The 10 Best Sitcoms Rivalries Of All Time, Ranked

Hilarious rivalries have created some of the funniest moments of the best sitcoms of all time. Some of these rivalries have a familiar structure where a supporting character has a long-standing feud with a member of the main cast. These rivalries are born out of deeply contrasting personalities, a past wrongdoing against one party, or exist for no reason whatsoever. Several sitcoms enjoy highlighting the rivalry more than explaining why it exists in the first place.

The best rivalries are characterized by clever dialogue and pranks between the two parties. The relationships between Frasier and Niles Crane, Karen Walker and Beverly Leslie, and Jim Halpert and Dwight Schrute are hilarious because of the amount of effort both characters put into making life difficult for the other. However, some of the best rivalries become friendships, demonstrating a nuanced dynamic where affection comes out of their well-thought-out pranks.

10

Phil Dunphy & Gil Thorpe

Modern Family (2009-2020)

Gil Thorpe is Phil’s professional rival and appears to have thoroughly earned Phil’s animosity. Gil is usually condescending and stuck-up when he appears in Modern Family, causing Phil’s determination to always outshine him. Phil does not pull so many elaborate pranks, but he does likely manage to give Gil Lily’s head lice in retribution for stealing Phil’s elected position.

Phil and Gil also find themselves in conflict for Mitchell’s attention at one point. However, while Phil’s hatred for Gil is a funny subplot, its biggest contribution to the story is how it affects Phil and Claire’s relationship. Phil stands up to Gil when he is rude to Claire, and supports Claire when she takes a job working for Gil — only to quit a day later because Gil is terrible. Overall, this rivalry is another way to demonstrate Phil’s continuously energetic personality.

9

Sheldon Cooper & Wil Wheaton

The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019)

Wil Wheaton is first introduced to The Big Bang Theory as one of Sheldon’s sworn enemies due to having missed a convention to which Sheldon made an arduous journey to get Wil’s autograph. Sheldon and Wil have an on-and-off rivalry which is hilarious because of how little Wil cares about it, and how quickly he is willing to end it with a simple gesture of kindness. Sheldon and Wil’s relationship hits some other road bumps later in the series, but it is still characterized by a single-sided rivalry. While Wil’s apathy is funny, it does not make for the most dynamic interactions.

Wil is initially characterized as selfish and scheming when he tricks Sheldon into forfeiting the Mystic Warlords of Ka’a tournament and breaks up Leonard and Penny to win a bowling match. However, he wins everyone over when he decides to make peace with Sheldon and gifts a signed Wesley Crusher action figure — the very item a teenage Sheldon wanted Wil to sign. When Sheldon declares Brent Spiner his new sworn enemy in the same scene, Wil assures him “It doesn’t take up a whole lot of […] time,” reflecting his own feelings about the “rivalry.”

8

Karen Walker & Beverly Leslie

Will & Grace (1998-2020)

On the other hand, Karen’s rivalry with fellow socialite Beverly is a consistent part of Will & Grace. Every so often, Beverly turns up to mock Karen about her drinking habits and relationship failures, while Karen returns without missing a beat to make fun of Beverly’s height. They find themselves in increasingly ridiculous situations as they try to outdo each other in insults and fight over Rosario. Perhaps one of their most famous fights leads to them tackling each other after a game of pool.

Karen and Beverly are oddly characterized as one of the friendships of Will & Grace, but “frenemies” might be a more accurate term. They are both elitist characters, but this only makes watching them make each other miserable more enjoyable. Karen and Beverly’s rivalry is an iconic part of the show that is still considered one of the best sitcom feuds ever.

7

Jerry Seinfeld & Newman

Seinfeld (1989-1998)

Jerry Seinfeld’s terse delivery of “Hello Newman” is possibly one of the most famous lines from a sitcom. Newman causes strife for the entire Seinfeld gang (despite being friends with Kramer), but his primary rivalry is with Jerry. Newman’s theatrical reactions to Jerry and equally dramatic retribution define his character. On the other hand, Jerry is always trying not to react to Newman — and usually fails.

Newman is situated as an antagonist of the series solely because he is at odds with the main character. However, some people argue that Jerry was the villain of Seinfeld, not Newman. Jerry and Newman’s battles range from witty banter to absurd, slapstick fights, demonstrating the variety of humor that made the show a genre-defining sitcom. It is even funnier when Jerry and the others are pressed into helping Newman, such as when they call a truce to work towards Newman’s dream of transferring to Hawaii.

6

Barney Stinson & Marshall Eriksen

How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014)

Barney and Marshall are just two members of the same friend group — most of the time. The rest of the How I Met Your Mother gang occasionally enjoys making Barney miserable because Barney objectively deserves it. However, Marshall’s slap bet with Barney, which lasts for almost the entire series, makes him the only main character who can be thought of as Barney’s rival. Additionally, the recurring joke over whether Barney or Marshall is Ted’s best friend contributes to their characterization as rivals, despite Ted saying it’s Marshall every time.

Marshall wins the privilege of slapping Barney five times at any point in the future from a bet over a secret from Robin’s past in How I Met Your Mother season 2. From there, Marshall creating over-the-top countdowns for each slap doled out becomes a staple of the series. However, it’s not as if Barney takes this lying down. Barney often schemes to pull pranks on his friends, including Marshall. In the case of his exploding meatball sub prank, he invests years into creating the perfect moment to get Marshall back.

5

Homer Simpson & Ned Flanders

The Simpsons (1989-Present)

The Simpsons’ Ned Flanders is a recurring character in sitcoms: a straight-laced, seemingly “perfect” acquaintance who annoys the underachieving but noble protagonist by constantly upstaging them. Homer is annoyed by his religious neighbor from the beginning of the series, and this hostility and sometimes friendship becomes a key part of one of the longest-running TV shows ever. Arguably, the best Simpsons episodes with Flanders are the ones where Homer is out to get Flanders and forced to help him.

Flanders is completely ignorant of Homer’s hatred for him. Yet the episodes featuring Flanders — and there are many, since he is one of the Simpsons supporting characters with the most screen time — result in surprising revelations about both his and Homer’s characters. Nearly all the episodes where Homer finds himself helping Flanders do this. Alternatively, Flanders occasionally reevaluates himself, such as in the episode where he and Homer go to Vegas.

4

Pawnee & Eagleton

Parks And Recreation (2009-2015)

“Sometimes, when I rant about Eagleton I forget to breathe, and I pass out,” says Leslie Knope. Leslie’s dislike for the neighboring, wealthy town of Eagleton is a recurring joke in Parks and Recreation and is the source of some of Leslie’s funniest lines. While Leslie and her coworkers strive to improve their town of Pawnee with beneficial projects, Eagleton spends most of its money making the town look luxurious. Most of the Eagleton characters have an air of superiority that fuels their neighbors’ hatred.

One of the best moments of the rivalry is when Leslie finds herself in an amusing conflict with Eagleton city councilor Ingrid de Forest. However, Eagleton falls into debt because of its superficial spending habits and Leslie has to put her hatred aside to facilitate a merger between Pawnee and Eagleton. This, of course, leads to more hilarious interactions when the government employees of the two towns are forced to work together.

3

Frasier & Niles Crane

Frasier (1993-2004)

When Cheers’ Frasier Crane got his own spinoff series, his brother Niles was created as one of the other main characters, and one of the best sibling rivalries on TV was born. Frasier and Niles are both doctors and are extremely competitive. From backhanded comments to bitter competition, their rivalry is one of the best parts of Frasier, and Niles’ absence from the Frasier reboot is its biggest weakness.

Frasier and Niles demonstrate shades of each other’s personalities — which is unsurprising, given that they have the same upbringing and profession — but still contrast with each other in a way that pushes the competition. However, their love for each other is also an important part of the show. Part of Frasier is about the brothers’ improving their relationship with their father Martin, who doesn’t share many of the interests that his sons have in common.

2

All The Friends Except Ross

Friends (1994-2004)

While the Friends cast is generally supportive of one another with some mocking comments mixed in, they occasionally descend into fierce competitions that spin completely out of control. This is the case in the highest-rated episode of the series, “The One Where Everybody Finds Out,” and the third highest-rated episode, “The One with the Embryos” (via IMDB). In both cases, Ross finds himself elsewhere or acting as the impartial moderator while the rest of the Friends are at each other’s throats.

Phoebe’s discovery of Chandler and Monica’s relationship leads to the iconic battle of wits, with Chandler and Phoebe attempting to “seduce” each other with Monica and Rachel and an irritated Joey watching from the sidelines. The only other contender for the funniest episode of Friends is the famous trivia competition for the apartment. Both scenarios stand out the funniest competitions no just in Friends but in any sitcom. The Friends are not rivals in the sense that they hate each other all day every day, but these particular episodes cannot be ignored.

1

Jim Halpert & Dwight Schrute

The Office (2005-2013)

Jim and Dwight’s rivalry and wacky pranks are established as a vital part of The Office from the first episode. Only someone who is incredibly dedicated to a workplace rivalry would go through the trouble of making Jell-O, embedding a stapler in it, and returning it to a co-worker’s desk. While Jim has the upper hand when it comes to pranks, Dwight manages to get him back occasionally. For example, Jim’s snowball prank on Dwight completely backfires when Dwight is able to terrify Jim with an army of snowmen.

However, this rivalry is the best in any sitcom because the increasingly clever pranks blend seamlessly with Jim and Dwight’s friendship developing over time. They help each other out and team up on occasion and learn more about each other. It seems like their rivalry picks up again when Jim is promoted to co-manager, but they eventually make peace. Jim and Dwight are the perfect example of a rivalry that doubles as friendship.

Source: IMDB