Sometimes the younger characters on a TV comedy are the heart and soul of the show. However, there are plenty of other sitcom kids who might be the reason you stop tuning in… or refuse to have children of your own.
We will admit that it took a good chunk of time to sift through the greatest sitcoms ever and find characters who really earned the right to be called “horribly misbehaved” and, in fact, you might find some of our choices a bit controversial. Please bear with us as we look back on the sitcom kids that really need a time-out.
Louis Stevens (Even Stevens)
The role that made Shia LaBeouf a star was Louis Stevens, who is the central focus of the hit Disney Channel original comedy series, Even Stevens. However, the sometimes well-meaning seventh grader is the pariah of his family, due to his severe lack of responsibility and reputation for pulling childish, yet impressively elaborate, pranks.
Zack Morris (Saved By The Bell)
Out of all the main teens from Saved By the Bell, the fourth-wall-breaking Zack Morris seems like the one you would most likely want to identify with, from his confident demeanor to his ability to stop time. Yet, a series by Funny or Die called Zack Morris is Trash has since convinced the world, including Zack actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar, how problematic his character was by pointing out his smug ignorance and self-serving ambitions.
Dennis Mitchell (Dennis The Menace)
Everything you need to know about Dennis Mitchell (Jay North) is in the title of his late ’50s, early ’60s sitcom inspired by the eponymous comic strip, Dennis the Menace. Of course, to be fair, George Wilson’s young neighbor never sets out to start trouble but has issues following rules, which often causes accidents at other people’s expense.
Eddie Haskell (Leave It To Beaver)
The precocious title character of Leave It to Beaver (Jerry Mathers) and his older brother, Wally (Tony Dow), certainly got themselves into trouble on many occasions but their overall behavior was saintly compared to Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond). Wally’s best friend would try to hide his rudeness and scheming nature by putting on a mild-mannered front, but Mrs. Cleaver (Barbara Billingsley) could still see right through him.
Zack Martin (The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody)
After years of sharing the same role (such as Julian in Big Daddy), Cole and Dylan Sprouse each got to play their own half of the titular brotherly duo from Disney Channel’s The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. While future Riverdale cast member Cole played the intelligent and more mature Cody, Dylan got the role of the more self-centered and rebellious twin brother, Zack, who was typically the brains behind any troubling circumstances they would find themselves in.
Eric Cartman (South Park)
The inciting incident in many of the most outrageous episodes of South Park often has something to do with Eric Cartman. Anything and everything the loud-mouthed bully says and does is a reflection of his hateful personality that goes wildly beyond childish misbehavior. Perhaps more people would respect his “authoritah” if he was not such a despicable human being.
Bam-Bam (The Flintstones)
Both of the kids from Hanna-Barbera’s The Flintstones are irresistibly cute, but we much would rather be in Fred and Wilma’s place and raise Pebbles. We do not envy Barney and Betty, who should have never given Bam-Bam his signature club in the first place and should have taken it away many, many times.
Reese (Malcolm In The Middle)
All of the boys in the Malcolm in the Middle cast, even including Frankie Muniz’s unusually intelligent title character, had their moments of impertinence, but no one else was on the same level as Reese. Justin Berfield’s character seemed to live for insubordination, despite probably not understanding what that word means.
Megan Parker (Drake & Josh)
In Nickelodeon’s Drake & Josh, Josh Nichols (Josh Peck) gained both a stepbrother in Drake Parker (Drake Bell) and a stepsister in Megan (Miranda Cosgrove), who now had two targets to torment. However, the pre-teen girl’s “pranks” went far beyond anything that could be considered cute and childish and often bordered on life-endangering.
Bart Simpson (The Simpsons)
Where do we begin with Bart Simpson, who opens every single episode of The Simpsons by writing a different incriminating activity on the school chalkboard during detention? We could mention just one example of his many pranks that did not end well, such as when he handed Homer (Dan Castellaneta) a Duff can be shaken so vigorously that it blew the roof off of their house.
Darlene Conner (Roseanne)
In the early seasons of Roseanne, Darlene Conner (Sara Gilbert) especially boasted a relentlessly smart mouth and perpetual laziness. However, you could say that she was not much different from her own mother (Roseanne Barr) when you really think about it.
Kelly Bundy (Married… With Children)
The real problem with the elder Bundy child, Kelly (Christina Applegate), from the iconic blue-collar TV show, Married… with Children is her aggressive selfishness and hopeless absent-mindedness. As far as any misbehavior in her life goes, she only has our sympathies, considering the people who raised her.
Mateo Villanueva (Jane The Virgin)
Mateo Villanueva (Elias Janssen) came from humble beginnings, being the son of the chaste Jane (Gina Rodriguez) and Rafael Solano (Justin Baldoni) after an accidental artificial insemination. However, even some of the biggest fans of Jane the Virgin believe that the child turned out to be something of a spoiled brat for the most part.
Axl Heck (The Middle)
Rarely is the oldest child from a sitcom family the one that starts the most trouble, but the Hecks’ first-born son, Axl (Charlie McDermott) has earned it. The reason, in particular, is the awfully rude and belittling way he treats his younger sister, Sue (who almost got a The Middle spin-off led by Eden Sher), on a nearly constant basis
Ben Gellar (Friends)
A young Cole Sprouse was once part of the Friends cast in the role of Ross Gellar’s (David Schwimmer) first child, Ben, whom we discover enjoys pulling gross and even harmful gags on his father, mother Carol (Jane Sibbett), and stepmother Susan (Jessica Hecht). Then again, it was Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) who gave him the idea for some of these pranks, so she might be the one to blame after all.
Pearl Krabs (SpongeBob SquarePants)
It appears that Mr. Krabs’ (Clancy Brown in one of his best roles) selfish and demanding personality not only rubbed off on his (probably) adoptive daughter, Pearl (Lori Alan), but also made her much worse. The teenage whale throws uproarious temper tantrums over the smallest inconveniences which, given her size, often cause damage.
London Tipton (The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody)
Before Brenda Song became known for her relationship with Macaulay Culkin, she was a Disney Channel star, stealing the show in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody as London Tipton. All you really need to know about the dim-witted teen heiress to a hotel magnate is in her catchphrase: “Yay me!”
Brad Taylor (Home Improvement)
There are not too many unlikable characters in the Home Improvement cast, but our default choice for the “misbehaved kid” from the long-running sitcom would have to be Brad. For years, the most definitive personality trait for Tim (Tim Allen) and Jill (Patricia Richardson)’s oldest son (played by Zachary Ty Bryan) was the cruel treatment of his youngest brother, Mark, often with help from middle sibling Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas).
Miley Stewart (Hannah Montana)
She may have been the protagonist of the smash hit Disney Channel comedy, but the power and influence that Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) gained from her secret life as a pop music sensation clearly went to her head, based on her often rude disposition toward her own family members or even to strangers. In fact, her problematic behavior was the driving force of the plot for 2009’s Hannah Montana: The Movie.
Candace Flynn (Phineas And Ferb)
Voiced by High School Musical‘s Ashley Tisdale, Candace Flynn might argue that her eponymous younger brother and stepbrother were really the ill-behaved ones in her family. However, any true fan of Phineas and Ferb knows that Phineas (Vincent Martella) and Ferb (Thomas Sangster) made summer better with all of their wildly inventive activities and she wasted a lot of time trying to ruin their fun when all she needed to do was chill out.
Beans (Even Stevens)
The only young character on Disney’s Even Stevens who was more mischievous than Shia LaBeouf’s Louis was his little buddy, Bernard Aranguren, whom he dubbed “Beans.” Played by Steven Anthony Lawrence, the bacon-loving menace could be a reliable friend, but his devotion to the Stevens family could be seen as blatant free-loading.
Bud Bundy (Married… With Children)
David Faustino’s character on the risque family sitcom Married… with Children was much smarter than his sister, or his father, Al (Ed O’Neill), and mother, Peg (Katey Segal), for that matter. If only he would apply his intelligence toward things other than half-baked schemes or his own libido, we might be proud of him.
Kenan Rockmore (Kenan & Kel)
When rewatching Kenan & Kel recently, it occurred to us that, while the accident-prone and absent-minded Kel (Kel Mitchell) is often blamed for the trouble he and Kenan (Kenan Thompson) get into, it is really not his fault. The true troublemaker is Kenan, who is practically addicted to the rush of pulling off crazy schemes that always blow up in his face.
Trina Vega (Victorious)
On Nickelodeon’s Victorious, Victoria Justice’s central character, Tori Vega gets accepted into a performing arts college after years of living in the shadow of her older sister, Trina (Daniella Monet), who is not quite as worthy of the honor as she thinks. If only Trina were more humble and not aggressively oblivious of her shortcomings, she might not use her belief that she is more attractive and more talented than literally anyone else around her as an excuse for constant put-downs.
Cory Baxter (That’s So Raven)
In the very first episode of Disney’s That So Raven, the psychic title character (Raven-Symoné) describes her younger brother as “a master in deceit and the art of psychological manipulations.” There is no doubt that Cory (Kyle Massey) was highly intelligent for his age, but applied his brains to lies and schemes to take the easy way out of things and try to get rich.
Liv Rooney (Liv And Maddie)
One of the best TV shows for Dove Cameron fans to watch is her breakthrough Disney Channel series in which she plays both titular roles from Liv and Maddie. It is no wonder why Cameron earned a Daytime Emmy for her dual performances for the way she seamlessly differentiates the two, with Liv Rooney being the polar opposite of her smarter and far more selfless twin sister.
Pim Diffy (Phil Of The Future)
On Disney Channel’s Phil of the Future, teenage Phil Diffy (Raviv Ullman) and his family try to hide that are from the 22nd Century secret while trapped in the mid-2000s. However, the one who typically came closest to spilling the beans and getting in the most trouble was Phil’s younger sister, Pim (Amy Bruckner), who was not just an adorable menace but had genuine ambitions for world domination.
Arnold Jackson (Diff’rent Strokes)
The late Gary Coleman’s endearing performance on Diff’rent Strokes made him one of the adored child stars of his generation. If not for his charming demeanor, that might not have been the case as his character, Arnold, should have gotten in trouble far more often for his mouthy habits.
Kate Sanders (Lizzie McGuire)
There are some moments from Disney Channel’s Lizzie McGuire, which almost got a Disney+ revival, that hints at a time when Lizzie (Hilary Duff), Miranda (Lalaine), and Gordo (Adam Lamberg) were friends with Kate Sanders (Ashlie Brillault). It is hard for them, and for us, to believe that they could have ever had a cordial relationship with the uproariously bullish and prissy student who practically seems to dedicate her life to belittling the trio.
Vanessa Thomkins (The Bernie Mac Show)
Most of Vanessa Thomkins’ (Camille Winbush) interactions with her eponymous uncle on The Bernie Mac Show involved her talking back to him and undermining his every attempt to be a parent to her. In her defense, her rebelliousness is likely a symptom of her abandonment issues and tougher home life before being taken in by Bernie and Wanda.
Sam Puckett (iCarly)
We always felt that the pairing of Janette McCurdy’s iCarly character, Sam Puckett. and Ariana Grande’s Cat Valentine from Victorious was way too unlikely when they got their own Nickelodeon sitcom. However, when you think about it, it is honestly hard to believe at times that someone as kind and thoughtful as Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove) would become such great friends with an unashamed bully like Sam.
Caillou (Caillou)
Admittedly, the animated adaptation of the Canadian illustrated children’s book series is not a sitcom. However, the titular four-year-old from Caillou was so ill-tempered, that he even irked viewers from PBS Kids’ target demographic.
