The 13 Best New Characters of 2010

8. Rick Grimes, The Walking Dead

In his first scene on television, he shot a little girl zombie through the head. That's when I knew that Rick Grimes was bound to be an iconic character on television. I'd read the character before in the comic book series, but my mind's depiction of him was so different from Andrew Lincoln's portrayal that watching Rick evolve and grow in the series became an entirely different experience for me. And that's what I loved most about the character in the first six episodes of The Walking Dead. He's the same character as his comic incarnation, alright, but his presence is so entirely different that it adds an entirely different level of life to the character. Some people only knew that The Walking Dead would deviate from the comic after seeing the episode "Vatos." I knew it right after watching the first hour of Andrew Lincoln's performance.

7. Guerrero, Human Target

I've loved Jackie Earle Haley since his absolutely scary turn as Rorschach in Watchmen (my favorite flick of 2009). He was a main selling point for me to begin watching FOX's actioner Human Target, along with Fringe alum Mark Valley and the omnipresent Chi McBride. In fact, the whole cast was great. But, as he would prove throughout the series, Haley was the best. His portrayal of Guerrero, the laid back but threatening hired gun who helps Christopher Chance, was absolutely the best part of the first season. His near constant use of the word "Dude," while simultaneously extracting information from shady sources gave the show its lighthearted edge without making it feel too forced. While his season two interactions with the horrible new character Ames have pushed the character into distinctly comedic territory, we can always look back to Guerrero in season one for a good portrait of how to make your antiheroes dangerous -- and cool.

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