Favorite Glee Characters (in no particular order) - Rachel Berry

“Hi my name is Rachel Berry and I’ll be singing ‘On My Own’ from the seminal Broadway classic Les Mis. You might laugh because every time I sign my name I put a gold star after it, but it’s a metaphor. And metaphors are important. My gold stars are a metaphor for me being a star.”

Miss Rachel Berry was the first Glee character you probably fell completely head over heels for. Her fame-driven, slightly neurotic, yet vulnerable personality lit up the screen straight away, and that was before anyone even heard her powerhouse voice. While Rachel puts up this front of being a strong girl who will do anything to reach her dream, she still has that little girl inside of her who simply wants to be swept off her feet by Prince Charming. She’s the protagonist you just want to see happy in the end; the nerd you want to see triumph over the mean girls. Rachel Berry is so unique to television, so quirky and refreshing, and so driven that you want to root for her until the very end.

Favorite Glee Characters (in no particular order) - Sue Sylvester

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to put in a call to the Ohio Secretary of State notifying them I will no longer be carrying photo I.D. You know why? People should know who I am.”

Sue Sylvester is the antagonist you love to hate, and secretly root for. Her harshly blunt statements not only make you laugh out loud, but sometimes you actually agree with her! Don’t be fooled by this once water boarded, hard to crack Sue Sylvester; she does have a soft side. With a mentally handicapped sister, Sue knows what it’s like to be bullied, making her the most multidimensional bully around. Her drive rivals one of an olympic champion, which she uses to not only lead her Cheerios to championships, but to take down the glee club. And that’s how Sue C’s it.

Favorite Glee Characters (in no particular order) - Noah Puckerman

“…. they kept taking my waffles.”

Noah Puckerman is the Jewish bad boy thousands of girls want to throw their panties at, and so do their mothers. The cougar-hunting stud gives off a “rough around the edges” vibe to his peers, so as to keep his cool, bad boy image. However, there’s more to Puck than meets the eye (and more than what Glee has graced us with, in my opinion). With daddy issues, falling for his best friend’s girl, and a sexual tension with one Rachel Berry (which he hates to admit), Puck is one guy Glee has vastly underestimated. This character has the potential to be so developed and so interesting, not to mention the amazing dramatic scenes that could be written to showcase Mark Salling’s acting. Oh, and his voice is kind of amazing. Noah Puckerman, you’re our number one Heb.

Favorite Glee Characters (in no particular order) - Emma Pillsbury

“I’m a girl who knows her solvents, and your breath smells like rubbing alcohol.”

Not only is Emma Pillsbury one of the best dressed in the Glee cast, but she’s also one of the sweetest. Her big doe eyes make it hard to not find her irresistibly adorable, and her obsessive-compulsive personality makes her even more hilarious to watch. She’s in the position we’ve almost all been in (in love with a friend who’s completely unattainable), and you can’t help but root for her home-wrecking side to come out. Emma Pillsbury is the guidance counselor you want to keep watching, and while you love her happiness with Carl, you secretly root for that missed love connection between her and Will.

Favorite Glee Characters (in no particular order) - Terri Schuester

“This is where our daughter or our gay son will sleep. I thought maybe we could put one of those mini pianos in here and you two could put on mini shows for me.”

Now, even if you are a full-fledged Wemma shipper, you have to admit that Terri Schuester is the villain you love to hate. Terri was a crazy, desperate, baby-imagining wife, who also had some quirkiness to her. You hate to admit that you’re able to relate to her on some level; loving someone so much, and seemingly so one-sided, that you would do anything to keep them yours. Really, you can’t blame Terri for wanting to keep sexy Will around, even if she did go about it the wrong way. I wish we could see Terri and Will pre-marriage though, seeing her as the Quinn-esque head cheerleader in her glory days. Terri’s one crazy bitch, but there’s a vulnerability to her that makes her character so developed and surprisingly relatable.

Favorite Glee Characters (in no particular order) - Sandy Ryerson

“Who is Josh Groban? Kill yourself! He is an angel sent from heaven to deliver platinum records unto us. And if he were here right now, I would club you to death with his Critic’s Choice award.”

We first met Sandy Ryerson in the pilot episode as the Glee club director before Mr. Schuester steps in. While many would call his character creepy, his antics and diva personality are what make him so enjoyable. Whether he’s selling pot to McKinley High students or hassling the Sheets-N-Things workers, Sandy is a hilarious character that could have some wonderful scenes and writing if given the chance. His best moments were definitely when he was briefly a part of the “Acafellas” and his crush on Josh Groban hit stalker status. One must wonder how differently Glee club would have been if Sandy Ryerson were still running it.

Favorite Glee Characters (in no particular order) - Brittany Pierce

“Heart attacks are just from loving too much”

Come on, if you say that you dislike miss Brittany S. Pierce, you have to either be lying or delusional. She’s the cutest thing on Glee and puts an instant smile on your face. We’ve been lucky enough to get to know the actual character of Brittany a bit more this second season, and we’re all really glad. Her one liners are just the thing Glee needed, and they can sometimes provide comic relief during serious scenes or episodes. Brittany went from the cheerleader bitch who swayed in the background, to the dumb blonde who claimed that dolphins are just gay sharks, to the lucky lesbian lover of one Santana Lopez, to the adorable, still-believes-in-santa, naive and innocent girl we love today. 

Favorite Glee Characters (in no particular order) - April Rhodes

“I was so jazzed about sobering up and starting a new life, I had to stop at a bar to get a drink just to calm down!”

We first met April Rhodes in “The Rhodes Not Taken” as an ex-Glee club member and classmate of Will Schuester’s. Hitting her prime at the age of 16, April dropped out of school to live a life of fame on Broadway; except she never made it to New York and instead worked dead end job to dead end job. Will seeks April out as a replacement for Rachel Berry and through her very “persuasive” ways, April is able to win the Glee club over into acceptance. April Rhodes’ quirky personality is heightened by her constant drunk stupor, making her a very entertaining and laughable character. While April’s heart is usually in the right place, she tends to stir up some drama with her shenanigans. You have to feel for the broken girl inside of her though; trapped inside of a 30-year-old woman’s body is the high school girl with big dreams and the world at her fingertips. April Rhodes is one of the best developed and highly entertaining characters on television these days.

Favorite Glee Characters (in no particular order) - Howard Bamboo

“I’m afraid of my vacuum.”

We first met Howard Bamboo in the pilot as a coworker of Will’s wife Terri at Sheets-N-Things. Howard was a pretty soft spoken guy, never revealing too much about himself; except for his confession of being dyslexic, not being able to count past 30, and being afraid of his vacuum. Not to mention his short lived, yet awesome, stint in Will’s “Acafellas” group. Howard Bamboo was essentially the Brittany of Glee before Brittany had spoken lines. I hope they bring Howard back this season for a little bit, because his slightly mentally handicapped, will-do-anything-for-Terri-so-he-doesn’t-get-fired, kind of adorable personality was great. 

Favorite Glee Characters (in no particular order) - Shannon Beiste

“I’ve never been kissed, Will. What’s that say about me? I’m 40 and I haven’t even taken those baby steps yet.”

We first meet Shannon Beiste as Coach Tanaka’s replacement. Clearly threatened by her feminine power, Sue Sylvester attempts to run Coach Beiste out of McKinley High. However, as we soon learn, Coach Beiste really is a beast that Sue doesn’t want to mess with. We also get to see Beiste’s soft side, learning that she has a heart of gold. Her moments in “Never Been Kissed” and “A Very Glee Christmas” really touched people’s hearts, and she’s now the teddy bear we all just want to cuddle. Shannon Beiste was the perfect addition to the show, really showcasing a wonderful moral: Treat everyone how you would wish to be treated, because they could be just as broken inside as you.