Okay gang, name the five all time TV characters that you consider the funniest.

No analysis of their place in the annals of broadcast media or anything like that, just your personal choice of the guys/girls who can ALWAYS crack you up - even in a bad episode of their respective shows.

My five would be:

1. Barney Fife
2. Rupert Ritzik
3. Gunther Toody
4. Ed Norton
5. Leo Schnauser

Honorable mention: Herman Munster

Barney Fife
Ralph Kramden
Ed Norton
George "Kingfish" Stevens
George Costanza

Since most of the classics are already mentioned:

He was only in a couple of episodes, but I used to love Vic Hitler, "The Narcoleptic Comic" on Hill St. Blues. JD and Howard were usually good for some chuckles too, as well as the crazy latin guy who would dress up as the Cisco Kid to fight crime. I don't remember the actors name, but he turned up later on Miami Vice in almost the same recurring role.

And don't forget:
Cliff Clavin on Cheers(Loved his facts about Florida and when he went on Jeopardy)

Henpecked "Pip" on The Job(Does my @ss look big?Honestly? Just look at it for me)

Dr Cox and Ted the Lawyer on Scrubs(Shut up Shirley and be a man)

Lt Dangle on Reno 911

Kramer
Barney Fife
Col. Jack O'Neil
Niles Crane
Capt. Wilton Parmenter

laurel and hardy
Moe, Larry and Curly
Lucy
Red Skelton
Johnny Carson and his animals

Sean Hannity and anyone on Fox News.

DAVID BRENT (The Office)
LARRY SANDERS (The Larry Sanders Show)
HANK KINGSLEY (The Larry Sanders Show)
ARTHUR (The Larry Sanders Show)
LARRY DAVID (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
TED BAXTER (Mary Tyler Moore)
FLOYD THE BARBER (Andy Griffith)

Aw Phill- You are ABSOLUTLY RIGHT Dr. Cox of Scrubs is The Funniest thing going on TV Newbie! lol Well Modern Television Of course. Then there's The Classics like Ricky Ricarrdo or another Great IMHO is Gabe Kaplan in Welcome Back Kotter. Another I hadn't seen here (Yet) was Christopher Llyod as Jim Inatalski on "Taxi" or The Brothers On "Wings" (Steven Webber,Tim Daly) Another Bob Newhart (In the Original Show where he's a Shrink)

John/Lonfan

1. Herb Tarlek-WKRP
2. Louie DePalma-Taxi
3. Dan Fielding - Night Court
4. Arnold J. Rimmer-Red Dwarf
5.Ted Baxter-Mary Tyler Moore
6. Hawkeye Pierce-M*A*S*H
7. Venus Flytrap-WKRP
8. Kramer-Seinfeld
9. Homey the Clown/Fireman Bill/Bum-In Living Color

Lance(Tom Selleck) on The Rockford Files
Garth on The Office
Dietrich on Barney Miller
Uncle Leo on Seinfeld
The Comic Store clerk on The Simpsons("Ohhh, a fat obnoxious Star Trek fan, you must be a devil with the ladies")
Larry, Darryl, and his other brother Darryl on Newhart.

Col. Jack O'Neil

I'll second that. Two L's, though.
Homer Simpson
Seth McFarlane (as characters on Family Guy & American Dad)

I should have made that a top ten. I'm seeing quite a few that I forgot.

Definitely should have Uncle Leo from Seinfeld on my list. Not only is Len Lesser's portrayal always funny, but don't we all have an Unle Leo-like character in our family?

I should have made that a top ten. I'm seeing quite a few that I forgot.

Definitely should have Uncle Leo from Seinfeld on my list. Not only is Len Lesser's portrayal always funny, but don't we all have an Unle Leo-like character in our family?

You only left him off because you're anti-semitic, that's how they get you!

PM (Who has a Jewish great-uncle exactly like Uncle Leo right down to the eyebrows)

Police Squad was pretty funny too.

Hymie the robot
Uncle Arthur
The Indians on F-Troop
Ernest T. Bass
Buddy Sorrell on Dick Van Dyke Show
Alan Brady(steals every episode he's in)

Dan Fielding- Night Court
Jack- Will and Grace
The Entire cast of the Carol Burnett show.. especially Tim Conway
Benny Hill

Arnold Ziffel
SS Colonel Ritterdon(is that right?)

Here's a few more:


Lucy Ricardo (c'mon, props where props are due)
Fred Sanford
Archie Bunker
Edith Bunker
Angel (Stewart Margolin) on The Rockford Files
Ernest T. Bass (Howard Morris) on The Andy Griffith Show
Brisco Darling (Denver Pyle) on The Andy Griffith Show
Howard Borden (Bill Daily) on The Bob Newhart Show
Frank Costanza (Jerry Stiller) on Seinfeld

The white cop on Sanford and Son

I'd have to nominate at least two of Tracey Ullman's characters -- Linda Granger, the washed-up actress; and Fern, the New York Jewish lady.
Also Louie de Palma, Al Bundy, and Robin Williams as Mork (although I don't know if he's technically even a character — Mork was Robin Williams doing Robin Williams).

Might be too old for some:

Chico Esquela-"Baseball been berry, berry good to me. Keep your eye on da ball"

Sammy Maudlin and Willy B.

Dr Tongue and Count Floyd's Scary 3D Funhouse

Video DJ Gerry Todd

Fred Garvin:Male Prostitute

Basil Fawlty(John Cleese)

All associated with the Andy Griffith show during the B/W run...not the dreaded color seasons.

Oliver Wendel Douglas(Eddie Albert)

Jethro Bodine(Max Baer)

Jethro Bodine(Max Baer)

How could we forget the world's greatest secret agent, double-naught seven, soon to be brain surgeon.

... or his beautiful cousin, Jethrine?

Don't forget the first Male US Synchronized swimming team!
(I can't hear the Raiders of the Lost Ark theme without thinking of Harry Shearer and Martin Short training in the pool to "realize their dream".)

Oh yeah! The eyebrows. The epiosde where Uncle Leo gets his eyebrows singed off and Elaine draws new ones on him. Oh man, hilarious!!

... or his beautiful cousin, Jethrine?

Jethrine is Jethro's sister. Elly Mae is his cousin.

- GJS

Okay gang, name the five all time TV characters that you consider the funniest.

No analysis of their place in the annals of broadcast media or anything like that, just your personal choice of the guys/girls who can ALWAYS crack you up - even in a bad episode of their respective shows.

My five would be:

1. Barney Fife
2. Rupert Ritzik
3. Gunther Toody
4. Ed Norton
5. Leo Schnauser


I didn't think I was that much younger than you guys, but I have no idea who ANY of those people / characters are.

My 2 cents
The Black Adder (Rowan Atkinson)
Dave Brent (The office)
Joey / Chandler combo (I know I know...)
Basil Fawlty (Cleese)
Maxwell Smart (Don Adams)

Hey, nothing in the world wrong with Friends.

I agree with the Chandler/Joey thought. It's a toss-up for me, too.

Anyone remember Lancelot Link,secret chimp?

Hawkeye Pierce
Reverend Jim Ignatowski
Burt Campbell (Soap)
Edmund Blackadder (II and III)
Basil Fawlty

I will of course change my mind from minute to minute as I remember others.

Ted Baxter
Mr. Carlson
Glydas Kravits
Abner Kravitz
Sigfried

Geraldine Granger-The Vicar of Dibley
Alice Tinker-The Vicar of Dibley's half witted Virger
Frank Spencer-Some Mothers Do Ave Em
Edmund Black Adder
Ronald Reagan-as depicted on Spitting Image

In no particular order:

Hawkeye Pierce - M*A*S*H
Max Smart - Get Smart
Les Nesman - WKRP in Cincinnati
Dan Fielding - Night Court
Detective Fish - Barney Miller

Maxwell Smart
Barney Fife
Bugs Bunny
Daffy Duck
Wile E. Coyote

Dan Rather
Stone Phillips
Katie Couric
Morley Safer
Ed Bradley

1. Dan Fielding <Night Court>

2.Sophia <Golden Girls>

3.Hawkeye <Mash>

4.Big Jimmy Hughes <Yes Dear>

5.Whole cast of the Dick Van Dyke show

Col. Jack O'Neil

"That's two "L's", by the way." ;)

George H.W. Bush

Oh, he's a real character...? Well, I guess I better take him off the list.

Revised:

Reverend Jim Ignatowski ("Taxi") (thanks for the reminder 'bout him, John!)
Three way tie for 2nd: Drew Carey, Lewis Kinski and Oswald Lee Harvey - those three crack me up every time! ("The Drew Carey Show")
Ernie 'Coach' Pantusso ("Cheers")
Burt Campbell ("Soap") (and another thanks to John! Loved that show growin' up!)
Latka Gravas ("Taxi")
There are lots more that I can't add, but anybody who can deliver some of the most hilarious lines deadpan are always on my list of favoriates.

I always thought Hank Kimbel was pretty funny on Green Acres. Well, I guess pretty isn't the right word, more like mildly attractive. And the acres weren't really green, they were more of a yellowish-brown... :p

Reverend Jim Ignatowski ("Taxi") (thanks for the reminder 'bout him, John!)
We're watching season 3 DVDs over dinner this week. Possibly the funniest Jim episode ever, is the one where he dates Tony's sister (Julie Kavner!) and Tony goes nuts over it. Tony accidentally bumps into Jim in the garage and says "Why are you all over me!?" Jim says "Oh, am I here? Sorry!" and meanders off. :lol:

Another favorite Jim moment is when Bobby (Ka-Nicky) is doing the classic "mime in a box" routine. Jim comes in in the middle and yells in a panic "Isn't somebody gonna get him outta there!??! :lol::lol:

My favorite Reverend Jim episode has him as a door to door salesman demonstrating his product to a potential customer in her apartment. After going through a five minute speel about how his product is a miracle of the modern age and that it will relieve her from the drudgery of housework forever - he takes an envelope of dirt and slops it all over her carpet, followed by oily liquid from a catsup squirt bottle - which he then rubs into the carpet with his foot. The woman is horrified. The Reverend says: "Have no fear madam, once I demonstrate this miracle product, your carpet will be cleaner than the day it was installed!" The Reverend pauses for a second, momentarily lost in the ozone, then - with a look of horror on his face slaps his head and says: "Oh no! I just remembered .... I'm selling encyclopedias!!"

The biggest laugh I ever got from Jim was the beginning of a line, just the introductory line of a speech. I was so busy laughing hysterically at the image the line invoked that I missed the rest of the scene the first time - "I was sitting on the edge of a cliff with the Maharishi doing psychedelic mushrooms once..." :eek: :freak: :lol:

I liked Rev Jim's nutcracker, which when I saw it was during the brief period of time when it was actually cool to have a coffee table made from one of those old wooden wire "spools".

"Well....I guess you could use it as a table, too"

My favorite Rev jim was : He's studying for his drivers liscense and he's asking questions." What does a yellow light mean?" Slow down.what.........does........ a.........yelllow.........light.......... mean?

My favorite Rev jim was : He's studying for his drivers liscense and he's asking questions." What does a yellow light mean?" Slow down.what.........does........ a.........yelllow.........light.......... mean?

A "classic" TV sitcom moment!

I get a kick out of Cloris Leachman as Ida on "Malcom in the middle"

I always thought Hank Kimbel was pretty funny on Green Acres. Well, I guess pretty isn't the right word, more like mildly attractive. And the acres weren't really green, they were more of a yellowish-brown... :p

Oh yeah, you're right. I gotta lop someone off my list. I just have to see him walk on camera and I'm laughing.

Oliver Douglas (working on tractor): Mr. Kimble, my water pump is broken. Can you get me one just like it?

Mr. Kimble: You want a broken one?

Hank Agent, your county Kimball