21 Most Underrated TV Characters of 2017

13. Trish Winterman (Broadchurch)

Julie Hesmondhalgh delivers a heart-wrenching and authentic performance in Broadchurch Season 3 as rape survivor Trish Winterman.

From the opening sequences to the closing credits, Hesmondhalgh captivates the audience. Every inch of her face shares clues of her inner thoughts and feelings, but there is always a mask.

Importantly, Trish’s story shines a light on many aspects of sexual violence that are often in the shadows. We see insults and assumption thrown at Trish because she is not a typical beautiful woman. How could an unattractive, older woman get raped?

We hear even the highly trained police force question the victim, wonder if she was drunk, if she could be lying.

We hear the beloved Broadchurch detectives wonder, with an air of skepticism, why a woman would go home rather than right to a police station.

The questioning and doubt is painful to witness, but seeing Trish weather the storms and build trust with the advocate is healing.

2017 is a year where we need to be facing the most troubling and layered of crimes. Trish has not garnered the attention of characters on The Handmaid’s Tale or even Sweet/Vicious, but she is underrated and deserving of much more recognition.

14. Sara Lance (Legends of Tomorrow)

Season 3 of Legends of Tomorrow finally promoted Sara Lance aka “White Canary” as the new Captain of the Waverider, and we couldn’t be happier. It was great to see this superhero with a tough exterior let her empathy and loyalty come through, especially when it was in connection to her team.

She’s a perfect example of positive representation as the bisexual lead, whose charm and sexiness are irresistible.

Sara Lance was first on Arrow, before she was killed, then brought back, then left, then brought back on Legends of Tomorrow, where she has thankfully found the perfect home, and while the road was tough, the destination was worth the ups and downs.

Caity Lotz is the reason Sara Lance is loved by so many, and she embodies Sara Lance’s humanity and spirit. She has nailed Sara Lance’s complexity and that makes them both amazing and powerful.

15. Kelsey Peters (Younger)

Younger has an incredible ensemble with strong women characters. Even if she doesn’t always get the credit, Kelsey Peters is a force to be reckoned with among the New York city gals on the show.

Kelsey faces a crisis when her easy trust in her lover leads to a potential disaster for her company.

When Kelsey realizes the betrayal, she is sobbing in her office. When best friend Liza advises her that no man is worth crying over, Kelsey exclaims “I’m not crying over him, I’m crying over my job!”

She cares deeply for her job and her friends. This depiction of an ambitious millennial woman, who bring other women with her in her victories, is what we need to see in 2017.

Kelsey Peters is well-rounded, fun and a seriously hard-worker. I dare you not to fall in love with her character after witnessing her face during the potato-sack race when Charles takes a punch from Josh. It is simply magic.

16. Valencia (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)

Valencia is sometimes put in a corner on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Her ideas are stolen, and her message is silenced in favor of the series star Rebecca Bunch.

Valencia’s talents are highly underrated. She shines in the rock ballad “Let’s Generalize About Men.” Her solo song “This is My Movement” proves that Valencia, played by star Gabrielle Ruiz, can do it all.

For a character that is absolutely pivotal to all of the relationships featured on the show, Valencia has not been given the stage position she deserves.

Hopefully, the rest of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 3 and Season 4 will utilize and recognize the vast potential of the amazing Valencia Perez.

17. Nancy Wheeler (Stranger Things)

Steve Harrington isn’t the only high school hero on Stranger Things 2. Nancy Wheeler takes control and literally grabs her gun, in order to kill the demons that are corrupting her town.

She is small, actually quite delicate, but Nancy’s raw nerves put her ahead of her time and the young men who she finds herself around. She never shirks or hides when things get tough.

When Jonathon tries to sweat the monster out of his brother, he becomes overwhelmed witnessing the pain his brother experiences. Nancy open hers arms and cradles Jonathon’s body against hers. Nancy is strong enough to carry her boyfriend’s burdens along with her own.

Nancy should not be ignored. We hope we get to see her team up with Eleven and Max on Stranger Things Season 3 because we know that the ladies are where the strangest of powerful things live.

18. Kevin Pearson (This is Us)

When you have Milo Ventimiglia’s Jack and Sterling K. Brown’s Randall on the same show, it’s easy to overlook Justin Hartley’s Kevin on This Is Us. But that’s a big mistake.

Hartley brilliantly imbues into Kevin a measured mix of arrogance, humor, and pain. And through his younger counterparts, played by Parker Bates and Logan Shroyer, it’s clear that Kevin has craved attention all his life, a nagging feeling that has brought him to the brink of self-sabotage time and time again.

As the odd man out, Kevin provides a lot of heart to the show.

He’s a reminder that, even with the best of intentions, our parents can still bruise us. And with regret and unresolved feelings weighing down on us, the best we can do is try to get by.

Next Page