Every sitcom needs a great villain. While many people think thattelevision’s greatest villainscan only be found in drama shows, sitcoms also have their fair share of evil personalities. Ensemble casts, physical comedy, romances and running jokes are usually what come to mind when one thinks of a sitcom, but a bad guy also makes for an effective narrative vehicle.
These characters are constantly causing chaos and disarray for our central heroes, and as a result create some of the most memorable moments in their series. Sometimes, they even outshine the main players and become fan favorites in their own right.
10Dwight Schrute - ‘The Office’ (2005-2013)
Although Dwight (Rainn Wilson) doesn’t quite fall into typical ‘villain’ territory, he is certainly diabolical and has done a lot of terrible things over the run ofThe Office. With the right amount of power, it often seems like he has the ability to cross the line and actually become a full-blown super villain.
Some ofhis shocking office anticsinclude starting a fire, shooting a gun, concealing a knife and killing Angela’s (Angela Kinsey) cat. It’s a wonder he never got fired. When Dwight is not doing those things, he’s usually trying to sabotage Jim’s (John Krasinski) position at Dunder Mifflin.
9Stewie Griffin - ‘Family Guy’ (1999-)
While Stewie Griffin (Seth McFarlane) turns into a much more neutral character in the later seasons ofFamily Guy, he starts out as an evil baby genius. With his mature British accent, Stewie has two goals in life - to achieve world domination and kill his mother Lois (Alex Borstein).
Stewie engages in many criminal acts, including robbery and murder. With hismasterful level of knowledge in science and physics, he is able to create a mind control device, time machine and even robots. This causes Stewie to almost succeed in world domination, but he eventually chooses a different path.
8Newman - ‘Seinfeld’ (1989-1998)
“Hello, Newman” has become one of the most iconic lines in sitcom history, articulating the utter dismay and disgust Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) feels upon seeing his annoying neighbor (Wayne Knight). As his arch-nemesis, Newman loves nothing more than sabotaging Jerry’s life in any way he can.
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While he is close friends with Kramer (Michael Richards) and is often involved in his bizarre plots, Newman is often responsible for getting Jerry and the gang into tricky situations - and seems to get a kick out of it. He is one of the key ingredients that makesSeinfeldso entertaining and absurd.
7Wil Wheaton - ‘The Big Bang Theory’ (2007-2019)
InThe Big Bang Theory,Star TrekandStand By MeactorWil Wheatonplays a fictionalized version of himself, who is introduced as Sheldon’s (Jim Parsons) mortal enemy. While he is redeemed in the second half of the series, Wil starts out as a truly cunning antagonist.
Wil goes as far as lying to Sheldon about the death of his grandmother in order to win a card game, and even purposely manipulates Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) into breaking up so his team can win at bowling, Wheaton is of course lovely in real life, but you wouldn’t believe it here.
6Tammy Swanson 2 - ‘Parks and Recreation’ (2009-2015)
InParks and Recreation, Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) has three Tammy Swansons in his life. The first is his ex-wife (Patricia Clarkson), the second is his current wife (played by Offerman’s real wife,Megan Mullally), and the third is his mother (Paula Pell).
It’s Tammy 2 who is able to get under Ron’s skin the most. Ron is usually quite calm, collected and self-assured, but that all changes when she’s around. She often ruthlessly forces Ron back into a relationship with her, and deceptively slithers her way into his personal and professional life.
5C. C Babcock - ‘The Nanny’ (1993-1999)
InThe Nanny, C.C. Babcock (Lauren Lane) is Mr. Sheffield’s (Charles Shaughnessy) socialite business partner, who also harbors an unrequited crush on him. Because of this, she is often pitted against Fran (Fran Drescher) for his attention, and can’t stand Fran’s antics in general.
When she’s not causing drama in the Sheffield house, C. C. is throwing brutal insults towards butler Niles (Daniel Davis), which are always returned with a bigger burn. Their hostile relationship is one of the show’s best elements, and C. C.’s stuck-up and snobbish persona makes her easy to target.
4Ursula Buffay - ‘Friends’ (1994-2004)
Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) fromFriendsis known for her warmth, innocence and quirkiness, but her estranged twin sister Ursula (alsoLisa Kundrow) is quite literally the opposite. Aside from being a hopeless waitress, she is as cruel, cold and selfish as they come.
Having been brought up in a world of luxury, Ursula sees herself as better than Phoebe, and acts like she doesn’t exist when she’s not insulting her to her face. From stealing Phoebe’s boyfriends to using her name for her porn star alias, Ursula really is the worst sister ever.
3Eric Cartman - ‘South Park’ (1997-)
Despite Eric Cartman (Trey Parker) being one of the main characters inSouth Park, he is definitely no protagonist. Cartman is unabashedly narcissistic, racist and sexist, and has committed everything from murder and arson, to giving crack to babies and animal abuse.
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Although Cartman often hangs out with the other three main children, he is regularly placed in an antagonist role, and is pretty awful towards them. He is actually quite intelligent, which makes him even more dangerous. Cartman’s extreme personality earns the show some of its most outrageous moments.
2Madeline Wuntch - ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ (2013-2021)
While the characters ofBrooklyn Nine-Nineare constantly out in the field catching bad guys, there’s one working amongst them. Madeline Wuntch (Kyra Sedgwick) is an esteemed and respected authority in the NYPD, but not to Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher).
The pair share a long-time rivalry that is unmatched and completely hilarious, constantly throwing scathing insults at one another. From Wuntch telling Holt that she’d mistaken him for a dirty old mop, to Holt constantly referring to her as a witch, their chemistry and zingers make a feud for the ages.
1Montgomery Burns - ‘The Simpsons’ (1989-)
Charles Montgomery Burns, better known as Mr. Burns (Harry Shearer), is Homer Simpson’s (Dan Castellaneta) boss, the owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, and the perfect example of a greedy and evil business tycoon. He represents the worst of corporate America.
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Known for his catchphrase “Excellent” in a low and sinister voice, Mr. Burns doesn’t care about anything but his own wealth and treats his employees as second class citizens. He’s also known to occasionally “release the hounds” on any intruders or enemies, and is feared by all inThe Simpsons.
