NBC/WB/HBOEvery so often there comes a great TV character with whom we can all relate to. They're well rounded, absurd, insecure and confident, and usually the actor behind the character turns in a nuanced performance to really hit it home.
The characters we relate to the most are not always the nicest people on TV. They're not always the protagonist either.
But there's something about these nine TV characters that have always spoken to us on a different level. These are the TV's nine most relatable characters.
Elaine Benes, Seinfeld
We're all a little bit Elaine Benes. It's just a fact. Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Seinfeld character embodied the best and worst of human nature. The apathy, the honesty and the desire to mock people…it's in all of us. There's no better example of how we're all a little bit Elaine than her subway ride.
Jan Brady, The Brady Bunch
If you have a sibling, you know what it's like to be Jan Brady (Eve Plumb), even if you're the older sibling, you get Jan. Have you ever been marginalized by your family? Never had your time to shine? Made up a fake boyfriend? We feel you, Jan Brady. We feel you hard.
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Let's get this out there: Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm version of Larry David is not such a great person. But he's still so relatable. He's selfish and clueless when it comes to societal norms. Larry David is everything we kind of want to be…in the worst ways. Have you ever wanted to call out somebody for doing a chat and cut? Have you ever made up such an elaborate lie to get out of something you had to move across the country?
Hannah Horvath, Girls
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you think you're more of a Shoshanna or a Marnie, but we're all kind of Hannah. You think you're the best friend anybody could have, you think your problems are the only problems that matter…Lena Dunham has created a character that embodies a generation perfectly.
Liz Lemon, 30 Rock
Don't you work on your night cheese? No? Well, we know you want to have it all. We want to have it all too. You're the only person at work holding everything together. All the problems fall on you to solve, yet your life is kind of in shambles and sometimes you get lettuce in your hair and the sandwich people know your order. Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) is all of us.
Ben Wyatt, Parks and Recreation
We're all human disasters when you think about it. Ben (Adam Scott) is the rock. The geeky rock of Pawnee. The geeky rock of our lives. The geeky rock we want to be for our friends and want to have in our lives.
Buffy Summers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Let's be real: Buffy was kind of a mess in the most relatable ways. Sure she saved the world a lot, slayed vampires, died a few times, but what viewer did not see a bit of themselves in Sarah Michelle Gellar's character? Basically every one of Buffy's songs from "Once More With Feeling" was our anthem in high school. Life's hard, but you get tougher.
Valerie Cherish, The Comeback
OK, hear us out. Valerie Cherish (Lisa Kudrow) is one of the best characters on TV. Ever. She's desperate, naturally, but she is so, so, so human. Valerie Cherish just wants to be loved, in whatever twisted manner that may come in. She also wants to please those around her, which is something most humans can relate to. What is amazing about Valerie is you do really feel for her, you forget that she's a TV character almost instantly and just want to help her out in any way possible. It's a different level of relation, but it's still relatable.
Amber Holt, Parenthood
Let's face it, Amber has been one of the most, if not the most, realistic teenage girl to ever scowl on the small screen. Which means viewers have wanted to slap some sense into her a lot over her six-year journey. When the show first began, she had a horrible attitude (and questionable choices in men, hairstyles, make-up, etc.), but that's what made her so relatable. You cringed while watching her because you were also cringing at yourself. And when she started to grow up and mature, making better (and harder) life choices, you cheered for her because a part of you was cheering for yourself. —Tierney Bricker