The best supporting characters on TV

It's usually the Don Drapers and Dexters that get all the love. But it's the supporting characters that can elevate a TV show from something good to something great. More often than not, these actors don't get any love at awards time - either overshadowed by flashier actors or forgotten in the shuffle. Here are my Top 5 best supporting characters on the box.

Gustavo Fring from Breaking Bad - played by Giancarlo Esposito. Although Walt and Jesse nab the main billing, it's Esposito's cool characterisation of the villainous drug baron Gus that has us on edge. This is one bad mofo. With Bryan Cranston in the lead role and Aaron Paul gaining the supporting slot, it's unfortunate that there's no awards love for Esposito. He's simply brilliant.

Pete Campbell from Mad Men - played by Vincent Kartheiser. While John Slattery gets all the attention at awards time for his character Roger Sterling, for my money it's Pete Campbell who is the best supporting character in this series - an ambitious young executive chasing success but constrained by social standing, money worries and family ties.

Omar from The Wire - played by Michael K. Williams. In a sea of incredible characters, it's Omar who stands out. He's a stick-up man, but with a strict moral code. We should hate him, but we can't. It's his contradictions that make him so interesting. He's openly gay, openly violent and openly independent on the streets. Like Gustavo Fring in Breaking Bad, he's the anti-hero we love.

Johnny Drama from Entourage - played by Kevin Dillon. Yes, it's Jeremy Piven's Ari Gold that got all the awards love and cult fans, but it's Drama that really makes us laugh. He might look and act pathetic and dumb, but he's not. His inappropriate, blunt commentary is hilarious and his loyalty is endearing. Ari might get the more controversial lines, but the show would be nothing without Drama.

Samantha Jones from Sex and the City - played by Kim Cattrall. This was an ensemble cast with Sarah Jessica Parker pushing herself as lead. However, it's Samantha that stole the show. Brazenly sexual and ballsy as hell, she consistently had the best lines. The show wouldn't have been half as successful without Kim Cattrall on board.