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Homer Simpson Named Greatest TV Character
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.'"
That Harry Potter & Buffy yelled 'Doh!'
I call it 'The Aristocrats'
Weird, strange, sick, twisted, eerie, godless, evil stuff.
And I want in.
Fuck systemd. Fuck Redhat. Fuck Soylent, too. Wait, scratch the last one.
If by "great" you mean "iconic", sure. And in TV land the two are probably synonymous. But back in my day, you had to conquer Asia-Minor to be considered "great".
"Greatest character created for television or film"
Geez, it's bad enough that people can't RTFA, but that was in the summary for heavens sake.....
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
Harry Potter was created for books and adapted for film. Still doesn't qualify.
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
Purely from a variety and skill point of view, I would have to nominate Arnold Rimmer from Red Dwarf. The number of different characters and personality mutations that character (and subsequently the actor) had to go through was ENORMOUS. Each and every one of them were expertly done, they were all done by the same actor, and unlike The Mighty Boosh where one actor plays multiple characters, they were all still technically Rimmer.
Living With a Nerd
Actually he was created in 1987 for the Tracey Ullman Show, which makes this choice just that much more ridiculous.
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.
That's the least of their problems. Number 2 (Harry Potter) was created for a book. Number 5 (Joker) was created for comics in the 1960s. Numbers 8 (Hannibal Lecter) and 9 (Carrie Bradshaw) were originally created for books as well. So this is really the list of the top characters appearing in television or film in the last 20 years.
I would have said Al Bundy. *shrug* Peg: Miss me? Al: With every bullet so far.
Care killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
That's the least of their problems. Number 2 (Harry Potter) was created for a book. Number 5 (Joker) was created for comics in the 1960s. Numbers 8 (Hannibal Lecter) and 9 (Carrie Bradshaw) were originally created for books as well. So this is really the list of the top characters appearing in television or film in the last 20 years.
Actually, everyone is quoting TFA and TFS, but if you actually go to the source, it doesn't actually use the words "created" or "TV". It's simply "The 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years". They specifically refer to the "100 greatest characters in pop-culture" and state "(w)hether the fictional women, men, ogres, muppets, babies, and cartoon rockers who made our list were initially created before 1990 didn’t matter so long as they made a lasting impact in the culture after 1990."
"You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war." -- Albert Einstein
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.
Sorry but walking around naked raving about aliens is no way to go though life.
Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
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.
You're wrong. I watch Red Dwarf. And I find The Mighty Boosh mind-blowing. QED, smeghead.
Oooh, I get it! You're just spoofing the Comic Book Store Guy, right?
I am probably not a master of social convention, but Kramer makes me LMAO every time. I dont think this "understanding" has to be a requirement to like Seinfeld. And tbh I never met anyone in software who didnt like seinfeld.
Rimmer IS NOT an "Everyman", he's an effeminate elitist boob with delusions of grandeur.
British, in other words.