Positive male leads

In TV shows, not for dogs.

On the back of a discussion over on the Book of Face about the 13th Doctor having had a penisectomy, someone has posted,

“it is a real shame that there aren’t more positive male characters that are non aggressive, intelligent, diplomatic and caring.”

I take his point, but surely there’s loads? The poster only mentioned “characters” but I’m really just considering lead stars here.

Straight off the top of my head there’s all the Star Trek series, it does get a bit “action hero” sometimes but that’s almost always when intelligence and diplomacy have failed (and a Brucie Bonus here is that they’ve already done the “make the lead a woman” bit). Then there’s Sherlock, and for that matter pretty much every detective show ever.

What else have you got?

I thought this was going to be about electrical cables

Cougar

Then there’s Sherlock, and for that matter pretty much every detective show ever.

😆

pretty much every detective show ever.

Coach Eric Taylor in Friday Night Lights (TV) and equivalent in the film.

I should’ve known this would go well.

@hols2 – is that Sipowicz? Excellent choice!

I don’t recall Poirot getting into many physical altercations.

Cougar – Moderator

I should’ve known this would go well.

Well to your original post…

“it is a real shame that there aren’t more positive male characters that are non aggressive, intelligent, diplomatic and caring.”

…..in fiction you want conflict or drama, peril and danger create drama and violence or the threat of violence is one of the most relate-able sources of peril or danger.

Then consider the the hero archetype. The hero has to have admirable or superhuman qualities but the have to have human failings or weaknesses. They have to fail or have failings so they can learn and overcome those failings so they can ultimately defeat the snake/dragon/monster/villain etc.

So the hero doesn’t have to be a burned out, suicidal alcoholic cop struggling to come to terms with the death of his whole team back in ‘nam due to an ambush that he felt he should have spotted but he didn’t. But it helps.

Pour vous..

is that Sipowicz?

Buntz from Hill Street Blues, but basically the same character.

“it is a real shame that there aren’t more positive male characters that are non aggressive, intelligent, diplomatic and caring.”

Uncle Phil from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. The actor who played him often spoke of the many young black americans who would come up to him to tell him that he was like the father fiqure thay never had.

And Bill Cosby too, a fine upstanding citizen.

Blue Peter with Noaks and loved MASH as a kid.
It comes across as a bit ‘Waltons At War’ now, but still a great programme.

Arthur Dent was also a bit of a role model too.

Far more in books, tbh.

bensales – Member
Coach Eric Taylor in Friday Night Lights (TV) and equivalent in the film.

+1

Marshall from How i met your mother.

Abed from Community

Jim from The Office (US version)

Most of the male cast from the West Wing

Ron Swanson.

Rusty Spanner

And Bill Cosby too, a fine upstanding citizen.

Can I check, is it OK for boys to look up to adults regardless of their sex? I mean isn’t it pretty sexist to say that boys need to look up to me? I am male, I admire Rachel Atherton, if I could train and be as awesome as her I would be over the moon. Can boys not look up to Dr13?
Edit just watching yesterdays TDF timetrail and they showed the womens time trial, how anyone could not admire Anniemiek especially after the olympics horror she suffered only a year ago. She is awesome.hh

Can I check, is it OK for boys to look up to adults regardless of their sex? I mean isn’t it pretty sexist to say that boys need to look up to me? I am male, I admire Rachel Atherton, if I could train and be as awesome as her I would be over the moon. Can boys not look up to Dr13?

There is nothing in the OP about role models for boys. It was about positive male leads. Equally girls could look up to them.

There is nothing in the OP about role models for boys. It was about positive male leads. Equallly girls could look up to them.

Aye fair enough, that is my own assumption/prejudice about his meaning. I am equally happy for girls to look up to either sex.
Most role models are male already, there is no shortage of them.

The Professionals was on TV in work the other day.
Everyone of a certain age stopped what they were doing, sat down and watched it.

We used to play wargames in the park, read Victor and Warlord, watch cool people killing each other on TV.

Things have changed, the main participants are a couple of generations away from WW2 and the reality of war as depicted via modern media has changed attitudes.

The false glamour of war, violence and its eternal appeal to young men now seems odd when turned against western society, but it wasn’t that long ago that we couldn’t get enough of it.

Rolf Harris?

There is nothing in the OP about role models for boys. It was about positive male leads. Equallly girls could look up to them.

Indeed. And that’s one of the other arguments about the Doctor changing gender. Peter Davison Tweeted about it being a shame that they’d lost a role model for boys – swiftly rebuked by Colin Baker[/url] who said “Well you don’t have to be of a gender of someone to be a role model. Can’t you be a role model as people?”

It was actually this article which sparked the discussion leading to my quote in the OP. I distorted the question slightly to ask about male leads – male actors in lead roles, you bunch of gits – as I naively thought it might make for an interesting discussion.

As jimjam said earlier, a lot of drama comes from conflict, and the I suppose I’m inferring from the quote that the poster believes most male TV characters are “positive” by dint of their physical prowess.

And Bill Cosby too, a fine upstanding citizen.

That’s debatable. 😉

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40314641

that is my own assumption/prejudice about his meaning. I am equally happy for girls to look up to either sex.

Only girls?

(-:

Peter Davison Tweeted about it being a shame that they’d lost a role model for boys

I confess my answer was to this question rather than yours, I had assumed that was your intent also… My point still stands though…

Only girls?

Bloody selective quoting, I had already mentioned boys in my first post. 8)

How about Gok Wan?
Made an awful lot of people feel better about themselves, a very positive role model for all.

I like Gareth Malone too, hate the fake deadlines and pointless dramas, but love watching the effect he has on people.
Brian Cox too.

Rolf Harris?

Can you tell what it is yet?

Bear Grylls?
Homer Simpson?

Oh – and for the OP’s benefit, the surgery you are looking for is a penectomy 😯

Rachel

Bloody selective quoting

I know. The smiley was there for a reason, I wasn’t being serious. I just thought it was amusing.

Oh – and for the OP’s benefit, the surgery you are looking for is a penectomy…

Thanks for that. (-: TBH, I only threw it in there to be silly, it probably works better with the wrong term.

I can k8nd of see your point. There aren’t many TV or film characters that make me think … I wish I was a more like him. Saying That, there are quite a few in the public eye and that I know as friends who do inspire me to aspire as it were. Barak Obama, the Dalai Lama, Sir Chris Hoy to name just a few. It is a pity that there aren’t more men (or indeed people in general) who aren’t more like these folk.

The smiley was there for a reason,

I knew that, hence my smiley in return. xx

How about animated male role model? 😆

Stephen Fry.
Lots and lots of athletes.
Jazzer McCreary.
Compo and Clegg.