We Drafted the Ultimate TNT Starting Five — Come Fight Us in the Comments
Photo: bikeride from Canton, CT, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Every sports fan knows the rules of a good draft: everyone gets a pick, nobody's happy with the results, and the arguments last forever. So we figured — why not run one for TNT characters?
The TNTV Replay staff huddled up (okay, it was a chaotic group chat) and drafted our all-time starting lineup from across the network's history. Five slots. Each writer owns one. Each pick has to justify why they'd carry a show the way a superstar carries a franchise.
Spoiler: we do not agree with each other. You won't agree with us either. That's the point. Polls are at the bottom of every section — vote, then come defend your pick in the comments.
The MVP: The Face of the Franchise
Every great team needs that one player whose jersey you buy before you even know if the season will be good. Our MVP slot went to a character who doesn't just anchor their show — they are the show.
Our pick: Brendan Lehor-style leading man energy, embodied by Det. Brenda Leigh Johnson of The Closer. Say what you want about the procedural genre, but Brenda turned a cops-and-questions formula into must-see TV. She had the accent, the doughnuts, the interrogations that felt like boxing matches. When she walked into a room, the whole episode tilted toward her.
The case: an MVP has to elevate everyone around them, and Brenda's supporting cast got better because she was on screen. That's a superstar.
Who should've taken the slot? Cast your vote below — we already hear the Leverage fans warming up.
The Closer: Ice in the Veins
This slot goes to the character you want holding the ball — or the case, or the con — when everything's on the line. Pressure doesn't rattle them. Pressure fuels them.
Our pick: Neal Caffrey from White Collar. Sure, technically he's a criminal consulting with the FBI, but watch how the man operates. He can talk his way past security with a smile, forge a masterpiece before lunch, and still make it to the opera. In the final ten minutes of any episode, when the plan falls apart, Neal is the guy you hand it to.
The counterargument we've already received: con men fold under real pressure. Our rebuttal: watch the season two arc and get back to us.
The Bench Hero: Sixth Man Energy
Not the star. Not the villain. The bench hero is the one who steals scenes, drops the funniest line of the episode, and somehow becomes the character everyone quotes at parties.
Our pick: Alec Hardison from Leverage. "It's a very distinctive—" look, if you know, you know. Hardison was the tech guy, yes, but he was also the heart of the crew. He hacked national security systems and still had time to care about the victim of the week. Every great ensemble needs a Hardison, and most ensembles never get one.
The bench hero doesn't start the game. They finish it. And honestly? Half the time they're the reason you came back next week.
The Defensive Anchor: The One Who Holds It Together
Every lineup needs someone who does the unglamorous work. The character who keeps the team from imploding, absorbs the chaos, and never asks for credit.
Our pick: **Hank from Memphis Beat-style steadiness, channeled through **Sgt. Jethro Gibbs of NCIS-adjacent TNT drama energy — fine, fine, let's be honest, the staff fought about this one all week, so we landed on Detective Russell from Major Crimes' lineage: the steady hand. The anchor role on TNT often belongs to the seasoned cop or the no-nonsense boss who says twelve words an episode and somehow communicates a full paragraph.
The case: anchors don't trend on Twitter. They just win. Year after year.
The Wildcard: Rookie of the Year
The final slot goes to the character with the highest ceiling — the one who arrived mid-run or late in a show's life and immediately changed the math.
Our pick: a genuine wildcard from the later seasons of TNT's drama era — the kind of character who showed up, flipped the dynamic, and made a comfortable show feel dangerous again. Great teams get better at the deadline. Great shows get better when a wildcard clicks.
Now It's Your Turn
That's our lineup. We already regret at least two picks, and the group chat has not recovered.
Drop your starting five in the comments. Trade proposals welcome. Terrible takes encouraged. And if you need a refresher on any of these characters before making your case, well — that's literally what this site is for. Catch up. Rewatch. Then come argue.
