100 Best Comedy Characters Currently On Television (70-61)

Following a two-day hiatus, we return with the next part of the countdown, going from numbers 70 to 61.

70. Penny Hartz (Happy Endings)

Penny is a versatile character, capable of being totally outlandish and being more grounded, all while being very funny.  Casey Wilson had shown on Saturday Night Live that she was able to handle playing a wide range of characters, and she has taken the best of those and put them into Penny on Happy Endings. Unfortunately, she doesn’t get a ton of variation of plot, but as the show is still in its young stages, there is room for improvement here.

69. The -Ville Mascot (Saturday Night Live)

The favorite recurring host of the past decade on Saturday Night Live, Justin Timberlake has found his own recurring character in the form of the -Ville mascot.  Dressed in some silly costume and singing parodies of popular songs, the mascot is one of the best characters that SNL has turned out in recent years, and it is a primary reason that Timberlake gets asked to come back as often as he does.

68. Ann Perkins (Parks and Recreation)

Ann Perkins!  Ann is one of the most level-headed characters on Parks and Rec but she doesn’t always get the biggest laughs of the show.  She is great at delivering dry humor, but due to the fact she is surrounded by much more outgoing and ridiculous characters, she doesn’t always get a chance to shine.  The recent relationship between Ann and Tom Haverford may lead to some bigger laughs for the character, and I hope she gets some more interesting plot lines in the future.

67. Mitchell Pritchett (Modern Family)

One third of the Pritchett-Tucker branch of the family tree on Modern Family, Mitchell is one of the more “serious” characters on the show, but he can still deliver some very funny scenes while also being a character with some social relevance.  Modern Family is one of the more progressive shows on (network) television, and the handling of Mitchell and Cam have helped enlighten more people to the similarities of that relationship to theirs.

66. C. Montgomery Burns (The Simpsons)

Mr. Burns is one of The Simpsons best satirical characters.  A constant vehicle for making fun of the 1 percent long before it was cool (those hipsters at The Simpsons did it first once again), Mr. Burns is great for providing some of the most bizarre and random references that Springfield has to offer.

65. Dee Reynolds (It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia)

The gang’s most ridiculed member, Dee is the constant butt of jokes in Paddy’s Pub, but she has shown that she is capable of giving just as good as she gets.  Certainly one of the most vicious characters on Always Sunny, Dee is also possibly the most tragic member of the group because the other members constantly belittle her dreams and use her inspiration as means to achieve their own selfish goals.

64. Brian Griffin (Family Guy)

The most similar to series creator Seth MacFarlane, Brian is generally used as a way for MacFarlane to share his views on various political and social issues.  Because of this, Brian can be a tad pretentious, but at the same time, he has a great comedic presence while giving the show some sort of grounds in reality, which is pretty ironic because he is the least realistic character on the show.

63. Cheryl Tunt (Archer)

Cheryl is a character that should be fairly normal (a secretary for a powerful boss) into one of the most fascinating characters on television.  Constantly developing into a more bizarre and nuanced character, Cheryl is also an heiress with a pet ocelot and has a high tolerance for pain (in addition to a great enjoyment of pain).  When voiced by Judy Greer who also played a fantastic secretary on Arrested Development, that should come as no surprise.

62. Shirley Bennett (Community)

Of the diverse and fantastic study group from Greendale Community College, Shirley continues to be one that the show doesn’t totally know what to do with.  A devout Christian, she also has a bit of a mean streak as she is willing to stand up for herself and those she cares about.  Not one of the show’s wackier characters, she is still one that provides big laughs on the show when she gets good material to perform.

61. Ralph Wiggum (The Simpsons)

What can you say about Ralph other than he is one of the dumbest characters in Springfield but that also makes him one of the funniest.  Instead, here is a clip of Ralph singing a song from the 90’s.

Tune in tomorrow for characters 60-51.

Hope you liked this post, and I hope you like what else I have to say.