George Costanza vs. Cosmo Kramer (1 Viewer)

[RBM]

This one ought to be closer than the Friends poll.

Which Seinfeld character was funnier?

In my book, these are two of the four funniest human characters in the history of television, so it pains me to pick against either of them. However, gun to my hed, if forced to pick, I have to go with: George.

Hawkeye PierceGroucho Marx as host of "You Bet Your Life"

Mr. Robinson (Mr. Robinson's neighborhood, Eddie Murphy)

Jack Tripper

Benny Hill (various, but all the same character)

There's your top 5. Don't see Seinfeld characters anywhere on that list.

Invalid list without Sam Malone and Archie Bunker

 

[Fensalk]

This one ought to be closer than the Friends poll.

Which Seinfeld character was funnier?

In my book, these are two of the four funniest human characters in the history of television, so it pains me to pick against either of them. However, gun to my hed, if forced to pick, I have to go with: George.

Hawkeye PierceGroucho Marx as host of "You Bet Your Life"

Mr. Robinson (Mr. Robinson's neighborhood, Eddie Murphy)

Jack Tripper

Benny Hill (various, but all the same character)

There's your top 5. Don't see Seinfeld characters anywhere on that list.

Invalid list without Sam Malone and Archie Bunker

Sam Malone was smarmy not funny. Archie was cranky not funny.

 

[Fensalk]

This one ought to be closer than the Friends poll.

Which Seinfeld character was funnier?

In my book, these are two of the four funniest human characters in the history of television, so it pains me to pick against either of them. However, gun to my hed, if forced to pick, I have to go with: George.

Hawkeye PierceGroucho Marx as host of "You Bet Your Life"

Mr. Robinson (Mr. Robinson's neighborhood, Eddie Murphy)

Jack Tripper

Benny Hill (various, but all the same character)

There's your top 5. Don't see Seinfeld characters anywhere on that list.

Is that my top five too?

Should be everyone's.

 

[Fensalk]

I had to leave off Mr. Humphries from Are You Being Served? and Lance Prevert from You Can't Do That on Television. Homer Simpson is just Lance Prevert Knock-off. Les Lye was one of the greatest TV comedians of all time.

 

[ThaPenguin]

This one ought to be closer than the Friends poll.

Which Seinfeld character was funnier?

In my book, these are two of the four funniest human characters in the history of television, so it pains me to pick against either of them. However, gun to my hed, if forced to pick, I have to go with: George.

Hawkeye PierceGroucho Marx as host of "You Bet Your Life"

Mr. Robinson (Mr. Robinson's neighborhood, Eddie Murphy)

Jack Tripper

Benny Hill (various, but all the same character)

There's your top 5. Don't see Seinfeld characters anywhere on that list.

Is that my top five too?

Should be everyone's.

Not everyone is over the age of 62.

 

[Fensalk]

This one ought to be closer than the Friends poll.

Which Seinfeld character was funnier?

In my book, these are two of the four funniest human characters in the history of television, so it pains me to pick against either of them. However, gun to my hed, if forced to pick, I have to go with: George.

Hawkeye PierceGroucho Marx as host of "You Bet Your Life"

Mr. Robinson (Mr. Robinson's neighborhood, Eddie Murphy)

Jack Tripper

Benny Hill (various, but all the same character)

There's your top 5. Don't see Seinfeld characters anywhere on that list.

Is that my top five too?

Should be everyone's.

Not everyone is over the age of 62.

I don't care how old you are, absolutely no-one could carry a tv-show with ad-libbing the way Groucho could.

 

[sports_fan]

Well this thread is going downhill fast.

 

[Fensalk]

Well this thread is going downhill fast.

Hard to go downhill when the FFA is already in the gutter now isn't it?

 

[sports_fan]

Well this thread is going downhill fast.

Hard to go downhill when the FFA is already in the gutter now isn't it?

Yet you found a way.

 

[Chaka]

This one ought to be closer than the Friends poll.

Which Seinfeld character was funnier?

In my book, these are two of the four funniest human characters in the history of television, so it pains me to pick against either of them. However, gun to my hed, if forced to pick, I have to go with: George.

Hawkeye PierceGroucho Marx as host of "You Bet Your Life"

Mr. Robinson (Mr. Robinson's neighborhood, Eddie Murphy)

Jack Tripper

Benny Hill (various, but all the same character)

There's your top 5. Don't see Seinfeld characters anywhere on that list.

Is that my top five too?

Should be everyone's.

Thanks for sparing me and everyone else the effort of coming up with our own.

 

[Jojo the circus boy]

This one ought to be closer than the Friends poll.

Which Seinfeld character was funnier?

In my book, these are two of the four funniest human characters in the history of television, so it pains me to pick against either of them. However, gun to my hed, if forced to pick, I have to go with: George.

Hawkeye PierceGroucho Marx as host of "You Bet Your Life"

Mr. Robinson (Mr. Robinson's neighborhood, Eddie Murphy)

Jack Tripper

Benny Hill (various, but all the same character)

There's your top 5. Don't see Seinfeld characters anywhere on that list.

Invalid list without Sam Malone and Archie Bunker

Sam Malone was smarmy not funny. Archie was cranky not funny.

I'd take Archie over Jack Tripper any day

 

[Short Corner]

This one ought to be closer than the Friends poll.

Which Seinfeld character was funnier?

In my book, these are two of the four funniest human characters in the history of television, so it pains me to pick against either of them. However, gun to my hed, if forced to pick, I have to go with: George.

Hawkeye PierceGroucho Marx as host of "You Bet Your Life"

Mr. Robinson (Mr. Robinson's neighborhood, Eddie Murphy)

Jack Tripper

Benny Hill (various, but all the same character)

There's your top 5. Don't see Seinfeld characters anywhere on that list.

I think Barney from How I Met Your Mother belongs on this list.

 

[Tau837]

 

[Raider Nation]

Sam Malone was smarmy not funny.

"I'll be with you as soon as I'm done making this Margarita. So anyway, Margarita..."

 

[Raider Nation]

George had some great lines. But nobody made me spit out my drink like Kramer.:I'm out:

I agree that Kramer was more of a LOL (literally) character. That is a credit to Michael Richards, who took what was originally a side character and was so awesome that he became a legendary one. I still think George was a better written character, but that is probably 'cause so much of Kramer's stuff was improvised by Richards.

Richards' physical comedy and facial expressions were top-notch. Perhaps second to only Jackie Gleason in modern times.

 

[optionmaven]

Jack Soo as Yamana from Barney Miller made me laugh every time he was on the screen. Underrated.

 

[saintsfan]

No list is complete without Ed Norton.

I think George was funnier. Just such a neurotic little bald man...

 

[Ghost Rider]

George had some great lines. But nobody made me spit out my drink like Kramer.:I'm out:

I agree that Kramer was more of a LOL (literally) character. That is a credit to Michael Richards, who took what was originally a side character and was so awesome that he became a legendary one. I still think George was a better written character, but that is probably 'cause so much of Kramer's stuff was improvised by Richards.

Richards' physical comedy and facial expressions were top-notch.

Yep. The Pick episode is a good example. The scene where Jerry is trying to keep Kramer away from his model g/f (the one who later sees him appear to pick his nose) because of the beach cologne is awesome. When Kramer first comes in the door as Jerry tries to keep him out, the way Richards tilts his head sideways and then smiles at her is just gut-busting funny every time I see it. You can't write humor like that; it just comes out of the actor and the performance. Also, the scene where Kramer talks about driving the bus with the severed pinky toe...no one else could have told that story as awesome as Richards did.

 

[Raider Nation]

In the Seinfeld chapter of "Top of the Rock," Warren Littlefield's oral history of his stint running NBC in the Must-See TV era, Jason Alexander repeats the anecdote about how he saw the script for the episode where Jerry and Elaine visit his parents in Florida — which didn't feature any scenes with George or Kramer — and told Jerry and Larry that either George would be in every episode from here on out, or none of them.

What a little doosh! I wish Larry David called his bluff and fired him. He was a nobody before that show.Would have been funny if they actually replaced him with the guy who played George in their TV pilot.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

He was a nobody before that show.

First time I saw the show, the first thing I thought was "that's the little bald guy who punched Julia Roberts in the mouth in Pretty Woman".

 

[Sea Duck]

In the Seinfeld chapter of "Top of the Rock," Warren Littlefield's oral history of his stint running NBC in the Must-See TV era, Jason Alexander repeats the anecdote about how he saw the script for the episode where Jerry and Elaine visit his parents in Florida — which didn't feature any scenes with George or Kramer — and told Jerry and Larry that either George would be in every episode from here on out, or none of them.

What a little doosh! I wish Larry David called his bluff and fired him. He was a nobody before that show.Would have been funny if they actually replaced him with the guy who played George in their TV pilot.

Jeremy Piven, btw.

 

[TinHat]

In the Seinfeld chapter of "Top of the Rock," Warren Littlefield's oral history of his stint running NBC in the Must-See TV era, Jason Alexander repeats the anecdote about how he saw the script for the episode where Jerry and Elaine visit his parents in Florida — which didn't feature any scenes with George or Kramer — and told Jerry and Larry that either George would be in every episode from here on out, or none of them.

What a little doosh! I wish Larry David called his bluff and fired him. He was a nobody before that show.Would have been funny if they actually replaced him with the guy who played George in their TV pilot.

Turned out to be the right call. Without George, the show would have been pretty mediocre.

 

[Disc Shark]

Jack Soo as Yamana from Barney Miller made me laugh every time he was on the screen. Underrated.

Every character on Barney Miller is funnier and better than all the people on Fensalk's Top 5. Except Groucho. But Groucho wasn't a "character". He was just Groucho, one of the funniest human beings to ever walk the earth.This thread did get badly derailed. It began with a reasonable discussion of George v. Kramer. Then I skip to page 3 and those with no sense of humor start chiming in. It's chilling what some people think is funny.By the way, it's George. The funniest character in the history of TV. And I'm one who thinks Kramer is one of the funniest characters in TV history, too. But George. Magnificence. It's a crime that Alexander never won any Emmys (another indictment of stupid award shows). Richards should have to give Alexander at least 1 or 2 of his.

 

[DocHolliday]

Went with George but it was a tough call. Kramer was hysterically funny and definitely had some of the best moments on Seinfeld. George was consistently funny week after week. Kramer had those big physical movements that cracked you up. George used slight body movements and small facial expressions that made his character.

Great show.

 

[Koya]

Kramer was a character. He played his part, provided his energy.

George was the glue. He was the soul of the hilarious meaninglessness of the show.

 

[BustedKnuckles]

George is a funny ####...but Kramer could make you laugh just walking into a room

 

[Koya]

George is a funny ####...but Kramer could make you laugh just walking into a room

To me, Kramer was always shtick. Legendary shtick, but shtick nonetheless. Eventually it will wear thin if too abundant.George was humor and comedy. His possibilities are endless.

 

[Raider Nation]

Rules.

And note the stellar acting job by Jerry. He squints a lot. Because, you know.... it's supposed to be early in the morning.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

He was a nobody before that show.

First time I saw the show, the first thing I thought was "that's the little bald guy who punched Julia Roberts in the mouth in Pretty Woman".

The greatness of this ad may have gone unnoticed today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh1kmVwS4Hw