Four Philosophy Ensemble / Live-Action TV

• The A-Team fits this perfectly. Hannibal (the Optimist), Face (the Cynic), B.A (the Realist), and Murdock (the Apathetic).
• Babylon 5:
  • Ivanova (the Cynic); Sheridan (the Optimist); Garibaldi (the Realist); Franklin (the Conflicted), and Marcus (the Apathetic).
  • Alternatively, Franklin could be seen as a second Optimist, since he has some of the stubborn and optimistic traits, but is not as determined or decisive as Sheridan. Ivanova and and Garibaldi also sometimes share both the Cynic and Realist roles.
  • Ivanova insists that she's a Realist, but even she admits that's because she's Russian.
  • The ambassadors and their respective governments also qualify: Londo Mollari [Centauri Republic] (Cynic), John Sheridan [Earth Alliance] (Optimist), G'Kar [Narn Regime] (Realist), Delenn [Minbari Federation] (Conflicted) and Kosh [Vorlon Empire] (Apathetic).
• The Big Bang Theory: The main five cast members of the early seasons fill the roles neatly.
  • Cynic: Sheldon.
  • Realist: Howard.
  • Optimist: Raj.
  • Apathetic: Penny.
  • Conflicted: Leonard.
• Blake's 7:
  • The Cynic: Avon
  • The Optimist: Blake
  • The Realist: Cally
  • The Apathetic: Villa
  • The Conflicted: Soolin
• Blackadder Goes Fourth featured Cpt Blackadder as the cynic and occasional (not to say, sole) realist, airheaded Lt George as the optimist, the scheming Cpt Darling as the perpetual cynic, and fellow Cloud Cuckoo Landers General Melchett and Private Baldrick taking turns serving as the Apahetic.
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The core Scoobies consisted of Giles (Cynic), Buffy (Realist), Xander (Apathetic), and Willow (Optimist).
  • Other temporary Scoobies included Cordelia (Cynic), Angel (The Conflicted), Spike (either Apathetic or Cynic), Anya (Cynic), Riley (Optimist), Tara (Realist), and Faith (The Conflicted).
  • Angelus' old group consisted of Angelus (Realist), Spike (Optimist), Drusilla (Apathetic), and Darla (Cynic).
• Cabin Pressure: a case could be made for Martin as the Cynic, Douglas the Realist, Caroline as the Optimist and Arthur as the Apathetic (or sometimes Conflicted)
• Charmed: Although Prue and Paige never appeared together, the Charmed ones all qualify. Prue (the Realist), Piper (the Cynic), Phoebe (the Optimist), and Paige (the Apathetic).
• El Chavo del ocho:
  • Children: Chavo (Optimist), Quico (Realist), Chilindrina (Cynic), Ñoño (Apathetic) and Popis (Conflicted).
  • Adults: Profesor Jirafales (Optimist), Don Ramón (Cynic), Señor Barriga (Realist), Doña Florinda (Apathetic) and Doña Clotilde (Conflicted).
• Derry Girls
  • The Cynic: Michelle
  • The Optimist: Clare
  • The Apathetic: Orla
  • The Realist/The Conflicted: Erin and James swap between them depending on the situation.
• Doctor Who:
  • Just like they are a Four-Temperament Ensemble, the Pond family is a Four-Philosophy Ensemble:
    • The Doctor is (Cloud Cuckoo Lander tendencies aside) the Realist,
    • Amy is the Optimist,
    • Rory is the Cynic,
    • and River is the Apathetic.
  • The first Doctor and his first companions fit, too:
    • The Doctor is the Apathetic,
    • Susan is the Optimist,
    • Barbara is the Realist,
    • Ian is the cynic.
• Everybody Loves Raymond:''S
  • The Cynic: Frank — the most blunt of the bunch; high disregard for accepted norms of polity
  • The Realist: Ray — can have Conflicted moments; overall tends to be the Only Sane Man trying to defuse situations that have spiraled out of control
  • The Optimist: Debra — the most festive and socially diplomatic of the bunch
  • The Apathetic: Marie — pridefully preoccupied with holding the most important mother-role in the family; can serve as a spare Realist too
  • The Conflicted: Robert — the usual moral voice and most emotional turmoil of the bunch
• The Facts of Life:
  • Cynic: Jo
  • Optimist: Natalie
  • Realist (more of a pragmatist): Blair
  • Conflicted: Tootie
• Family Ties: Steve (the Cynic), Elyse (the Optimist), Alex (the Realist), Jennifer (the Apathetic), and Mallory (the Conflicted).
• Farscape
  • Cynics: John, D'Argo, Chiana
  • Optimist: Zhaan
  • Realists: Aeryn, Pilot, Jool
  • Apathetic: Scorpio, Rygel, Craiss
  • Conflicted: Stark
• Fawlty Towers: Basil (the Cynic), Sybil (the Optimist), Polly (the Realist), Manuel (the Apathetic).
• Firefly: Original crew is Jayne (the Cynic), Inara (the Optimist), Mal (the Realist), Zoe (the supporting Realist), Wash (the Apathetic) and Kaylee (the Conflicted).
  • Later, add in Simon (the other Optimist), Book (the other Realist), and River (the other Apathetic).
• Fraggle Rock:
  • The Cynic: Boober
  • The Optimist: Mokie
  • The Realist: Gobo
  • The Apathetic: Red
  • The Conflicted: Wembly
• Frasier: Frasier (the Optimist), Niles (the Realist), Daphne (the Conflicted), Roz (the Apathetic), and Martin (the Cynic).
• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Among the four main males, Will (the Optimist), Carlton (the Cynic), Uncle Phil (the Realist), and Geoffrey (the Apathetic)
• Fringe: Peter (the Cynic), Walter (the Optimist), Olivia (the Realist), and Astrid (the Apathetic).
• Game of Thrones:
  • The 4 main Houses: Starks = Optimists, Lannisters = Cynics, Baratheons = Realists, Targaryens = Conflicted.
  • The new Small Council in the Grand Finale: Tyrion (the Cynic), Davos (the Optimist), Brienne (the Realist), Bronn (the Apathetic), and Sam (the Conflicted).
• The Golden Girls:
  • The Cynic: Sophia, almost always voicing a negative or discouraging opinion in the most hilarious fashion.
  • The Optimist: Rose, extremely compassionate and cheery to a degree that annoys the rest of the cast.
  • The Realist: Dorothy, who never firmly stands on the optimistic or pessimistic side of things but gaining her perspective based on the current facts.
  • The Apathetic: Blanche, while she's almost always well-meaning, her vanity often gets her distracted from the central conflict if it doesn't directly involve her.
• The Good Place: Eleanor is the cynic, Jason is a mixture between the optimist and the apathetic, Tahani is the realist, and Chidi is the conflicted.
• House: House (the Cynic) treats patients like puzzles, Cameron (the Optimist) has high moral standards, Foreman (the Realist) takes life too seriously, Chase (the Apathetic) is the easygoing deductive reasoner.
• How I Met Your Mother: Ted (the Conflicted), Marshall (the Optimist), Lily (the Realist), Robin (the Cynic), and Barney (the Apathetic).
• iCarly: Sam (The Cynic), Carly (the Optimist), Freddie (the Realist), and Spencer (the Apathetic).
• The Inbetweeners: Will is The Cynic, Simon is The Realist, Jay is The Apathetic and Neil is The Optimist.
• Kamen Rider:
  • Kamen Rider Ryuki:
    • The Cynic: Ren Akiyama/Kamen Rider Knight. Cool, aloof, hard to get along with. Immediately antagonistic to just about everyone he meets.
    • The Optimist: Shinji Kido/Kamen Rider Ryuki. The only one out of the core 4 dedicated to stopping the Rider War. Tries to believe in the best in everyone, often to disastrous effect.
    • The Realist: Shuichi Kitaoka/Kamen Rider Zolda. Cool-headed and pragmatic. Very willing to side with other Riders one moment and go against them the next.
    • The Apathetic: Takeshi Asakura/Kamen Rider Ouja. Not in the Rider War for any specific wish. Just there to enjoy the fight.
  • Kamen Rider Blade:
    • The Cynic: Hajime Aikawa/Kamen Rider Chalice.
    • The Optimist: Kazuma Kenzaki/Kamen Rider Blade.
    • The Realist: Sakuya Tachibana/Kamen Rider Garren.
    • The Apathetic: Mutsuki Kamijyo/Kamen Rider Leangle.
  • Kamen Rider Den-O:
    • The Cynic: Momotaros.
    • The Optimist: Ryutaros.
    • The Realist: Urataros.
    • The Apathetic: Kintaros.
  • Kamen Rider Gaim:
    • The Cynic: Kaito Kumon/Kamen Rider Baron.
    • The Optimist: Kota Kazuraba/Kamen Rider Gaim.
    • The Realist: Takatora Kureshima/Kamen Rider Zangetsu/Kamen Rider Zangetsu Shin I.
    • The Apathetic: Mitsuzane Kureshima/Kamen Rider Ryugen/Kamen Rider Zangetsu Shin II.
  • Kamen Rider Ex-Aid:
    • The Cynic: Hiiro Kagami/Kamen Rider Brave.
    • The Optimist: Emu Hojo/Kamen Rider Ex-Aid.
    • The Realist: Kiriya Kujo/Kamen Rider Lazer.
    • The Apathetic: Taiga Hanaya/Kamen Rider Snipe.
• The Middle: Axl (the Cynic), Sue (the Optimist), Mike (the Realist), Brick (the Apathetic), and Frankie (the Conflicted).
• Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (1st generation character, followed by each 2nd):
  • Optimist: Zack, Black Ranger
    2nd gen: Rocky, Red Ranger II
  • Cynic: Billy, Blue Ranger
    2nd gen: Kat, Pink Ranger II
  • Realist: Trini, Yellow Ranger
    2nd gen: Aisha, Yellow Ranger II
  • Apathetic: Kimberly, Pink Ranger.
    2nd gen: Tommy, White Ranger.
  • Conflicted: Jason, Red Ranger.
    2nd gen: Adam, Black Ranger II
• Motherland: Fort Salem: Abigail (the Realist), Tally (the Optimist), Ralle (the Apathetic), and Scylla (the Cynic).
• The Muppet Show: Kermit (The Cynic), Gonzo (The Optimist), Rowlf (The Realist), Piggy (The Apathetic) and Fozzie (The Conflicted).
• The Nanny: Among the four main adults, Fran Fine (the Optimist), Maxwell Sheffield (the Realist), Niles (the Apathetic), and C.C. Babcock (the Cynic).
• Orphan Black: Sarah (The Optimist), Cosima (The Realist), Alison (The Conflicted), Helena (The Apathetic) and Rachel is The Cynic.
• The Office (US): The five main characters:
  • Cynic: Dwight — hostile, critical, lacks compassion
  • Optimist: Michael — disregard for consequences, childish, overconfident
  • Realist: Jim — calm, mediator, humble
  • Apathetic: Ryan — aloof, insensitive, enigmatic
  • Conflicted: Pam — self-doubt, indecisive, empathetic
• Our Friends in the North: Nicky (the Optimist), Geordie (the Apathetic), Tosker (the Cynic) and Mary (the Realist).
• Leckie's group of friends on The Pacific: Hoosier (the Cynic), Runner (the Apathetic), Chuckler (the Optimist), and Leckie (the Realist).
• Person of Interest: Finch (The Conflicted), Reese (The Realist), Carter (The Optimist), Shaw (The Apathetic) and Root (The Cynic).
• Psych of all shows has this trope present with Shawn (the Apathetic), Gus (the Realist), Lassie (the Cynic), and Juliet (the Optimist).
• Punky Brewster (of the four main kids):
  • Optimist: Punky.
  • Realist: Cherie.
  • Cynic: Margaux.
  • Conflicted: Allen.
  • Henry, Punky's foster father, easily falls into Apathetic.
• Red Dwarf:
  • Optimist: David Lister, always hopeful in the crew's plans, almost to the point of blind hope in the absence of logical certainty that the plan will run smoothly. Will be the first one to support looting a spaceship on the verge of exploding, just so he could get a supply of curry.
  • Cynic: Arnold Rimmer. He'll pretty much say no to any plan, percieving it to be too risky. Has practically no faith in anything.
  • Realist: Probably Kryten. He'll acknowledge that Lister is being overly optimistic, and that his plan probably is suicidal, but yet informs Rimmer that even though a mission might be dangerous, they are in danger (of possible low food supplies) and must take the chance to survive anyway.
  • Conflicted: The Cat. While he will usually side with Rimmer's cowardly and self-serving plans, he will sometimes back up Lister's dangerous and insane ideas on the account that he hates Rimmer.
  • Apathetic: This role is fufilled by Holly in earlier episodes, and Kochanski in later, as they will usually stand in the background while above four bicker and occasionally put in their own plans.
• Silicon Valley (of the five main Pied Piper employees):
  • Optimist: Dinesh
  • Realist: Jared
  • Apathetic: Gilfoyle
  • Cynic: Erlich
  • Conflicted: Richard
• Sliders: Quinn Mallory (the Optimist), Wade Wells (the Realist), Maximilian Arturo (the Cynic) and Rembrandt Brown (the Apathetic).
• Spartacus series:
  • Vengeance: Spartacus is The realist, Crixus is The Optimist, Agron is The Cynic, Oenomaus is The Conflicted and Gannicus is The Apathetic.
  • War of the Damned: Spartacus has become The Optimist, Crixus became The Cynic, Gannicus is still The Apathetic and Agron becomes The Realist.
• Stargate Atlantis
  • Cynic: Rodney McKay
  • Optimist: Teyla Emmagan
  • Realist: John Sheppard and Elizabeth Weir.
  • Apathetic: Ronon Dex
• Stargate SG-1
  • Cynic: Jack O'Neill
  • Realist: Samantha Carter
  • Optimist: Daniel Jackson
  • Apathetic: Teal'c
• The Star Trek franchise as a whole actually works in this. Each show falls under one of these. Star Trek: The Original Series is The Optimist, Star Trek: The Next Generation is The Realist, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is The Cynic, Star Trek: Voyager is The Apathetic, and Star Trek: Enterprise is The Conflicted.
  • Star Trek: The Original Series: These roles are fairly clean-cut.
    • Realists: Kirk, Sulu
    • Cynic: Spock
    • Optimists: McCoy, Chekhov
    • Apathetics: Uhura, Nurse Chapel
    • Conflicted: Scotty
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation: In "Rascals", the four characters de-aged into pre-teens.
    • The Cynic: Ensign Ro Laren, resents the fact that she's de-aged because it brings back bad memories of her troubled childhood.
    • The Optimist: Guinan, being more than 400 years old, is excited by the prospect of reliving her youth.
    • The Realist: Capt. Picard, as captain, wants their trouble resolved as efficiently as possible.
    • The Conflicted: Keiko O'Brien, worried about her de-aged condition because of her disconnection from her young daughter.
  • Star Trek: Voyager: While there are obviously more than four or five characters, the overlapped roles have characters that fall under different aspects of each role. For example, Tuvok is the coldly-logical Cynic, Paris is the street smart Cynic and Torres embodies raw hostility.
    • Cynics: Tuvok, Paris, Torres
    • Optimist: Neelix
    • Realists: Janeway, The Doctor
    • Apathetics: Chakotay, Seven
    • Conflicteds: Kim, Kes
  • Star Trek: Enterprise:
    • Cynic: T'Pol
    • Optimists: Archer, Mayweather, Phlox
    • Realists: Trip, Reed
    • Apathetic: Hoshi
• Today's Special: Sam (the Cynic), Jeff (the Optimist), Jodie (the Realist), and Muffy (the Apathetic).
• Torchwood: Jack (the Realist), Owen (the Cynic), Gwen (the Optimist), and Toshiko and Ianto (the twin Apathetics).
• Victorious, before Tori shows up: Jade (The Cynic), Cat (The Optimist), Robbie (the Realist), and Beck and Andre share the Apathetic role.
• The Young Ones has Rick as the Optimist, Neil as the Cynic, Mike as the Realist, and Vyven as the Apathetic.
• Z Nation: Garnett was the Optimist, Roberta is the Realist, Mack is the Pessimist, and Doc was Apathetic.

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