When you try to think of all the characters that have been on the Simpsons over the years your brain might actually short circuit there are so many. But the supporting characters that have stuck around, and there are still a lot, are those that have managed to get the most screen time out of anyone. While the list below might not be in full agreement with everyone’s opinion these are still some of the funniest and most visible people on the show that have been popping up all over Springfield throughout the years. Whether it’s in their favorite spot or in just some random part of town these supporting characters have been a part of the show in a way that seems to paint them as necessary characters within the town and the lives of the Simpsons. In fact some of them are pretty important to be honest.
Here are some of the most visible supporting characters.
5. Barney Gumble
Barney is the town drunk that you know will do anything for the price of a beer since he’s been seen doing just about anything and everything throughout the years. The fact that he’s a big, fat, drunken slob is kind of embraced by the town since it’s just one of those things that you turn your head at but don’t say anything about. Be that as it may though Barney has known Homer since high school and has been his friend for a very long time, meaning that he’s tied to the Simpsons in a way that makes it less than easy to just up and get rid of him. Plus, there’s that whole idea of him being a future version of Nelson that got drunk and forgot why he went back in time.
4. Krusty the Clown
We’ve all had at least one or two TV idols in our time that we’ve absolutely loved and were sorry to see go off the air at times. Krusty is important mainly to the Simpson kids and the kids of Springfield since he’s one of the top entertainers and also features the show Itchy and Scratchy, which is the favorite cartoon of many kids. But when he’s been down and out it’s usually been Bart and Lisa that have come to his aid and done what they could to get back on his feet. He hasn’t always been as grateful as he should have been, since he’s kind of an egotist that runs through money like it’s going out of style. But he does manage to show emotion when he absolutely needs to.
3. Chief Wiggum
Chief Wiggum is perhaps the worst cop to ever come along in any show, EVER. The guy is kind of a bumbling example of a police chief and someone you might not want protecting you once you see the kind if haphazard job he does of it. But for all that he’s still kind of a nice guy, he just doesn’t seem to be much of a cop. There have been plenty of episodes in which he’s simply watched a crime being committed and thought to do nothing of it but sit back and admit that he couldn’t stop it. In terms of his place in the show he seems to be there for the continual comic relief that he and his son bring.
2. Troy McClure
Troy is that guy that can’t seem to figure out that he’s not really famous but will still play it up like he is since, well, he’s conceited and can’t think of anything else to do. If he were to ever admit to not being famous it seems that he wouldn’t have much of a purpose on the show, especially given that he’s more of a figurehead when the show needs someone to stand in as a host and be ‘that guy’ that thinks he’s hot stuff and in reality is an oddity since people can’t really stomach him all that easily. But when you really think about it Troy is a fixture of the show more because he’s someone that’s easy to laugh at.
1. Ned Flanders
Ned is that one guy you know in life that is somehow so patient as to be immune to the bumbling next door neighbors that he suffers through and the many different things that happen to him during the course of an episode. If you can remember Ned has had to put up with a lot, but then again his holier than thou ways have been kind of annoying at the same time as he seems so bent on being positive that he can’t always tell when it’s time to turn off the charm and just walk away. In many ways Ned is the guy that will gladly tell you that faith can fix everything and won’t understand why you’re holding what could be construed as a weapon while he’s talking.
There are so many characters on the Simpsons that describing them all in detail would require a full-length book.
