From Newman to Mr. Burns, there have been some really iconic villains throughout sitcom history.The really twisted, reprehensible villains, like Gus Fring and Phil Leotardo, are reserved for dark, gritty dramas. But comedy villains are their own thing. A sitcom villain like Jimmy Pesto or Cam Winston can add to the laughs as well as adding to the conflict.
20Devon Banks
30 Rock
For the most part,30 Rockis a live-action cartoon set in the surreal hallways of NBC’s headquarters, where a wacky ensemble of comic characters are working on anSNL-style sketch show. But it’s also a searing satire of corporate America, and Jack Donaghy’s business rival Devon Banks — played hilariously by Will Arnett — encapsulates that satire.
19Jimmy Pesto
Bob’s Burgers
Across the street from Bob’s Burgers is Jimmy Pesto’s much more popular Italian restaurant. Jimmy’s place has significantly worse food, but a lot more business, which makes Bob furious. Bob has to spend all day watching Jimmy make more money than him, andJimmy is there to witness all the most humiliating moments in Bob’s life.
18Madeline Wuntch
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Captain Holt’s long-time rival Madeline Wuntchused her position as the commissioner of the NYPD to take out all her petty grievances against him.Kyra Sedgwick was a perfect foil for the deadpan Andre Braugher, and Wuntch created all kinds of conflicts for the Nine-Nine (and Holt in particular) that kept the show engaging and unpredictable.
17Bob Kelso
Scrubs
Dr. Bob Kelso is the chief of medicine for Sacred Heart Hospital, and he’s shown to be so jaded and cynical that he makes life miserable for his co-workers. But he’s not all bad. He doesn’t hesitate to make the difficult but necessary decisions, and he’s even saved the hospital a few times. But it’s hard to overlook his terrible treatment of Ted.
16Dr. Doofenshmirtz
Phineas & Ferb
The mad scientist bent on world domination is a classic trope of the spy genre, andPhineas and Ferb’s B-stories made great use of that trope.Dr. Doofenshmirtz is an over-the-top supervillainin the mold of Blofeld or Goldfinger, buthis evil plans are consistently thwarted by a suave platypus in a fedora. He’s even less effective than Dr. Evil.
15Señor Chang
Community
Ken Jeong brought a hilariously chaotic energy tothe cast ofCommunityin the role of Señor Chang. Chang started off as the study group’s Spanish teacher, but after being fired at the end of season 1, he took on a variety of roles at the college.
As he became a security guard, a math teacher on work release, and an amnesiac man named Kevin,Chang got more and more unhinged. He ended up recruiting an army of preteen underlings dubbed the “Changlourious Basterds.”
14Sue Sylvester
Glee
Jane Lynch’s signature biting wit stole the showinGlee. Sue Sylvester relentlessly bullies everyone at the school — students and fellow faculty members alike — with quippy, razor-sharp insults. Since her cheerleading squad had to compete with the glee club for the school’s limited funds, she made for the perfect rival for the lead characters.
13Sideshow Bob
The Simpsons
Kelsey Grammer’s most iconic TV role will always be Frasier Crane, but his recurringSimpsonsvillain Sideshow Bob is a very close second. Bob’s long-standing feud with Bart has led to some ofThe Simpsons’ best episodes. Over the years, they’ve gone from mortal enemies to begrudging allies to genuine friends, and it’s been fun to see that relationship evolve.
12Nathan Shelley
Ted Lasso
When Ted Lasso first arrived at AFC Richmond, kitman Nathan Shelley felt seen and appreciated for the first time. But as the series went on,he felt like Ted had lifted him up, then left him behind, and he grew to resent the relentlessly positive coach.
At the end of season 2, Nate leaked Ted’s mental health struggles to the press and abandoned Richmond to take a coaching job with their rivals, West Ham. Nate’s arc in season 3 is a testament to the power of forgiveness. After Nate admitted to his mistake, Richmond warmly welcomed him back.
11Cam Winston
Frasier
The writers ofFrasierexcelled at coming up with antithetical characters to contrast against the title character. They moved his blue-collar dad into his apartment in the pilot episode, they gave him a brother who’s even stuffier and more pompous than him, and later in the series, they gave him an upstairs neighbor who’s basically a snootier version of him.
Cam Winston wasn’t introduced until season 9, but he promptly became Frasier’s arch-nemesis.Brian Stokes Mitchell did a terrific job of matching Grammer’s theatrical energy, which only made Frasier hate Cam more.
