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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ome" data-source="post: 259894" data-attributes="member: 2"><h2>15. Forrest MacNeil (Review)</h2>[ATTACH=full]25558[/ATTACH]Played by Andy DalyIt would have been easy for Comedy Central to have a more gonzo, hyperactive type playing a man obsessed with reviewing every single thing in the world, but it's Andy Daly's general frumpiness, his monochrome outfits and his downtrodden high school history teacher persona that give Review it's particular irresistible tone. Watching someone eat a ton of pancakes, hate it, and then find out they have to do it AGAIN is the height of comedy, but the show never lets you forget that what you're really doing is watching a man torture himself, losing his family, friends, and coworkers in pursuit of something completely pointless. The world Forrest MacNeil has chosen to live in is, on its surface, hilarious -- a man forcing himself to endure whatever experiences the Internet cooks up for him is inherently funny -- but there is a darker, nastier edge that boils just below the surface of things, blurring the line between commitment and obsession until, in its fittingly heartrending finale, the line is no longer blurry. There all is aching. -- ES<h2>14. Saul Goodman (Better Call Saul)</h2>[ATTACH=full]25559[/ATTACH]Played by Bob OdenkirkSaul Goodman went from the scuzzy lawyer of Breaking Bad to one of the most fascinatingly complex characters on TV in Better Call Saul, the spinoff origin story of how con man-turned-public defender Jimmy McGill became the go-to lawyer for the disaffected and deep-pocketed criminals alike with a corny-ass office and known for putting up tacky billboards and donning even tackier suits. Of course it's fun to watch Jimmy/Saul meet guys like Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) and Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) for the first time, knowing how deeply in it they were with each other by the time Walter White and Jesse Pinkman rolled around, but the reason Better Call Saul has arguably surpassed its predecessor is thanks to Bob Odenkirk's dramatic performance, vacillating between unscrupulous sleazebag opportunist and pitiable down-and-out man who lives in the back of a nail salon, takes care of his troubled brother and respected attorney Chuck (a very good Michael McKean), and hustles to dig up opportunities for himself despite subsequently botching practically each and every one. -- LB<h2>13. Olivia Pope (Scandal)</h2>[ATTACH=full]25560[/ATTACH]Played by Kerry WashingtonEven more than Homeland and House of Cards, Scandal was the defining political drama of the Obama era, a soap that turned the buttoned-up world of DC into a hallucinatory zone of murder, sex, and mayhem. Delivering rapid-fire monologues, carrying on a secret affair with the President, and pouring enormous glasses of red wine, Olivia Pope handled every crisis that creator Shonda Rhimes tossed in her direction with style and rigor. Election riggings, hijackings, and assassination attempts -- all just another day at the office. The first Black woman star of a network drama since 1974's Get Christie Love!, Washington tore into an often demanding, perplexing role, locating emotional depth in the show's tricky central romance while also selling every relentless plot twist. Even within the show's fractured ethical landscape, where characters would don the white hat or the black hat as the moment demanded, Olivia Pope stood out by maintaining complexity amidst the chaos. -- DJ<h2>12. Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report)</h2>[ATTACH=full]25561[/ATTACH]Played by Stephen ColbertWhen The Colbert Report premiered on Comedy Central in 2005, it looked like a high-concept lark, a witty but unsustainable spinoff of Jon Stewart's slightly weightier Daily Show, which had hit its post-Kilborn creative stride during George W. Bush's presidency. How long could a comedian lampoon a right-wing blowhard like Bill O'Reilly before the joke got tired? The initial flimsiness of the premise, along with The Daily Show's grip on the zeitgeist, ended up being a gift to Colbert, who quickly began to playfully push the boundaries of segments like "The Word" and find his footing with the quasi-educational bits like "Better Know a District." Over time, he built out the emotional and intellectual scaffolding of his bizarre creation, crafting a funhouse mirror inversion of the pundit-scape. By the time Colbert hosted the White House Correspondents Dinner in character in 2006, delivering punchlines like "reality has a well-known liberal bias" directly to President Bush and a largely hostile audience, he was in total control of the persona. Even as political comedy has ballooned in the last decade, there really hasn't ever been anything else like The Colbert Report. -- DJ<h2>11. Amy Jellicoe (Enlightened)</h2>[ATTACH=full]25562[/ATTACH]Played by Laura DernThe Dernaissance of the past couple of years really came to fruition with two TV roles: Renata Klein on Big Little Lies and Diane on Twin Peaks: The Return. But while Renata was great for memes and Diane brought to life a shadowy figure from Lynch lore, neither are Dern's greatest turn on the small screen. Her masterpiece is Amy Jellicoe from the short-lived, under-appreciated HBO series Enlightened. Created by Mike White, who also co-stars, Enlightened opens with Amy having a very public breakdown at the company where she works, mascara strewn down her face as she confronts the man with whom she had an affair. Quickly, Amy goes on a retreat and returns to office life having branded herself a new woman, one who is more spiritually whole. What Dern pulls off is a delicate balancing act between the serene person who Amy hopes to be and the ambitious, occasionally unhinged person she hasn't completely rid from her psyche. Amy's desire to make the world a better place stems from her own unhappiness, and her altruism comes from a place of egoism. It's a constant battle between her impulses and intentions that make her incredible to watch. -- EZ</blockquote>

Verification: What month follows July?