joeseddit’s
Top 25 (+2) Sitcom Sidekicks
Some shows the main character casts
such a large shadow the supporting cast doesn’t stand a chance to make a list
like this (All in the Family, The Office, Married with Children, Sanford &
Son…) and some shows the writing is so good it really doesn’t matter who is
delivering the punch line (M*A*S*H). Here’s my top 25 plus two because, well,
top 27 doesn’t sound right.
+2) Burt Campbell – Soap
Played by Richard Mulligan
To be honest I never saw much of Soap.
It’s not that I didn’t want to, I just never got around to it. It must have had
a time slot that conflicted with my life. So I guess I can’t say for certainty
that Burt was the funniest sidekick, but I do remember the show had some very
funny moments.
+1) Latka Gravas – Taxi
Played by Andy Kaufmann
A timid foreigner who, like Kaufmann
himself, was more of a novelty than anything. By a normal person’s standards
the role wasn’t all that confining. By Kaufmann’s standards I’m surprised he
lasted more than two weeks.
25) Frank Burns – M*A*S*H
Played by Larry Linville
He was annoying but then, that was his
role. He was the punch line before the punch line.
24) David Puddy – Seinfeld
Played by Patrick Warburton
Not a weekly regular so this character
pushes the limits of the “sidekick” definition. Puddy brought a shtick- “yeah,
that’s right”- that was both funny and unique.
23) Les Nessman – WKRP Cincinnati
The comical weatherman who had
imaginery walls around his office and pointed out that turkeys can’t fly.
22) Colonel Henry Blake – M*A*S*H
Played by McLean Stevenson
I’m listing M*A*S*H characters when I
said I wouldn’t. Can’t resist mentioning the humor in Blake’s reluctant
leadership.
21) Colonel Samuel Flagg – M*A*S*H
Played by Edward Winter
I’m slipping in another character who
barely qualifies as a sidekick. Flagg wasn’t a weekly regular but his part was
too funny to go unmentioned here. As I said in the intro, the writing in
M*A*S*H was so good that all of the characters could be and usually were funny
so maybe it’s not fair to list Flagg while excluding some of the others.
Couldn’t resist.
20) Reginald “Red”
Forman – That 70s Show
Played by Kurtwood Smith
Ass-kicking no nonsense father who delivered
several comical lines.
19) Laura Petrie – The Dick Van Dyke Show
Played by Mary Tyler Moore
Here’s where Mary earned her stripes
and gained the status to have her own show.
18) Floyd “The Barber” Lawson – The Andy Griffith Show
Played by Howard McNear
What can I say that could describe
this hilarious character? You have to see him. Probably more than once to fully
appreciate him.
17) Arthur Deitrich – Barney Miller
Played by Steve Landesberg
I love dry humor. Deitrich was dry as
sand. Probably the driest on this list.
16) Dennis Finch – Just Shoot Me
Played by David Spade
A little snotty, a little feminine, a
little lecherous. The perfect part for David Spade. I thought he was funny.
15) Jethro Bodine – The Beverly Hillbillies
Played by Max Baer Jr.
Jethro was considered the brains of
the family due to his sixth grade education. I remember an episode where he was
aiming to fly a space rocket to the moon: “Let’s see… the moon is usually ‘twix
that tree and that building…” Hilarious.
14) Lou Grant – The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Played by Ed Asner
Underappreciated show,
underappreciated cast.
13) Ernest T. Bass – The Andy Griffith Show
Played by Howard Morris
Ok, so maybe it’s a stretch to call
this guy a sidekick ‘cuz he wasn’t a weekly regular. But damn he was funny.
12) Joey Tribbiani – Friends
Played by Matt LeBlanc
You might be able to cry foul on
this one ‘cuz it’s really unclear who the lead character was on this show. You
might say all six of ‘em got equal billing. But I’ll bet if they were forced to
produce a “billing” list LeBlanc wouldn’t be at the top.
11) Cliff Clavin – Cheers
Norm had the great one liners at the
beginning of the show but Cliffy gets my comedy vote on this show.
10) Inspector Frank Luger – Barney Miller
Played by James Gregory
What a great character. The inspector
made “old school” funny.
9) “Granny” Daisy Moses – The Beverly Hillbillies
Played by Irene Ryan
The fiery kick-ass granny from the
hills. A friggin’ riot credited with everything from the “cement pond” to the
time she had a hippopautumas marked off in sections (jowls, spar ribs, chops,
etc.) assuming it was the biggest hog she’d ever seen.
8) Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli – Happy Days
Played by Henry Winkler
“Ayyyyy”. Although not as often, The Fonz’s shtick
still gets referenced from time to time. Equally as iconic as he is funny.
7) The Reverend Jim Ignatowski – Taxi
Played by Christopher Lloyd
I suspect my affinity towards the
sixties stoner character has me ranking the Reverend higher than most others
would, but this dude cracked me up.
6) Chandler Bing – Friends
Played by Matthew Perry
Ok, you might be able to cry foul on
this one ‘cuz it’s really unclear who the lead character was on this show. You
might say all six of ‘em got equal billing. But I’ll bet if they were forced to
produce a “billing” list Perry wouldn’t be at the top. But, as comedy goes, he
should be as far as I’m concerned.
5) Ed Norton – The Honeymooners
Played by Art Carney
Gleason cast a large shadow, both
figuratively and literally, but Norton didn’t take a back seat to Kramden.
Figuratively, that is. Literally he probably did when he was on the bus Ralph
drove for a living.
4) Cosmo Kramer – Seinfeld
Played by Michael Richards
A second character in the top five
from Seinfeld. And why not? One of the best sitcoms ever.
3) Ted Baxter – The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Played by Ted Knight
Did I mention this show is
underappreciated? Mary surrounded herself with so much talent she could have
not bothered to show up and I don’t think anyone would have missed her. Ted was
a riot.
2) George Costanza – Seinfeld
Played by Jason Alexander
Is there a show that gets referred to
in the real world more than Seinfeld? The lion’s share gets credited to George.
1) Barney Fife – The Andy Griffith Show
Played by Don Knotts
I love Andy Griffith but this show
isn’t half as successful without Barney.
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