Guest Author - Amy Ralston Young

You know who they are...those despicable, cold-hearted, low-lifes. The characters we tune in to watch week after week just to see what stupid, mean, or ridiculous thing they will come up with next.

We would never want them as friends, and often fantasize about telling them where to go, but our favorite show just would not be the same without them.

In their honor, I now present the Top 5 sitcom Characters We Love to Hate:

Archie Bunker (Carrol O’Connor) “All in the Family”
No one did justice to bigoted, loudmouths quite like Archie. He hated everyone and everything that did not fit into his narrow view of how the world should be.

An uneducated, brash, blue-collar worker, Archie alienated his family and neighbors, but he never seemed to care. He was so uninhibited in his speech that he often spent more time with his foot in his mouth than one of his beloved cigars.

On the bright side, Archie’s prejudice and hatred extended to all ethnicities, political parties, and social classes, so in his own way he treated everyone fairly.


Michael Scott (Steve Carell) “The Office”
Regional Manager of Scranton, PA office of Dunder-Mifflin, Michael likes to think of himself as a cross between office comedian and omnipotent businessman. He tells his staff to think of him as “a friend first and a boss second.”

That doesn’t seem so bad, does it? Well guess again. Michael is unfunny at best, insensitive, crude, tactless, incredibly inappropriate and down right offensive. He constantly lands himself in awkward situations, and has no ability to get out of them, making everything worse.

He’s juvenile, insecure, and spineless. He’s also clueless; and that’s what makes him so great to watch – he doesn’t realize how ridiculous he really is.


Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) “How I Met Your Mother”
Barney is a cocky, sleazy, womanizer. He uses phrases like “Legendary,” “True story,” “Suit up,” and various forms of the word “awesome.”

Barney is almost always seen wearing a suit, and frequents bars and parties trying to score – but only for the night. He has his apartment set up to deter women from lingering – a professionally lit porn collection in the living room, a king size bed with one pillow and a small blanket, and a spring-loaded toilet seat that always stays up.

Although he has a strong group of friends, Barney is often brutally honest – even cruel to them. His cruelty, however, is outweighed by the many things he does to help his friends – he convinced Lilly to come back to Marshall, he helps Ted pick up women, he lets Lilly live with him for a brief time…plus, he’s really funny.


Marie Barone (Doris Roberts) “Everybody Loves Raymond”
The very intrusive and over-nurturing mother of Raymond and Robert, and wife to Frank, Marie keeps the family under her thumb through her many guilt trips. Marie seems to be sweet and helpful, but only in the most passive-aggressive, insulting way.

Her daughter-in-law, Debra, seems to get the short end of the stick when it comes to relationships with Marie. She is constantly doling out unsolicited advice, and when something smells strange, she asks if Debra is cooking.

Marie is overly sensitive, and often blows things way out of proportion.

Although if she were my mother-in-law I would live across the country and not across the street, she does have a few redeeming qualities. Marie is the quintessential homemaker. She excels in cooking, cleaning, and any thing involving keeping a good home and bringing up a nurturing and caring family. I guess that’s enough to make her lovable.


Al Bundy (Ed O’Neil) “Married...With Children”
In high school he had a promising football career ahead of him (remember he ran for four touchdowns in one game?). However, after he impregnated his girlfriend, married her, and broke his leg, he was doomed to a life of mediocrity. Al sold shoes in the mall, where he passed out insults and chauvinistic remarks right and left.

Although he often blamed his family for his many failures, they were actually the results of his poor judgment and plain bad luck. He frequents “nudie bars” with his friends and tries everything he can to get out of having sex with his wife. He has terrible foot odor, bad dandruff, rotten teeth, and likes to sit around with one hand under the waistband of his pants.

The majority of the show’s humor is derived from his resentment of his wife and kids, but in the end, he loves them, and would protect them at all costs. That love – and his faithfulness (to his “old Dodge” and the wife) – makes Al Bundy somewhat loveable.