Best change in character from book to series?

[PuckTFD]

I actually like HBO's Joffery better than the book's. They're portraying him as a bit more sympathetic... but he's also an even bigger and more twisted prick! They made him more hate-able, but not a completely flat character. I think Jack Gleeson is doing a pretty good job.

[Pomp & Happenstance]

Yes, Jorah definitely plays his part well in the T.V. series.

[Batman]

Yes, Jorah definitely plays his part well in the T.V. series.

OK, is it just me or is the actor way too good looking to play that character? I am probably a poor judge since I am not interested in men, but he seems like a handsome, distunguished man.

[Lan the Clever]

OK, is it just me or is the actor way too good looking to play that character? I am probably a poor judge since I am not interested in men, but he seems like a handsome, distunguished man.

It isn't just you. Jorah is supposed to be hairy and ugly. The Jorah of the show is actually good looking and doesn't look hairier than most.

[DurararaFTW]

Well Tyrion is suppose to be even uglier then Jorah and Brienne faaaar uglier then either of them. He's not hairy enough for sure but the important thing is that he is 3 times Dany's age. Beyond that he works as a dishonoured counterpart to Sean Bean's Ned Stark.

Anyway, for me Jeyne, Yoren, Osha, Shae and Matthos are the most improved.

[Jamie Lannister]

I like Matthos too, even if he speaks all of his lines like he's about to piss himself.

Biggest improvement would have to be... well. Balon, maybe, since I actually like him now.

[DurararaFTW]

Oh and Bronn. he was great in the books as well, but TV-series definitely takes the cake

[Agrippina]

Eugene Simon as Lancel Lannister would be my favourite character portrayal, the guy cracks me up without even saying a word.

[Jamie Lannister]

Oh yeah, poor Lancel is great. He's been portrayed pretty faithfully to his book counterpart either way, to a T.

[DurararaFTW]

Lancel too, he acts the hell out of his whimpy role.

[QuaitheTheShadow]

I love the TV version of Littlefinger, Cersei, Tywin, and Joffrey. They seem like deeper, more sympathetic characters, and Littlefinger's wit has been hilarious.

I like TV Arya but she's been declawed and turned into a nerd. She's so different from book Arya, she may as well be a different person.

I hate the Hound in the show. He looks off and his dialogue is off. I loathe him. His brother, the season two Mountain looks way less threatening than the old one.

I dislike Jamie in the show. He comes across as less cavalier - more nasty and spiteful than anything else.

[Sarnius]

Why are you guys saying all the minor roles? I think there are many characters better in the show than the books.

Jaime for example.

[Sarnius]

First of all, I love each every chosen actor for the roles. I think they are all perfect and I believe there is noone, absolutely noone, they could've gotten better for each of the roles.

This especially goes for Jaime(Noone can be be Jaime other than Nikolaj, seriously), Twyin(Charles Dance is exactly how I imagined Twyin, but even better and more interesting than the book version), Tyrion, Ned, Catelyn, Joffrey, Littlefinger, Bran(Omg, such a great cast!), Arya(The best cast they've done), Jeor, Jorah, Dany, Davos, Stannis, Robert. Man I'm naming everyone now, they're plenty more but I think you get the idea.

As for the ones better than the book;

Jaime, Twyin, Stannis(Equally great in both), Cersei, Shae, Osha(miles better), Littlefinger, Ned, Renly(I think his character development was smart and I felt much more sympathy when he died), Joffrey and Margarey.

As for all others, I think they get the characters pitch perfect, so there is no comparison.

[zippypoodle]

Cersei. Hands down. Hands and feet down.

[Jolene Brown]

When Roose Bolton flipped that fur cloak over his left shoulder, he won my heart forever. Lena Heady didn't really work for me as well in the first season, despite my being a longtime fan of her work, but she's been amazing this season, and I hope they can re-jigger her character a little so she isn't quite as histrionic and ridiculous when they get to A Feast For Crows (she can still be malevolent, but so much of what she did was just SO stupid, it was over the top). I'm stunned that they were able to find someone as suited to the part of Brienne as they did. I hope we get to see a little of her innocence - she is only 18 or 19 in the books, I think, and it definitely shows at times.

The characters that aren't working for me are the ones where I feel they don't quite "get" the character or where they just want to make the character more exciting but they have sort of a cliched idea of what that means: Talisa x 1000, Shae much of the time, and Margaery sometimes. Also Melisandre hasn't quite clicked for me, but I don't really love her in the books either. Margaery I think they made too old, Talisa I just hate, and Shae needs a little more ambiguity.

[Malgarroth]

First I have to say how much I like Charles Dance as Tywin. Not so much the fact that he's smiling and laughing way too often, I don't like how they've de-clawed him.

But.

For some reason, when I read the books it was always Charles Dance in my head. Just a blonde Charles Dance. So I'm extremely happy with the fact that I've got "my" Tywin on the screen, even though some of the changes to his personality are questionable.

I like Cersei a lot more than in the books too. She's a lot more grey than in the books.

While in the text she does have this tiny glimmer of humanity, I always saw her as pretty much wholly evil.

I prefer for characters to be a little more balanced, so Lena Heady's Cersei gets a thumbs up from me.

Others I really love compared to the book.

Tyrion (I much prefer him as a blonde) and I like that he's more "attractive" than portrayed in the books.

Bronn: Badass motherfucker,

Stannis: See above.

Melisandre: I pictured her older and more of a bitch, but we're already seeing into her in a way that we don't get to see until her PoV in ADWD. You can tell she really believes what she's saying and that she thinks she's working for the greater good.

Benjen: Such an amazing performance. Shame we'll never see him again (or will we)

SIDE NOTE: That would be a fucked up way to find out that Benjen is Coldhands (if indeed he is) If we noticed that they cast the same actor as both and put 2 & 2 together.

[Lord Over]

Tywin is an obvious choice but I'd have to go with Varys.

In the books, Varys 'titters' a lot and laughs girlishly, always shying away and covering his mouth....it was hard for me to take him seriously.

Series-Varys, not only does he emit an aura of femininity, he is also eschew a subtle menace.

[Lion of Red]

-Tywin, I like that he's easier to relate to perhaps due to all those conversations with Arya (which I really liked the addition off)

-Bronn as well, his extra screen time and generally badassary

-Also as off Blackwater Series Stannis is also way cooler than he was before (although not better book-stannis just cool in a different way).

[Ravenhair]

Charles Dance made me really like Tywin's character, even though Tywin does some horrific things. He's just brilliant as Tywin. I look forward to any scenes with Charles Dance in them, and my husband did not understand last night when I was giddy with anticipation after r I saw CD listed third in the credits.

Iain Glen makes Jorah Mormont far more interesting. The Jorah in the books was ugly and hairy; Iain Glen is clearly neither of those, and he really portrays well Jorah's love for Dany and makes us understand why he stirs up some sexual conflict in Dany.

These two are clearly the best changes in character from book to series, IMO.

The TV show definitely needs to submit Best Actor and Best Supporting Actors for the Emmys next year ( for this season), and not just make everyone a supporting actor.

[Chelly]

For me Cersei. Many people prefer Cersei in the books, but I find her much more compelling and layered on the show. Balon is also better on the show and so is Sam.