Wednesday, 17 October 2012

TV's Most Annoying Neighbors

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TV's Most Annoying Neighbors, Almost every show has them: annoying neighbors. The yin to the "normal" neighbor's yang, they usually stop by unannounced or provide an extra turn of the knife when it's least needed. The annoying neighbor comes in all different shapes and sizes, from town gossip to jester to just plain intolerable. The new ABC sitcom "The Neighbors" is taking the annoying neighbor to a whole new level by creating an entire neighborhood out of aliens. What could possibly go wrong? These are a few TV neighbors who never should have been allowed to move into the 'hood, unless making a sitcom more painful to watch was part of the homeowner association's agreement. Can you guess their names?


"Seinfeld" (1990-1998)

Forget Kramer, who was more of a loveable kook. This is the guy who was the most annoying neighbor of Jerry Seinfeld, always with a smug little smirk on his face and speaking in a sinister tone (watch a clip). Jerry once described him as "pure evil" and the Lex Luthor to his Superman. Though the reason behind Jerry's feud with this mailman is never revealed and could be totally trivial, we're on Jerry's side.

"Three's Company" (1976-1984)

This sitcom had its share of annoying neighbors, from Larry to Mr. and Mrs. Roper to this guy, who was the most annoying with his bright leisure suits and "ladies man" smarm. Don Knotts played the lanky landlord to Jack, Janet and Chrissy, and somehow always managed to get his wires crossed when it came to the relationship of the three roomies (watch a clip).

"Three's Company" (1976-1984)

This sitcom had its share of annoying neighbors, from Larry to Mr. and Mrs. Roper to this guy, who was the most annoying with his bright leisure suits and "ladies man" smarm. Don Knotts played the lanky landlord to Jack, Janet and Chrissy, and somehow always managed to get his wires crossed when it came to the relationship of the three roomies (watch a clip).

"The Simpsons" (1989-present)

The guy's first name is a hybrid of two names. If that wasn't annoying enough, he is incredibly sweet and good-natured, a combination that infuriates Homer Simpson to no end. A devout Christian and all-around do-gooder, this character (voiced by this man) exemplifies everything Homer detests. Maybe it's because getting delirious off doughnuts and Duff beer are not on this dude's daily agenda.

"Everybody Loves Raymond" (1996-2005)

The absurdly intrusive mother turned neighbor of Raymond can't quite stop coddling her fully grown son. And no woman will ever be good enough for him. Just ask his wife, Debra, who is constantly bombarded by jabs from her mother-in-law about her housekeeping and cooking skills. This neighbor was so annoying that the actress who played her won four Emmy awards for her caustic portrayal.

Up All Night" (2011-present)

Reagan and Chris are often confused by the androgynous names of these two annoying neighbors, the saccharine-sweet happy couple who live in their neighborhood and who can't seem to be less uncool. From matching holiday sweaters to a joint birthday party for their kids where they insist everyone hold hands while singing "Happy Birthday," yeah, these guys are awful.

"Gilmore Girls" (2000-2007)

Sally Struthers plays this gossipy neighbor to Lorelai and Rory, both of whom she is very protective of, butting into their lives whenever she suspects trouble in the small town of Stars Hollow. Every town needs a gossip, but when it came to opening her yappy trap, we wish she had kept it all in the family — her own.

"I Love Lucy" (1951-1957)

This husband and his wife are next-door neighbors to Ricky and Lucy Ricardo. Between the four of them, it's a wonder how they managed not to overdose on scheming. Most of the time, the female neighbor was the accomplice to Lucy's plot of revenge against Ricky for something he did wrong. And, following the sitcom's usual formula, the neighbor would blab to her husband, who would then blab to Ricky, ending in what would become plot vs. plot until the foursome came together and called truths. We love Lucy, but we don't love this much plot.

"Home Improvement" (1991-1999)

This "Hi-de-ho" neighbor of the Taylor family played hide-and-seek with viewers, who never got to see his entire face, which was always obscured by a fence or some other obstruction. This wise old mono-named confidant next door always knew what to say to the Taylors at just the right time. Too bad his wisdom was always overshadowed by a picket fence post.

"Friends" (1994-2004)

The robed curmudgeon constantly complained about the noise in Monica's apartment (watch a clip). He even tried to convince Rachel that a lost cat she found was his. As a coup de grace before his death, he willed all of his junk to "the noisy girls upstairs." What a jerk.

"Will & Grace" (1998-2006)

Sean Hayes nails his role as this flamboyant neighbor to Will and Grace who loves nothing more than theatrics, gossip and being shallow. He also likes celebrities, something he aspires to be when he grows up. He stalked this one, danced backup for this one, and this one appeared as God in one of his dreams.

"Family Matters" (1989-1998)

Jaleel White was hired to play this uber-annoying character for one episode, but the high-water, thick-rimmed glasses-wearing nerd soon became the show's most popular character. White turned a nasally voice and a ridiculous laugh into a pop culture icon. Yes, he did do that.

"Dexter" (2006-present)

He appeared for only one season, but that was enough for this lame character. He was the next-door neighbor of Dexter and Rita Morgan, whom he spent increasingly more time with when his wife smartened up and left him. The guy even had the nerve to kiss Rita on Thanksgiving. The only saving grace is that Dexter punched him into tomorrow when he found out. He's lucky that's all Dexter did.

"Full House" (1987-1995)

Her best friend D.J. Tanner lives with her dad, her dad's quirky college friend, her uncle and two sisters, but this neighbor is considered the wacky one, usually complaining about her smelly feet, delivering lame one-liners or generally doing bad in school. In one episode, she gets drunk, but we think maybe she was just a casualty of Uncle Jesse's hairspray fumes.

"Bewitched" (1964-1972)

One of the first annoying neighbors on television, this character has become the epitome of the nightmare nosy neighbor next door. She knows something is amiss with the Stephens household, often watching through her curtains, but can never quite prove it. But viewers knew Samantha was the real nosy one, twitching her nose to instigate witchcraft — whenever this neighbor wasn't around to catch her in the act.

"Married With Children" (1987-1997)

They were newlyweds when the show started, but by the series end, they were divorced. The two bankers initially thought themselves better than their neighbors Al and Peggy Bundy, but the longer the show ran, the more the couple seemed to sink to their level. The husband eventually left his wife for a job as a forest ranger. We agree that trees are probably more mentally stable than his ex-wife.

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