It isn’t easy to make lead characters interesting, especially when it comes to sitcoms, as they tend to be the moral compass of the show and call the more absurd characters out on their behavior. The protagonists aren’t always boring, but they can often be overshadowed by fascinating secondary characters and recurring characters that the writers clearly have more fun with.
However, whether it’s the protagonist being a completely under-developed wet blanket or is just simply not as interesting as the show’s rotating cast of oddballs, these characters struggle to hold the fort in their very own shows.
Malcolm In The Middle
Malcolm might have been the titular character in the teen sitcom, but he was far from the fans’ favorite. Malcolm in the Middle ran for seven seasons and in that time almost all of the characters had developed except for Malcolm, as he was still the same frustrated and self-centered genius he was when he was a child. Most of the show’s best quotes come from other characters, whether it’s Hal’s freak-outs, Reese’s pranks, or Lois’s anger issues.
Scrubs
J.D. is already such an outlandish character, but given Scrubs’ roster of bizarre and cartoonish side characters, fans don’t have to look far to find a character more fascinating and less narcissistic than the show’s main protagonist. From the sweaty and nervous lawyer Ted, to the sexist Todd, the show is almost like a cartoon and it’s always more fun when the side characters are a main part of the episode. There’s even an argument to be made that Turk would have made a better protagonist than J.D.
Will & Grace
Being yet another couple of neurotic characters, Will and Grace are obsessed with themselves and their main qualities are completely negative. Even for characters who are moral compasses, there is very little about them that is moral. There are very few characters in the show, but the two other main roles, Jack and Karen, are far more interesting than them, and even though they are just as self-centred and selfish as the titular characters, they are hilarious in the way they carry themselves.
Community
As Community is possibly the most cartoonish live-action sitcom to ever exist, the show is brimming with lively, over-the-top characters, and all of them are more memorable than the stoic fake lawyer, Jeff Winger. Being more of the father figure to the main cast, Jeff might give some brilliant speeches from time to time, but between Pierce’s elderly racist and homophobic rambling, Abed’s cultural references, and Chang’s psychotic behavior, Jeff pales in comparison.
Arrested Development
Out of every sitcom, Michael in Arrested Development is easily the most moral main characters of them all, as he’s trying to wrangle all of his family together to behave and keep them from using the company account as their personal piggie bank.
At the same time, Michael is a great father, teaching his son valuable lessons and rarely stepping foot out of line. But for that reason, all of his family are so much more interesting, and the side characters are why it’s one of the best sitcoms of all time, according to IMDb.
Space Force
Space Force might have had a rocky start with season one, as the clear scope of the production value far outweighed the actual comedy in the show. However, there were particularly hilarious secondary characters that carried the little humor the new Greg Daniels/Steve Carrell project had. F. Tony, the PR specialist, is specifically one of the reasons Space Force is out of this world, and he, along with Adrian Mallory and Chan Kaifang, are all much more interesting than the deadpan General Naird.
Seinfeld
Between the four main characters of Seinfeld, Jerry is by far the least interesting. As the character is written as a cool, successful New York type, he doesn’t have enough shortcomings, which is what makes audiences drawn to the other characters.
However, Seinfeld’s three best friends, Kramer, George, and Elaine, all have problems in their social life and work life. The ways they haphazardly navigate those problems make them more endearing than Jerry, even if the show is one of the many great sitcoms starring comedians.
Father Ted
Father Ted might not be the biggest TV show ever made, but it left an impression on everyone who saw it. The show follows the titular character and his fellow of priests in a small village in Ireland, and Ted himself is hilarious when he finds himself in situations priests should never be in, such as getting lost in a lingerie department. But the supporting characters steal the show, as Father Jack is a loose canon who screams profanities at every instant, and Father Dougal is a simple-minded prankster trying to work as a priest.
How I Met Your Mother
Despite every single episode being about him trying to find the love of his life and narrating the whole series, it’s surprising that Ted actually found his true love because he’s such a wet blanket. Though he’s an architect, there’s honestly very little interesting about the main character of How I Met Your Mother. Ted’s dullness stands out like a sore thumb when he’s with Barney, Marshall, or any of the other characters who frequent McLaren’s Pub.
The Simpsons
Everybody in the world has had a conversation about their favorite Simpsons characters at least once in their life, and the population of Springfield is filled with literally hundreds of fascinating characters at this point. It isn’t because the Simpson family is dull in any way, but they are easily the least interesting. Whether it’s vengeful clowns, goody-two-shoes neighbors, or a beer salesman, no other show in history has this amount of recurring characters with depth.