Look, we get it. You’re awkward. We are, too. For some reason, we just can’t figure out how to talk normally to another human being. What do we do with our hands? How much eye contact is too much? Do we smile? What’s the other person thinking? Do they even like us? Eventually, it gets to the point where we apologize for even trying to speak and then we go home and hang out with our cat because he’s the only one that understands us.
The point is, we’re awkward, but the light at the end of that tunnel is that Hollywood has created characters even more awkward than us and, for the most part, they actually ended up being surprisingly endearing. So there’s still hope for us. In the meantime, let’s brush up on our small screen history and check out the 10 most awkward TV characters.
Photo Credit: FX
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Awkward TV Characters
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10. Arnold Baumheiser on 'Master of None'
The tall, lovable oaf from Aziz Ansari's Netflix show, Master of None, is about as awkward as it gets. What makes him so endearing, however, is that he utterly oblivious to his…eccentricities. He’s a hilarious person, but doesn’t really mean to be. From the way he eats pasta to telling inanimate objects that he loves them, Arnold is like a big, weird gorilla who we want to hug while we simultaneously cringe.
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9. Bubbles on ‘The Trailer Park Boys’
Bubbles, the enigmatic, half-blind cult hero from Trailer Park Boys is awkward. He’s also probably the most authentic character in all of television. Bubbles is an introvert by nature, but he’s not afraid to perform in front of a live crowd, whether it’s playing guitar or wrestling professionally. Also, when he gets overwhelmed, he cries. Basically, Bubbles is all of us.
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8. Gus Cruikshank on ‘Love’
Gus is kind of an A-hole, which is the point, we guess, to show how flawed people actually are. More than being a jerk, however, Gus is just super awkward. At first, like during the initial season of Netflix’s Love, it’s endearing. But as he gets older and more enveloped in his relationship with Mickie, his charm becomes his biggest downfall. In short, Mickie is way too good for Gus.
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7. Literally any of ‘the gang’ on ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’
Each member of "the gang" has their own eccentricities. And all of those eccentricities make each member of the gang extremely awkward. Whether it’s Mac, Dennis, Charlie, Dee or Frank, each of these characters are fascinating in a super awkward way.
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6. Mork from Ork on ‘Mork & Mindy’
Mork from Ork was one of the most interesting, and awkward, television characters of his time. Of course, the reason for this is because Mork was from another planet (Ork…get it?) and had to interact with humans. But if you didn’t know any better, you might just think he had very shoddy social skills.
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5. Potsie Webber on ‘Happy Days’
Speaking of beloved ‘70s television characters, there’s Potsie Webber. Now, Happy Days is fondly remembered by most, but Potsie is not who most think of in regards to the show. Usually it’s the Fonz. Sometimes it’s Richie Cunningham. Every so often, it’s Ralph the Mouth. It’s never Potsie, but it should be. Because if anyone out of the group could be a serial killer, it’d be Potsie. He’s not awkward in a funny way. He’s awkward in a probably-would-keep-Joanie-locked-in-his-basement-if-he-could kind of way.
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4. Dwight Schrute on ‘The Office’
From the first season of The Office all the way to the last, one thing has been consistent: Dwight is awkward. Whether he’s trying to keep his relationship with Angela secret, worshiping Michael Scott or becoming the victim, yet again, of a prank by Jim, Dwight never fails to shock audiences with how absolutely awkward he is. Dude has it down to a science.
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3. Borat on 'Da Ali G Show'
Many fans know of Borat, the TV news reporter based in Kazakhstan, from the movie. But before Borat hit theaters, he was just a humble journalist on Da Ali G Show. Granted, the actor portraying Borat, Sasha Baron Cohen, went to great lengths to be awkward on purpose. Still, the reason Borat was so successful at being so cringey was because the people with whom he interacted were real-life people who were also, like, really awkward.
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2. Sheldon Cooper on ‘The Big Bang Theory’
The epitome of sitcom-awkwardness is Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. He is everything that got you beaten up in high school. From his thoughts on comic books, to his truly remarkable interactions with women, nothing is off limits to Sheldon’s borderline personality disorder. At first, Sheldon was kind of a jerk. But we learned to love him once we just accepted him as he was. It’s a lesson we should apply to real people as well.
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1. Nathan Fielder on ‘Nathan For You’
Speaking of real people, there’s Nathan Fielder. Now, some say Fielder’s personality is an act. But for Nathan and his brand of humor, all the world is truly a stage. Fielder developed a show called Nathan for You, in which he would help struggling businesses find success. What the business owners didn’t know, however, was that Nathan was socially, physically, mentally and probably spiritually awkward. Much like Borat, what made Fielder so cringey was the fact that he was interacting with actual people who, in truth, were even more awkward than Nathan himself.
