15 Favorite Characters from TV Comedies in 2024

This year in comedy brought plenty of fascinating, hilarious, and loveable characters to our screens. From teachers, therapists, and amateur sleuths to funny vampires and ghosts, these characters won our hearts in major ways.

In no particular order, here are our favorite characters from TV comedies in 2024:

1. Gregory Eddie (Abbott Elementary)

Everyone would be so lucky to have a teacher like Gregory Eddie from Abbott Elementary.

He has a big heart that sometimes gets hidden by his more prominent quirks, but it always comes out for his students. Whether he is creating a program for students to sit with him and talk out their problems or he’s starting a community garden, Mr. Eddie is what everyone deserves in an educator.

This year, we got to see his relationship with Janine finally come to fruition. He loves her in ways that no one else can understand, but that’s the beauty of it, isn’t it?

For us, Gregory is what we all hope to find in a friend and romantic partner. He’s caring and attentive and never backs down from what he believes. That’s because he knows what he likes and what he wants out of life.

2. Georgie Cooper (Young Sheldon / Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage)

With Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage featuring so many witty and memorable characters, it might seem tough to pick a standout. However, to no one’s surprise, Georgie Cooper shines as the highlight of the show.

Brought to life by 21-year-old actor Montana Jordan, Georgie has quickly captured viewers’ hearts and cemented his place as the ultimate comedy character. His effortless relatability and unpredictable antics make him impossible to resist.

From his Southern charm to his knack for turning everyday situations into laugh-out-loud moments, Georgie is a comedic powerhouse. Whether he’s diving into a get-rich-quick scheme, navigating hilariously awkward family dynamics, or delivering one of his iconic one-liners, his charisma and playful energy steal every scene.

With a perfect mix of heart and humor, Georgie’s chaotic yet lovable personality is the driving force behind the sitcom’s success.

3. Melissa Schemmenti (Abbott Elementary)

Throughout the seasons, Melissa has been a consistently funny character. Her hard exterior is only a cover for a soft and caring teacher. This had been explored several times on Abbott Elementary, but it was done in a cute and funny way this season with the guinea pig.

Even though Lisa Ann Walter hasn’t been recognized by an accolade of nominations like some of her cast mates, her work is a master class in perfect timing. Her expressions, movements, and looks into the camera make Melissa Schemmenti a well-rounded, funny, and memorable character.

4. Charles-Hayden Savage (Only Murders in the Building)

Only Murders in the Building Season 4 saw Charles going through a lot. He was grieving the death of Sazz, his oldest friend, while also processing the possibility that he was the intended target.

While investigating Sazz’s murder, Charles finds moments and ways to honor Sazz, from being the body at her funeral to getting her a proper chair on the set of her movie. He taps in, honoring her legacy and their friendship.

5. Nadja (What We Do in the Shadows)

Whenever Nadja is on screen in What We Do in the Shadows, there is never a dull moment.

Fiercely determined, she has done everything from helping run a vampire council to starting a nightclub. Despite her tough exterior, she cares for the Staten Island vampires deeply, especially her beloved Laszlo. It’s impossible not to love Nadja with all her passion and bloodlust.

6. Gaby Evans (Shrinking)

When the chips are down, Gaby Evans from Shrinking is someone you want in your corner. Or if you’re in dire need of a deep, soul-cleansing belly laugh. Gaby is easily one of the funniest, most quick-witted characters on the show, but she’s so much more than that. She’s a complex, nuanced, multifaceted woman.

More importantly, Gaby proves that even talented therapists struggle to establish boundaries, something to which we can all relate.

7. Hetty (Ghosts)

Hetty Woodstone is a rigid decorum stickler who upholds the rules of an outdated and problematic society — even when she really should not. It is impressive to watch her terrorize her fellow ghostmates with petty gossip and cunning business tactics. The Gilded Age spirit can be judgmental, but something magical happens when she pulls back those defensive layers.

Rebecca Wisocky effortlessly navigates that vulnerability and high-end snobbery with a delectable wit that will make you laugh at the most distasteful jokes.

Her empathy and desire to embrace womanhood after her death makes Hetty a trailblazer within this comedy’s ranks. It’s no wonder that when we reminisce over the show’s best episodes, Ghosts Season 3 Episode 8, “Holes Are Bad,” comes to mind for delivering a heart-wrenching reminder that Hetty is essential to this premise’s authenticity.

8. Alex Russo (The Wizards of Waverly Place)

It’s impossible to list the best comedy characters in 2024 and leave out Alex Russo. She has been a comedy icon since Selena Gomez brought her to life in over one hundred episodes across four seasons of The Wizards of Waverly Place from 2007 to 2012. The wizard last appeared on TV on The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex in 2013.

This year brings her home in the sequel series, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. Alex may be a member of the Wizard Tribunal now, but she still has all the charm and style she did over a decade ago. It’s exciting to imagine what magical twists and turns await Alex Russo in this era.

9. Saira (We are Lady Parts)

We Are Lady Parts Season 2 explored how success in a corporate music industry often means stifling one’s authentic voice to fit a mold crafted by a committee of executives more concerned with profit than artistry.

All of the women of Lady Parts explored some aspect of this theme, but none more than Saira. Saira has always been fiercely independent and passionate about the group’s ability to define themselves on their terms. So, it was particularly impactful to see her struggle to navigate the expectations and responsibilities unfairly placed on artists from marginalized communities.

With each compromise, Saira lost a little of herself. It all culminated in one of the season’s most memorable moments, as Saira, the character who so powerfully recited Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poem “Speak” in Season 1, cannot speak as she is pushed and pulled by unseen forces.

Elevated by the raw vulnerability that Sarah Kameela Impey brings to the character, Saira’s journey in We Are Lady Parts is compelling and complicated. It is the type of rich storytelling that challenges viewers, sparks conversation, and leaves them with plenty to think about.

10. Jackie Harris (The Conners)

For years, Jackie Harris has been the glue holding the family together in the wake of her sister’s death. Her dedication to her family has never wavered and has always kept her going.

This year, she was finally able to take a major step that not many in the family have ever lived to see: retirement. Unfortunately, it also means she now has so much more time on her hands, which she uses to be even more present for her family.

While her new life is all she could hope for, there is a downside. Jackie also had to allow her elderly mom to go off on a one-way trip to who knows where with no chance of ever seeing her again. It’s a heartbreaking goodbye that heals the very fractured relationship Jackie and Bev have always had.

11. Laszlo Cravensworth (What We Do in the Shadows)

From the moment we meet Laszlo Cravensworth, it’s clear that he has this almost effortless timing that you just can’t help but absolutely fall down laughing at any situation he finds himself in.

This season has him firing on all cylinders, letting Matt Berry take on the wild Frankenstein’s monster storyline but also show off another side of the eccentric vampire.

12. Deborah Vance (Hacks)

Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) is on top of the world in Hacks Season 3, but she’s still not settling and decides to pursue her dream of hosting a late-night show. This creates another opportunity for the character to show off her humor and tenacity while up against an industry that doesn’t value older women.

Deborah is more than just a comedy genius, though; she’s relatable in a way that makes sure you’re laughing and crying (sometimes at the same time). She demonstrates humanity at its messiest under all the ego and sequins.

Her journey of personal growth isn’t a straightforward line as seen by her rocky relationship with Ava in Season 3, but the love/hate relationship you’ll have with Deborah is part of why she’s so fun to watch.

13. Sam Miller (Somebody Somewhere)

Sam Miller has come a long way from the guarded woman drowning in grief that we met at the beginning of Somebody Somewhere Season 1.

Played with breathtaking perfection by Bridget Everett, viewers have watched Sam open up as her friendship with Joel grew, repair her relationship with her younger sister, and find joy in the small moments with her found family.

Sam’s journey has been, at times, heartbreaking. It has just as often been cathartic, and it has always been relatable. Watching Sam grow over three seasons was an experience that left viewers’ hearts full, even when she struggled to find her way.

The series finale of Somebody Somewhere was one of warmth, laughter, connection, and optimism. It was everything we have come to love about this series and everything we wanted for Sam, even if we weren’t quite ready to say goodbye.

14. Paul Rhoades (Shrinking)

Dr. Paul Rhoades is the perfect “straight man” to Jimmy’s over-the-top, legally questionable shenanigans. As fond of hurling expletives as he is of candy, Paul might seem like a curmudgeon on the outside, but he has a surprisingly ooey-gooey center.

Paul is unwaveringly loyal to his loved ones, a talented therapist, and proof that you’re never too old to change for the better. Plus, the Harrison Ford plays him. Enough said.

15. Charles Nieuwendyk (A Man on the Inside)

Giving us some serious The Good Place vibes, Ted Danson returned to our TV screens this year in a new comedy by Michael Shur, with a character that was as fun and endearing as you’d expect. Danson stars as Chares Nieuwendyk on A Man on the Inside, a retired widower in desperate need of a new hobby. 

He finds just that when a private investigator hires him to be a “man on the inside” at a retirement community to help find a thief. He’s thrilled at the prospect of being a spy, delighted by things like spy glasses and sending audio notes on his recorder.

What he doesn’t expect, though, is that he enjoys the people and finds himself making new friends along the way.

Ted Danson clearly enjoyed himself in this role, too, and it absolutely shows. 

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Contributions by: Ashley Bissette Sumerel, Allison Nichols, Alicia Gilstorf, Mads Misasi, Shelby Elpers, Sarah Fields, Brianna Martinez, Breeze Riley, Melody McCune, Lara Rosales, Sam Huang, and Gracie Lowes.

Which of these characters were your favorites? Let us know in the comments below!

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