# What TV character has the most impressive resume? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406 "2011-01-04T20:02:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/1 "2011-01-04T20:02:30Z")
A few ground rules; we’re only talking about what the TV versions of characters have done. So yeah, Superman was able to reverse time in the movies and no doubt had LOTS of impressive feats in the comics, but for this topic we’re talking Lois and Clark or Smallville or the old Superman series. I suppose we could include the Superfriends cartoon but I’d really rather not. Teams are OK. My nominees; Sam and Dean Winchester from Supernatural. They have hunted and killed ghosts, demons, werewolves, vampires, wendigos, shapeshifters, skinwalkers, tulpas, djinns, witches, angels, grim reapers, the Seven Deadly Sins, Lilith the first demon, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, took down Lucifer (though didn’t kill him) and Dean has not only gotten away with being a smartass with Death, he actually WAS Death for a day. Plus both have died and come back several times, and though this is maybe not a positive thing, they both played a part in starting and then avoiding the Apocalypse. As impressive as the A-Team is, I think the Winchesters trump anything the A-Team did. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/2 "2011-01-04T20:12:30Z")
How could it be anyone but the Dos Equis guy? I mean, the guys own mother has a tattoo that says “SON” for crying out loud. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/3 "2011-01-04T20:32:22Z")
Yeah, but can they back all that up with references? Will Lucifer confirm their actions to a future employer? I think not. Take away all the things they can’t get reference for and the CV gets pretty skimpy. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/4 "2011-01-04T20:33:02Z")
The Doctor. He’s saved the entire universe time and time again, all throughout history and the future on thousands of planets. He’s defeated armies of daleks, cybermen, time lords, and variations of every supernatural being you can think of (including more than one variation of Lucifer). And he’s been doing it for 900+ years. He’s even died ten times. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/5 "2011-01-04T21:31:26Z")
Angela Lansbury’s “Murder She Wrote” character not only was a prolific and well-known author, she solved hundreds of crimes in under sixty minutes. In addition, she seemingly had the power to provoke murderous impulses simply by arriving in town. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/6 "2011-01-04T22:16:43Z")
Art Vandelay…Importer/Exporter extraordinaire… ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/7 "2011-01-04T22:29:52Z")
I think Arthur Dietrich from _Barney Miller_ was a doctor, lawyer, lumberjack, beekeeper, and a couple of other things besides a police detective. I tried to find the show where this is all revealed, but no luck. Goodbye, Steve. \ ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/8 "2011-01-04T22:33:50Z")
Okay, I’m not sure this can compete with lumberjacking AND being a doctor and lawyer AND beekeeping, not to mention all that supernatural stuff, but Frasier Crane is pretty impressive. He’s been to Harvard and Oxford (and studied in Milan), has a Ph.D. and an M.D., is a minor celebrity in the Seattle world, has published several papers, and is a talented vocalist/pianist. Though there’s an ep where Frasier meets a guy who’s completely perfect (the Perfect Guy) and manages to one up him at every single opportunity. (Except singing.) So maybe that guy (Dr. Clint Webber) should get my nom… ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/9 "2011-01-04T22:38:01Z")
Has anyone done more than Homer Simpson? He’s been an astronaut! And every other possible vocation! That’s a tough resume to beat. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/10 "2011-01-04T22:41:42Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > How could it be anyone but the Dos Equis guy? I mean, the guys own mother has a tattoo that says “SON” for crying out loud. Confirmed. His beard alone has experienced more than a lesser man’s entire body. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/11 "2011-01-04T22:57:23Z")
Zaphod Beeblebrox was a sometime Galactic President and (according to Eccentrica Gallumbits), the best bang since the Big One. Not too shabby. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/12 "2011-01-04T23:08:38Z")
Jared from **The Pretender** had a different job every week for however long that series lasted. Granted I guess he always vanished from every job without two weeks notice, so he might get kinda crummy references ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/13 "2011-01-04T23:37:07Z")
In the 50s tv series, Superman could split himself into two beings just by thinking hard. Top that. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/14 "2011-01-04T23:41:15Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > In the 50s tv series, Superman could split himself into two beings just by thinking hard. Top that. :dubious: Come, now, I think almost all of us can put multitasking on our resumes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/15 "2011-01-04T23:44:55Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > In the 50s tv series, Superman could split himself into two beings just by thinking hard. Top that. :dubious: Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man, appeared on the 90s X-Men cartoon, and he could split himself into dozens of guys just as easily. Of course, each of those guys is just a guy, whereas Kal-El is a god in everything but name. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/16 "2011-01-05T00:17:49Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man, appeared on the 90s X-Men cartoon, and he could split himself into dozens of guys just as easily. > > Of course, each of those guys is just a guy, whereas Kal-El is a god in everything but name. And the most amazing thing about Supe in those days was that Clark Kent always looked bigger and more powerful in those boxy 50s suits than he did in his pj’s of a costume. So if Kal-El was a god, then Clark was god’s big brother. That’ll make heads spin over at the theological seminary! ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/17 "2011-01-05T00:47:39Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > whereas Kal-El is a god in everything but name. [About that…](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_(deity)) ---
**Author:** ![Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f475e1/32.png) [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pierrot_Le_Fou)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/18 "2011-01-05T00:48:50Z")
How about God on one of those churchy shows? Him or the guy that hosted Double Dare. ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/19 "2011-01-05T01:13:00Z")
> [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](#): > > How about God on one of those churchy shows? Him or the guy that hosted Double Dare. Hah! I nominate Gaius Baltar – he was a wealthy, successful scientist (the government trusted him with the solar systems’ security), he became the cylon expert, he seemed to have a medical degree, he was qualified to do research in medicine, astrophysics, and ancient scriptures (at the very least), he was the representative of Caprica, then Vice President, and later President of the colonies, then became a prophet with many followers. This is not even mentioning his farming background, his way with women, his communication with angels, and his impressive luck. I could look past his time spent in prison for treason (since he was acquitted) and hire him immediately. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406/20 "2011-01-05T02:14:14Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Frasier Crane is pretty impressive. He’s been to Harvard and Oxford (and studied in Milan), has a Ph.D. and an M.D., is a minor celebrity in the Seattle world, has published several papers, and is a talented vocalist/pianist. Nobel Laureate Sam Beckett MD was a concert pianist before he earned a doctorate in Music – along with a doctorate in Archaeology, and a doctorate in Quantum Physics, and a doctorate in Ancient Languages, and a doctorate in Chemistry, and a doctorate in Astronomy. In his spare time, he apparently designed a supercomputer which he programmed with the ego of Barbra Streisand; it’s a great help on the missions he undertakes via the time machine he invented. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-character-has-the-most-impressive-resume/566406.md?page=2)