One of the reasons I stayed away from HIMYM for a long time was that I felt the show was a Friends rip-off: a bunch of snarky caucasians living in New York. But what sets HIMYM apart, and the reason I started watching it, was Barney Stinson.

Barney, as played by Neil Patrick Harris, is a show-stealer in the same vein as Samantha Jones from SinC. But Barney is even better: while Samantha brought an attitude, he brought a whole philosophy of awesomeness.

The next best show-stealer is the cheer coach from Glee.