Your favorite television character of all-time.

[Slyfox696]

Watching Andy Griffith right now, and rolling with laughter at the antics of Barney Fife, I began thinking about who I enjoy most on television. So, I started this thread to see who you all enjoy.

Right now, my favorite characters in TV would come down to two (unless I have forgotten someone). With all due respect to Al Bundy, Bart Simpson, Gilligan, and Zack Morris, my two characters would be Archie Bunker of All in the Family and Alan Shore of Boston Legal. These two characters win for me because not only are they insanely hilarious in their own way, they both also have incredibly deep and admirable qualities, even if they only outwardly show the opposite.

While Archie shows himself as a racist and sexist hypocrite with very skewed visions on the world, at the end of the day, he is made of very moving stuff. He's a hard-working family man, trying to make things the best he can for his family, with deep love of his country. He also shows his willingness to learn and better himself, and, at his very core, tries to do the best thing.

Alan Shore has never found scheme he couldn't pull off, a cause he couldn't fight for or against, and a person he could love. All of this plays itself out in the form of a very conflicted person, who only has one person in his life that he loves and loves him, which is his irrepressible best friend Denny Crane. While he always tries to find the rebellious way of doing things, and generally makes life harder on himself than he should, at the end of the day, he is a very moral and principled man, who is willing to stand up and fight for what he believes, even if others don't believe it. And he never lets his cause get in the way of his humor. Oh, and his closings are the things of legends.


Who is your favorite TV character?

 

[klunderbunker]

Louie DePalma from Taxi.

Now a lot of people here might not have seen this show, but take my word for it. Picture the lowest person on the face of the planet, someone that's absolute scum. Louie makes them look like a saint. He was under 5ft tall but he never let that stop him. This man was pure evil and had maybe one or two moments in 5 years that boardered humanity. As described by the series' main character in the first episode: "He's a great guy. He'd give you the scales right off his back." Be it robbing an 11 year old, stealing parts from taxis to sell on the black market or spying on his female employees as they change, this guy was evil incarnate and I love him.

 

[Sparky]

Alan Shore has never found scheme he couldn't pull off, a cause he couldn't fight for or against, and a person he could love. All of this plays itself out in the form of a very conflicted person, who only has one person in his life that he loves and loves him, which is his irrepressible best friend Denny Crane. While he always tries to find the rebellious way of doing things, and generally makes life harder on himself than he should, at the end of the day, he is a very moral and principled man, who is willing to stand up and fight for what he believes, even if others don't believe it. And he never lets his cause get in the way of his humor. Oh, and his closings are the things of legends.

I agree with Slyfox. I agree with the fox. ugh No matter how i word it, it don't sound right.

I stumbled across Boston legal late one night and haven't missed an episode since. (well maybe a few). this guy/Character is a legend. he never fails to make me laugh. as you said he never lets anything get in his way of his humour, no matter how serious the case is, he makes a joke that makes anybody laugh.

The constant arguing with female employees, and the special creepy bond he has with Denny crane, is What makes him so funny in my eyes, and how he will win a case on nothing.

 

[jmt225]

I have to narrow it down to three.

Eric Cartman from South Park​

I've been watching South Park since its second season and I've seen every episode it has ever produced. And even though their messages and storylines are always fun and fascinating, I have to say if it were for Cartman, I would've not stayed a fan as long as I have. The little prick is just hilarious. Every South Park episode that revolves around his character is ALWAYS gold. And he even stole the show in the movie. The guy is just the funniest TV character to ever exist for me.

Zack Morris from Saved by the Bell

God, talk about a man crush here. How can you not love and want to be like this guy? Since middle school Saved by the Bell has come on TBS four straight times from 6:00 A.M. 'til 8:00 A.M on weekdays and there still has not been a morning to go by where I didn't have this on my TV waking myself up. And yes... the hotness of Kelly and Jesse always played a part in my love for the show, but it was ultimately Zack Morris and his charisma and stunts that never made me stop liking the show, no matter how many times I've seen each episode. And I have to at least seem them all 20 times, if not double that.

Ross Geller from Friends

My favorite character from Friends, one of my all time favorite shows. No one cracks me up more then this guy. His timing and mannerisms have always just made me laugh my ass off for whatever reason. Plus, I loved his on again off again relationship with Rachel from the show. That was by far my favorite aspect of the show. Moreover, his competitiveness with his sister and the way he would handle Chandler and Joey poking fun at him all the time always had me laughing.

I have to give BIG honorable mentions to Al Bundy, Bud Bundy, Kevin Arnold, Wayne Arnold, Jack Arnold, Dawson Leery, Pacey Witter, pretty much every main character in King of the Hill, and the rest of the five main characters from Friends except for Phoebe.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

For me it will always be Bart Simpson. The kid was funny as hell, and an american idol. From his catchphrases..."Don't Have A Cow Man" to all the crazy antics he used to pull. He always had me rolling in laughter. To this day I still find him very funny. To me he is the greatest character on television ever. Not to mention I used to act like him when I was a kid anyways.

 

[Mr. TM]

Fraiser Crane- Fraiser, Cheers, Wings

Fraiser, the lead off of the show that shares his name, as well as a main character on Cheers, and making an appearance on Wings. He also won academy awards for all of those shows. Kelsey Grammar played the role to a Tee, and the character lasted 20 years. From a beer drinking bar fly in Boston to a local celebrity who sips sherry with his brother in Seattle, the character changed was dramastic and grand. The Psychiatrist who for the most part had more problems then his patients, he was a great character at work, in his home, at the bar and on all of his adventures.

 

[agentmichaelscarn]

It comes down to two guys for me.

AC Slater from Saved by the Bell. I seen Zack Morris mentioned a couple times already but I like Slater better. I grew up loving this show, I remember watching it every Saturday morning as a kid and Im kinda ashamed to admit but even now as an adult I watch it regularly on TBS in the morning, in fact Im watching it right now. I liked Slater cause plain and simple he was a badass, there wasnt anything he couldnt do. He was captain of the wrestling team, captain of the football team, was on the basketball team, track team and even swimming team. He showed that he could open up lockers by punching them, he kicked down doors, was an awesome drummer, great mechanic and in one episode showed off his baking skills. Not to mention the chicks digged him. He also had some of the most classic lines in the series, like when he said to Jessie "Why dont you put on something cute and move it into the kitchen." Or "Im captain of the football team and wrestling team, I got great dimples, a good smile and the biggest muscles in school, isnt that enough for my friends?". That's freakin awesome.

Here's my second guy.

It is GOB Bluth from Arrested Development. Alot of people may not have seen this show or even heard of it but it lasted for 3 seasons on Fox from 03-06. It is without a doubt the funniest show I ever watched and far and away my favorite comedy series ever and Gob is one of the main reasons why. Almost anything that he ever said was golden. His performance in the Season 1 finale was nothing short of amazing. The fact that he was never nominated for an Emmy or Golden Globe for best supporting actor I will never understand. By the way he was played by Will Arnett who I find funny outside of Arrested Development, many people may know him from Blades of Glory among other movies.

 

[RBH]

I got two...my first is Ari Gold from Entourage.

I simply love this character because he is nothing short of pure greatness. He delivers comedic gold to all his lines and ensures that he is noticed. He is the ultimate super agent and does it well and puts people down so much that its funny. His one liners are hilarious and have me repeating them all day long. That is the essence of a great character.

The second if Al Bundy. Al was always a great character simply because he had a way and he knew what way he wanted. Al was all about the man's world and he believed that the single life was great even tho he was married and a lot of the things that he said about life were true like
a. men always do stuff to impress women
b. parents determine their children's actions not tv

Basically, Al was the man and knew everything that he wanted to do and had a plan even if it didnt always come out as he wanted.

 

[Bozzaholic]

So many to choose from...

The Stig (Top Gear)
How can a guy in a white racing suit who does nothing but drive be so cool? The Stig> Your Dad!

Del Boy Trotter (Only Fools & Horses)
So many classic lines and scenes, It didn't matter which other character Del Boy was in the room with, you knew there would be something funny about to happen

Sylar (Heroes)
Sylar is bad ass - The Ultimate Baddie

Cartman (South Park)
Stone & Parker are genius' - I love every aspect of Cartmen, more so because (like everyone) I have a friend just like him

 

[Kasey]

Right off the top of my head I'd have to go with Sam from "Freaks and Geeks." I was a late bloomer (and still am) so I really identified with that guy. A close runner-up would be Homer Simpson. He always had the funniest things to say at the right moments. And maybe, MacGyver. Maybe.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

The Joker from Batman TAS purely because i love the Clown Prince Of Crime in all forms, animated, drawn or real life. If i were going to wig out and go on a killing spree, you're guaranteed i'll do it with a smile on my face (i have also wondered if it were possible to use nitrus oxide as a weapon).

I also have a lot of love for Sawyer and Locke from Lost. The rest of the male cast can go to hell. Locke would step over his own grandmother (if he knew who she was) to stay out of that wheelchair and on that island, and Sawyer is a lot like me. Makes you think that he cares about nothing and nobody, but will let you in if he deems you worthy, wouldn't hesitate to blow your brains out if he doesn't.

And finally, Seven of Nine from Star Trek Voyager (yeah, i admit it, i've watched every incarnation of Star Trek EXCEPT Enterprise). Not only was her character a breath of fresh air that the series desparately needed, but she gave you reason to keep watching even when the writing got more and more shit as the series closed. She was Voyager's equivalent of Data, except Data in a catsuit wouldn't turn you on (hopefully), whereas Jeri Ryan in pretty much anything would get your motor going.

 

[Jonny B]

Tony Almeida from 24 is by far the best Television Character of all time.He is quite easily the biggest comeback character ever... let me explain.

Season One - Went from being a royal pain in Jack's ass to all round good guy in less than 24 hours.

Season Two - Good Guy to Head of CTU, to bad Guy, back to Good guy again, all once again in less than 24 hours.

Season Three - Shot in the Neck and back at work within a few hours thwarting the four million terrorist Threats.

Season Four - Drunk and Unemployed to Head of CTU in only a matter of hours.

Season Seven - Back from the Dead... there is no bigger comeback.

Seriously thought there is something about the character that has just drawn me in, I really don't enjoy 24 when he is not in it, the cubs mug and his ability to go from good to bad in the bat of an eyelid just makes me enjoy him as a character. There is only one reason the writers could have come up with a ridiculous reason for him not actually being dead, and that's because he is really important to this show... sure he might just be Jack's sidekick to a lot of people... but meh he's my hero.

 

[LadyFranchise]

Ari Gold (Played by Jeremy Piven) -This guy never fails to make me laugh. He is one of the most wittiest well written characters I've ever seen. And not only is he hilarious, there is also other dimensions to his character. Such as being incredibly loyal to his client and friend Vince and being a good father & Husband. It's hard to hate this guy.

 

[The Rob]

Personally my favourite TV character of all time is Chandler Bing from Friends. He never, in 10 years, had an episode where he didn't make me laugh out loud.

 

[Marquis]

George Costanza. The man was an absolute genius on Seinfeld. No one has made me laugh more then George on any sitcom. To be honest he doesn't even have to try to make me laugh. Just doing average every day things with the George character is funny enough. Quirky, Awkward, and Dishonest. The George character was great.

Al Bundy. Probably the wisest family man character to date. So much can be learned from Al bundy. From family issues to even how to cut back on costs. The man knew it all. Married with Children is easily my favorite sitcom to date because of Al Bundy alone.(Everyone else on the show pretty much sucked)

 

[HHHDiedForOurSins]

All my favorite TV characters are from comedies:

A few from South Park: Cartman, Randy Marsh & Butters, all of them are hilarious, anything involving these 3 is usually great.

Also Larry David from Curb Your Enthusiasm, Tobias from Arrested Development and Stewie from Family Guy are the highlights of the shows their on.

 

[TwistofRKO]

Tough..

Barney Fife- Classic television, funny as ever, likable, goofy, he was a great character.

Dwight Schrute- How can't he be on this list??

 

[Cena71598]

for me I am a HUGE cartoon fan so i would have to say The Simpsons Family i can not just choose one there all SO FUNNY and The Griffen family same as Simpsons And Eric Cartman say no more.

 

[The Todd]

Chandler from friends, for his sell deprication humour that cracks me up every time.

Janitor from Scrubs for being so ridiculous it's hilarious. He is in every scrubs episode bar one, when he was meant to be a bit part role for the pilot. He went from background to main character purely on the comedy aspect to his character.

 

[The Dewbliners]

Well I've got a few faves (TV junky that I am), but I'll keep it down to three:

1)William the Bloody/Spike-portrayed by James Marsters- Buffy, The Vampire Slayers resident bad-ass following the departure of Faith. In the entire run of the series, Spike went from a "Big Bad" to a "neutered" vamp. From there he regained his soul, and became a full fledged Scoobie, and a love interest for both Buffy, and the ever effeminate Andrew. After Buffy wrapped, Joss bounded him over to Angel, where he served as both a co-worker, and conciencious reminder of Angels dark past. All that, and comedy gold to boot!

2) Brent LeRoy-portrayed by Brent Butt- I know M_F will give me grief for this selection, and that's cool. However, Brent LeRoy is probably one of the better charachters I've seen in a long time. His deadpan delivery is absolutely brilliant in contrast to Hanks antics. He's one of the main reasons I watch Corner Gas, along with Constable Karen Pelle.

3)Dr. Cox- portrayed by John C. McGinley- The Bad boy of Sacred Heart, Cox's abuse of JD's self-esteem is what makes Scrubs the genius show it is.
I find myself quoting Dr. Cox on a regular basis. Also, at the end of the day, he usually shows some compassion for JD fairly regularly, as well as his family, and the rest of the core cast. Sadly, I've not caught very many episodes this season, so I don't know how he's doing as Chief of Medicine.

 

[z99zazn]

I'm a big comedy fan so I would have to go with a character off of the funniest show of all time- Seinfeld. Cosmo Kramer was hysterical in so many ways on the show. He may have held the show together sometimes with his parts. Elaine Benes was damn funny too, but probably the least funny of all the 4 main characters. Jerry was hysterical, the things he saw in women and the problems he found with everything. But no one compares to George Costanza. He was such a terrible human being, but so damn funny at the same time. Working for the Yankees... wow.

TwistofRKO said Dwight from The Office. I love The Office and its my favorite show on right now, and he's my favorite character on there. (Andy is a close second). But the show hasn't been on air for long enough to put him as one of my favorites. But give it a couple years and he and George will be 1A and 1B for me.

 

[Leeds Guy]

Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) - Blackadder - Rowan played Blackadder perfectly, from the Idiot in the first series to the utter bastard in the 2nd,3rd, and 4th. Always there to put down his dogsbody and whinge about the upper class. Also the series and character in particular had some great sayings. For Example ''Lets face it baldrick we are in the stickyest situation since sticky the stick insect got stuck on a sticky bun.'' and ''I have a plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel'' if you dont know this program i suggest you tubing it as its hillarious.

Tobias (David Cross) - Arrested Development - I'm a massive fan of charcters who are so idiotic its beyond belief and Tobias was one of them. Always coming up with stupid ideas to enhance his married life or getting lessons from Carl Weathers about becoming an actor, everything he did it was comedy genious. Arrested Development was such a great funny show it deserved more time than it got.

Turk And JD (Donald Fasion And Zach Braff) - Scrubs - I was going to put these two in individually but the best comedy moments are when they together. Always gettin up to cooky crazy stuff at sacred hart hospital such as hitting golf balls of the roof or making up guy love songs. They have such great chemistry together and have heard they are both really good friends outside of the show. I feel they risk getting typecast after scrubs ended as i think a lot pf people will always consider them as ''Turk and JD''

 

[hArdyPUNKmArk]

It's so hard to pick just one so I've got a few, but these are my favs.

Chandler Bing (Friends)

I think Friends is the best, funniest, most consistant sitcom ever and love it. I love Joey and Ross, Phoebe and Rachel and Monica but Chandler makes me piss myself laughing, his sarcasm and humor is gold!

Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)

Come on, is there any better cartoon than the Simpsons?!! And Homer holds the show together, he's so fucking stupid and hopeless yet you just love the guy!

Charlie Harper (Two and a Half Men)

Hilarious show and Sheen is a comedy genious from Hot Shots to this, i think it's fucking great!

Col Jack O'Neill (Stargate SG-1)

He's an awesome leader and actor and can be pretty funny when he needs to be. I also love the fuck out of this show so he was a give in.

 

[Tastycles]

Definitely Hank Hill from King of the Hill and his predecessor Anderson from Beavis and Butt-Head. Both men are entirely believable characters, and their humour is derived from their own awkwardness with their surroundings. Hank Hill will get a laugh out of me every episode in a normal setting saying something that somebody would actually say, which cannot be said for Homer Simpson, and especially not Peter Griffin.

It actually makes me sad inside to think that the subtle wit of King of the Hill is so underrated while the most ridiculous conceited Family Guy storyline is deemed the funniest thing ever.

 

[Leeds Guy]

It actually makes me sad inside to think that the subtle wit of King of the Hill is so underrated while the most ridiculous conceited Family Guy storyline is deemed the funniest thing ever.

100% agreed. Family Guy hasnt been funny since it was cancelled. I hate the whole Stewie ''gay'' thing they have going on, it was much better when he was a diabolical baby trying to take over the world.