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After spending so very many hours watching a TV show, we form strong attachments - and revulsions - to certain characters. Let's rank 'em.

poll

Jerry Seinfeld

List of TV's most memorable characters, of all time, chosen by the Ranker community. What makes a character live on in the public's memory, even years after the original run of their respective TV programs? In some cases, it's the amount of depth that the show's writers, actors and other creators were able to bring to the character over the course of many years. For many of the greatest TV characters of all time, audiences feel like they get to know personalities like Dexter Morgan from &quot;Dexter.&quot; Even after the show leaves the air, they may not want that relationship to end. (Thankfully, they don't have to, as many shows live on for years after their cancellation on DVD and in syndication.) The best TV characters are ones that you feel like you know and that you'd want to be friends with.TV has brought many famous characters to life who have been extremely compelling, even if they are not entirely likeable. Viewers may not wish to know dangerous, shadowy figures like Tony Soprano, Vernon Schillinger, and Omar Little in reality, but following their exploits safely from the comfort of your living room can be appealing. Likewise, people who might be aloof or downright unpleasant in real life - think &quot;Mad Men's&quot; Don Draper or Al Swearengen of &quot;Deadwood&quot; - can prove charming, even admirable, when seen at a distance, with the subtext and intricacy that a top long-running TV show can provide.Who is the greatest TV character ever? This list contains the names of the greatest, most fascinating, and most enduring fictional characters from TV of all time. Be sure to vote for your favorites, and if some of your favorite popular characters aren't represented, go ahead and re-rank the list to contribute to the discussion.

The Governor

The best TV villains of all time rank among some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-tv-characters-of-all-time">greatest TV characters of all time</a> as well as some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/creepiest-characters-on-television">creepiest TV characters ever</a>. While some TV villains exist to make the lead characters appear more heroic, some of them are just plain old, nasty jerks. Regardless of their motivations, the top TV bad guys make us want to bust into the TV and kick some butt, fictional style.

Many of TV&#39;s greatest greatest villains didn&#39;t start that way; some of these men and women started out as virtuous people who took a skid into the darker ways of the world. Think of Breaking Bad&#39;s Gustavo Fring, a legitimate business man turned meth trafficking d-bag. Or Dexter Morgan who started out killing only bad guys and then went and got tangled up with killing people as a CYA offensive action. Of course, there&#39;s also people like&nbsp;Joffrey Baratheon of Game of Thrones&nbsp;and The Simpsons&#39; C. Montgomery Burns who seem to get off on tormenting people. They are the worst kind of awesome bad guys.

Who is the best <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/actors-you-forgot-played-tv-bad-guys/lina-lecaro" target="_blank">bad guy on TV</a>? What television shows have the greatest TV villains? &nbsp;This best television villains list has all the top TV villains in one place for you to vote on. If your favorite TV villain isn&#39;t on the list of the greatest TV villains, make sure to add them so other voters get to hate them as much as you do.

Phil Dunphy

Who are the funniest current TV characters on air right this very moment? This is your chance to vote up the small screen characters you truly believe are the funniest on the tube in 2019-2020. Sitcom superstars like Sofia Vergara on Modern Family and Rachel Brosnahan&nbsp;on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel&nbsp;are represented by their respective characters, the hilarious Gloria Delgado-Pritchett and Midge. <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-current-animated-series/ranker-tv?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Current cartoon characters</a> like Eric Cartman from South Park and Pam Poovey from Archer are also included. In fact, other animated series have given us some of the funniest characters on television right now. For instance, Bob&#39;s Burgers brought audiences Louise Belcher, while Family Guy introduced the world to Stewie Griffin.

Funny characters <a href="/crowdranked-list/best-shows-currently-on-the-air?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">currently on TV</a> span from comedic network TV characters like Detective Jake Peralta (played by comedian Andy Samberg) on FOX&#39;s Brooklyn Nine-Ninge&nbsp;to <a href="/crowdranked-list/the-very-best-of-premium-cable-original-programming?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">premium cable</a> dramas characters like Jensen Ackles&#39;s Dean Winchester on The CW&#39;s Supernatural.

Which of these current TV show characters in 2020 do you think are the funniest and most laugh out loud hilarious? Cast your votes below and be sure to add any other funny television characters, provided they are on a current show (network or streaming).

Best TV

Cosmo Kramer

These are the funniest television characters ever created, as determined by the votes and selections of Ranker users. Lots of things make up truly iconic, timelessly funny characters... the actor, the writing, the supporting cast... but in the end, it's just the character that makes you laugh yourself weak.What are the funniest characters on TV? These are the characters that still make you roll on the floor no matter if you are watching new episodes or reruns from 20 years ago. A lot of the funniest TV characters of all time, like Homer Simpson and Stewie Griffin, tend to be cartoons but there are lots of funny characters that are real-life people too. 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!

Comedy

Get ready to laugh as we rank the best goofballs&nbsp;in TV history. Some of the funniest characters to ever grace the small screen have also been the biggest goofball characters. While their antics are often well-intentioned and in good fun, these goofballs on TV shows can range from the simple-minded to the overly strange - and sometimes downright annoying.

They&nbsp;usually serve as the comic relief and can be <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/movie-protagonists-who-arent-the-main-character/zack-howe?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the main character</a> or shine in a supporting role. Despite their faults, audiences have a special place in their hearts for these <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/bisexuals-describe-dating-differences/jacob-shelton?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">guys and girls</a>. From Cosmo Kramer to Lucy, this list of TV goofballs is likely to feature some of your favorite characters. Whether you think Micheal Scott is the world&rsquo;s biggest goof or if you believe&nbsp;that honor should go to Joey Tribbiani, make your voice heard below.

Vote up your favorite TV goofballs and add your own if they&rsquo;re missing from the list.

Female Characters

Morticia Addams

Who are the greatest female TV characters of all time?&nbsp;This list includes some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-tv-characters-of-all-time">greatest television characters in history</a> from dramatic shows, sitcoms, and sci-fi series to&nbsp;procedurals and cartoons!&nbsp;For as long as TV has been a medium to reflect social constructs, programs have featured <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/strong-female-characters/anncasano?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">strong women characters</a> as protagonists, partners, and foils for their male counterparts. In comedy shows, characters like Lucy Ricardo, Mary Richards, and Maude Findlay paved the way for Elaine Benes, Roseanne Conner, and Liz Lemon.Female characters dominate modern genre series, with popular women like Daenerys Targaryen, Dana Scully, Buffy Summers, and Veronica Mars achieving cult-level idolization. You'll recognize these famous names as some of the strongest, funniest, and most relatable in television history.Vote up the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-female-movie-characters/ranker-characters?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">greatest female characters</a> to move them up the list, and add please any that we're missing.

Villains

Dr. Gregory House

A detailed list of the most well-liked and loveable TV anti-heroes. The most likeable TV protagonists are listed in order from most popular to least. These ambivalent but likeable anti-heroes of TV can be changed in order of popularity to fit the viewer’s opinions. Or, you can copy to make your very own list of your most favorite TV anti-heroes. This villain list can then be re-arranged to suit your ideas. &nbsp; These ambivalent villains are a mixture of both good and evil and have managed to tug at the viewer’s heartstrings over the years. Do you remember most of these anti-heroes? This list answers the question, “Who are the most popular and likeable antiheroes of television?” Taking you on a road down memory lane, this list allows you to see which anti-heroes of TV were the worst and which were <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-movie-villains-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the best villains</a> of TV shows. &nbsp; While some TV protagonists are pure evil, many have a touch of good in them that the viewer can easily see, making the viewer sympathetic towards these quite loveable villains of television series. The viewers can often find themselves wishing only the best results for these sometimes harmless TV villains. This list allows you to choose which television anti-hero you think is the best villain of television.

[Necessary Disclosure: We want to be clear up front. There’s nothing wrong with going to therapy and if you feel like you need to talk to someone, there are a lot of real-life, trained therapists who are capable and ready to help you. We’re about to drag a bunch of fictional therapists for being straight up TRASH, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that therapy can’t be helpful, because it can be.]&nbsp;Sending a fictional character to therapy makes for some excellent television. It’s a quick and dynamic way for the audience to get a better understanding of a character’s personality and motivations in a way that is more subtle than Tony Soprano turning direct to camera and saying “I have depression as a result of my mother and my crimes!” &nbsp;Too bad not all TV therapists are known for giving out solid advice. For every realistic portrayal of how a therapist should behave, there are a dozen examples of TV shrinks with boundary issues or even severe mental problems of their own. While this can be forgiven if the bad shrink appears in a sitcom, it becomes really problematic when therapists on television who give bad advice pop up in a serious drama where the audience is meant to take them seriously. On that note, here are some truly horrible therapists from TV shows. Vote up the worst offenders.

Even in the lauded&nbsp;golden age of television, terrible characters who ruin your favorite TV shows remain a staple in everyone's Hulu, HBO, and Netflix queues. The characters ruining your TV shows are not necessarily villains or rivals to your <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-tv-characters-of-all-time" target="_blank">favorite characters</a>; in fact they might easily be the main character. Anyone familiar with&nbsp;Gossip Girl&nbsp;knows the feeling of following a regrettable character who brings the show down. The funny thing is, people hate different characters for a variety of reasons, and we decided to ask you, the readers, which characters ruin your favorite TV show?Included below are your answers along with your reasons why, pulled from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Ranker/" target="_blank">our Facebook page</a>. Your answers show a distaste for characters ranging from&nbsp;Everybody Hates Raymond&nbsp;to&nbsp;The Walking Dead, many who would be considered the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-hated-tv-characters/matthewcoleweiss" target="_blank">worst TV characters of all time</a>. But as much as you despise the commonly hated characters, you&nbsp;revealed a number of personal grudges towards a few characters too. Altogether, however, you all appear to really,&nbsp;really&nbsp;hate Debbie Gallagher.

What does it mean to be sassy? For starters, you need&nbsp;to be uninhibited, bold, and extremely lively. These sassy TV characters have all those traits and then some.&nbsp;Sometimes their sass is seen as&nbsp;a positive trait, and sometimes it&rsquo;s a detriment, but either way,&nbsp;it makes for some entertaining television!

From Karen Walker to Titus Andromedon, these sassy characters from TV shows are known for bringing the heat. They&rsquo;re not afraid to speak their mind - even if it means offending everyone around them.&nbsp;

From stubborn TV characters like Gloria Delgado-Pritchett to <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/strong-female-characters/anncasano?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">strong female characters</a> like Peggy Carter and Leslie Knope, the people on this list certainly make for some sassy TV.

Is Sophia Petrillo from <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-golden-girls-guest-stars/lisa-waugh?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword" target="_blank">The Golden Girls</a> the undisputed queen of sass, or does that honor go to Samantha Jones from Sex and the City? Check out this list of sassy TV show characters, where we&rsquo;ll let you decide.

Vote up your favorites from this list of sassy TV characters&nbsp;to see which one out sasses them all!

Parenting

Maddie Harrington

List of the most annoying new kids in TV history. These kids, from infants to teenagers, might have been cute, but they did little to improve the quality of their respective TV shows. Many, in fact, were so annoying that they signaled a marked decline in a show’s quality, earning them a place on this list of the most obnoxious new kids added to a show’s cast. This list only includes recurring kid characters who joined the cast during or after the show's second season.&nbsp;Why do shows’ producers decide to add new kids to a cast, knowing that these kids could become annoying TV children? Often it’s done when a favorite child star grows up and leaves the show; wanting to maintain appeal, the show will introduce a substitute. Unfortunately, these subs often turn out annoying -- viewers usually sense that these irritating newcomer TV kids are a ploy to maintain ratings. Many times, the addition of an annoying TV kid signals the moment when a show jumped the shark, or fell off so rapidly in terms of quality that it became almost unwatchable.&nbsp;Introducing an obnoxious new kid to a TV cast has been done so many times that there’s even a name for it: Cousin Oliver Syndrome. The name comes from the introduction of Cousin Oliver to the cast of “The Brady Bunch” -- a last-gasp effort to remain popular. Cousin Oliver, however, wasn’t well-received; his obnoxiousness has definitely earned him a place on the list of most annoying new kids in TV history. &nbsp;This list includes the most annoying new kids added to TV casts. In a few cases, the annoying TV kid was removed (for example, Seven from “Married...with Children”), but most of them stayed with the show to the bitter end. Only include annoying TV children who weren’t in the original cast, but joined in the second season or later.

Sometimes, a television characters captures the hearts of audiences nearly instantly and some of the best new characters on television did just that. What makes a television character iconic? Archetypes such as the lovable underdog, the smart aleck with a heart of gold, the drifter with a mysterious past, and the reluctant&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/screw-the-good-good-guy-or-top-10-best-movie-anti-heroes-ever/william-bibbiani" target="_blank">antihero</a> remain consistently loved staples of television. What are the coolest new TV characters? Vote below to decide.&nbsp; What characters&nbsp;will you find on this list? Eleven from <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/stranger-things-theories/jared-clark" target="_blank">Stranger Things</a>&nbsp;was instantly beloved when the Netflix series began due to her loyalty to her friends and special&nbsp;powers. <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-quotes/movie-and-tv-quotes" target="_blank">Kimmy Schmidt</a> is fun and friendly, but it was the eternally quotable&nbsp;Titus Andromedon who became the breakout character of the series. Emotionally complex antiheros, like Rebecca Bunch and Madeline Martha Mackenzie, have also become fan favorites. Other good new TV characters include Neal Gamby, Jane Chapman, and Dr. Robert Ford. Do you have a favorite TV character from a new show? Give the best roles a thumbs up and add anyone you feel is missing.&nbsp;

Pregnancy

List of the most unnecessary new babies in TV history. These are the babies who were added after the show was off and running but didn’t give a noticeable lift to the show’s quality. In some cases, the show might have been better before the boring baby character was added. Vote up the most unnecessary TV babies, especially the ones audiences weren’t that excited to see.&nbsp;New babies are added to a show’s cast for many reasons --&nbsp; have you ever felt as though not all of the reasons are good? New babies are sometimes used as a Hail Mary attempt to revive a dying TV show. This doesn’t work, however, when the new baby plot feels unnecessary or forced. In these cases, networks or producers will attempt to create hype for the pregnancy, and viewers can sense it. TV babies are also introduced as an ‘awww’ way to end a series, which occasionally comes across as emotional manipulation.&nbsp;When an unnecessary baby character is introduced, he or she will often be accompanied by clich&eacute;s, such as the screaming delivery or the ‘you’re drinking breast milk’ gag. Many unimportant TV babies are also subjected to Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome, going from a newborn to a toddler (or older) in the space of a few seasons. A prime example is Little Nicky from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” who went from infant to preschooler in one season while the rest of the cast didn’t age or change.&nbsp;&nbsp;Whatever the reason an unnecessary TV baby appears, it’s usually to much sighing by audiences. This list contains the most unneeded TV baby characters, the ones who failed to excite. Vote up the most unnecessary, least exciting TV babies of all time.

My favorite examples of char﻿acters you hear about in <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-tv-shows-of-recent-memory?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">TV shows</a> but never get a chance to see/hear. (In some cases, there are rare glimpses of the character, obscured or from afar, but I feel like each pick stays true to the spirit of the list).&nbsp; Also check out our list of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-tv-characters-of-all-time">greatest tv characters of all time</a> to see the best of those that you probably have seen.

Doctors

There's a reason actors don't practice medicine and instead choose to play medical professionals on TV: any respectable hospital would unceremoniously fire many of these fictional doctors.&nbsp;While it's not a crime to be&nbsp;ridiculously&nbsp;good-looking (we're looking at you, Dr. Shepherd), it's a violation for a surgeon to hide a medical condition that results in a hand tremor (hello, Dr. Bell and Dr. Burke). The former may be a simple distraction for a patient, while the latter could&nbsp;cost a patient their life.Some TV doctors are intentionally ridiculous,&nbsp;like Dr. Spaceman from 30 Rock or Dr. Riviera from The Simpsons, but these &quot;good doctors&quot; are trying their hardest to replicate real-life physicians accurately. The worst fictional <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/horrible-therapist-characters-on-television/alexandra-plesa" target="_blank">doctors on TV range from psychiatrists</a>&nbsp;to dentists&nbsp;to neurosurgeons. TV patients put their lives in the hands of these professionals, and the results are sometimes disastrous.What would you do if you found out the surgeon performing your operation&nbsp;had an addiction to painkillers&nbsp;or was only 16 years old? Would you voice concern&nbsp;if your doctor yelled at you for no real reason? It would be&nbsp;wise to <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/movie-tv-characters-who-are-terrible-writers/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">avoid these terrible TV doctors</a>&nbsp;- your negligence may cost&nbsp;your life.

Rudy Huxtable

List of the funniest kid characters in TV history. This page lists the greatest child characters on the greatest TV shows ever. These kids, ranked here, kept us laughing for entire episodes and entire seasons. Some on the list had their own television series entirely devoted to them. Example? A young doctor by the name of Doogie Howser. Or Mister Beaver Cleaver, who brought colorful comedy to the black-and-white era. So who are the best child characters on TV? Try Stewie Griffin from &quot;Family Guy&quot; even though he is not a live action human being -- and has a head shaped like Arnold's from &quot;Hey Arnold!&quot; In fact, Helga Pataki made our list -- and feel free to add any other characters from that hilarious child ensemble. Sometimes these characters annoy us to death, but, like Louis Stevens from &quot;Even Stevens,&quot; they are most comedic when they are annoying their own TV families to death.

Rose Nylund

There’s such a huge different when discussing television characters versus film characters. The main distinction is that we get to know our TV characters much better. Instead of a two-hour movie, we get to see television characters in different situations, often over the course of several seasons and many years. We feel like we know them personally, and in some scenarios they might seem like our dad, sister, or best friend. Nothing affects how a television character comes across to a spectator like the person playing the role. Even the most mundane script or unfunny sitcom can be saved by an actor’s performance. These are the best-acted characters on television of all time. This list includes both the best -cted characters currently on TV and old characters from the small screen's past. Nearly every genre is covered from sitcoms to police procedurals to political dramas. Some of these are cantankerous sorts (we’re looking at you, Dr. House), others have had incredible obstacles to overcome (we knew you could beat cancer, Christina Braverman), and a few of these characters are entertainingly evil (everyone feels guilty rooting for Francis Underwood.)We’ve cried along with these characters and believed their every emotion. These well-acted television characters are what stays with fans when they shut off the television for the night. Of course, dialogue and story are imperative on any successful television program, but without the actor to deliver those lines and sell the narrative, the television screen may as well stay blank.Make your voice heard. Be sure to vote up all the best acted current TV characters and the most expertly acted TV characters from previous eras of television.

There are fictional characters an audience unanimously hates. They could be awful people&nbsp;with sociopathic tendencies. They could be <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-most-annoying-tv-and-film-characters-ever" target="_blank">annoying</a> as all get out. They could be boring drips that take&nbsp;up valuable screen time. But then something happens – something unexpected. One day, your feelings shift from loathing to lust. Did the actor have one hell of a&nbsp;glow&nbsp;up? Did the writing&nbsp;get&nbsp;better? Did a little thing called character development&nbsp;happen? Characters that unexpectedly made you swoon come out of nowhere and hit you hard.Admit it: there are hateable characters you fell for. Who could resist Steve in Stranger Things 2? Andy might have ended Parks &amp; Recreation as a beloved character, but he started out as a dirtbag ex&nbsp;mooching off his exasperated onetime girlfriend. And then there's Loki from the Thor movies. He's gone from bad to good and everywhere in between so many times that Thor: Ragnarok even makes a joke out of it.Villains who became dreamboats get you all hot and bothered when you're least expecting it. Give in to the inconvenient swooning and vote up the&nbsp;fictional characters you wound up loving.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Meg Griffin

Being a teenager is hard. No one knows that better than the greatest misunderstood teenagers in TV history. These teens have suffered unnatural – or sometimes supernatural – trials and tribulations, all in the name of prime-time entertainment. From the angsty Angela Chase (My So-Called Life) to the zany Zack Morris (<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/saved-by-the-bell-behind-the-scenes/anncasano?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Saved By the Bell</a>), those on the list of the best misunderstood TV teens are left to wonder why grown-ups just don’t get it. &nbsp;Sibling rivalry plays a large part in the lives of the greatest misunderstood teens on TV. While Jan Brady (<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/behind-the-scenes-brady-bunch-stories/mariel-loveland?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">The Brady Bunch</a>) and Vanessa Huxtable (<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-cosby-show-episodes/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">The Cosby Show</a>) often lament the parental favor their older siblings receive, Anthony Soprano, Jr. (The Sopranos) and Silas Botwin (Weeds) turn to substance abuse to ease their feelings of inferiority.&nbsp; &nbsp;Being one of the best misunderstood TV teens is a fraught enough experience as a human character, but extraterrestrial teens face a whole different set of problems. Space-travelers like Tommy Solomon (3rd Rock From the Sun) and Clark Kent (Smallville) must navigate the treacherous waters of high school while minding the complex missions for which they were sent to Earth. &nbsp;Finally, some of the greatest misunderstood teens in TV history have to contend with an altogether different dimension. The undead plague our heroine Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer); White Walkers lurk in the North kingdom, where Sansa Stark just wants some peace to train her direwolf (Game of Thrones); even the Big Guy upstairs bugs a savvy teen once in awhile (Joan Girardi, Joan of Arcadia).Who else bravely bears the indignities of being the most misunderstood TV teens?

Alex Russo

This is a list of the most memorable middle children from TV families. The list includes middle children from <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-kids-live-action-shows/ranker-tv?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">live action TV shows</a> and animated TV families across all genres, ranging from family sitcom “Father Knows Best” to the Matt Groening animated series “The Simpsons” and the TNT SciFi series “Falling Skies.” Middle children, though often successful in real life, are often straight man foils for their TV siblings, and the middle child stereotype of being insecure and lacking identity is exaggerated to comic effect. Why do we find these characters so appealing? Maybe it’s because we identify with them, or possibly, it’s just the opposite: their middle child experience is so foreign to us that we are fascinated.Some of the middle kids in these big TV families are model children ,some are rebels, and some are dysfunctional wrecks. This list runs from the sweet long-suffering middle child, like Gabe from “Good Luck, Charlie,” to the sharp-tongued and sarcastic Randy Taylor, played by teen heart throb <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/jonathan-taylor-thomas-facts/amandatullos?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Jonathan Taylor Thomas</a>, in the 1990s TV series “Home Improvement,” to the vapid and neurotic Mallory Keaton – and who wouldn’t be neurotic next to Michael J’s Fox’s character Alex P. Keaton? - from the 1980s hit series “Family Ties.” Which is your favorite TV middle child? Which ones stand out in your memory? This list of greatest middle children in TV history is sure to take you on a trip down memory lane!

TV Characters We Love & Hate

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EW.com

EW's list of the worst television fathers of all time.  For the full article and photo gallery go to: http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20042719_0,00.html

EW.com's TV's Worst Dads

The Best TV Lists - Find or Make a TV Characters List  | Ranker  | Ranker - A World of Lists

TV Character

Top 10 TV Lists: Television Lists and Rankings of Every Facet of Television

United States

TelevisionLife

Al Bundy

Al Bundy is a fictional character and the essential protagonist of the U.S. television series Married... with Children, played by Ed O'Neill. He is a beer loving, indebted, American father of two, portrayed as both a comedic and tragic figure. Although he is cheap, unsuccessful, lustful, unhappy, and scheming, he nevertheless stands by his family, displaying wit, self-sacrifice and resilience in times of crisis. He and his wife, Peggy Bundy, were rated the 59th best characters on television by Bravo.

Peter Griffin

Peter Griffin is the main character of the American animated sitcom Family Guy. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Peter was created and designed by MacFarlane himself. MacFarlane was asked to pitch a pilot to the Fox Broadcasting Company based on Larry & Steve, a short made by MacFarlane which featured a middle-aged character named Larry and an intellectual dog, Steve. After the pilot was given the green light, The Griffin family appeared on the episode "Death Has a Shadow".
Peter is married to Lois Griffin and is the father of Meg, Chris, and Stewie. He also has a dog named Brian, with whom he is best friends. He has worked at a toy factory, and at Quahog's Brewery. Despite the suburban blue-collar routine of his life, he has had a number of remarkable experiences.
Peter's voice was inspired by a janitor that MacFarlane heard at his school. His appearance was a redesign of the protagonist Larry from MacFarlane's previous animated short films The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve.

Tony Soprano

Anthony John "Tony" Soprano is an Italian-American fictional character and the protagonist in the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, portrayed by James Gandolfini. The character was conceived by The Sopranos '​ creator and show runner David Chase, who was also largely responsible for the character's story arc throughout the show's six seasons. The character is loosely based on real-life New Jersey mobster Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo, a former caporegime and de facto street boss of the DeCavalcante crime family of New Jersey. Considered to be the model for the Soprano family, several incidents involving the DeCavalcantes were incorporated into Sopranos scripts. Bobby Boriello portrayed Soprano as a child in one episode and Danny Petrillo played the character as a teenager in three episodes.
In the first season, Tony is a capo in the DiMeo crime family. Between the first and second seasons, he is promoted to street boss, a position he retains until the sixth season. Throughout the series, Tony struggles to balance the conflicting requirements of his "two families": his actual family—wife Carmela, daughter Meadow, son Anthony "A. J.

Mike Brady

Mike Brady is a fictional character from the 1969 TV series The Brady Bunch.

Bradford Meade

Bradford Emerson Meade is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty, portrayed by Alan Dale. Bradford's character was equivalent to Roberto Mendoza in the original Betty la fea, Armando's father, with Armando equalling Daniel.

Frank Costanza

J.R. Ewing

John Ross "J.R." Ewing, Jr. is a fictional character in the hit U.S. television series Dallas and its spin-offs, including the revived Dallas series. The character was portrayed by actor Larry Hagman from the series premiere in 1978 until his death in late 2012 and was the only actor who appeared in all 356 episodes of the original series. One of the show's most iconic figures, J.R. has been central to many of the series' biggest storylines. He is depicted as a covetous, egocentric, manipulative and amoral oil baron with psychopathic tendencies, who is constantly plotting subterfuges to plunder his foes and their wealth.
The original character concept was a blend of Bonanza with a rich, western patriarch and his three dissimilar sons, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with its rival brothers, and their scheming wives, and Romeo and Juliet with two star-crossed lovers whose families are sworn enemies. The thrust of the series was initially the feuding families, with J.R. just a supporting character, but his popularity grew and the producers acknowledged he became the breakout character. Two highly rated 1980 episodes became part of a cultural phenomenon that year known as "Who shot J.R.?".

Jimmy Cooper

James "Jimmy" Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Tate Donovan. He is often described as extremely unreliable, immature and cowardly, due to his actions.. However, he's also shown to be a loving father and was far closer to his daughter, Marissa, than her mother was. He was known to be talk of the town with his good looks and was Sandy Cohen's rival for his wife Kirsten Cohen.

Christopher Hayden

Gob Bluth

Paul Young

Paul Young is a fictional character on ABC television series Desperate Housewives. The character is played by actor Mark Moses, and is the widower of Mary Alice Young, the show's narrator. After leaving the show in the third season, Paul returned in the sixth season's finale and becomes a regular again in the seventh season, in which he is the center of the yearly mystery.

Homer Simpson

Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Homer was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic strip Life in Hell but instead decided to create a new set of characters. He named the character after his father, Homer Groening. After appearing for three seasons on The Tracey Ullman Show, the Simpson family got their own series on Fox that debuted December 17, 1989.
As patriarch of the eponymous family, Homer and his wife Marge have three children: Bart, Lisa and Maggie. As the family's provider, he works at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant as safety inspector. Homer embodies many American working class stereotypes: he is crude, obese, incompetent, lazy, clumsy, dim-witted, hot-tempered, childish and addicted to beer, junk food and watching television. However, he often tries his hardest to be a decent man and is fiercely devoted to his family, especially when they need him the most. Despite the suburban blue-collar routine of his life, he has had a number of remarkable experiences, including going to space, climbing the tallest mountain in Springfield by himself, fighting former President George H. W. Bush and winning a Grammy Award as a member of a barbershop quartet.
In the shorts and earlier episodes, Castellaneta voiced Homer with a loose impression of Walter Matthau; however, during the second and third seasons of the half-hour show, Homer's voice evolved to become more robust, to allow the expression of a fuller range of emotions. He has appeared in other media relating to The Simpsons—including video games, The Simpsons Movie, The Simpsons Ride, commercials, and comic books—and inspired an entire line of merchandise. His signature catchphrase, the annoyed grunt "D'oh!", has been included in The New Oxford Dictionary of English since 1998 and the Oxford English Dictionary since 2001.
Homer is one of the most influential characters in the history of television, and is widely considered to be an American cultural icon. The British newspaper The Sunday Times described him as "The greatest comic creation of [modern] time". He was named the greatest character "of the last 20 years" in 2010 by Entertainment Weekly, was ranked the second-greatest cartoon character by TV Guide, behind Bugs Bunny, and was voted the greatest television character of all time by Channel 4 viewers. For voicing Homer, Castellaneta has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance and a special-achievement Annie Award. In 2000, Homer and his family were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.


 
 
 EW's list of the worst television fathers of all time. For the full article and photo gallery go to: http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20042719_0,00.html
 
