Sitcom Villains

Villains who have appeared in television situational comedies, either as a minor villain or a recurring antagonist. However, most sitcoms do not have main villains, as they are intended for laughs, rather than a serious and/or dramatic plot effect. These villains are often more of a nuisance to the protagonists of the sitcom rather than a threat. In some cases, the villain may be the protagonist itself, depending on said character's actions. Some masterminds can also be under this category and be relatively harmless as they are mostly played for laughs and not meant to be taken seriously.

A sitcom villain's acts often do not cause any permanent damage, as the characters will usually be seen in a whole different scenario in another episode, completely unharmed, until they cause another dilemma. In works, like South Park, characters are seen regularly abusing each other, but usually survive to live in the next episode.

Settings for sitcoms need to be considered. Most "Slice of Life" type shows will RARELY have certifiable villains. However, others WILL, because of the nature and theme of their setting. For example, Get Smart has a setting of spy organizations involved in espionage, regardless of how much it is played for laughs. Archer, Powerless and Kim Possible are other franchises where their creative teams actually stipulate certain characters as certifiable “Wicked Doing Evil” villains.

Sitcom villains are also usually set in a realistic universe and do not stray too far from reality (although animated sitcoms usually present more outrageous villains).

These villains do have the possibility to qualify as Pure Evil if they are taken seriously enough and meet all criteria, even in spite of the comedic nature of the media they appear in. However, much like dimwits, kids and partners in crime, they are incredibly rare, with Victor Krane and the Duke being prime examples of Pure Evil villains in sitcom shows.