These TV characters are so ridiculous that there’s no way they could actually exist in real life.The best sitcoms of all timeare especially guilty of introducingcharacters that are unbelievably annoying, illogical, one-dimensional, or are even considered a caricature of a caricature. It’s worth noting that while certain qualities of these personalities are found in people in real life, their characterizations rely so heavily on them that it’s hard for audiences to suspend their disbelief.
This is particularly common with those who appear for a brief time. While someminor TV characters become iconic later on, others are remembered for being ridiculous, and not in a good way.A good TV character has to feel like a real person, and while there are elements of their layered personalities that are over-the-top, these figures are so unrealistic that viewers would never come across them on the street.
10Chandler’s Roommate, Eddie
Friends
Chandler’s temporary roommate inFriends, Eddie, only appears in three episodes in season 3, but he’s one of the most notable minor characters in the show. It’s worth noting that many consider Eddie to have a mental health condition such as schizophrenia, but seeing as the show doesn’t directly acknowledge this, this can’t really be officially considered.
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Eddie ridiculously flies off the handle and lacks a lot of social awareness, but it’s not as if he doesn’t understand societal structures, as he frequently treats Chandler as the differently behaved one.Eddie putting a live fish in his pockets and stealing a mannequin head are absurd. His response to Chandler’s brief conversation with his ex, Tilly, is even more wild.
Cast
Friends is a television sitcom that debuted in 1994, revolving around six young New Yorkers navigating the complexities of adulthood. The series highlights their friendship as they support each other through personal and professional challenges, encapsulating the ups and downs of life in a comedic and relatable manner.
It’s strange not seeing Joey living with Chandler in their apartment, but Eddie’s eccentricities highlight just why the best friends work so well. It’s astonishingChandler manages to get rid of Eddie by convincing him that they’d never met, but it’s more shocking that Eddie is a person who genuinely believes this and disappears without questioning it further (especially with his possessions boxed up and in the entryway of the building.)
9Stanley’s Daughter, Melissa
The Office
Melissa Hudson’s main appearance is inThe Officeepisode “Take Your Daughter To Work Day,” although there are mentions of her at other points in the show and one last cameo in season 8. I don’t hate Melissa as a character, but every time I rewatch this episode,I cringe at how this teenager is portrayed.
I don’t hate Melissa as a character, but every time I rewatch this episode, I cringe at how this teenager is portrayed.
Yes, she’s obsessed with the mall and the latest trends, but no typical girl of her age would dream of hitting on an older guy within earshot of her father, let alone someone Stanley works with, too. I feel bad when Stanley shouts at Ryan about this because the situation is out of Ryan’s control.
This mockumentary comedy series observes the mundane and humorous daily lives of employees at the Scranton branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. It offers insights into office dynamics, personalities, and the eccentric behavior of both management and staff, depicting an ordinary workplace with extraordinary characters.
While there are some who would, I also can’t imagine a world in which Stanley Hudson raises a child who would do such a thing. It’s established that Melissa attends Catholic school, where she would undoubtedly be warned against such behavior, and I have no issue with her being rebellious, but her timing just isn’t logical to me.
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
I think the concept of theIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiaepisode “The Waitress Is Getting Married” is fantastic, but I can never get on board with the idea that Brad Fisher would be a real person.The Waitress’ backstory inIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiais further explored as she reminds the gang she went to high school with them, and not only did she date Brad in her teen years, but so did Dee.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a television series that premiered in 2005, chronicling the chaotic lives of four self-involved friends running an Irish pub in Philadelphia. Their misguided decisions and skewed perspectives often result in amusing and uncomfortable situations, complicating their professional and personal relationships.
It sucks that Brad’s high school years are so bad that he feels the need to track down girls from his past, pretend to get engaged to them, and then break their hearts. However, bullying can only be used to justify this to a certain extent. Brad improves upon himself and has a whole new life, soit’s odd that he is still losing sleep over the likes of the Waitress and Dee. Although Brad’s purpose is simply for the sake of comic relief, his scheme is completely unrealistic and unnecessary.
7Captain Seth Dozerman
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Out ofevery captain the precinct has inBrooklyn Nine-Nine, Seth Dozerman is by far the most annoying. Bill Hader does a fabulous job of bringing the neurotic police captain to life, but while there are worse figures in the force, there’s no way his actions would fly in the real world.
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Dozerman is introduced in the episode “New Captain” and immediately puts everyone in their place, and even by sitcom standards,his behavior is ridiculous. The captain monitors everyone’s performance via the Dozer-pads, is obsessed with efficiency, and sends out Dozer-blasts to keep them on their toes.
From the creative minds of Dan Goor and Michael Schur comes Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a police comedy series set in the NYPD’s fictional 99th precinct. Headed by the comedically serious Captain Raymond Holt and protagonist Jake Peralta, the detectives of the 99 deal with burglaries, drug deals, and oddities in New York City, occasionally steering into real-world issues surrounding police perception and social concerns in the 2010s and earlier. Each detective has their own unique personality that makes them stand out, creating endearing dynamics that helped the show thrive for eight seasons.
This is all wild enough, not to mention the screaming.Dozerman goes from zero to 100 within seconds, and it’s surprising he doesn’t suffer with more heart problems than he demonstrates in the single episode he appears in, which ends with his rather abrupt death. I’ll always laugh at Captain Seth Dozerman, but if he were a real person, the NYPD would never have made him a captain in the first place.
6Jeanette Peterson
How I Met Your Mother
Jeanette Peterson is one of the worst ofTed’s girlfriends inHow I Met Your Mother, but thankfully, she’s the last person he dates before he meets Tracy. Jeanette is completely unhinged and the perfect stereotype of a“crazy girlfriend.”Ted’s actions in the show border on unrealistic anyway, butJeanette’s stalking and manipulating him into staying with hermakes her seem like a caricature of a caricature. Jeanette is absurd enough up until this point, but suddenly, it’s revealed that she’s a police lieutenant.
How I Met Your Mother is a television series that follows a father telling his children about his past. Released in 2005, it explores his experiences and adventures with four close friends, leading up to meeting their mother, as depicted through a series of flashbacks.
This makes everything even more ridiculous. Not only is Jeanette able to“answer”a disturbance call about herself, but she then destroys Ted’s bedroom, attaches dynamite toBarney’sHIMYMPlaybook, ignites it, and throws it out the window.Jeanette’s fate at the end of the show is ludicrous, too. Surely Kevin learns from his mistakes, and Jeanette is far more aggressive and deluded than Robin, so it’s weird that he fall for yet another patient when Ted’s crazed ex is sent to therapy.
5Dr. Fishman
Arrested Development
Dr. Fishman’s interactions withthe Bluth family inArrested Developmentis one of my favorite recurring jokes throughout the show. The doctor always greets the Bluths with a serious demeanor, butthe way he decides to break news to them is backwards and foolish.
Dr. Fishman is a hilarious minor character, and I love this Arrested Development running gag, but in real-life, he’d have a very different career path.
For example, Fishman tells Michael that he “lost” George Sr. in “Let ‘Em Eat Cake,” and the family assumes the patriarch is dead, but in reality, he has escaped out the window. There are several occurrences like this throughout the show, and it riles Lucille up further and further each time.
Arrested Development, a television series premiered in 2003, follows the dysfunctional Bluth family who are coping with the loss of their fortune. Central to the narrative is Michael Bluth, the diligent son attempting to stabilize the family amidst their eccentricities and financial turmoil.
In fact, Lucille refers to Fishman as “Doctor Wordsmith,” which for her, is a relatively tame nickname to give him. Of course,in the real world, a doctor would never phrase things so weirdly. Fishman probably wouldn’t make it past medical school, let alone into a pair of scrubs and onto the hospital floor. Dr. Fishman is a hilarious minor character, and I love thisArrested Developmentrunning gag, but in real-life, he’d have a very different career path.
4Carol Malloon
Superstore
One ofthe most significant character arcs inSuperstoreis Carol Malloon’s. Initially, she’s just a background character, butCarol’s obsession with chasing after men with relationship issuesslowly results in her becoming a cruel bully who tries to kill Sandra’s cat. It’s wild when she takes Adam’s contact details from the Cloud 9 system and calls him, mere moments after learning he and Amy are in marriage counselling, for example. Carol sees Amy on a daily basis, yet it doesn’t occur to her that Adam would tell his wife about her strange voicemail, regardless of their relationship issues.
Superstore is a workplace sitcom following the employees of the St. Louis branch of a fictional big-box store. Cloud 9 sells everything anyone could ever possibly need, but its workers often leave much to be desired. Trying to organize their lives around the demanding world of retail work, Cloud 9’s staff more often end up having fun than they do working.
It’s also absurd that Carol subjects Sandra to so much abuse when Jerry leaves her. It’s Jerry’s choice, but what’s even more shocking is that Carol somehow manages to enforce the decision that they’re getting back together, and he has to break up with Sandra. Carol’s behavior on the day of Sandra and Jerry’s wedding is ridiculous and over-the-top, andI still can’t understand how she manages to keep her job at Cloud 9, who surely has to invest heavily in liability insurance after this.
3Baldrick
Blackadder
Blackadder’s Baldrick, regardless of incarnation, is one ofthe greatest British comedy characters of all time. However, there is no way Baldrick would even be alive in the real world. Baldrick is the loyal yet bumbling sidekick of Edmund Blackadder, and despite often claiming to have a “cunning plan,” his plots are actually far from that.Sir Tony Robinson’s iconic character can barely function, and as each version of Baldrick passes, he becomes so unintelligent that it’s surprising he can even speak.
Blackadder is a British sitcom starring Rowan Atkinson as various incarnations of Edmund Blackadder, spanning different historical eras from the Middle Ages to World War I. Created by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, the series blends satirical humor and historical settings, offering a comedic take on British history with a sharp wit and memorable characters, including Baldrick, played by Tony Robinson.
Even when things are looking better, Baldrick’s decision-making ruins things for him. For example, Baldrick becomes a Lord in season 2, but he uses his £400,000 stipend on a massive turnip, which the titular character later smashes over his head. Baldrick is sweet and a brilliantly comical figure, andBlackadderwouldn’t be the same without him, buthe wouldn’t survive in the real world, especially in the time periods the hilarious sitcom is set in.
2The Zorpies’ Leader, Herb Scaifer
Parks And Recreation
Parks and Recreation’s Reasonabilists cult, who worship the lizard-god Zorp, are a brilliantly funny group of people. I love the little subplotsParks and Recreationadds into the show that establish more of Pawnee’s backstory, but the Reasonabilists’ leader, Herb Scaifer, is not someone who would exist in real life.
Most of Pawnee has moved on from Zorp since the cult’s surge in influence in the 1970s, but Herb and a few others are still committed.Herb clearly knows the world isn’t going to end in the season 4 episode “End of the World,”which is why he barters with Leslie over the dates he can book the park for.
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is a television series that premiered in 2009, focusing on Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat in Pawnee, Indiana. She encounters various challenges from bureaucrats and citizens while striving to beautify the town through her role in the Parks and Recreation Department.
He plays along with the bit, of course, jokingly offering Ron a check for his wooden flutes, but it’s still embarrassing to witness. It’s established that the Reasonabilists have held 15 end of the world vigils in the past, only to survive, and it’s baffling that the Zorpies and their leader are so determined that it’ll happen (even though it’s clear they don’t really believe it).
1Ramona Nowitzki
The Big Bang Theory
Ramona Nowitzki’s final appearance inThe Big Bang Theoryresults in Sheldon proposing to Amy, but I still think it’s ludicrous that Riki Lindhome’s character gets away with so much in the first place. Ramona proves herself to be trouble in her original run during season 2, andher weird, almost motherly yet romantic relationship with Sheldon is really inappropriate.
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She essentially sets up camp in the apartment, to the point that Sheldon feels overwhelmed with her insistence on following his work schedule, which is saying something. Ramona chooses to ignore how many social rules she’s breaking, and it’s unbelievably cringey when she does everything for Sheldon.
The Big Bang Theory: This sitcom follows a group of socially awkward scientists and their interactions with each other and the people around them. Centered on physicists Sheldon and Leonard, the series humorously explores friendship, romance, and the quirks of life among an eclectic group of academics.
Upon her return in season 10, Ramona knowsSheldon is in a relationship with Amy, but this doesn’t stop her from trying to pursue the genius once again. You can’t denyRamona is dedicated to getting Sheldon, and while her rose-tinted glasses can excuse why she goes to these lengths for someone who clearly doesn’t want her in season 2, the embarrassment of it all would surely put her off trying it a second time in season 10.
