Summer drama is heating up, and so are the performances and arcs for our favorite characters.
Several of our Characters of the Week spanning broadcast and streaming stood out for their intensity, emotional complexity, and rich arcs (and matching performances) that stayed with us long after we powered off.
From soap opera breakdowns to prime-time psychological turmoil, these characters embodied everything that keeps us tuning in time and again.
Let’s get into who made our top picks this week.
If we’ve missed anyone, please don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below.
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Nicky – The Better Sister
The best characters are raw, messy, layered, and flawed. Prime Video‘s The Better Sister had that in heaps, where at the center and very core of the series was the complex, fractured bond between two sisters desperately trying to protect their son.
But there was something so visceral about Nicky. She’s inarguably the series’s most intriguing character and certainly one with the most depth. Additionally, this darker role presents a remarkable, transformative opportunity for a performer like Elizabeth Banks to truly excel.
As the series progresses, it leaves you reevaluating who is actually “the better sister.”
Nicky, who initially seems too broken, too messy, too uncouth and damaged and too much, is really a woman battling demons, trauma, and pain, but still is so fierce, bold, and willing to take up space when the world and many people in it ignore or erase her.
Watch The Better Sister Online
Brook Lynn Quartermaine – General Hospital
Amanda Setton delivered a wide range of emotions as the fallout from the adoption storyline came to a head during the conclusion of May sweeps.
From anger to sadness, we felt everything as Brook Lynn confronted messy Lulu for blowing up Gio’s life
We can’t imagine Amanda would lose out if she earned a Daytime Emmy nod for her performance on ABC’s General Hospital this week.
Watch General Hospital Online
Voit – Criminal Minds: Evolution
Given how this season is unfolding, we could continue to place Jennifer Jareau on this list every single week. It’s a compelling and emotional season for the character, and A.J. Cook is putting forth some of her best work of Criminal Minds.
However, this week, we must address one of her scene counterparts: Voit.
Some of us have had mixed feelings about Voit monopolizing so much of the series. Still, this season has shifted things in a remarkably intriguing way with Voit’s curious memory loss. He’s been such a hard read. What do we make of him now? Where does he stand in all of this?
Voit is somewhere between this sadistic monster and a — well, he’s not actually reformed, right? But he seems genuinely haunted by the things he has done to people when he recollects them.
His victims triggering his most sadistic memories is rather poetic, and his reaction to it all is so fascinatingly human. Voit still has this odd kinship he feels with Rossi; he’s deeply torn up about the past actions he remembers, and that hug and apology to JJ were so bizarre yet sincere.
His moment of genuinely wanting to kill himself was a striking moment in an hour that parsed through some heavy themes about grief, trauma, pain, and redemption. And Zach Gilford strums all the right strings and hits all the nuanced notes.
Watch Criminal Minds Online
Shawn Brady – Days of Our Lives
We’ve been begging for years for Shawn to get an emotional story that Brandon Beemer could sink his teeth into on Days of Our Lives, and he has truly delivered over the last few weeks.
Ever since he shot his brainwashed father, Shawn has been wracked with guilt, wondering if Bo would survive.
He never thought he’d get the chance to apologize, and this week, he finally did. The father-son reunion was incredibly emotional, and Bo recognized that his son had done what anyone would do — serve and protect.
He helped Shawn forgive himself, allowing them to start fresh, and those scenes brought tears to our eyes.
Watch Days of Our Lives Online
Ginny Miller – Ginny & Georgia
Without a doubt, Ginny & Georgia Season 3 was Ginny’s time to shine, and Antonia Gentry gave layered and emotional performances.
She was terrific in every episode, but she stood out when her poem went viral, and she almost relapsed and started to self-harm again. She showed such anguish because she didn’t want to cause her mom any more distress.
Ginny also demonstrated that she was her mother’s daughter, saving Georgia with her diabolical plan by shifting the blame to Gil.
Ginny really grew this season, and we loved her character evolution.
Luna Nozawa – The Bold and the Beautiful
Lisa Yamada knocked it out of the park as crazy Luna Nozawa on CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful.
Luna has become increasingly unhinged, and the actress played the part perfectly this week.
As her obsession with Steffy grows, Luna’s thoughts get more chaotic. She is ready to get rid of Steffy because she continues to block the relationship she wants with her father, Finn.
We wanted more crazy Luna, and Lisa delivered.
Watch The Bold and the Beautiful Online
Parker – Leverage: Redemption
Goodness, the Leverage: Redemption season finale was a work of art on multiple levels, utilizing noir visuals to distinguish between Parker’s plan and her reality. However, it culminates in a truly special moment for Parker, years in the making, when it seems like she might actually kill this evil mark.
What made this sequel so interesting was knowing that Parker was essentially taking up the mantle of Mastermind. The season finale honors that beautifully by reminding everyone why Nate entrusted her with that role in the first place.
It was an hour that perfectly encapsulated what amounts to a decade’s worth of growth for this dynamic character as she still navigates questions about who she is at her core and what she wants to represent, and delivers the darkest content yet.
But it’s the conversation with Eliot that harkens back to one of the duo’s greatest, rawest, and most honest moments about who they are compared to the others and WHY it’s okay, essential even that they’re that way — that was such a perfectly interwoven, emotionally resonant, and satisfying moment for Parker.
It was easily her best-centered episode of the franchise yet, and it was so well-earned and gratifying for the character and long-time viewers.
Watch Leverage: Redemption Online
Marcus Baker – Ginny & Georgia
If you binged the season, you know that Marcus Baker’s storyline in Ginny & Georgia Season 3 was crucial, demonstrating that supporting characters are vital to the narrative.
Even though Marcus was in love with Ginny, he tried letting go of her so he didn’t bring her down with his depression.
His arc was so relatable because he didn’t want to feel like that and disappoint his family, but no one understood or knew how to help him. There were times he would drink to forget or other times he’d drink to fit in.
It was very relatable, and Felix Mallard played every facet of Marcus beautifully.
Watch Ginny & Georgia Online
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