The Funniest TV Characters of All Time TV Characters
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The Funniest TV Characters of All Time

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These are the funniest television characters ever created, as determined by the votes and selections of Ranker users. Lots of things make up a truly iconic, timelessly funny character... the actor, the writing, the supporting cast... but in the end, it's just the character that makes you laugh yourself weak. These are the characters that still make you roll on the floor no matter if they are on TV right or if you are watching reruns from 20 years ago. Vote for your funniest picks and add any characters you see missing. If you want to really impact this list's order, make your own ranking and add it!

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Rank     Name Series Gender Created By
  1. 1
    Up 403
    Down 125
    Eric Cartman The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Eric Cartman

    South Park
    Male
    Most Listed
  2. 2
    Up 309
    Down 114
    Homer Simpson The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Homer Simpson

    The Simpsons
    Male
    Matt Groening
    Most Passionate
  3. 3
    Up 282
    Down 109
    Stewie Griffin The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Stewie Griffin

    Family Guy
    Male
  4. 4
    Up 186
    Down 149
    Cosmo Kramer The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Cosmo Kramer

    Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld
    Male
    Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Kenny Kramer
  5. 5
    Up 205
    Down 116
    Peter Griffin The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Peter Griffin

    Family Guy
    Male
  6. 6
    Up 148
    Down 152
    Tobias Fünke The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Tobias Fünke

    Arrested Development
    Male
  7. 7
    Up 180
    Down 113
    George Costanza The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    George Costanza

    Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld
    Male
    Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David
  8. 8
    Up 129
    Down 134
    Gob Bluth The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Gob Bluth

    Arrested Development
    Male
  9. 9
    Up 124
    Down 71
    Bugs' Bunny The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Bugs' Bunny

    Male
    Bob Clampett
  10. 10
    Up 159
    Down 93
    Barney Stinson The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Barney Stinson

    How I Met Your Mother, Family Guy
    Male
    Carter Bays, Craig Thomas
  11. 11
    Up 165
    Down 112
    Dwight Schrute The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Dwight Schrute

    The Office
    Male
    Greg Daniels
  12. 12
    Up 122
    Down 85
    Michael Scott The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Michael Scott

    The Office
    Male
    Greg Daniels
  13. 13
    Up 131
    Down 99
    Jerry Seinfeld The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Jerry Seinfeld

    Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Larry Sanders Show, Seinfeld
    Male
    Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David
  14. 14
    Up 193
    Down 93
    Al Bundy The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Al Bundy

    Married... with Children, Top of the Heap
  15. 15
    Up 131
    Down 30
    Butters Stotch The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Butters Stotch

    South Park
    Male
  16. 16
    Up 176
    Down 111
    Bender Bending Rodríguez The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Bender Bending Rodríguez

    Futurama
    Male
    Matt Groening, David X. Cohen
  17. 17
    Up 96
    Down 116
    Lucy Ricardo nee McGillicuddy The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Lucy Ricardo nee McGillicuddy

    The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, I Love Lucy
    Female
  18. 18
    Up 101
    Down 68
    Glenn Quagmire The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Glenn Quagmire

    Family Guy
    Male
    Seth MacFarlane
  19. 19
    Up 87
    Down 26
    Bart Simpson The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Bart Simpson

    The Tracey Ullman Show, The Simpsons
    Male
    Matt Groening
  20. 20
    Up 96
    Down 94
    Barney Fife The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Barney Fife

    The New Andy Griffith Show, The Andy Griffith Show, The Joey Bishop Show, Mayberry R.F.D. More
    Male
  22. 21
    Up 91
    Down 101
    Archie Bunker The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Archie Bunker

    Archie Bunker's Place, All in the Family
    Male
    Johnny Speight, Norman Lear
  23. 22
    Up 101
    Down 122
    Larry David The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Larry David

    Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Paul Reiser Show, Entourage
    Male
    Larry David
    Controversial
  24. 23
    Up 110
    Down 55
    Sheldon Cooper The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Sheldon Cooper

    The Big Bang Theory
    Male
  25. 24
    Up 85
    Down 114
    Jack Donaghy The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Jack Donaghy

    30 Rock
    Male
    Tina Fey
    Controversial
  26. 25
    Up 101
    Down 109
    Ron Swanson The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Ron Swanson

    Parks and Recreation
    Greg Daniels
  27. 26
    Up 99
    Down 55
    Moe Szyslak The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Moe Szyslak

    The Simpsons
    Male
    Matt Groening
  28. 27
    Up 93
    Down 81
    Chandler Muriel Bing The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Chandler Muriel Bing

    Friends
    Male
    Marta Kauffman, David Crane
  29. 28
    Up 51
    Down 76
    Tracy Jordan The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Tracy Jordan

    30 Rock
    Male
    Tina Fey
  30. 29
    Up 94
    Down 91
    Joey Tribbiani The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Joey Tribbiani

    Joey, Friends
    Male
    Marta Kauffman, David Crane
  31. 30
    Up 64
    Down 49
    Frasier Crane The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Frasier Crane

    Frasier, Cheers
    Male
  32. 31
    Up 58
    Down 62
    David Brent The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    David Brent

    The Office
    Male
    Stephen Merchant, Ricky Gervais
  33. 32
    Up 60
    Down 43
    Beavis The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Beavis

    Beavis and Butt-head
    Male
    Mike Judge
  34. 33
    Up 61
    Down 41
    Butt-head The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Butt-head

    Beavis and Butt-head
    Male
  35. 34
    Up 83
    Down 59
    Ralph Wiggum The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Ralph Wiggum

    The Simpsons
    Male
  36. 35
    Up 92
    Down 50
    Frank Drebin The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Frank Drebin

  37. 36
    Up 81
    Down 74
    Will Smith The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Will Smith

    The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
    Male
  38. 37
    Up 60
    Down 57
    Charlie Kelly The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Charlie Kelly

    It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
  39. 38
    Up 91
    Down 73
    Basil Fawlty The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Basil Fawlty

    Fawlty Towers
    Male
  40. 39
    Up 63
    Down 33
    Randy and Sharon Marsh The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Randy and Sharon Marsh

    Male, Female
  41. 40
    Up 19
    Down 4
    Towlie The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Towlie

  43. 41
    Up 90
    Down 76
    Borat The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Borat

    Da Ali G Show
    Male
    Sacha Baron Cohen
  44. 42
    Up 55
    Down 81
    Ted Baxter The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Ted Baxter

  45. 43
    Up 54
    Down 70
    Latka Gravas The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Latka Gravas

    Taxi
    Male
  46. 44
    Up 52
    Down 66
    Bill McNeal The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Bill McNeal

    NewsRadio
    Male
  47. 45
    Up 56
    Down 53
    Jim Ignatowski The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Jim Ignatowski

  48. 46
    Up 69
    Down 83
    Liz Lemon The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Liz Lemon

    30 Rock
    Female
    Tina Fey
  49. 47
    Up 55
    Down 55
    John Dorian The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    John Dorian

    Scrubs, Scrubs: Interns
    Male
    Bill Lawrence
  50. 48
    Up 55
    Down 79
    Cliff Clavin The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Cliff Clavin

    Cheers
    Male
  51. 49
    Up 47
    Down 53
    George Michael Bluth The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    George Michael Bluth

    Arrested Development
    Male
  52. 50
    Up 62
    Down 81
    Kenny Powers The Funniest TV Characters of All Time Television picture

    Kenny Powers

    Eastbound & Down

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The Funniest TV Characters of All Time

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    1. kkkn3
      Eric Cartman at 10/22/2011 7:13 PM
      the best!
      reply
    2. CatrionaRollo
      Michael Scott at 10/25/2011 1:18 AM
      How is he not higher!
      reply
    3. Hellion
      The Funniest TV Characters of All Time at 10/25/2011 9:24 AM
      No Roseanne, no Tim Allen and no Bill Cosby??? Is everyone that voted on this subject 12 years old? Come on, a guy from friggin Parks and Recreation in the top ten all time??? Come on.
      reply
    4. Pallknowing1
      The Funniest TV Characters of All Time at 12/07/2011 6:18 PM
      That 70's show Steven Hyde Red Forman?
      reply
    5. Anonymous
      Eric Cartman at 10/19/2011 2:24 AM
      [User deleted their comment]
      reply
    6. KirkSaw
      The Funniest TV Characters of All Time at 4/10/2012 3:59 AM
      I always found Arthur Carlson to be the funniest character on WKRP. You have Johnny Fever, Herb and Les but no big guy. I'd have also included Schultz, Klink and others from Hogan's Heroes. Chico (Freddie Prinze) from Chico and the Man, Sgt Bilko (Phil Silvers), Fred Flintstone, everyone from The Honeymooners, Krusty the Clown, Zigfried from Get Smart, J.J from Good Times, almost every character from Soap, Mr. Roper, Mr. Furley and Jack Tripper, Flo from Alice, Felix and Oscar from The Odd Couple, Gilligan and Mr. Howell from Gilligan's Island, Sally and Buddy from The Dick Van Dyke Show-- all worth LOTS of consideration!
      reply

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