10 Most Diabolical Sitcom Characters of All Time

For decades, sitcoms have been a consistent hit on television, and they remain incredibly popular today. They’re a great way to relax and escape, offering a quick dose of humor and relatable chaos that’s all wrapped up within half an hour. The best sitcoms blend silliness, smart commentary, and even valuable life lessons, all driven by characters we genuinely care about. These shows expertly build characters that are both funny and endearing – think of Will Smith’s charisma in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air or Ted Lasso’s relentlessly positive attitude. This proves the genre consistently delivers some of TV’s most lovable personalities.

We’re now looking at the other side of the coin – the worst, most villainous characters in sitcom history. These characters, ranging from those with questionable morals to full-on bad guys, often create the most memorable and entertaining moments on their shows.

10
Godmother – ‘Fleabag’

BBC

The British series Fleabag masterfully blends intense drama with sharp, dark humor. It’s remarkably acclaimed, achieving a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes for both seasons – and deservedly so. The show’s strong story is made even better by the incredible performances of its well-developed and memorable characters, including the Godmother, brilliantly portrayed by Academy Award winner Olivia Colman.

She’s not the most obviously evil villain, but what makes her so chilling is how two-faced she is. As a movie lover, I always find those characters fascinating! She acts all sweet and loving towards her stepchildren, playing the perfect godmother, but underneath that facade, she’s actually full of venom, constantly making snide remarks, and is just incredibly arrogant. It’s a really unsettling performance because you don’t immediately see the darkness brewing beneath the surface.

She’s motivated by a need for control, envy, and power, and she’s skilled at using passive-aggressive tactics and insults disguised as compliments. She frequently puts Fleabag down with subtle jabs, like telling her she looks terrible while pretending to be concerned, or comparing her unfavorably to her mother when she’s had a drink. While undeniably unpleasant due to her manipulative and calculating nature, her maliciousness is controlled and only surfaces when it suits her, making her less extreme than some other villains.

9
Larry David – ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’

HBO

As a huge fan of Curb Your Enthusiasm, I’ve always been fascinated by Larry David’s character. He’s brilliantly complicated – kind of a nightmare to be around, but also someone you can’t help but root for, in a weird way. He’s definitely not a hero, and he basically ignores all the rules of polite society. What makes the show so funny – and so cringeworthy – is how much Larry seems to enjoy making things awkward. He’s incredibly stubborn and will turn the smallest disagreement into a huge battle, and honestly, it’s hilarious to watch the chaos unfold.

He consistently disrupts gatherings, damages relationships, and makes life difficult for ordinary people. He never admits fault, apologizes, or takes ownership of the problems he creates. While his maliciousness isn’t always obvious, it’s definitely there. His habit of focusing on small grievances and cleverly manipulating others, combined with his refusal to accept blame, makes him deserving of a place on this list.

8
Newman – ‘Seinfeld’

NBC

I’ve always been fascinated by Newman on Seinfeld. Jerry Seinfeld himself called him ‘pure evil’ – can you believe that? He really saw Newman as his ultimate rival, like Lex Luthor to his Superman! It’s amazing how perfectly he’s written as the opposite of Jerry. Where Jerry is all about keeping things tidy and predictable, Newman just loves stirring up trouble and is incredibly lazy. You instantly get the sense these two can’t stand each other, and even though it’s hilarious, Newman definitely comes off as the villain!

Fueled by jealousy, Newman consistently tries to make Jerry’s life difficult through small, underhanded tricks and backhanded comments. He’s repeatedly and publicly stated his rivalry with Jerry, and this ongoing conflict is a constant source of humor. Jerry typically responds to Newman’s personal attacks with cool detachment and sarcasm, which only makes Newman angrier. From messing with Jerry’s mail to stealing parking spaces, Newman’s need to always be one step ahead leads him to increasingly ridiculous and mean-spirited behavior.

7
Frank Burns – ‘MAS*H’

CBS

Originally beginning as a TV show based on the 1970 movie of the same name, MASH* gradually became one of America’s most popular and cherished sitcoms. Over its eleven-year run, the show is remembered for its unforgettable characters, thanks to clever writing and surprisingly complex character arcs. The show featured a strong cast of characters – heroes, compassionate figures, and sources of humor – but one character was particularly notable for being more troubled.

Frank Burns is depicted as a tense, two-faced, and arrogant surgeon who often abuses his power, acting out of fear and selfishness. He uses military rules and pretends to be morally superior to justify his mean-spirited behavior and enjoys making others feel bad. Despite thinking highly of himself, Frank repeatedly shows he cracks under pressure and will easily betray people to save himself. Though the show features outright villains, Frank’s behavior feels disturbingly realistic – a warning of what can happen when insecure people are given too much power.

6
The Janitor – ‘Scrubs’

NBC

The Janitor, whose real name isn’t revealed until Season 8 as Glen Matthews, is a mischievously evil character who mostly just loves to play pranks. Despite being called the Janitor, he rarely does any actual cleaning, preferring to spend his time tormenting the main character, J.D. He’s also a notorious liar, constantly making up wild stories seemingly just for the fun of confusing people.

The Janitor’s ongoing pranks on J.D. are arguably the show’s most enduring joke. He deliberately tries to unsettle J.D. emotionally, making it hard to tell when he’s just messing around and when he’s putting on a show. It seems his mischievous behavior comes from boredom and a strange sense of fun, not actual meanness. Still, constantly being manipulated must be incredibly frustrating for J.D. Luckily, the Janitor isn’t expected to be in the Scrubs revival, meaning J.D. might finally be free from his antics.

5
Tammy Swanson – ‘Parks and Recreation’

NBC

Tammy Swanson, often called Tammy 2, is Ron Swanson’s ex-wife, and their relationship is incredibly unhealthy. It’s based on obsession, control, and a tendency for both of them to sabotage their own well-being. Tammy is manipulative and uses Ron emotionally and physically. Ron deeply despises her, famously comparing her to a force of pure unhappiness and describing her gaze with harsh imagery. Despite his hatred, a part of Ron still secretly wants to be with her – a vulnerability that Tammy readily exploits.

Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, who are married in real life, play Tammy and Ron. They reportedly had a lot of fun improvising their characters’ many arguments and enjoyed playfully challenging each other’s comedic timing on screen.

4
Mr. Burns – ‘The Simpsons’

Fox

As a longtime fan of the show, I’ve seen a lot of great characters – and some truly awful ones! But honestly, no villain has stuck with me quite like Mr. Burns, the owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. He’s been terrorizing Springfield for over thirty years! He’s unbelievably rich and powerful, and sees everyone else as just something standing in the way of him getting even richer. Seriously, the things this guy has done – from illegal hunting and polluting to, well, basically everything you can think of that’s awful – are shocking. He’s been involved in hit-and-runs, harassment, exploiting kids, kidnapping, even attempted murder! If the show wasn’t a comedy, and his actions weren’t so over-the-top, he’d be a truly terrifying figure.

Mr. Burns is a truly awful man, completely rejected by the people of Springfield. His only friend is his endlessly patient assistant, Smithers, who seems to have romantic feelings for him despite the way Burns treats him. Even in a show with some very bad characters, Burns stands out as particularly evil. He’s the ultimate greedy capitalist and has been causing trouble for the town for over 35 years, all for his own gain and amusement.

3
Evil Abed – ‘Community’

NBC

During a Dungeons & Dragons game with their friends, a disastrous roll of a ‘1’ on the die unleashed a bizarre series of events. This led to the creation of an alternate, evil version of the character Abed, originating from a particularly bleak alternate reality. This ‘Evil Abed’ is deeply cynical and sees no value in anything, quickly taking control of the game and then scheming to conquer the main reality. His ultimate goal is to destroy the original Abed and replace everything with the grim world he comes from.

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Fans were initially worried about the unsettling ‘Evil Abed,’ but those fears were quickly eased when it was revealed he was just a product of Abed’s own imagination. Despite seeming like a truly villainous character, ‘Evil Abed’ turned out to be more like a figment of Abed’s mind – a sort of bad dream.

2
Frank Reynolds – ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’

Danny DeVito joined the show as Frank Reynolds in the second season and quickly became a beloved character, delivering one of his most memorable and wildly unpredictable performances. As part of the group that owns and operates Paddy’s Pub, and the supposed father of Dennis and Dee, Frank is easily one of the most morally questionable characters ever seen on television. After his divorce, he deliberately abandons all principles and embraces a life without ethics or compassion. This goes beyond simple pleasure-seeking; he’s fundamentally self-centered and frequently disregards the feelings of others, causing them pain without remorse.

Watching Frank DeVito get into outrageous and awful situations on the show is definitely funny, but in real life, he’d be a truly dangerous and horrible person who belongs in prison. It’s disturbing to remember he’s hurt even his own children, deceiving them into unearthing their mother’s grave, exploiting his son, and torturing his daughter. He’s confessed to running a deadly sweatshop in Vietnam, even forcing workers to resort to cannibalism, making him one of the most evil characters imaginable.

1
Eric Cartman – ‘South Park’

Comedy Central

Eric Cartman is a completely unempathetic and arguably sociopathic character, making him one of the most villainous in sitcom history. While audiences find him hilarious, it’s because of how awful he is. A full list of his terrible actions throughout the run of South Park would be extensive. Some of the most shocking examples include killing a classmate’s parents and then serving them as food, trying to wipe out all Jewish people, and deceiving a group of children into traveling to Somalia, which escalated into an international crisis involving the U.S. military.

Cartman is a deeply flawed character known for his racism, sexism, and selfishness, and he actively creates conflict and spreads negativity. As typical of the show South Park, his terrible behavior is exaggerated to a ridiculous degree, making him arguably the most outrageous character ever seen on a sitcom.

2026-01-30 19:25

10 Godmother – ‘Fleabag’

9 Larry David – ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’

8 Newman – ‘Seinfeld’

7 Frank Burns – ‘M*A*S*H’

6 The Janitor – ‘Scrubs’

5 Tammy Swanson – ‘Parks and Recreation’

4 Mr. Burns – ‘The Simpsons’

3 Evil Abed – ‘Community’