NATIONAL DRINK WINE DAY

The 20 Hollywood TV Characters Most Likely to Toast National Drink Wine Day Today is National Drink Wine Day—one of those mysterious holidays that seem to spring fully formed from your Facebook or Twitter feed. A Google search leaves the holiday’s origins ambiguous but seems to at least source it to a year: 2011. So happy Fifth-Annual National Drink Wine Day, everyone. Who are we to argue with such a fantastic idea? To put you in the mood to guzzle some grapes, here are 20 TV characters who know their way around a bottle. Let their hardy livers inspire you. Tyrion Lannister—Game of Thrones The shortest member of the Lannister clan is, nonetheless, its most accomplished drinker. Ever since Tyrion made his first appearance in the pilot he’s not been too far from a wine bottle, goblet, or skin. Cersei Lannister—Game of Thrones But if anyone could give Tyrion a run for his money in the drinking department, it’s his sister: Cersei. The thirst she developed when holed up during the Battle of the Blackwater in Season 2 has only increased in the intervening years. Maybe if she had been drinking less and scheming more, Season 5 wouldn’t have gone quite so terribly for her. Alicia Florrick—The Good Wife Alicia recently got in trouble with her neighbors for running a law office out of her swanky Chicago apartment. But if I shared a recycling bin with the Florrick household, I would have raised a few flags long before. But, as Alicia puts it, she doesn’t need wine—she likes wine. For the record, she likes tequila too. Lindsay Jillian—You’re the Worst Any one of the four core characters on this show could have cropped up here but somehow I think Linds is the most inclined to prefer wine. It’s classy, just like her. I’ll see you all back here on National Trash Juice Day when we celebrate all things Vernon. Robin Scherbatsky—How I Met Your Mother It’s possible now that she’s found a happily ever after with Ted, Robin is less inclined to drink under a desk while weeping. Then again, when Ted gets out his red cowboy boots, we won’t blame Robin for taking a deep swig, or 20. The Cul-de-sac Crew—Cougar Town If you don’t have a Big Carl or Big Joe to call your very own, then fill the closest vase with all the wine you have, make fun of your neighbors, play Penny Can, and fondly remember this late, great show. Tami Taylor—Friday Night Lights Truth be told, both Eric and Tami Taylor enjoyed unwinding with a glass of wine, but I decided to put Mrs. Coach on here because . . . Amy Schumer—Inside Amy Schumer . . . Amy Schumer paid such a beautiful homage to Connie Britton’s character in her sketch “Football Town Nights.” Bleary eyes, full glass, can’t lose. Bernard Black—Black Books I don’t recommend trying Bernard Black’s wine popsicle (or ice lolly if you’re British) at home. Freezing a full, glass wine bottle sounds like a recipe for disaster. But if you can pull it off, more power to you, and may I suggest a nice rosé? Liz Lemon—30 Rock You know what pairs well with Night Cheese? Treadmill wine. But if neither of those sounds good, you might want to try some of Liz Lemon’s patented Funky Juice. Find the recipe here. Hannibal Lecter—Hannibal What good is an elegantly prepared meal without a nice Chianti to wash it down? Carrie Mathison—Homeland I don’t, however, recommend you wash down your meds with wine. But if you do, make sure you’re ready to blow your life up completely and repeatedly. Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb—The Today Show O.K., yes, Kathie Lee and Hoda aren’t exactly characters, but, well, aren’t they? Like Tami Taylor before her, Kathie Lee got her own loving send-up courtesy of S.N.L.’s Kristen Wiig. Wiig’s preferred accessory? A wine glass, of course. Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone—Absolutely Fabulous Eddie and Patsy—maybe the original Hoda and Kathie Lee?—are back in the news today thanks to the teaser for their upcoming movie. As you might expect, the women have not changed their hard-drinking ways one bit. You wouldn’t want it any other way, would you, sweetie darling? Skyler White—Breaking Bad When things got especially rough in the White household, Skyler turned to some classic white-wine therapy to get her through tense dinners and even tenser nights. I’d like to think that with a little bit of closure from Walt, Skyler is no longer hitting the bottle quite as hard. But she should go ahead and do whatever she needs to do to get through. She deserves it. Olivia Pope—Scandal If you decide to go full Olivia Pope today and drink red wine while wearing white, then I take my over-sized white hat off to you. You’re a braver drinker than most of us. Some people had trouble getting into this moody, deliberately paced thriller. Which is understandable. This is one of the first shows written with binge-watching in mind, unfolding like a long, engrossing novel. Episodes don’t really have arcs, they’re just chapters in the longer narrative. If you give the series time, it delivers a story as grim as its Florida Keys setting, all palm-dotted and picturesque, is gorgeous. Like too few shows do, Bloodline has a richly realized sense of place, the melancholy island breezes and ominous storm clouds rolling in off electric-blue water giving a classical family saga—about a black sheep returning to the flock, with disastrous results—the weight of something mythic. Bloodline also boasts one of the best performances by any actor, in any medium, this year: Ben Mendelsohn’s devious, pitiful, funny, scary, tragic Danny is a character for the ages, brilliantly brought to life by an actor working at the height of his powers. If you’re in need of the TV equivalent of a literary beach read, Bloodline is the show for you. — Richard Lawson