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TV Character

Frank Costanza

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

TV Characters We Love & Hate

Best TV

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!

Cosmo Kramer

The Funniest TV Characters of All Time

Funniest TV Characters of All Time | List of Funny Television Roles

Ranker Community

poll

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.

Jerry Seinfeld

The Greatest TV Characters of All Time

Fictional Character

Favorite TV Characters | List of Television's Greatest Characters

Entertainment

List of the best TV grumps. Male or female, these are the greatest grumpy TV characters -- television curmudgeons whose pessimistic rants and antics usually make viewers laugh. From the original great TV grumps, including Fred Sanford and Archie Bunker, to the new generation of grumpy TV characters such as <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-red-forman-quotes/movie-and-tv-quotes" target="_blank">Red Forman</a> and Sue Sylvester, they&rsquo;re all here.

&nbsp;Why is it that we love TV&rsquo;s curmudgeons? They&rsquo;re unhappy, they complain, they&rsquo;re pessimistic, and they often try to make everyone around them miserable, too. The best TV grumps remain lovable, however, because they tap into our own grumpy sides; besides, their rantings and predictions of doom and gloom often have no effect on anyone else. The other characters in a TV show know that they&rsquo;re dealing with a grouch, and carry on accordingly. In some cases, of course, the greatest grumps on TV really do make others&rsquo; lives miserable, but the curmudgeonly, grumpy character usually gets what&rsquo;s coming to him or her in the end, which makes it okay.

&nbsp;The best grumps on television are usually funny, as well. Frank Costanza generally looks like he&rsquo;s about to pop a blood vessel, but his ravings are hilarious. And underneath it all, many TV curmudgeons have a softer, warmer side. Who can blame a gentle-hearted person for putting up a mean front to protect their tender emotions? Viewers understand this about the best TV curmudgeons: They might seem mean, but they&rsquo;re often concealing a caring personality -- and if they inspire a few laughs in the process, that&rsquo;s all the better.

&nbsp;This list contains the grumps on TV that viewers have both loved and hated, laughed at or felt sorry for. Both female and male TV curmudgeons are included; after all, women can be just as crabby as men. The list also makes no age distinction -- the best TV grouches are both young and old.

Dr. Gregory House

The Most Beloved Grumps in TV History

Best TV Grumps | List of Curmudgeon Characters

Ranker TV

What were you watching during TV's greatest era?

'90s TV We'll Never Forget

Who were the best TV characters of the &#39;90s? From Frasier, Friends, and Married With Children all the way to kid favorites like Clarissa Explains it All, Doug, and Saved By the Bell, these shows greatly impacted 90s culture and made it the memorable decade it was. This list has the best television characters from all those classic 1990s TV shows.

It was the decade we met Bart Simpson, Cosmo Kramer, and Frasier Crane. The top TV show characters of the 90&#39;s included family-focused favorites like Tim &ldquo;The Tool Man&rdquo; Taylor, the obnoxious but lovable Steve Urkel, and Fresh Prince Will Smith. Nineties TV introduced many children&#39;s characters as well: Tommy Pickles, Batman, Doug.

This decade had an air of innocence and lightheartedness. The top characters of the &#39;90s were, for the most part family-friendly, uplifting, and hilarious. Who will ever forget the girl-next-door <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-happened-to-danielle-fishel/crystal-brackett" target="_blank">Topanga Lawrence</a>, and the importance of having an older, wiser soul rooting for you, like Mr. Feeney? The innocence of Clarissa Explains It All, Family Ties, and Blossom, reinforced family values, and other top &#39;90s shows like Friends, Roseanne, and The Cosby Show, left us feeling like we were never alone in the world.

Vote up your favorite 1990s TV characters below and think back to when these guys came into your living room once a week. Then go find yourself a Seinfeld rerun. You know there&#39;s got to be one on.

Peggy Bundy

The Best TV Characters of the 1990s

TV Trivia

It can be confusing when a television character of importance gets suddenly recast. Sometimes it&#39;s a character you&#39;ve grown with over a few seasons, or a character with incredible chemistry with another co-star. In that case, it can be devastating. Sometimes the actors can&#39;t control their egos, but most of the time other opportunities arise and the actors are faced with a difficult decision.&nbsp;

It&#39;s rare that a show jokes about an obvious recasting, but Jazz from&nbsp;The Fresh Prince&nbsp;provided some hilarious meta-commentary after Aunt Vivian was replaced. Other shows, like&nbsp;Bewitched, tried to carry on as if nothing had changed.

Were any of these sitcom character replacements more noticable than you thought? Browse through the list below and vote up the best (or most obvious) recasting decisions.&nbsp;

Sitcom Characters Who Were Unceremoniously Replaced

General

Raelyn Giansanti

90s TV

List of the best characters from TV's &quot;Seinfeld&quot; sitcom. Seinfeld's core cast of characters - comedian Jerry Seinfeld, his childhood friend George Costanza, his ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes and neighbor Cosmo Kramer - have become cultural icons, and propelled each of the actors - Seinfeld (as himself), Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards, respectively - to superstardom. But show creators Seinfeld and Larry David, and their skilled team of writers, managed to create dozens of memorable characters to populate the show's fictional New York. Many were said to be based on real people Seinfeld and David knew from the city (including a strange neighbor who inspired the Kramer character, as well as episode in which Kramer hosts a &quot;reality tour.&quot;) A few of these characters - including fashion magnate J. Peterman and lawyer Jackie Chiles - even were considered for spin-offs towards the end of the show's run. This list counts down the very best and most hilarious Seinfeld characters, who fans enjoy seeing the most when they pop up on the show.Who are the best Seinfeld characters? They're all pretty hilarious in their own right, whether intended or not. They're all pretty memorable, but there can only be one character that's the best.Check out more lists like the collection of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/funniest-seinfeldisms/randolph">most amusing Seinfeldisms</a>, the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/full-cast-of-seinfeld-cast-list-for-the-show-seinfeld/reference">complete cast list</a>, or the<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-elaine-moments-from-seinfeld/etriplett"> top Elaine moments in the series</a>.

Kenny Bania

The Best Seinfeld Characters

Seinfeld Characters | List of Funny Characters from TV's Seinfeld

Celebrating the tough, goofy, loving men of the house who know and can fix everything.

Here's to Dad

Fathers

List of the greatest and most memorable dads from through television history. Which TV fathers were the most inspirational? Who taught you the most about growing up and becoming an adult? Which TV fathers were just the funniest and most entertaining? Any TV dads who fit these criteria are eligible for this list, an attempt to drill down into the definitive answer to the question: "Who's the world's favorite TV Dad?"Vote: <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/favorite-tv-moms-of-all-time-v3">Favorite TV Moms of All Time</a>Classic sitcoms revolving largely around the family gave us a ton of Dads to choose from, and for the most part, they were traditionally good fathers. Guys like Rob Petrie, Andy Taylor and Howard Cunningham looked out for their kids, paid attention to their needs and gave them solid life and career advice.Through the '80s and '90s, pop culture got a bit a bit more realistic or cynical, depending on who you ask, and TV Dads became more of a hodge-podge of responsibility and immaturity, reflecting the real, complex and often difficult job of being a father. Though there remain the shining examples of great TV dads like Cliff Huxtable from "The Cosby Show" and Dan Conner from "Roseanne," you now had alternative views of fatherhood, like Homer Simpson and the iconic Al Bundy.But this list doesn't discriminate! If your favorite TV dads are likely to lose their kids at the mall, ignore them in favor of football and beer or forget their birthdays, vote for 'em anyway! Your old man would be proud.

Ward Cleaver

Which TV Dad Do You Wish Was Your Own?

Look, you watch enough of a show, you get to know the characters. Maybe you even care about them. Maybe you even love them. Or hate them. Or want to read tons of lists about them.

The People in Your TV

List of TV husbands whose wives should have divorced them. This list includes the worst TV husbands of all types - from those who were merely clueless to those who performed hurtful acts. Whatever their crimes, these are the television husbands who should have been left by their wives. Vote up the worst television husbands.Bad television husbands come in many varieties. Most common on comedy shows or sitcoms is the male chauvinist stereotype, the husband who complains, belittles others, or is just generally annoying all around. Perhaps the most recognizable example of this type of bad TV husband is Al Bundy. Who could disagree that he was something of a wife’s nightmare? His endless ogling of other women, his slovenly habits, and his anti-feminist rants weren’t anything a wife would want to put up with, but they definitely made for funny TV. Other bad husbands on TV perform more egregious acts, including cheating, stealing, and lying. These worst of the worst TV husbands include Tony Soprano and Tom Scavo, whose antics weren’t necessarily funny. Instead, their actions made us feel sympathetic toward their wives. Of course, some truly awful TV husbands had equally awful TV wives, such as Dale Gribble from <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/times-king-of-the-hill-got-dark/erin-wisti?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">King of the Hill</a>. Poor thing, he never could figure out what was happening with his wife’s &quot;headache treatments.&quot;This list includes the worst TV husbands of all time; these are the men on TV whose wives should have left them, even if only to get a little peace and quiet. Sometimes these gruff TV husbands were hiding a softer side, sometimes they weren’t, but either way, they are the worst examples of husbands on TV. Vote up the worst husbands on the list.

Archie Bunker

TV Husbands Whose Wives Should Have Divorced Them

Worst Husbands on TV Character List 

List of the greatest guest star dads in TV history, recurring or one-time appearances. These guest star TV dads range from cold and distant to loving to overbearing, but they’ve all done one important thing: made great TV shows even better. Guest star TV fathers might only show up once or they might be recurring characters -- either way, they’re TV dads who will be remembered as part of TV history. After all, who can forget Frank Costanza or Jack Geller?&nbsp;Perhaps the insight they give is one reason the best TV guest star dads are so memorable. Characters’ actions become easier to understand when viewers occasionally see their interactions with their fathers. Take Kurt Hummel, for instance. When he sometimes struggles with the ramifications of his sexual orientation, viewers understand why -- his father struggles with the same issues. Even one-time guest star dad appearances are enough to explain a character’s quirks or issues, especially when that character has struggled with the absence of his or her father throughout the TV series. &nbsp;Of course, not all guest star dad appearances are so serious. Guest star television fathers can be comic relief, pure and simple. They show up, drive their offspring crazy and make viewers laugh, then vanish for a while. Many of them act as caricatures of real-world fathers, doing typical dad things, like arguing over who’ll pay the check or spoiling the grandchildren without permission. Guest star TV dads also perform not-so-normal acts -- like Mac’s father on “It’s Always Sunny,” who wanted his son to smuggle drugs into prison. &nbsp;Whatever the reason viewers love TV guest star dads, this is a list of the very best. These are the ones who’ve made viewers laugh, or maybe cry, and although they don’t show up often, they’re welcome when they do.

The Greatest Guest Star Dads in TV History

Fictional Characters

List of notable fictional characters whose name is Frank or Franklin, including photos when available. The fictional characters named Frank below come from every kind of genre and medium, as this list includes movie characters named Frank, TV characters named Frank, and book characters named Frank. You might even find some notable <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-most-badass-video-game-heroes-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">video game characters</a> whose name is Frank below as well. Whether you're looking for comedy characters named Frank or drama characters named Frank, this list will have what you're looking for. Who are the most well known fictional Franklins? Some of the more memorable names below include Frank Costanza from Seinfeld, Frank Barone from <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/list-of-everybody-loves-raymond-writers/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Everybody Loves Raymond</a>, and Frank Gallagher from Shameless. This list is ranked by the votes of users like you, so vote for your favorite characters below if you want to see them higher on the list. If we left your top character named Frank off the list, feel free to add them.

Frank Furillo

Fictional Characters Named Frank

Characters Named Frank | Fictional Characters Whose Name Is Franklin

Reference

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

Frank Costanza

Frank Costanza is listed on