24 Most Hilarious TV Characters of 2018

2018 has been a year of tears. Luckily for us TV watchers, there have been some very special characters who have made us cry tears of laughter to offset the sorrowful kind.

These characters have given us silly reasons to smile, an escape from heavy of the day, and a way to process our grief. The funny characters from 2018’s TV comedies truly lifted our spirits and reflected back to us the still good nature of humanity. 

Narrowing down the most hilarious characters of 2018 is no easy task. From sitcoms like One Day at a Time and 30-minute inventive network comedies like The Good Place to Netflix Original parodies like American Vandal, the voice of funny was diverse and vast. Certain stand-out performances are a cut above the rest and hit our funny bone in just the right spot.

Here, in no particular order, is our list of the 24 most hilarious TV characters of 2018. 

1. Captain Raymond Holt — Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Captain Holt is a savage opponent who will deftly point out your eye-boogers to make you doubt yourself. At the same time, his love for his precinct and fellow officers runs so deep that he would sacrifice his own campaign for Commish to make sure it’s not corrupted. 

It is that mix of deadpan badassery and blue-blooded integrity that makes us happy blubbering messes watching Captain Holt on Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  

The second half of Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 5, which aired during 2018, saw Captain Holt slither on the ground to save his husband, grant vacation requests and “I love yous” as the officiant for Peraltiago’s wedding, and stand up against discrimination. He was integral in each character’s stories and just like Jake and Amy, we all were eagerly awaited the wisdom and grammatically correct burns he delivered each week. 

Captain Holt is the rare comedic character that allows you to laugh with your whole heart. He is a character we needed in 2018. 

2. Penelope Alvarez — One Day at a Time

Discrimination, depression, and gun violence aren’t exactly funny. Yet, Justina Machado as Penelope Alvarez on One Day at a Time finds the humor in these painful and very real experiences and manages to make us laugh as hard as we cry. 

Machado’s energetic delivery presents Penelope as a sincere and sincerely funny Cuban mother who will call you out on your BS and then cuddle up with you as you work through it. Importantly, Penelope isn’t an idealized or perfect character. Her vulnerabilities and stumbles are actually what make her most effective.

The punchlines, while funny, are just a natural window dressing on the deeply developed central character of the sitcom. 

Especially notable about Penelope’s character is how quickly she can take us from shaking from the harrowing fears of gun violence to shaking with laughter at the great hypocrisy that is being a mother. She’s authentic in a time of Insta-media, and Penelope Alvarez deserves a top spot on our list of comedic characters of 2018.

3. Every Single Character in the Ensemble, Especially Janet — The Good Place

Janet, Michael, Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason are each so singularly funny, and simultaneously at their funniest when they are in a pairing, that it is impossible to pluck one from the group to highlight as a separate comedic character.

Janet is a stand out character, especially as D’Arcy Carden acted as Chidi, Tahani, Jason, and Eleanor when they were saved into her void and took on her form. Eleanor Janet kissing Chidi Janet was one of the most hilarious and satisfying seconds of television ever, of any time or plane.  Even that, though, isn’t possible without the other characters that Janet becomes.

Jason’s Florida-idiocy manages to be endlessly charming because of Manny Jacinto’s endless guile. Eleanor’s journey to the most moral character of the bunch is refreshingly tender and sweet, a veritable shrimp cocktail of story arcs.

Tahani and Chidi are both so awkward and quirky that with lesser actors and less developed ensembles, they would be annoying. But, they really never are. The Good Place team is pure joy to watch each week.

The ensemble on The Good Place is so deliciously interdependent that we can’t choose just one or even just three, of the characters as the top comedic character. Thus, they are a unit that made us laugh, chuckle, and giggle some more in 2018.  

4. Heather Davis — Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Heather has grown from being an aimless cynic to embracing her power as a manager and drama-lover. She has found the future that works for her and is a grounding and supportive character on the final season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. 

It is because of the angst-free place she is in that Heather is able to be her funniest self on the season. She puts it all out there, with gleeful detail, on the song “The Cringe.”

Her frank delivery belies the sincerely kind and thoughtful fun she infuses into Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Plus, her feet on the dashboard during “Trapped in a Car With Someone You Don’t Want to Be Trapped With,” is one of the funniest images of 2018. 

5. Diana Trout — Younger

No character has made so much impact by statement necklaces alone as Diana Trout on Younger.

It is definitely #TroutSeason on Younger Season 5. Diana finally has a romantic interest in her life who sees how gosh-darn incredible she is and showers her with the love and lust that she deserves. 

As she makes her way setting boundaries and fighting for relevance in an ageist industry, Diana is always outrageous and hilariously blunt. Only Miriam Shor could make finding her lover in a pile of feces both hilarious and heartwarming. Diana is the uptight boss with a gooey center that we all wish we had. 

In all honesty, her cabaret performance alone earns her a place on this list. 

 She is the only one still in the dark about Liza’s real age, so Season 6 is likely to get more emotional and bumpy for Diana. It is wonderful that we have Season 5’s relatively lighter Diana in 2018. 

6. Moira Rose — Schitt’s Creek

 
The move to Schitt’s Creek was probably the biggest adjustment for Moira out of the Rose family. By Season 4, she has won the hearts of the townsfolk and become a delightful fixture of the community whether she intended to or not.

Her flamboyant and quirky personality which is peppered with an extensive, colorful vocabulary is a riot to watch. Catherine O’Hara brings her legendary comedy genius to the unparalleled character of Moira Rose, and both the citizens of Schitt’s Creek and we, the viewers, are blessed by it.

7. Dina — Superstore

Lauren Ash’s Dina has it all when it comes to comedic character. She checks the boxes on physical comedy, romantic comedy, absurdity, buddy comedy, and satire. There is no territory of funny that Dina can’t handle. 

The new season of Superstore knows what a gem Dina is on the show and is taking advantage of both her quirks and her softer side. For example, Dina’s takedown of Marcus’s white privilege is sharp and so very Dina.

Nothing will top the Christmas-themed pregnancy photo shoot Dina embraces on the second episode of Season 4. Then again, Dina would never back down from a challenge like that, so she’s sure to top even our highest expectations as the season continues. 

While other characters might slip too far into the silly or pitiful, Dina’s confidence and honesty make her in control and never the butt of the joke, even when she is. 

The way Dina and Garrett, my favorite OTP of the show, play off of each other is only enhancing the sizzling humor Dina registers on Superstore. 

8. Beverly Goldberg — The Goldbergs

As they say, “mother knows best.” The Goldbergs matriarch Beverly lives and breathes that phrase, especially when it comes to her youngest Adam.

Her pursuit of ensuring all her children do what she believes is best for them usually ends up in some comical disaster or another. Through it all, she never loses her sense of grace and poise. Nothing will stop Beverly Goldberg from loving her family. 

Her drive to be there for her family is what makes her one of the funniest, most lovable moms on all of TV. Who wouldn’t want a mom telling you “I’m your mother! It’s my job to strong-arm people into seeing how amazing you are.”?

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