# And the most evil sitcom character ever is... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 15, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743 "2008-09-15T21:16:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/21 "2008-09-16T00:15:27Z")
The distinctions are getting finer and finer here. Are we talking about the character who [ol] [li]regularly carries out the most evil deeds,[/li][li]is _capable_ of the greatest evil, even if they do not in fact carry it out, or[/li][li]_envisions_ themselves as capable of the greatest evil, even if they are not actually capable of carrying them out?[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/22 "2008-09-16T00:18:54Z")
We are talking about the character who 1. is the Great Gazoo. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/23 "2008-09-16T00:20:31Z")
Before she had kids and her character softened somewhat, I would say Jordan Cox from scrubs. She was my hero. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/24 "2008-09-16T00:24:41Z")
Another vote for Eric Cartman. Don’t forget he also deliberately infected Kyle with AIDS. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/25 "2008-09-16T00:27:05Z")
> [@Ronald\_C.Semone](#): > > How about Newman from **Seinfeld**? He was only a mailman, so his chances to do evil were limited, but do you have any doubt about what he would do if he became dictator of the world? During the _Seinfeld_ finale, when Newman says something to Jerry along the lines of “You’ll see me Jerry, sooner or later you’ll see me in all my Glory, and then you will be shamed”, I was absolutely certain that the last shot of the series would be a pan-back of Newman in full devilish regalia (replete with horns) laughing maniacally as our anti-heroes are carted off to jail, with the implication that they are in Hell, but (a la the **Sixth Sense** ) they don’t know it. I was very disappointed when that line didn’t pay off. > [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > For cartoon characters, I have to go for Zapp Brannigan. > > There’s mention of several completely innocent worlds destroyed by him just to further his career and millions of soldiers die during the series due to his incompetence. > > Also, he slept with his best friend’s widow while he was still warm. Hell, he wasn’t even actually dead. Now, that’s low. Brannigan isn’t willfully malicious, not in the way Bender is. Can we still call someone evil if they are unaware that they are committing evil? Heck the Head of Nixon is much more deliberately nefarious. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/26 "2008-09-16T00:31:09Z")
[Adolf Hitler](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0259776/)?[Video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys9OY2kkFu8) ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/27 "2008-09-16T00:32:04Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > During the _Seinfeld_ finale, when Newman says something to Jerry along the lines of “You’ll see me Jerry, sooner or later you’ll see me in all my Glory, and then you will be shamed”, I was absolutely certain that the last shot of the series would be a pan-back of Newman in full devilish regalia (replete with horns) laughing maniacally as our anti-heroes are carted off to jail, with the implication that they are in Hell, but (a la the **Sixth Sense** ) they don’t know it. I was very disappointed when that line didn’t pay off. > > Brannigan isn’t willfully malicious, not in the way Bender is. Can we still call someone evil if they are unaware that they are committing evil? Since I started the thread by nominating Peter Griffin, the answer is obviously yea. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/28 "2008-09-16T00:33:18Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > Also, there’s the time he shot and killed Meg for no reason at all. Evil done to Meg doesn’t count. Ask Lois. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/29 "2008-09-16T00:38:58Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I was very disappointed when that line didn’t pay off. Dude, I spent something like 5 years believing [Nuovo Vesuvio](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artie_Bucco) was bugged. Talk about disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/30 "2008-09-16T00:51:44Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Since I started the thread by nominating Peter Griffin, the answer is obviously yea. I nominate the **full** cast of Seinfeld, then. They cause irritation and pain to all they encounter. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/31 "2008-09-16T00:59:31Z")
Ross Geller from friends. Spent years stalking Rachel Green, a woman waayyy out of his league, and then knocked her up. In the meantime, he taunts her by saying her name during his marriage ceremony to another woman. He turned his first wife into a lesbian. Oh, and he mostly ignores his son. He takes naps with Joey and uses his position as a professor of paleontology to score with a hot black chick, just to jealously mess with Rachel. He framed his best friend for smoking pot so he could deceive his own parents. And all that was just one episode. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/32 "2008-09-16T01:03:01Z")
I’ll toss out a couple of oldies for argument’s sake. Frank Burns from “M_A_S\*H” Dan Fielding from “Night Court” Maybe not evil, but they sure were assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/33 "2008-09-16T01:07:17Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Another vote for Eric Cartman. Don’t forget he also deliberately infected Kyle with AIDS. And when he couldn’t sell a truckload of aborted embryos for medical research, he tried to unload them as jumbo shrimp. ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/34 "2008-09-16T01:19:15Z")
**The Second Stone** : How, exactly, is a nap with Joey an evil act? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/35 "2008-09-16T01:21:45Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > The answer is Cartman, followed by Bender. Everybody else is a pansy. Bender isn’t even in Zapp Brannigan’s league. Bender’s conscience always holds him back from the worst. Brannigan is an actual sociopath. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/36 "2008-09-16T01:22:53Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Oh, please. Bender WANTS to be evil, but there’s just too much he won’t do. For Zeus’s sake, he was about to sacrifice his own existence for a freaking TURTLE, and every time he yelled “Kill all humans!” he’d whisper “Except Fry” when no one was listening. So he wants every human in existence except one dead, and _that’s_ not evil enough for you? Come on. What about when he gave his kid to the Robot Devil? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/37 "2008-09-16T01:24:18Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Bender isn’t even in Zapp Brannigan’s league. Bender’s conscience always holds him back from the worst. Brannigan is an actual sociopath. No, Zapp is just an idiot. He threw wave after wave of soldiers at the killbots so they would reach their pre-programmed kill limit. It didn’t occur to him that it was murder. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/38 "2008-09-16T01:27:41Z")
> [@CaerieD](#): > > **The Second Stone** : How, exactly, is a nap with Joey an evil act? 😕 Sleeping with Joey Tribiono is just wrong and evil. Seriously, that was what you picked out? You found everything else self-explanatory? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/39 "2008-09-16T01:30:49Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Frank Burns from “M_A_S\*H” Frank Burns was more incompetent and immature then evil. The CIA agent (whose name escapes me) from M_A_SH might be a good candidate though. I still think Cartman wins though, assuming we are only counting characters that were created specifically for a given show (otherwise, Satan wins, having been a reoccurring character in several sitcoms, and being, well, Satan) ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743/40 "2008-09-16T01:32:58Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Frank Burns was more incompetent and immature then evil. The CIA agent (whose name escapes me) from M_A_SH might be a good candidate though. Flagg? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-evil-sitcom-character-ever-is/463743.md?page=3)