When it comes to sitcoms, they are primarily a style of television series that was always around since the beginning of the medium. There's a reason for that— they're mostly inexpensive, 30-minute stories that get resolved before you even know it and don't require much more than light attention. These 'situational comedy' shows often became a good way to score a big hit.

But is there a secret to it? Is there a way to design good sitcoms? There are TV producers that may be more successful than others, but the formula is much more elemental than we think. It has to do with culture, current times, social circumstances, and the evolution of audiences. Can you guess why The Honeymooners wouldn't be made today? Exactly.

Updated June 15, 2023: This article has been updated to include new and fresh content for your enjoyment.

However, if there's a non-secret that will guarantee at least a few watches, it's the same ingredient as almost every narrative medium — great characters. There's something magnetic about how, when they're well-designed, they can connect with the audience in a matter of seconds and get us entranced in lightweight situations that turn into years and years of engagement. You recognize them because: 1) You laugh every time they do something, and 2) You do exactly the same when rewatching. Perhaps selecting the funniest sitcom characters in television history is very personal, but here is a try and what feels like a definitive list of the funniest, the ones you can't live without, and the ones that light up everyone's lives every week.

29 Tobias Fünke (Arrested Development)

David Cross in Arrested Development
20th Century Fox

There's nothing like Tobias Funke in modern television. It makes him an essential character in Arrested Development, just too secondary, in our opinion. To see him try to propose a plan and then make his point sets up some invaluable moments in sitcom history; he lacks so much self-awareness that he's delightfully oblivious to how idiotic he comes across. The physicality of David Cross is crucial for Tobias to be so iconic and produces some of the series' funniest moments.

28 Leslie Knope (Parks & Recreation)

Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation's "The Trial of Leslie Knope"
NBCUniversal

The leader we wish we had, as quirky and mad as she was, Knope's personality was only possible due to the contribution of a very funny performer, Amy Poehler. She brings such energy and charisma to the character that it's hard not to love her. Is she the female version of Michael Scott? Perhaps, but one thing's for sure: As years passed, she made sure she went her own way in the evolving aura of Parks & Recreation.

27 Beverly Goldberg (The Goldbergs)

The Goldbergs beverly
Sony Pictures Television

A recent pick that just gets better with each season, in The Goldbergs, Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) is the mother everyone wishes to be, but also the materialization of a teenager's nightmare. She's overprotective, over-expressive, and wears flashy 80s clothes. She brought back something from the past to recent TV: the naive structure of characters whose situations get resolved in under 30 minutes without losing a single touch of personality.

26 Mr. Feeny (Boy Meets World)

Mr. Feeny
ABC

For every kid growing up in the 90s, Mr. Feeny (William Daniels) was their teacher. Just like the kids in the show, Mr. Feeny had a way of showing the audience how to deal with life. While he is often seen as stuffy and proper, that doesn't mean Mr. Feeny doesn't have plenty of sass.

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He makes smart quips all the time while sometimes throwing viewers for a loop with a plain and simple burn. There is no doubt that he is one of the best characters in Boy Meets World, and his relationship with Eric Matthews elevates both characters and every scene they are in. Is there a better running gag in a sitcom than The Feeny Call?

25 Stewie Griffin (Family Guy)

Stewie in Family Guy
Disney-ABC Domestic Television

The Griffin household is full of comedic genius (unless you hate the show, like South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker), but Stewie (Seth MacFarlane) has the depth we didn't think the show would provide. His sexual preference is not very clear, as well as the reason why he's changed his opinion about his mother. This ongoing mystery in Family Guy provides an interesting balance from his character, who's always got a violent master plan for solving everything.

24 Al Bundy (Married... with Children)

Married with Children Al Bundy
Columbia Pictures Television

One of many dads on this list, Bundy (Ed O'Neill) was the epitome of television's raunchiest moment, and he participated in a show that always found a way to go further than everyone expected. It was risky, to say the least, but Married... with Children was extremely successful in its time, and Al Bundy is highly responsible for playing the dad we all wish we had in some way. This is one of those shows that wouldn't be made today.

23 Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm)

Curb Your Enthusiasm
HBO Enterprises

The inspiration for Seinfeld's George Constanza is an unhinged version of himself in Curb Your Enthusiasm. It's painfully funny to see Larry trying to progress in modern Hollywood while being so true to himself. There's a reason why the show's been going for so long without sacrificing its essence, and it's because Larry David has been the same obnoxious social nightmare of a dude for so long.

22 Blanche Devereaux (The Golden Girls)

Blanche Devereaux The Golden Girls
Buena Vista Television

In The Golden Girls, Blanche (Rue McClanahan) was the balance everyone needed and no one expected to have. She's loving, incredibly funny, and indispensable in a show with three other peers that could cloud her scenes. Fortunately, she stayed pristine during the whole run of one of TV's iconic shows. Blanche is the friend everyone needs.

21 Joey Tribbiani (Friends)

Joey in Friends
NBCUniversal

Of the bunch, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) remains the funniest, with Phoebe coming a close second. Over the years, he's just become much more authentic as a single dumb guy whose fascination with food is never sacrificed for the sake of decency. Sure, he's also a player, but one whose schemes never turn out for the best. The expression in Joey's eyes, when he realizes he's messed up is one of Friends' most recognizable elements.

20 George Jefferson (The Jeffersons)

The Jeffersons
CBS

The hippest man on the East Side, George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley), was simply magic whenever he showed up. Even if he always did the same, you would always get a joke in the form of him complaining about absolutely everything. The Jeffersons is a great example of a portrait of a relationship in the past that wouldn't be adapted today.

19 Phil Dunphy (Modern Family)

Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy
20th Television

Yeah, who wouldn't want Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell) to be their dad? The leader of the Dunphy clan (sometimes) is a goofball magician wannabe who knows High School Musical choreography by memory and is always willing to make his family have fun. This one lights up the room whenever he's star-struck, something that often happens in Modern Family.

18 Archie Bunker (All in the Family)

Archie Bunker in All in the Family
CBS

We won't discuss what All in the Family's Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) represents from a social point of view by today's standards. We're just celebrating the angry, desperate man who never got what he wanted and always got what he deserved in a family that seemed more progressive than usual.

17 Gob Bluth (Arrested Development)

Will Arnett in Arrested Development
Netflix

The Bluth clan is full of idiots, but Gob (Will Arnett) takes the prize for being a notably sincere guy who just wants to make it big as a magician. There's nothing pretentious about his plans, and sometimes he just wants to be loved. The voice, the performance, the shame. They're all part of a character responsible for so many fans clamoring for Arrested Development's return. At the very least, Gob deserves to make a comeback.

16 Ron Swanson (Parks & Recreation)

Ron Swanson - Parks and Rec
NBCUniversal

What makes the Nick Offerman character so funny in Parks & Recreation is that you actually believe in him, as absurd as his point of view can be. A blatant libertarian, he's everything Leslie Knope isn't and much, much more. Offerman delivers one-liners in a grumpy, direct, and serious manner in a way that brought back the hilarious toxicity of older shows like All in the Family.

15 Cameron Tucker (Modern Family)

Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker on Modern Family.
ABC

The funniest character of Modern Family by far, Cameron Tucker (Eric Stonestreet), goes beyond queer-related jokes to make a statement about his individuality in a show that was hardly about individuals. All of his scenes are genius in execution, and with Cameron, you feel like nothing is additional. Do you want to laugh today? Find one of the scenes where he dresses up and plays the clown, Fizbo, or screams, "Stella!"

14 Fran Fine (The Nanny)

Fran Fine in The nanny
CBS

One thing's for certain. Ms. Fine had to compete in The Nanny with many funny characters that grew big with every season. But Fran Drescher's fantastic capacity made her character a breath of fresh air every time she appeared on camera and shamelessly became a new version of Lucille Ball. Want a Ms. Fine combo that gets better? Just get her beside her mother and grandmother.

13 Lucille Bluth (Arrested Development)

Lucille Bluth Arrested Development
20th Century Fox Television

The leader of the new Bluth era is incredibly funny in every scene she's in, whether she's having a drink or trying to come up with an idea to screw her family. There's no question of her malice and evil, but Lucille is also filled with love, just not for her children. The execution by Jessica Walter in Arrested Development is an impressive staple of comedy television.

12 Cosmo Kramer (Seinfeld)

Kramer in Seinfeld
Columbia Pictures Television
 

Weird, somehow sexy to certain women, and entirely unpredictable, Kramer (Michael Richards) was one of the reasons everyone stayed with Seinfeld for so long. This "hipster doofus" (as Jerry called him) kept the show fresh, but he wasn't the center; if he was, then this 'show about nothing' would be about something: his personality. We still have questions about Kramer to this day, but it doesn't matter if they're ever answered. His magic is due to his mystery.

11 Captain Holt (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

A scene from Brooklyn Nine-Nine
NBC Universal Television Distribution

Brooklyn Nine-Nine a filled with great characters, but it is hard to deny that Captain Holt, played to perfection by Andre Braugher, is the standout. His deadpan delivery, often of some of the most absurd lines, is a riot every time. He makes the perfect straight man, and there is not a single episode of the series where he does not get one memorable line.

10 Shawn Spencer and Burton Guster (Psych)

James 'Roday' Rodriguez & Dulé Hill in Psych
USA Network

There is no Shawn without Gus, or vice versa. They are the best of friends, and even being chased by serial killers, hunting down "werewolves" and vampires, and dealing with a crazy police department aren't enough to tear them apart and ruin their psychic detective agency. James Roday Rodriguez and Dulé Hill pull off a great performance together with a chemistry that has lasted years.

Related: 20 Famous Actors Who Got Their Start in Sitcoms

It's no wonder these characters have lasted past their original show, as Psych has spawned several movies that continue the story. While their friendship is full of laughter, they also have plenty of genuine moments throughout their relationship. Shawn and Gus are the perfect example of what a healthy and admittedly strange friendship looks like.