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Homer Simpson Named Greatest TV Character

Posted by samzenpus on from the all-my-life-I've-had-one-dream-to-achieve-my-many-goals dept.

A survey by Entertainment Weekly has named Homer Simpson the greatest character created for television or film in the past 20 years. Everyone's favorite beer-swilling, donut-eating dad beat out Harry Potter and Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the top spot. From the article: "'People can relate to Homer because we're all secretly propelled by desires we can't admit to,' Groening was quoted as telling Entertainment Weekly. 'Homer is launching himself head-first into every single impulsive thought that occurs to him. His love of whatever ... is a joy to witness.'"

8 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Harry Potter was a TV character? by Kral_Blbec · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Harry Potter was created for books and adapted for film. Still doesn't qualify.

  2. DISQUALIFY HOMER NOW! by Philip+K+Dickhead · · Score: 4, Insightful

    He was created MORE than 20 years ago! Homer is almost 25.

    Tracey Ullman aired them on Fox in 1987.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons_shorts

    --
    "Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell
    1. Re:DISQUALIFY HOMER NOW! by spidercoz · · Score: 1, Insightful
      you beat me to it

      funny how facts never seem to stop stuff like this

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Evelyn Beatrice Hall, re Voltaire
  3. Nope. by XiaoMing · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A fat, balding, selfish, stupid, bad-skinned, horrible-father-figure is voted as being "great". Welcome to America.

    You have to realize, the reason he's great is _because_ he embodies those "fat, balding, selfish... etc. (I'm going to add irreverent to this)" qualities on so many levels.
    Not only is he as lazy and ignorant as we all at least on SOME occasions have wanted to be, but he's also the embodiment of irony and self-deprecating humor in that respect too.
    There's a reason why other countries that hate America still love the Simpsons and love Homer. And no it's not because they're stupid enough to think that character actually represents America (maybe Hank Hill from King of the Hill, though =P). Sure America might take many (too many? most?) of those qualities too far, especially in how stubbornly we present ourselves politically to the rest of the world. But The Simpsons, in its decades long run, is our attempt to not just revel in that attitude, but also constantly remind everyone in the world, including and _especially_ ourselves that we are nowhere near as perfect as we claim to be.

    If anything, the Simpsons has been a great lesson in finding the good with the bad, a little bit of the bad in the good, and a lot of funny in everything.

    1. Re:Nope. by Masterofpsi · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Oh, Homer does much more than be a bumbling idiot. He does what no one from Family Guy or South Park can really do: he manages to capture the essence of a character who is, at heart, really, truly good, who has a big heart, who tries his best to be honest and helping. He's not smart and he can even be a jerk at times, but in the end, we're rooting for him because he still means well, and when he gets hurt, it hurts us.

  4. Everyman by Yungoe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The reason Homer is so appealing to us is because he is Everyman, at his worst. Whenever he does something I either have done it, thought about doing it or know someone who did it.

    1. Re:Everyman by Abcd1234 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Simultaneously, at least during the golden years of the series, Homer, while not very bright, was portrayed as being a loving father who wanted to do the right by his family, even if he didn't always know how to. "And Maggie Makes Three" is the absolute perfect example of this (and is one of my favorite episodes of the series as a consequence), but there are a many others.

      As such, we can related to him on multiple levels, as he exemplifies both the best and the worst of people.

  5. Re:Yup. by Kreigaffe · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yeah and your counterexamples were Red Dwarf and Mighty Boosh.
    You probably don't understand my point. Everyone else does.
    Nobody watches Red Dwarf. It's not bad, but it's not exactly good. Mighty Boosh is just bad.
    But hey that's your call. Go keep talking down widely-popular bits of culture and talk up your inconsequential and little-cared-for interests, eventually it'll make you look more worldly and sophisticated than others. Maybe. Probably not, most people have actually seen both of those shows and are well aware they're nowhere near the quality in both production and entertainment value as The Simpsons.

    --
    ... still waiting for this free-as-in-beer free beer I keep hearing about. :|