In most sitcoms the star is not as funny as the rest of the cast. Examples of this would be Seinfeld, Cheers and Frasier.

When I talk about a funny character, I'm not really talking about what you personally think is funny. For the purpose of this question, a funny character is a character who gets to say the most punchlines and gets the most laughs (and is usually the audience's favorite). In Cheers, for example, the supporting characters (like Norm and Carla) make the most jokes and get the most laughs from the audience. The main character (Sam Malone) is not as funny as the rest - he's more the glue that holds everything together. I'm guessing that this is a general pattern for ensemble shows: the main character is usually a device for bringing unity and coherence to a large group of people. Arrested Development would be another example of this.


Can anybody think of a show where the lead is funnier than the supporting characters?


I think Lucy in I Love Lucy was the center of the comedy (but I haven't watched that show in a long time, so somebody please help me out).

Roseanne may also be a good candidate for this. I think Roseanne (along with Dan) got the best jokes and the most laughs.

Originally posted by Chambers
Can anybody think of a show where the lead is funnier than the supporting characters?

Cosby Show comes to mind

Roseanne was pretty funny in her show.

also pretty safe to say John Ritter was the funniest on Three's Company as well

Raven in Thats So Raven and Holly in What I LIke About You

I get the impression that it's the same with Ellen.

Originally posted by barwars
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Also.... Sanford & Son, I dont think theres anyone alive that has seen this show, and thought anyone on it was funnier than Redd Foxx as Fred Sanford.



Most definitely true about Fred Sanford. I think that it depends. Some shows have a funny character as the main character and saner or more mature supporting players to keep him or her in line. Ensemble shows with the sane lead and the wacky supports seem to have really grew out of Andy Griffith, Mary Tyler Moore and a lot of 80s shows like Cheers.

The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show are great examples of ensemble shows where ALL the characters are funny AND straight! In some shows the lead is the comedian/comedienne, while the supporting actors are straight, but there are also a bunch of episodes that the lead plays straight to the supporting characters. This is when the supporting characters have most of the punch lines. I also believe in these shows, the leads don't get their laughs by punchlines but by reacting as their character (i.e.: crying).