They Just Crack Me Up, My Favorite Sitcom Characters

God bless the good sitcom They are sources of endless mirth, they are comfort when we’re stressed, they are reminders of the wonderful cavalcade that life can be. We need them. Imagining a universe without a steady source of chuckles is bleak. Thankfully among the hundreds (is it thousands)? of TV sitcoms produced over the past seventy years are a precious few that we can rely on to tickle our funny bones again and again. When in their first run we eagerly anticipate their next show. Afterwards we revel in their ability on streaming services. They are a joy to behold.

Every once in awhile there’s a comedy that isn't just funny but captures the zeitgeist or basks in eternal truths. And then there are some that do both, comedies like Seinfeld and The Mary Tyler Moore Show that are of their time but will live on for generations. Many sitcoms quickly become dated, characters who seemed fresh and funny at the time are now stale and tired. (Recent viewings of former favorites like the original Night Court and Bosom Buddies proved this.) 

Without exception the best sitcoms have memorable characters who don’t just make us laugh but also make us root them on even when we know they are not meant to win in this world. We love these characters despite their foibles, indeed because of them. They are often people who by rights we should strongly dislike. But…they make us laugh and there are few things more important in this life than that. We come to know these people, they are like family. They are literally important to us.

Here are my ten favorite sitcoms characters. You will notice among them are mostly selfish, egotistical people. But none of them are stupid, none of them are cruel and all of them have within them a basic humanity and most important of all, the capacity to make us laugh.

1. George Costanza (Jason Alexander) Seinfeld. I’ve always found George to be frighteningly relatable (please, don’t tell anyone). He has a sort of everyman quality. Never a total failure but never a great success. His impulse on one episode to start doing the opposite of what he thinks is the correct move speaks to a lot of us. Especially as it made his life better. Jason Alexander absolutely nailed the role of a lifetime and turned a best friend character into a cultural icon. (We're living in a society!)

2. Moira Rose (Catherine O’Hara) Schitt’s Creek. Ms. O’Hara consistently went to the top but never over it. Moira pushes everyone to the limits with her narcissism and flamboyance but there is a humanity to her that is undeniable. Often oblivious to others but somehow still a great wife, mother and friend. O'Hara has excelled in innumerable roles but this is may be her best. Genius. 

3. April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza) Parks and Rec. She damn well steals ever scene she’s in. Laconic, philosophical, unsentimental and absolutely true to herself every second of the day. April is always the wisest person in the room — and the most cynical. She’s got a super-powered bullshit detector and is thus a great judge of character. 

4. Barney Fife (Don Knotts) The Andy Griffith Show. How can an arrogant, self-absorbed bumbling fool be so damn lovable? Here is the genius of Don Knotts’s portrayal. Everyone is always exasperated by Barney but loves him just the same. We roll our eyes at his antics while rooting him on. Knotts established a template that few have been equal to.

5. Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) Fawlty Towers. Sardonic, smart a schemer and yet a loser, Basil is in many ways the quintessential lead sitcom character. Forever trying to outwit his wife, forever stymied by bad luck, forever frustrated by those bumbling idiots who are merely going about their quotidian tasks, Basil can never win. He can also never stop trying. As much as his work on Monty Python, the character of Basil Fawlty exhibited the comic brilliance of John Cleese.

6. Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) Only Murders in the Building. Well for crying out loud he’s played by Martin Short so how could he not be hilarious and lovable? Frankly I could watch Oliver Putnam read the phone book and be entertained. To watch him team with two comic masterminds like Steve Martin and Selena Gomez (yes, I called Ms. Gomez a comic mastermind, got a problem with it?) is utterly scrumptious. 

7. Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) Brooklyn 9-9. There is a hidden warmth and cuddliness to Rosa barely perceptible beneath that steely exterior. What is there about a woman who is as tough as nails that is so appealing? Another character who is always true to her own code. When Rosa shows any vulnerability we love her all the more. 

8. Jim Brockmire (Hank Azaria) Brockmire. There is a brilliant and witty man not so deeply hidden in the character of Jim Brockmire. There is also a raging and ragingly funny alcoholic whose addict’s lust for more, the most and then some more is so relatable to those of us with the same disease. Getting sober was good for his character and didn't stem the tide of laughter he inspired. 

9. Sergeant Ernie Bilko (Phil Silvers) The Phil Silvers Show. The eternal schemer. The fast-talker. The conniver. He always wins yet never gets the big score. Ultimate success is always just out of reach. We should hate him for his self-possession and the way he uses even his closest friends. But the charm of Ernie Bilko is irresistible. 

10. Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes) Will & Grace. Just Jack indeed. We round out the list with yet another ego maniac, but with yet another compellingly cheeky character who beguiles us with the singularness of his personality. Jack lights up every room he enters and we can't get enough of him.

Here are my favorite sitcom ensemble casts: The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Seinfeld, 30 Rock, Community, Schitt’s Creek and Taxi.