Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Top 10: Comedy Characters

I have to admit, the situation comedy of years past as all but been erased in today's television. With the limitless amount of reality television, and spin-off after spin-off of crime dramas - the comedy has sort of whithered away.

There are still a few gems out there if you look in the right place. Even had a difficult time coming up with a handful of comedies that I will watch on a regular basis. Comedy is probably my favorite type of movie to watch, but for some reason (and perhaps it's the lack of quality) my DVR is mostly queued for the crime dramas as well.

But, I have come up with 10 characters from comedies on television today that usually have me laughing each and every episode - and here they are in reverse order.

10) Josh Gates - Destination Truth
Though technically on a reality show (I told you it was hard to find good comedies in today's television), Josh displays a very good sense of humor. His humor is not unlike my own - and usually has a quip or two during each and every show.

9) Bert "Sock" Wysocki (Tyler Labine) - Reaper
Sock is also technically not on a comedy, more of a dramedy, but his character is hilarious. He is the buddy to the main character, Sam, who is forced to capture escaped souls from Hell due to his parents selling his soul to the devil before he was born. Sock, and other friend Ben, help Sam capture these souls - with Sock usually being the comic relief throughout. His comic style reminds me a lot of Jack Black.

8) Stewie Griffin - Family Guy
Family Guy is pretty well known nowadays, especially after being rescued from cancellation thanks to positive DVD sales. Now most people are Peter Griffin fans, but the true comedy on the show comes from Stewie. He is the devil-baby that is constantly trying to rid himself of his mother, making fun of his brother and sister, and making life hell for the family dog. Although years ahead of others his age in development, it's the times where he shows his true innocence that stick out the most.

7) Darnell "Crabman" Turner (Eddie Steeples) - My Name Is Earl
This was a pretty hard decision to make, the true brilliance of the show My Name Is Earl is its ensemble cast. Each member brings something to the table, and without even one of them the show might not be as funny. But, I twisted my own arm and in my opinion Crabman has probably made me laugh the most. He is definitely smarter than another other character on the show, and because of that his comments can totally throw you for a loop - and of course you can't forget his love for Mr. Turtle.

6) Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) - Big Bang Theory
This is a new comedy I found on CBS that leads into How I Met Your Mother. It's about a pair of geniuses who live across the hall from a gorgeous, normal girl. Howard is one of the pairs friends, who wears unbelievably dated clothing, is constantly pining after beautiful women he can't get, or throwing out hilarious one-liners. Shelden, one of the two main geniuses, also is very entertaining and I am amazed at his ability to keep a straight face - but I have to give the edge to Howard on the laugh-out-loud quality of his humor.

5/4) Johnny "Drama" Chase (Kevin Dillon)
& Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) - Entourage
This listing is a combination. You can't have one without the other, it's like Laurel without Hardy or Peanut Butter without Jelly. Turtle and Drama from Entourage are what make that show hilarious. I love it when they stick the two of them together for some silly reason, because you know you are getting good laughs. Turtle will be making fun of Drama for some various reason, and of course Drama will snap back at Turtle the only way he knows how. The pairing is magical together.

3) Homer J. Simpson - The Simpsons
To me it's amazing how The Simpsons was once focused around Bart. Although Bart is a great character - there is no other animated character like Homer, and that may never be matched. Homer is a simple minded man, who will do anything he can to help out his family - as long as it doesn't get in the way of eating, watching tv or drinking beer. Over the years Homer has developed into more and more of a simple man - but his thoughts are hilarious (when spoken, or when just inside his head).

2) Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) - How I Met Your Mother
It's pretty interesting that a gay man can play such a womanizer so well, but it might only be able to be done by the great Neil Patrick Harris. Barney is the glue that holds How I Met Your Mother together. His 'bible' of life is legend(wait for it)dary. He constantly suits up and ever since getting dumped by his one true love - has become a womanizing mad men, who makes up stories to either get in bed with a girl, or get out of seeing her again. But it isn't just comedy for this guy - he actually cares about his friends. Even though by showing it, he is in some way, shape or form setting up some hilarious line.

1) Janitor (Neil Flynn) - Scrubs
The top spot goes to the most hilarious person on television - on what has possibly been the most hilarious show on television for the past seven years. The Janitor, as he is only known, is one of the most original and comedic characters ever created - and he is played fantastically well by Neil Flynn. The Janitor has chosen Sacred Heart doctor J.D. to be his dart board - the person he is constantly picking on or doing things to. He is dedicated to making J.D.'s day at work (and sometimes beyond work) impossible. The dedication is what makes it so great - as he was put on this earth just to make J.D.'s life miserable.

Well, there you have it - My Top 10 comedic characters on television right now. Sure there were great one's in the past (although it's tough to crack the top 3 of this list). Comedy may be on it's way out in television, but these characters will always have you smiling.

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