CRITIC'S CUT: Top TV Companions; Sticking by the Sidekick

5) Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance)
Sidekick of: Lucy Ricardo
There are few women who've been drug through as many showbiz shenanigans as this gal. I mean, most people would just tell their best friend to get lost after being chocolate-boarded. But she was always there, right by Lucy, through good or bad, keeping her in check.

4) Dr. Watson (So many: Martin Freeman, Lucy Liu, Jude Law, etc.)
Sidekick of: Sherlock Holmes
The infamous Doctor Watson has undergone many incarnations - even gender-flipping in the latest Holmes outing on CBS - but the character has always proven to be the more insightful of the two, keeping Holmes and viewers human amid all the sleuthing.

3) Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan)
Sidekick of: Buffy Summers
Buffy would have been nothing without The Scooby Gang, and The Scooby Gang would have been nothing without Willow. Sure, there's Xander and Giles - both equally great characters - but few sidekicks pack as much adorkable, mousy power as Willow. Plus, she's a witch.

2) Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson)
Sidekick of: Michael Scott
Sure, he may no longer be Michael Scott's sidekick, but he'll always be the authoritative, overbearing, potentially psychotic kiss-ass we've all come to love/hate. Schrute was always by Scott's side - for better or for worse - until Dunder Mifflin lost its second most iconic character. The first, of course, is Dwight K. Schrute, beet-man/paper salesman.

1) Spock (Leonard Nimoy)
Sidekick of: Captain James T. Kirk
He's the half-Vulcan, half-human intellectual who kept the brawny Captain Kirk more than grounded. And, hello, the character is known for arguably the most iconic hand gesture in television history: the Vulcan salute. Who could ever beat Spock? Uh, no one. Thousands of Comic-Con attendees can attest to that.

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Tyler is currently finishing his senior year of college in Chicago while working on the News Desk at BroadwayWorld. He has also worked in the public relations industry at Margie Korshak Inc., working on campaigns for Broadway In Chicago, including The Book of Mormon, Kinky Boots, Jersey Boys, and more.