jennifer Aniston’. That’s why, unfortunately, Michael Scott wouldn’t make the list. He’s overshadowed by the man who portrays him, Steve Carell. Same with George Clooney’s Doug Ross.
And that’s where the EW list really makes a dog’s breakfast of it. (Is that a real expression? If not, it should be.) They list the actor, rather than the role. That’s all well and good, if you’re compiling a list of iconic actors. EW’s list seems to be about the characters though. I can understand putting the character of Ally McBeal on the list. I don’t for one second believe that Calista Flockhart is an iconic performer, though. The list of iconic actors and iconic roles would be very different lists, and EW can’t decide which one they’re tabulating. I can understand performers like Bill Cosby, Bob Newhart, and Lucille Ball appearing on a list of iconic characters, as they all played multiple successful characters based on their established stage persona, but they’re the exception to the rule.
