Many shows relied on a lot of their jokes on a dumb or wacky character. What were some of those shows?

Here are the ones I can think of right away:
*Step by Step - Cody
*Roseanne - Jackie
*Three's Company - Chrissy
*Family Matters - Urkel
*Saved by the Bell - Screech

Woody Boyd---Cheers

Coach---Cheers

Reverend Jim---Taxi

Woody Boyd---Cheers

Coach---Cheers

Reverend Jim---Taxi

Sam got on Cheers got dumber by the seasons especially after the Diane years.

I got a few more:

*Boy Meets World - Eric. He as well got dumber as the years went by.
*Drew Carey Show - Oswald and Lewis, pretty much the 2 dumbest characters on the show.
*Full House - Kimmy

Family Matters - Waldo Geraldo Faldo
Bob Newhart Show - Howard Borden
Barney Miller - Levitt, Luger
Mary Tyler Moore Show - Ted Baxter
WKRP In Cincinnati - Mr. Carlson, Les Nessman, Herb Tarlek
Benson - Governor Gatling

Coach- Dauber, Luther
and sometimes Coach Fox :lol:

Coach- Dauber, Luther
and sometimes Coach Fox :lol:
Oh yes, how could I forget about them?? :rofl: They were indeed a riot. Howard Burleigh wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, either. :lol:

Home Improvement - Tim
Everybody Loves Raymond - Ray

Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. - Gomer

Andy Griffith - Gomer, Gober, Ernest T Bass, The boys from The Darling Family

TAGS: Braney Fife. He was a real incompitent at times.
Friends and Joey: Joey was a big-time jamook.

Anything with Joey Lawrence....and not coincedentally, the character was always NAMED Joey ( apparently, he was to stupid to remember any character that wasnt named AFTER him! :lol: )

Blossom-Joey
Soap-Jessica Tate
All In The Family-Edith Bunker
Family Ties-Skippy
Phoebe-Friends

The COLOR version of "Gilligan",on the color episodes of "Gilligan's Island",they REALLY dumbed him down(he WASN'T that dumb on the black and white episodes-Oh,sure he was dumb on the black and white episodes,but,like I said,he was NOT as dumb as he was in the color episodes).Lisa Douglas on "Green Acres"-in the last two seasons she was REALLY addle-headed.As was "Mr.Kimball"on "Green Acres",who was pretty smart at first,but gradually became a dimwit-"dunderheaded"as Fred Ziffel said once.

The COLOR version of "Gilligan",on the color episodes of "Gilligan's Island",they REALLY dumbed him down(he WASN'T that dumb on the black and white episodes-Oh,sure he was dumb on the black and white episodes,but,like I said,he was NOT as dumb as he was in the color episodes).Lisa Douglas on "Green Acres"-in the last two seasons she was REALLY addle-headed.As was "Mr.Kimball"on "Green Acres",who was pretty smart at first,but gradually became a dimwit-"dunderheaded"as Fred Ziffel said once.
In that vein, dont forget Kelly Bundy, who seemed to lose 10 IQ points for every year older! :lol:

Ed Norton - The Honeymooners
Mallory Keaton - Family Ties
Joey Tribianni - Friends

kelso and midge from that 70s show

Perhaps Archie Bunker and Barney on All in the Family

Bill on King of the Hill

And here's another one:Vinton Harper,played by Ken Berry,on "Mama's Family".On the NBC shows,Vinton at least had some brains.But...when the show became syndicated,Vinton became less smart (Oh,sure,he had some smarts,but not many),and acted dumb.And Eb on "Green Acres"-at first,he had some common sense,but as the series progressed,he became more dumb.And Jethro of "The Beverly Hillbillies" was the same way-at first,he had some brains,but became dumber as the series progressed.And second season's Herman Munster of "The Munsters",in some second season episodes was a loving father with a few brains,but in others from season two,he acted like a complete idiot,with no brains at all.

Rose Nyland- The Golden Girls

Lumpy - Leave It To Beaver

Wally - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet

Charles in Charge - "Buddy"

Rose Nyland- The Golden Girls

Lumpy - Leave It To Beaver

Wally - The Adventures of Ozzie and HarrietBlanche Du Bois of "The Golden Girls"-Blanche,you say?Yes,Rose WAS the ditsy one on "The Golden Girls",but in some episodes(very rare ones)Blanche was the not-so-bright one.

Andrew H. Brown - The Amos 'N Andy Show
Private Duane Doberman - The Phil Silvers Show
Officer Gunther Toody - Car 54, Where are You?

Blanche Du Bois of "The Golden Girls"-Blanche,you say?Yes,Rose WAS the ditsy one on "The Golden Girls",but in some episodes(very rare ones)Blanche was the not-so-bright one.

I dunno...Rose was pretty dumb, but you do make a good point--Blanche was not the brightest bulb either....so let's compromise...they can take turns....one thing's for sure though...the dumb one is DEFINITELY NOT Dorothy.

McHale's Navy- Ensign Charles Parker (Tim Conway-- love him!!)
Happy Days- Ralph and Potsie
Newhart- oh gosh, so many-- George Utley, Larry, Darryl and Darryl, Stephanie Vanderkellen, Michael Harris...
I Dream of Jeannie- Roger Healey
Growing Pains- Boner
Too Close For Comfort- Monroe Ficus
Laverne and Shirley- Lenny and Squiggy
Alice- Vera
Night Court- Bull

Sanford & Son - Grady
Taxi - Latka & Simka (Rev. Jim has been mentioned more than once)
I Love Lucy - Lucy
Welcome Back Kotter - Horshack
Soap - too many to list!

THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES-Jethro Bodine

THE HONEYMOONERS-Ed Norton

BURNS & ALLEN-Gracie Allen

Blanche Du Bois of "The Golden Girls"-Blanche,you say?Yes,Rose WAS the ditsy one on "The Golden Girls",but in some episodes(very rare ones)Blanche was the not-so-bright one.

Not to nit-pick, but it's Blanche Deveraux (it's only pronounced "Deverox" in limericks, LOL).

Anyhow, how could anyone, esp. my fellow Murphy fan roseanne86-97, forget Corky Sherwood?! I know she wasn't as dumb later on, but in the first season she sure had that whole "dumb blonde" thing going on. Who could forget the time she kept wanting to interview people who turned out to be dead? LOL

:lol:

Colonel Klink and SGT Schultz - Hogan's Heroes
Dusty - Dusty's Trail
Maynard G. Krebbs - The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
Bubba Bexley - Sanford & Son

oh yes; almost forgot:
Dusty-DUSTYS TRAIL
Dennis Day-THE JACK BENNY SHOW (only sometimes, though. And just slightly)

Not to nit-pick, but it's Blanche Deveraux (it's only pronounced "Deverox" in limericks, LOL).

Anyhow, how could anyone, esp. my fellow Murphy fan roseanne86-97, forget Corky Sherwood?! I know she wasn't as dumb later on, but in the first season she sure had that whole "dumb blonde" thing going on. Who could forget the time she kept wanting to interview people who turned out to be dead? LOL

:lol:

I didn't want to put Corky, because she wasn't dumb as the series went on. By the last season, she was almost as good of a journalist as Murphy was. I'm sure you can see my reasoning-LOL.

I'd have to agree with Horshak on WELCOME BACK, KOTTER and Screech of
SAVED BY THE BELL -- and I would add to the list Peter on THE MONKEES.

Not to nit-pick, but it's Blanche Deveraux (it's only pronounced "Deverox" in limericks, LOL).

And as a real life Scandinavian, I also have to be a little bit picky about the spelling of Rose's last name. It's not "Nyland", but "Nylund".

*Family Matters - Urkel

Question: How was Urkel a "dumbed down" character? I thought he was smart with all of those inventions!

Question: How was Urkel a "dumbed down" character? I thought he was smart with all of those inventions!
I know - I was thinking the same thing! WALDO was the dumb character on that show, and Lt. Murtaugh wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the lamp, either.

Well, the OP actually said "dumbed down character or wacky character" in the first post of this thread. So while Steve was smart, he was also wacky, so he fits into this thread.

Well, the OP actually said "dumbed down character or wacky character" in the first post of this thread. So while Steve was smart, he was also wacky, so he fits into this thread.

I couldn't have put it better myself. Not all shows have dumb character, while some shows do have a wacky character, where urkel fits.

There was also Charlie, Del's dense sidekick, on Caroline in the City. He was the guy always on skates. :lol: