John Fossil: The Many Avatars of 'The Crazy Guy' in Sitcoms

Everyone can agree that Seinfeld really set some trends in the ways of sitcoms. It told us that our main characters didn't have to be immediately likable, but that they could be shallow, petty, and we would still watch them and sympathize with them. And while the trend for more realistic and less noble characters has been continued it also set into foreground a new character, 'the crazy guy.'

You see, before if there was a crazy character, his zaniness and social ineptitude was the main draw (Mork and Mindy, Kenan and Kel) or they were a gimmick character (Family Matters). Seinfeld brought in Kramer as a median, as character in a larger cast who neither hogs the focus nor does he shy away from it. Half his appeal is his interaction with other main characters as we've all enjoyed George's endless consternation at Kramer's lifestyle.

They success and culture magnitude of the show has left us with the idea that we now need a crazy guy to pull the characters into wacky situations they couldn't have created on their own and make them more relatable as foils to someone off their rocker, yet hilarious.

So Examples are in order

Cosmo Kramer - Seinfeld

Source of Income - ???

Ability to Land Women - Fantastic and Unexplained

Catchphrase - Yes

Wacky adventures outside of group - Constantly

Least sober in Group? - Probably

Lewis - The Drew Carey Show

Source of Income - Drugco then ???

Ability to Land Women - Oddly good for his character

Catchphrase - Sort of

Wacky Adventures Outside of Group - They've involved gorillas and pools of margaritas

Least sober in Group - Works at a Drug company

Quagmire - Family Guy

Source of Income - Pilot and ???

Ability to Land Women - Baffling and Rapey

Catchphrase - Many

Wacky Adventures Outside of Group - Indeed

Least Sober in Group - Depends on the episode

Taco - The League

Source of Income - ???

Ability to Land Women - Fantastic, Unexplained, and Effortless

Catchphrase - Sometimes

Wacky adventures outside of group - Yes

Least sober in Group? - Always, and lampshaded

Barney Stinson - How I Met Your Mother

Source of Income - ???...er works in same building as Marshall

Ability to Land Women - Fantastic and Legendary

Catchphrase - So many

Wacky adventures outside of group - Referenced in nearly every episode

Least sober in Group? - Normally

This whole thing is weird because they are all iterations of the same hyperspecific trope character. But you many say, but that's only five characters. So I extended it to more shows focused on friends.

Phoebe - Friends

Source of Income - ???

Ability to Land Men - Sure

Catchphrase - Sort of

Wacky Adventures outside of Group - Yes

Least Sober in Group - Definitely

The Slutty One - Sex in the City

Source of Income - Party Planning but it makes no fucking sense

Ability to Land Men - Every appearance

Catchphrase - More like quotes

Wacky adventures outside of group - Constantly

Least sober in Group? - Yes

Jessa Johansson - Girls

Source of Income - Nanny? (Like Samatha makes too much money)

Ability to Land Men - Seduces for fun

Catchphrase - Like Samatha, just memorable quotes

Wacky adventures outside of group - Constantly

Least sober in Group? - Yes

Turns out the need of a wacky wheel on sitcom car is something women support as well.

This fascination with characters that float in a limbo between charm, surreality, and insanity has evolved to the point where they've supplanted the main cast of straight men entirely.