Characters by network
ABC sitcom characters
ABC is the home of the family sitcom. Happy Days was one of the most watched shows of the 1970s, and Full House and Family Matters were Friday night favorites for kids who grew up in the late '80s and '90s.
More recently, Modern Family and Abbott Elementary brought the mockumentary style to the network. Family Matters spent its final season on CBS but is listed here, where it began.
37 characters on this list.
Happy Days(4)
ABC, 1974 to 1984
- Richie CunninghamLeadPlayed by Ron HowardThe clean-cut, freckle-faced Milwaukee teenager at the heart of Happy Days, whose dating schemes, school days…
- Arthur FonzarelliMain castPlayed by Henry WinklerThe leather-jacketed, motorcycle-riding mechanic known as the Fonz, the coolest guy in 1950s Milwaukee, who becomes Richie Cunningham's best friend…
- Howard CunninghamMain castPlayed by Tom BosleyThe patient, good-humored father of the Cunningham family on Happy Days, a Milwaukee hardware store owner and lodge man whose kitchen-table advice…
- Marion CunninghamMain castPlayed by Marion RossThe warm, quietly spirited mother of the Cunningham family on Happy Days, known as "Mrs. C" to the gang and the only person Fonzie lets call him…
Full House(6)
ABC, 1987 to 1995
- D.J. TannerMain castPlayed by Candace Cameron BureDanny Tanner's oldest daughter, the responsible big sister of Full House, who grows from a kid sharing a room with baby Michelle into a high school…
- Danny TannerMain castPlayed by Bob SagetThe widowed, neat-freak San Francisco broadcaster who raises his three daughters with help from his brother-in-law Jesse and his best friend Joey…
- Jesse KatsopolisMain castPlayed by John StamosThe leather-jacketed, Elvis-loving rock musician who moves in to help his widowed brother-in-law Danny raise three nieces…
- Joey GladstoneMain castPlayed by Dave CoulierDanny Tanner's goofy childhood best friend, a struggling stand-up comic with a cartoon voice for every occasion…
- Michelle TannerMain castPlayed by Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley OlsenThe adorable youngest Tanner daughter, a baby when Full House begins, who grows into a sassy, scene-stealing grade schooler with a catchphrase for…
- Stephanie TannerMain castPlayed by Jodie SweetinThe sassy, nosy middle Tanner daughter who starts Full House as a chatterbox kindergartner with a zinger for everything and grows into a junior high…
Family Matters(4)
ABC, 1989 to 1998
- Steve UrkelMain castPlayed by Jaleel WhiteThe suspendered, thick-glasses-wearing genius next door who was meant to be a minor guest on Family Matters…
- Carl WinslowMain castPlayed by Reginald VelJohnsonThe gruff but loving Chicago police officer at the head of the Winslow family, whose blood pressure rises every time his accident-prone neighbor…
- Eddie WinslowMain castPlayed by Darius McCraryThe Winslows' eldest child, a basketball-loving, girl-chasing slacker who constantly clashes with his police officer father before growing up and…
- Laura WinslowMain castPlayed by Kellie Shanygne WilliamsThe smart, ambitious elder daughter of the Winslow family and the endlessly pursued object of Steve Urkel's affection…
Modern Family(10)
ABC, 2009 to 2020
- Alex DunphyMain castPlayed by Ariel WinterThe brainy, sarcastic middle Dunphy child, a straight-A overachiever who trades barbs with her siblings on her way from middle school cellist to…
- Cameron TuckerMain castPlayed by Eric StonestreetMitchell's big-hearted, wildly theatrical partner and Lily's dad, a Missouri farm boy and former college football player who is also a trained clown…
- Claire DunphyMain castPlayed by Julie BowenJay Pritchett's tightly wound, fiercely competitive daughter and the mother of the Dunphy kids, a former wild child who works overtime to keep her…
- Gloria PritchettMain castPlayed by Sofía VergaraJay Pritchett's passionate, fiercely loving second wife from Colombia and the mother of Manny and Joe, whose temper, mangled idioms…
- Haley DunphyMain castPlayed by Sarah HylandThe eldest Dunphy child, a boy-crazy, fashion-obsessed teenager who grows up on screen from high school sophomore to working mom of twins over…
- Jay PritchettMain castPlayed by Ed O'NeillThe gruff, wealthy patriarch of the Modern Family clan, a closet company owner whose second marriage to the much younger Gloria ties the Pritchett…
- Luke DunphyMain castPlayed by Nolan GouldThe youngest Dunphy kid and Phil's mini-me, a goofy, oddly lucky boy whose scrambled logic and schemes with his step-uncle and best friend Manny…
- Manny DelgadoMain castPlayed by Rico RodriguezGloria's son and Jay's stepson, a romantic, poetry-writing old soul in a kid's body who drinks coffee, woos older girls…
- Mitchell PritchettMain castPlayed by Jesse Tyler FergusonJay's uptight, worrying lawyer son and Claire's younger brother, who with his partner Cameron raises their adopted daughter Lily in the…
- Phil DunphyMain castPlayed by Ty BurrellClaire's goofy, endlessly optimistic husband and a proud self-described cool dad, a realtor and amateur magician who wants to be his kids' best…
Abbott Elementary(6)
ABC, 2021 to present
- Janine TeaguesLeadPlayed by Quinta BrunsonAn endlessly optimistic young second-grade teacher at an underfunded Philadelphia public school, Janine is determined to fix everything for her…
- Ava ColemanMain castPlayed by Janelle JamesAbbott Elementary's self-absorbed, social-media-obsessed principal, who got the job through blackmail but slowly, and very reluctantly…
- Barbara HowardMain castPlayed by Sheryl Lee RalphAbbott Elementary's dignified, deeply faithful veteran kindergarten teacher, Barbara is the school's old-school authority figure and a reluctant…
- Gregory EddieMain castPlayed by Tyler James WilliamsA buttoned-up, deadpan substitute from Baltimore who becomes Abbott's first-grade teacher, Gregory hides a big crush on Janine behind perfect…
- Jacob HillMain castPlayed by Chris PerfettiAbbott Elementary's earnest, endlessly enthusiastic history teacher, Jacob is Janine's most loyal ally and a well-meaning teacher who tries a little…
- Melissa SchemmentiMain castPlayed by Lisa Ann WalterA tough, wisecracking South Philly veteran teacher with a big Italian-American family and mysterious local connections…
Home Improvement(7)
ABC, 1991 to 1999
- Tim TaylorLeadPlayed by Tim AllenThe grunting, power-tool-loving host of the cable show Tool Time, whose own home repairs keep going wrong in suburban Detroit.
- Al BorlandMain castPlayed by Richard KarnTim Taylor's bearded, flannel-wearing co-host on Tool Time, the calm and safety-minded friend who keeps the show from falling apart.
- Jill TaylorMain castPlayed by Patricia RichardsonTim Taylor's sensible wife and the voice of reason in the Taylor household, who keeps the family grounded while her husband chases bigger power tools.
- Randy TaylorMain castPlayed by Jonathan Taylor ThomasThe middle Taylor son, a smart and mischievous kid who gets into trouble with his brothers and then on his own.
- WilsonMain castPlayed by Earl HindmanThe Taylors' wise, mysterious neighbor, whose face is hidden behind the backyard fence for almost the entire run of Home Improvement.
- Brad TaylorMain castPlayed by Zachery Ty BryanThe eldest Taylor son, a sports-minded teenager who spends his high school years chasing girls, grades, and his own independence.
- Mark TaylorMain castPlayed by Taran Noah SmithThe youngest Taylor son, a sensitive and thoughtful kid who often worries about his family and tries to find his place among his brothers.
More character lists
By show
- I Love Lucy
- M*A*S*H
- Happy Days
- Cheers
- The Golden Girls
- Full House
- Seinfeld
- Family Matters
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- Frasier
- Friends
- Everybody Loves Raymond
- That '70s Show
- Malcolm in the Middle
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Scrubs
- Arrested Development
- The Office
- How I Met Your Mother
- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
- 30 Rock
- The Big Bang Theory
- Parks and Recreation
- Modern Family
- Community
- New Girl
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine
- Schitt's Creek
- Superstore
- The Good Place
- What We Do in the Shadows
- Ted Lasso
- Abbott Elementary
- Home Improvement