5 Times Sitcom Characters Were Total Badasses
Conflict drives sitcom plots, but it’s the rare occasion when comedic characters truly get the chance to release their inner badass. Sure, the Fonz got into a few tussles, but he usually solved problems by being cool and letting his nemeses off the hook.
Here are five times when sitcom characters took off the gloves and actually got down and dirty…
Dan Conner
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You could count on the original Roseanne to get grittier than its counterparts like, say, Home Improvement. Things didn’t get more real for the Conners than the time DJ found Jackie in a bathroom, covered in bruises. When Roseanne and Dan realize her boyfriend Fisher was responsible, Dan beat the crap out of him and ended up in jail. John Goodman was incredibly convincing as a brother-in-law who would take the fall, even as he wraps his bloody hand in a kitchen towel.
Phil Dunphy
Who knew being a realtor was a superpower? Modern Family’s Phil wasn’t going to roll up his sleeves and get into a rassling match with Auntie Alice, the passive-aggressive senior who stole Gloria’s hot sauce recipe. He didn’t need to — his encyclopedic knowledge of city building codes and school district boundaries gave him everything he needed to burn the silver-haired thief’s life down to its very foundation. Absolutely ruthless.
Julia Sugarbaker
Designing Women often featured tirades from Julia Sugarbaker, but never a gut punch like the one she delivered to Miss Georgia World. With nostrils flaring and eyes narrowing, Julie’s vitriol practically forced the nasty beauty queen to her knees as she learned exactly who was responsible for the night the lights went out in Georgia. The lesson, like the one on Roseanne — don’t mess with sisters.
Dwight Shrute
Is it fair to say The Office’s Jim Halpert had it coming? After all, he did initiate that late-night kiss with Pam Beesly knowing full well that she was engaged to Roy Anderson. Can you blame Roy for wanting to exact revenge once he learned the truth?
Lucky for Jim, the Scranton branch had Dwight K. Shrute as its safety officer. Just as Roy was about to take Jim out with a right cross, fearless Dwight leapt into the fray and stopped Roy with a well-aimed blast of pepper spray. “Every day for eight years, I have brought pepper spray into this office to protect myself and my fellow employees,” Dwight said through teary eyes brought on by the attack. “And every day for eight years, people have laughed at me.”
You can’t blame him for asking the question: “Well, who’s laughing now?”
The Bundys
Al Bundy doesn’t display obvious affection for his wife Peg or his kids, Bud and Kelly. But when the family’s back was against the wall, Al and the gang teamed up to deliver old-fashioned ass whoopings to anyone who crossed them. A boyfriend cheats on Kelly? Al delivers haymakers.
A road-raging motorist mouths off? The whole family kicks, chokes and bodyslams.
A thug breaks in and threatens Al with a crowbar? The Bundy patriarch protects his house and family.
When it comes to throwing actual sitcom punches, no other family comes close.