--- description: These are TIME's picks for the top 10 fictional characters of 2017, from Wonder Woman to Randall Pearson in "This Is Us." title: The Top 10 Fictional Characters of 2017 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt888516f00604378d/6988e71922fb85262de23d05/top-10-2017-fictional-characters.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Television](/tag/television/) ## Television Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Top 10 Fictional Characters of 2017  by [Daniel D'Addario](/author/daniel-daddario/)  ## Daniel D'Addario Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 5, 2017 6:50 PM CUT  Netflix; Getty Images (2); Hulu; Photo Illustration by Kim Bubello  by [Daniel D'Addario](/author/daniel-daddario/)  ## Daniel D'Addario Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 5, 2017 6:50 PM CUT ## 10\. Randall Pearson  THIS IS US -- "The Right Thing to Do" Episode 111 -- Pictured: Sterling K. Brown as Randall Pearson -- (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) Ron Batzdorff—NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images Pearson’s experience being adopted by a family outside his own race—and how that continues to shape him as an adult—made for the most meaningful and compelling component of broadcast [TV’s breakout hit _This Is Us_](http://time.com/4961096/this-is-us-jack-fan-theories/ "undefined"). Emmy voters agreed, dubbing [Sterling K. Brown’s performance](http://time.com/4945718/sterling-k-brown-emmys-speech/ "undefined") the best by an actor in a drama series. ## 9\. Hannah Baker  13 REASONS WHY Beth Dubber—Netflix As played by Katherine Langford, Baker is the kind of protagonist any kid could relate to: warm yet acerbic, beautiful but insecure, popular in some ways, outcast in others. But [_13 Reasons Why_](http://time.com/4718019/darkness-visible-in-13-reasons-why/ "undefined") isn’t just a teen soap; it’s the story of Baker’s suicide, narrated by Baker herself. [To critics](http://time.com/4808916/selena-gomez-on-13-reasons-why/ "undefined"), that was cause for alarm, prompting schools to warn parents, and parents to accuse Netflix of glamorizing suicide. But in spite—or because—of the Baker-centric controversy, _13 Reasons Why_ was a huge hit among teens and the year’s most tweeted-about show. ## 8\. Sean Spicer  SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE -- "Melissa McCarthy" Episode 1724 -- Pictured: Melissa McCarthy as White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer during "Spicer Returns" in Studio 8H on May 13, 2017 -- (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) Will Heath—NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images [Melissa McCarthy’s relentlessly imaginative and athletic take](http://time.com/4774711/melissa-mccarthy-saturday-night-live-sean-spicer-snl/ "undefined") on the [former White House Press Secretary](http://time.com/4938566/sean-spicer-melissa-mccarthy-emmy-share/ "undefined") was arguably this year’s sharpest political satire: Her Spicer was all indignation, consumed by an outright hatred of journalists that expressed itself with sputtering fierceness. That caricature kept Spicer in the news long after he might have preferred, and reportedly led President Trump to sour on his most visible mouthpiece, leading to [Spicer’s departure](http://time.com/4868579/sean-spicer-melissa-mccarthy-snl-democrats/ "undefined"). ## 7\. Julia the Muppet  PACIFIC PALISADES, CA - JULY 15: The first autistic Sesame Street muppet Julia (L) accepts the HollyRod Corporate Compassion Award for Sesame Workshop at HollyRod Foundation's DesignCare Gala on July 15, 2017 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for HollyRod Foundation) Tiffany Rose—HollyRod Foundation/Getty Images At a time when there are a growing number of characters with autism on TV (see: _The Good Doctor, The A Word, Atypical_), Julia is especially well-positioned to educate kids. When she first meets the _Sesame Street_ gang, the Muppet is more focused on her painting than Elmo is, and she doesn’t want to give Big Bird a high-five. But they quickly learn how to include her in playtime—a new friend who’s different but special all the same. ## 6\. Kono Kalakaua and Chin Ho Kelly  CBS/Getty Images For seven seasons, this police officer (played by Grace Park) and lieutenant (played by Daniel Dae Kim) were two of the most visible Asian-American characters on TV. So when news broke they were going to be written off Hawaii Five-O—Park and Kim quit the CBS drama after [reportedly being offered less pay](http://time.com/4847554/hawaii-five-0-equal-pay-controversy/ "undefined") than their white counterparts—it kickstarted a national debate and further exposed the gap between Hollywood’s stated commitment to diversity and its actual hiring practices. (For its part, CBS claimed it offered Park and Kim “large and significant salary increases.”) ## 5\. Dina  Universal Studios [Tiffany Haddish](http://time.com/5048460/tiffany-haddish-taylor-swift-cooking/ "undefined")’s go-for-broke performance as the most unapologetically raunchy member of a quartet of friends didn’t just help [_Girls Trip_](http://time.com/4864477/girls-trip-review/ "undefined") more than $100 million. It also established Haddish as one of the Hollywood’s biggest rising stars, a status she cemented with a [recent guest stint on SNL](http://time.com/5020704/tiffany-haddish-snl-monologue/ "undefined"). ## 4\. Viserion  HBO [Dragons have long been a part of the _Game of Thrones_ mythology](http://time.com/4773692/game-of-thrones-emilia-clarke-daenerys-targaryen/ "undefined"), but never before has one managed to outshine the most beloved ensemble cast on TV: When Viserion was killed and resurrected by the Night King as a force for evil, it upended the show’s gameboard in a way that no human character ever has, portending a [thrilling final season](http://time.com/5045436/jason-momoa-final-season-game-of-thrones/ "undefined"). ## 3\. Offred  The Handmaid's Tale -- "Night" -- Episode 110 -- Serena Joy confronts Offred and the Commander. Offred struggles with a complicated, life-changing revelation. The Handmaids face a brutal decision. Offred (Elisabeth Moss), shown. (Photo by: George Kraychyk/Hulu) George Kraychyk—Hulu In 1985, when Margaret Atwood’s first published[ _The Handmaid’s Tale_](http://time.com/4759957/handmaids-tale-book-vs-show-differences/ "undefined"), her protagonist’s reality—watching her free society turn into a repressive and sexist theocracy—may have seemed farfetched. But in Trump’s America, the character, brought to life on Hulu by Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss, has [become a symbol of the real-life resistance](http://time.com/4734904/margaret-atwood-elisabeth-moss-handmaids-tale/ "undefined"). Earlier this year, dozens of women donned her iconic Handmaid costume (red robe, white hood) and marched on Capitol Hill to protest a GOP-backed healthcare bill that would have cut funding to Planned Parenthood, among other things. ## 2\. Pennywise  Warner Bros. Entertainment The shape-shifting clown who torments a group of Maine children made his on-screen debut more than 25 years ago in a TV miniseries. But Bill Skarsgard added even more menace to Stephen King’s creation, revealing both new layers of fangs and a more-monstrous-than-ever appetite. That combination helped make _It_ the [highest-grossing R-rated film of all time](http://time.com/4935221/it-box-office-stephen-king/ "undefined"), with excitement building for the [planned 2019 sequel](http://time.com/4929625/it-movie-sequel-stephen-king/ "undefined"). Which is [bad news for clowns](http://time.com/4921938/world-clowns-sad-it/ "undefined"), who reported losing work thanks to the revived and scarier Pennywise. ## 1\. Wonder Woman  Warner Bros. Entertainment [Gal Gadot’s superhero](http://time.com/4814808/gal-gadot-twitter-wonder-woman/ "undefined")—at once a savage warrior and an idealistic naif—packed riveting contradictions and plenty of charisma into her first full-length screen outing (and _Justice League_, too). She also powered _Wonder Woman_ to more than $800 million globally, proving just how many people had been [waiting for a superhero like her](http://time.com/4810489/why-wonder-woman-broke-through/ "undefined"). That was proven, too, by the thousands of young girls who swung their own lassos of truth this past Halloween, finally able to c[elebrate a screen idol of their own](http://time.com/4805420/wonder-woman-celebrity-reactions/ "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5048703/top-10-fictional-characters-2017/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5048703/top-10-fictional-characters-2017/"},"headline":"The Top 10 Fictional Characters of 2017","datePublished":"2017-12-05T18:50:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:58:18.192Z","description":"From This Is Us' Randal Pearson to Wonder Woman","url":"https://time.com/5048703/top-10-fictional-characters-2017/","keywords":["Television","top-10-2017"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt888516f00604378d/6988e71922fb85262de23d05/top-10-2017-fictional-characters.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel D'Addario","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/daniel-daddario/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt888516f00604378d/6988e71922fb85262de23d05/top-10-2017-fictional-characters.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"top-10-2017-fictional-characters","caption":"","creditText":"Netflix; Getty Images (2); Hulu; Photo Illustration by Kim Bubello","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/television/","name":"Television"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5048703/top-10-fictional-characters-2017/","name":"The Top 10 Fictional Characters of 2017"}}]}] ```