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The most memorable TV 'rascals' of all time
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The most memorable TV 'rascals' of all time

"Rascals," otherwise known as troublemakers or weasels and annoying beyond fault, have been staples on television for decades. Viewers love to hate them. Most, however, are extremely entertaining. Here are the most notable of these such characters.

 
1 of 20

Wayne Arnold ('The Wonder Years')

Wayne Arnold ('The Wonder Years')
ABC

Wayne (Jason Hervey) is a typical older brother who has trouble picking on younger bro Kevin (Fred Savage). Wayne was actually mean and physically abusive at times. Often punching Kevin, chasing him down, and wrestling him to the ground. He also fancied calling Kevin names, such as "butthead." In all honestly, Wayne was a borderline bully, though as the series went on and he grew older, he could handle responsibility.

 
2 of 20

Andy Bernard ('The Office')

Andy Bernard ('The Office')
NBCUniversal Television Distribution

The first of two characters from the American version of The Office. Andy (Ed Helms) was originally part of the sales team at the Stamford branch of Dunder Mifflin. While Andy was harmless, he could be pompous for no apparent reason. He's quirky and goofy. He has no problem sucking up to authority figures and is gullible when dealing with his superiors. One plus for Andy is that he was a highly entertaining musician.

 
3 of 20

Louie De Palma ('Taxi')

Louie De Palma ('Taxi')
Paramount Domestic Television; CBS Media Ventures; The Program Exchange

Sitting up in his cage, bossing around and bullying the cabbies at the Sunshine Cab Company. That's a typical day in the life of the diminutive De Palma (Danny DeVito). As the lead dispatcher, Louie is rude, crude, and the bane of many of those existences. There's not an employee of the company who does not want to punch Louie. He's one of the most dislikable characters in comedy sitcom history but also highly entertaining. 

 
4 of 20

Kimmy Gibbler ('Full House'; 'Fuller House')

Kimmy Gibbler ('Full House'; 'Fuller House')
ABC

Sure, as a Fuller House grown-up, Kimmy (Andrea Barber) became more responsible. Raising a child will do that. She was still an oddball as an adult but in a good way. She was also not nearly as pesky, annoying, and intrusive as she was during her time as the Tanner family's neighbor from the Full House days. Kimmy may go down as one of the great neighbors in television sitcom history.

 
5 of 20

Rayanne Graff ('My So-Called Life')

Rayanne Graff ('My So-Called Life')
ABC

On the outside, Rayanne (A.J. Langer) seemed like a good-time girl. A rebel of sorts. Not a care in the world, especially when it came to high school and authority figures. Not necessarily the best influence on the seemingly confused and impressionable Angela Chase (Claire Daines). She's also pretty wired into the mysteriously popular Tino. However, underneath the surface, Rayanne was deeply troubled. Her family life to pretty much nonexistent, and substance abuse issues exacerbated her overall questionable behavior. 

 
6 of 20

Eddie Haskell ('Leave It to Beaver')

Eddie Haskell ('Leave It to Beaver')
YouTube

Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond) should be considered a harmless rascal. He's a smart-aleck who schmoozes to get in the good graces of adults — most notably Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver. As Wally's best friend, Eddie enjoyed picking on his younger brother, the Beaver, and also scheming with the rest of the gang. Eddie Haskell opened the door for the conniving TV best friends down the road in many ways. 

 
7 of 20

John Hill ('Cheers')

John Hill ('Cheers')
YouTube

John Hill (Keene Curtis) was introduced in Season 9 of the classic comedy. He ends up owning Melville's, the restaurant located above Cheers. John is completely combative with Sam (Ted Danson). John is pompous, overbearing, and always getting on Sam's nerves. It also didn't help that John had a somewhat dysfunctional fling with Carla (Rhea Pearlman).

 
8 of 20

Logan Huntzberger ('Gilmore Girls')

Logan Huntzberger ('Gilmore Girls')
The CW Television Network; The WB Television Network

Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) was a solid TV bad boy, but Logan (Matt Czuchry) was unquestionably a weasel. Born into money and the newspaper business, the infamous Logan was the worst kind of Hollywood bad boy. Entitled, wannabe rebel, and womanizing. For whatever reason, Rory (Alexis Bledel) couldn't say no to Logan, whether during the original run of the series or later in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

 
9 of 20

Joey Jeremiah ('Degrassi Junior High')

Joey Jeremiah ('Degrassi Junior High')
YouTube

Fans of this popular Canadian teen melodramatic franchise would have to agree that Joey (Pat Mastroianni) was the ultimate class clown, especially while attending Degrassi Junior High. He was the classic underachiever. He was a pain in the backside to Mr. Raditch (Dan Woods) and usually looking to work some angle. Joey was known for his trademark fedora hat, Hawaiian shirts, and work with the popular local band "The Zit Remedy."

 
10 of 20

Janice Litman-Goralnik ('Friends')

Janice Litman-Goralnik ('Friends')
YouTube

That nasally New York-accented voice only scratches the surface of what makes Janice (Maggie Wheeler) so annoying. Her big hair, long nails, and machine-gun-sounding laugh proved too captivating for Chandler (Matthew Perry) on numerous occasions. She even put Ross under her spell. She can be gullible (yes, she really thought Chandler was relocated to Yemen) and mildly vindictive, but she's a highly entertaining character. 

 
11 of 20

Dennis Mitchell ('Dennis the Menace')

Dennis Mitchell ('Dennis the Menace')
Screen Gems; Sony Pictures Television

Dennis (Jay North) is one of pop culture's most recognizable characters. Dennis could cause trouble, but it was harmless when all was said and done. It's probably better to describe him as mischievous. His neighbor, Mr. Wilson, might think Dennis is something more since the boy got on his nerves. Dennis can hold his own with just about anybody else on this list.  

 
12 of 20

Newman ('Seinfeld')

Newman ('Seinfeld')
YouTube

Postal carrier Newman (Wayne Knight) was extremely lazy and a major thorn in the side of Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld). Remember the time he left Chunky wrappers in Jerry's couch, which caused his rival's apartment to become infested with fleas? Newman was terrible at his job, refusing to deliver the mail when it rains. He hated Major League Baseball star Keith Hernandez and was fond of Kenny Roger Roasters. Overall, Newman was as entertainingly weaselly as they come.

 
13 of 20

Glen Quagmire ('Family Guy')

Glen Quagmire ('Family Guy')
20th Television; Disney–ABC Domestic Television

Quagmire is certainly someone you don't want to leave your daughter, girlfriend, or wife alone with. One of Peter Griffin's best buddies, Glen is a sex addict, raunchy, and just plain creepy. As far as animated characters go, Quagmire is certainly R-rated, but in a highly entertaining way. He's perhaps best known for his elongated chin and penchant for the word "Giggity."

 
14 of 20

Jonah Ryan ('Veep')

Jonah Ryan ('Veep')
Warner Bros. Television Distribution; HBO Enterprises

Jonah (Timothy Simons) began the series as The White House liaison to the vice president's office but eventually made a run at the presidency. He was a buffoon. He thought his initial job was more important than it was and saw himself as the catch of the day with women. He's also the recipient of some of the funniest nicknames in television history. 

 
15 of 20

Steve Sanders ('Beverly Hills, 90210')

Steve Sanders ('Beverly Hills, 90210')
CBS Television Distribution

Dylan McKay (Luke Perry) was one of TV's most notable "bad boys." Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering), meanwhile, was a downright screw-up. A spoiled rich kid got everything he wanted from his washed-up actress mother. Steve was a terrible student, always looking for the easy way out, and thought he was a ladies' man. Most of the trouble Steve found himself in was his own doing, and he often hurt his friends. Steve might have meant well, but it was hard to overcome his many shortcomings.

 
16 of 20

Dwight K. Schrute ('The Office')

Dwight K. Schrute ('The Office')
NBCUniversal Television Distribution

The beet-growing, brown-nosing salesman is always willing to stir up animosity within the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. Dwight (Rainn Wilson), who eventually became an assistant to regional manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell), likes to wield authority he does not have. Not to mention, he's willing to narc on those he deems not devoting ample time to their job responsibilities. Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) likes to rib and prank Dwight whenever possible, which was always a highlight on the show.

 
17 of 20

Bart Simpson ('The Simpsons')

Bart Simpson ('The Simpsons')
Fox Broadcasting Company

Bart is not just one of the great television rascals of all time; he's simply iconic. A troublemaker, prankster, and lovable deviant. The eternally mischievous 10-year-old is known for his witty chalkboard punishment lines, prank-calling Moe at the bar, and his various catchphrases ("Eat my shorts,' "Ay, caramba!" and "Don't have a cow, man!") It's been more than 30 years since we were first introduced to Bart, and we still can't get enough.

 
18 of 20

Oliver Trask ('The O.C.')

Oliver Trask ('The O.C.')
YouTube

The smarmy Oliver (Taylor Handley) was more than just your garden variety rascal/weasel. He had some deep-seated issues. He became obsessed with Marissa (Micha Barton), even when she was with Ryan (Ben McKenzie). Oliver was also a pain in the butt and up to no good, trying to flaunt his wealth with uppity confidence. However, things got really out of hand when he started stalking Marissa and eventually kidnapped and held her at gunpoint. 

 
19 of 20

Steve Urkel ('Family Matters')

Steve Urkel ('Family Matters')
Warner Bros. Television Distribution

Though a "T.G.I.F." ABC sitcom phenom and one of the most iconic characters in television history, Urkel (Jaleel White) got on a lot of people's nerves. Specifically, the Winslow family. The nasally voice, nerdy outfit, and annoying trademark "Did I do that?" Urkel was like nails on a chalkboard and usually got those around him in some sort of predicament. He always meant well and started to grow on the Winslows and viewers of the late 1980s and well into the '90s.

 
20 of 20

Pacey Witter ('Dawson's Creek')

Pacey Witter ('Dawson's Creek')
Sony Pictures Television

Like plenty of others on this list, Pacey (Joshua Jackson) matured over time, eventually to the point of running his restaurant. In his younger Capeside High days, Pacey was a slacker. A joker who was often more sarcastic than funny. He wasn't a great student and could be antagonistic, especially to those closest to him. Even when trying to lend a hand, Pacey seems to screw things up. We're still unsure how he ended up with Joey (Katie Holmes).

A Chicago native, Jeff Mezydlo has professionally written about sports, entertainment and pop culture for nearly 30 years. If he could do it again, he'd attend Degrassi Junior High, Ampipe High and Grand Lakes University.

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