Who is your least favorite character?

[bill_az]

Re: Who is your most unfavorite character?

I would love for all the character-haters to assume the role of executive producer for a moment, and consider the following:

1. Vanessa Ferlito came in and said she didn't want to renew her contract. How do you deal with that? Does she just exist in some nebulous vacuum, where in some bizarro universe she might get re-hired by the NYPD after being fired for evidence tampering? Better to give her character finality.

2. Ditto with Melina Kankaredes. No, they sent her to another city, much like Liz Vassey went to Portland in CSILV. But they gave her closure.

3. Bear in mind Anna Belknap had to undergo the "pregnancy" treatment during taping in the last years. I would imagine her character was written rather uninterestingly to minimize her discomfort of being on the set. I don't hear anyone complaining about Emily Proctor being rather dull and absent on CSIM. Oh, and by the way, didn't she shoot Edward Furlong earlier this year? What exactly is so uninteresting about her?

The complaints range from "A is too boring" to "B overacts" to "C has no chemistry." Instead of complaining so much, why don't you explain to me how all these people should act? OK, maybe this is not a Barney Miller-quality ensemble, but it's a heck of a lot better than many of you portray.

If you're going to blame someone, how about the directors, who are dictating the tone and action of the episode.

 

[PerfectAnomaly]

Re: Who is your most unfavorite character?

3. Bear in mind Anna Belknap had to undergo the "pregnancy" treatment during taping in the last years. I would imagine her character was written rather uninterestingly to minimize her discomfort of being on the set. I don't hear anyone complaining about Emily Proctor being rather dull and absent on CSIM. Oh, and by the way, didn't she shoot Edward Furlong earlier this year? What exactly is so uninteresting about her?

Being pregnant shouldn't affect your ability to act. I think she's a horrible actress and I think Lindsay is a worthless character. If you want to know why people dislike her so much I suggest you read the 4 Why Lindsay Must Go threads, you'll find that there are many reasons why people dislike her so much and not all of it has been blamed on the actress.

 

[Top41]

Re: Who is your most unfavorite character?

Definitely Lindsay. Anna Belknap can't act, and the character was written pretty obnoxiously for most of seasons three and four. That being said, she's gone from being annoying to mostly inoffensive, and the writing for her is pretty one-note... which is consistent with Belknap's acting abilities.

I'm probably in the minority on this one, but I've never been a big Mac fan either. He's just never a lead that's excited me. He's kind of low energy much of the time, and often frustratingly sanctimonious. I don't hate him or anything, but I find the character grating on my nerves at times.

 

[bill_az]

Re: Who is your most unfavorite character?

3. Bear in mind Anna Belknap had to undergo the "pregnancy" treatment during taping in the last years. I would imagine her character was written rather uninterestingly to minimize her discomfort of being on the set. I don't hear anyone complaining about Emily Proctor being rather dull and absent on CSIM. Oh, and by the way, didn't she shoot Edward Furlong earlier this year? What exactly is so uninteresting about her?

Being pregnant shouldn't affect your ability to act. I think she's a horrible actress and I think Lindsay is a worthless character. If you want to know why people dislike her so much I suggest you read the 4 Why Lindsay Must Go threads, you'll find that there are many reasons why people dislike her so much and not all of it has been blamed on the actress.

Hey McFly:

--If you are burning a bun in the oven, they can't exactly trot you out on screen as if nothing has happened...what, did she just gain a bunch of weight?

--You contradicted yourself by saying she was a "horrible actress" then exhorting that, "not all of it has been blamed on the actress." In your opinion, it's her fault...or perhaps it is not. ???

Besides, you ignored my suggestion, to place yourself in the place of the show's EP. Who else would you have gotten to replace MK? What would you have done to explain her departure? Another serial killer? Would you have had the pay to replace her with someone better than her? If not, who would you have gone to on the show, asking them to take a pay cut so they could bring a "better" actress in to replace AB?

It's funny...growing up, I disliked the change in Loretta Swit from home-wrecker to jilted married woman. But it was a character I had invested in, and I accepted it. I seriously doubt Larry Gelbart did anything with the "replace Hot Lips" letters than heat his furnace.

But all that aside...tell me who would be a better replacement for these characters you so despise? You spray out these complaints, but provide no answers.

 

[Top41]

Re: Who is your most unfavorite character?

But all that aside...tell me who would be a better replacement for these characters you so despise? You spray out these complaints, but provide no answers.

That's not really the point of this thread, though.

But, for the record, I think Amy Acker from Angel (and just seen on CSI a few weeks ago as the girlfriend of the motorcycle rider who died in the bus crash) would have made an awesome Lindsay. She has the warmth Anna lacks that Lindsay so desperately needs to be likable, and the range Anna lacks to make Lindsay a believable human being made up of contradictions, as opposed to a character who changes personalities every week.

Amy Acker probably wouldn't cost the show any more than Anna Belknap does (or did when she was hired), but she'd actually bring something other than herself to the character.

As for Melina's replacement, I think Sela Ward was a great choice, but I'm sure those that don't could probably think of other actresses they'd have liked to have seen in the role. But again... the point of this thread is for people to share their thoughts on their least favorite characters; they don't have to come up with alternative actors to play them.

 

[PerfectAnomaly]

Re: Who is your most unfavorite character?

3. Bear in mind Anna Belknap had to undergo the "pregnancy" treatment during taping in the last years. I would imagine her character was written rather uninterestingly to minimize her discomfort of being on the set. I don't hear anyone complaining about Emily Proctor being rather dull and absent on CSIM. Oh, and by the way, didn't she shoot Edward Furlong earlier this year? What exactly is so uninteresting about her?

Being pregnant shouldn't affect your ability to act. I think she's a horrible actress and I think Lindsay is a worthless character. If you want to know why people dislike her so much I suggest you read the 4 Why Lindsay Must Go threads, you'll find that there are many reasons why people dislike her so much and not all of it has been blamed on the actress.

Hey McFly:

--If you are burning a bun in the oven, they can't exactly trot you out on screen as if nothing has happened...what, did she just gain a bunch of weight?

--You contradicted yourself by saying she was a "horrible actress" then exhorting that, "not all of it has been blamed on the actress." In your opinion, it's her fault...or perhaps it is not. ???

Besides, you ignored my suggestion, to place yourself in the place of the show's EP. Who else would you have gotten to replace MK? What would you have done to explain her departure? Another serial killer? Would you have had the pay to replace her with someone better than her? If not, who would you have gone to on the show, asking them to take a pay cut so they could bring a "better" actress in to replace AB?

It's funny...growing up, I disliked the change in Loretta Swit from home-wrecker to jilted married woman. But it was a character I had invested in, and I accepted it. I seriously doubt Larry Gelbart did anything with the "replace Hot Lips" letters than heat his furnace.

But all that aside...tell me who would be a better replacement for these characters you so despise? You spray out these complaints, but provide no answers.

My name isn't McFly, but you quoted me so I'll assume I'm the one you're talking to.

No, you can't make Lindsay chase suspects and the like if the actress is pregnant. That doesn't excuse poor acting when she is on screen and it doesn't negate the need for some meaningful screen time.

As for MK, I think Sela Ward is a great replacement. I like her better than Melina, actually. If you had read the thread you'd know that the only person I listed that I dislike is Lindsay/Anna, so why would I respond to the other points about the other actresses??

Also, I did not contradict myself. Poor acting is ONE reason I dislike Lindsay. Being a worthless character is another and that is on TPTB. There can be more than one reason. In fact I think one of your big beefs was that people only gave one reason they dislike a character. I personally think adding Lindsay was a mistake. Hawkes was making the move to being a CSI so they didn't need another CSI after Aiden left. In fact Hawkes got robbed of much needed development because Lindsay was there. And if TPTB wanted Danny to hook up with someone they could've gone with Rikki. I actually liked the character and actress and felt she and Carmine had more chemistry than Carmine does with Anna Belknap.

If you want more specific examples of why Lindsay is disliked so much I once again refer you to the 4 Why Lindsay Must Go threads. There are many examples by various people on why she is disliked. I know that TPTB isn't going to get rid of Anna Belknap because some people dislike her and Lindsay, but I'm not going to like Anna/Lindsay just because she's there either. I have a mind of my own and form my own opinions. I don't just go along blindly with everything spoon fed to me by TPTB because I happen to like the show overall.

 

[bill_az]

Re: Who is your most unfavorite character?

[rant]

Sorry, "McFly" wes a reference to Back to the Future. It was meant to be humerous. Sorry about that.

First of all, I completely disagree with your premise the Anna Belknap is a "horrible" actress. She is well-trained, and has received awards for her performances. If you want to qualify your remarks with, "I feel," well, that's a different story. Most of the people in TV shows are far different from their on-screen characters: do you really think Vanessa Marcil would fall in love and marry some knuckle-head like Danny Messer?

And yes, I concede that many actors/actresses can dictate some of their character traits to the director. I'm sure that Caruso tells the director "du jour" what he wants to do, and said director probably caters to him, since he is making 4x his pay for that episode. Does that kind of trick work on second-billed actresses? Not so much.

Screen actors are told what to do and how to do it by their directors, who in turn take their cue from the producer. What, exactly, is it that you want out of Anna Belknap? What, other than being cast as the "hilbilly" CSI from Montana who falls in love with the New Yorker and bears his child, are you supposed to expect from her? CLUE: She's been told to be like this. Is her performance any more milquetoast that Billy Petersen in the final days of his run on CSILV? At least Rory Cochrane got the benefit of a clean coup de gras, where the writers didn't have to explain away his departure.

And fine, this is a thread to complain about characters you don't like. But the tone got rather uncivil rather quickly. CSINY is a quality show, and they do a heck of a lot better job with their performance responsibilities than many other shows. No one hears about Eddie Cahill or Hill Harper showing up after a weekend bender with a dozen p0rn stars in Las Vegas.

[/rant]

 

[Top41]

Re: Who is your most unfavorite character?

^I think you're not really giving actors enough credit. They're not simply mannequins directed by whomever is helming the episode. While the writers are the ones who put the words in their mouths, literally, it's up to the actor how the lines are delivered, and to decide what their characters are thinking in the moment.

The writing for Lindsay has been uneven at times, but the lack of depth is at least partially (I'd argue largely) Anna's fault.

Just because the thread is critical doesn't mean it's uncivil. There's a difference. You're more than welcome to think all of the actors are wonderful and perfect... but people are entitled to think otherwise as well.

Not sure what the comment is about Eddie and Hill and porn stars... but that is out of line. Keep the comments to the actors' professional performances.

 

[PerfectAnomaly]

Re: Who is your most unfavorite character?

[rant]

Sorry, "McFly" wes a reference to Back to the Future. It was meant to be humerous. Sorry about that.

I'm aware of the reference, I just didn't appreciate it.

First of all, I completely disagree with your premise the Anna Belknap is a "horrible" actress. She is well-trained, and has received awards for her performances. If you want to qualify your remarks with, "I feel," well, that's a different story.

Where did I say I was speaking for someone other than myself? I assume people are smart enough to know I'm expressing my own opinion without having to annouce it's my opinion in every sentence. And Anna has an MFA in acting, but that doesn't mean she is "well trained." Who knows what kind of program the school she attended had. She also has only received one award and that was for doing regional theater. It doesn't speak at all to her acting abilities on CSI:NY.

Most of the people in TV shows are far different from their on-screen characters: do you really think Vanessa Marcil would fall in love and marry some knuckle-head like Danny Messer?

I'm not really sure what your point is here. I'm perfectly aware that there's a difference between actors and characters - well in the case of everyone except Anna Belknap, who evidently "plays herself."

And yes, I concede that many actors/actresses can dictate some of their character traits to the director. I'm sure that Caruso tells the director "du jour" what he wants to do, and said director probably caters to him, since he is making 4x his pay for that episode. Does that kind of trick work on second-billed actresses? Not so much.

Again, what's your point? Even if the whole of the character is dictated by the director (which I don't believe it is, the writers develop who the character is as much if not more than the director) the actor still has to sell it. Anna Belknap doesn't do that for me.

Screen actors are told what to do and how to do it by their directors, who in turn take their cue from the producer. What, exactly, is it that you want out of Anna Belknap? What, other than being cast as the "hilbilly" CSI from Montana who falls in love with the New Yorker and bears his child, are you supposed to expect from her? CLUE: She's been told to be like this. Is her performance any more milquetoast that Billy Petersen in the final days of his run on CSILV? At least Rory Cochrane got the benefit of a clean coup de gras, where the writers didn't have to explain away his departure.

I'd like to see her deliver her lines without sounding like she's reading a cue card for one thing. I'd also like her to deliver her lines with an emotion that's relevant to what the character is supposed to be feeling as well. IMO, she doesn't do that. Hell, I'd even settle for believing she's actually from Montana, but the only way anyone remembers it is if they reference it every other minute. I'd also expect the writing to be better. It's good for other characters but this character has no depth. That's a problem, IMO.

And fine, this is a thread to complain about characters you don't like. But the tone got rather uncivil rather quickly. CSINY is a quality show, and they do a heck of a lot better job with their performance responsibilities than many other shows. No one hears about Eddie Cahill or Hill Harper showing up after a weekend bender with a dozen p0rn stars in Las Vegas.

[/rant]

Uncivil? Where? And in some people's opinions Anna Belknap doesn't do better with her performance than actresses on "many other shows." That she does is your opinion and not a fact. As far as the actor's behavior off screen, I don't see how that is relevant to this thread.

 

[talkingtocactus]

Re: Who is your most unfavorite character?

I would love for all the character-haters to assume the role of executive producer for a moment, and consider the following:

1. Vanessa Ferlito came in and said she didn't want to renew her contract. How do you deal with that? Does she just exist in some nebulous vacuum, where in some bizarro universe she might get re-hired by the NYPD after being fired for evidence tampering? Better to give her character finality.

2. Ditto with Melina Kankaredes. No, they sent her to another city, much like Liz Vassey went to Portland in CSILV. But they gave her closure.

these i definitely agree with.

i think the issue with saying "i feel" or whatever in these posts is that, well, we're already assumed to be writing our own opinions - this is a discussion forum and in discussion that's generally the assumption. if it were a more academic or corporate type forum, fine, i agree, but for a fansite? no, we all assume that the opinions expressed are our own without having to quantify it every time. at least that's what i assume, i assume i'm speaking for most people on that. but i might have assumed wrong. *the opinions expressed in the foregoing sentence were my own and had no influence from corporate sponsors or politicians.

as for the mcfly thing - i also got the reference and i adore the film (it's my favourite!) but i think the implication that you're standing over perfectanomaly and knocking on her head, thus implying that she and her opinions are totally below you and yours and that she's some kind of loser (which really isn't the case) was a tad offensive.

 

[MakeTracksCowboy]

Re: Who is your most unfavorite character?

Hawkes would have be my most unfavorite character. i don't know if it's the way Hill Harper acts out the character or if the character was made dull but i find nothing interesting with Hawkes. i can remember thinking he was dull in the pilot ep for NY.

i can stand seeing Hawkes in a scene, he doesn't irk me that bad that i can't even bare to look at the screen when he's on. he does have his moments where i laugh or sympathize with him.

 

[Linda&Horatio]

Re: Who is your most unfavorite character?

I don't care for Jo Danville on CSINY. I find she's too cocky and presumtuious (sp). I haven't watched that show since she came along and I love that show too. She just gets on my nerves too much. Sorry if I offend anyone, not my intent here.

 

[csinynut]

Re: Who is your most unfavorite character?

Hawkes would have be my most unfavorite character. i don't know if it's the way Hill Harper acts out the character or if the character was made dull but i find nothing interesting with Hawkes. i can remember thinking he was dull in the pilot ep for NY.

i can stand seeing Hawkes in a scene, he doesn't irk me that bad that i can't even bare to look at the screen when he's on. he does have his moments where i laugh or sympathize with him.

I have to agree with you on that. There's something that grates everytime i see him on screen. I've learn to ignore him, as time passed, if that's possible. i really don't know what it is. He makes me clench my teeth, that is when i'm not igoring him.

i dont have any problems with the other characters, tho sometimes Adam's bumbling nervoussness isn't as funny as it was before.

 

[MacsLady]

Re: Who is your most unfavorite character?

Danny. I don't hate him or anything, it's just that he doesn't do anything for me. I don't think he's attractive and I don't think he's interesting. Even before Lindsay came along, I didn't much care for Danny, and since she came and the whole DL thing started, I care even less. I actually like Lindsay more than Danny because I do enjoy her scenes with characters other than him.
That said, I do still enjoy Danny and Flack scenes, and 'Child's Play' was a very good episode, I liked Danny in that more, but otherwise, just.....meh.

 

[DebbieLynn]

Re: Who is your most unfavorite character?

I agree, Sela Ward will never fit in. This will probably be the end of the show. Stella was a strong character like Grissom on CSI. When he left, the show has gone downhill fast and I fear CSI:NY will too. Go away Sela!