Final Results of the "Annoying TV Character" Poll

In an extremely tight race, Scrappy-Doo emerged "victorious" by being named the most annoying TV character in my recent poll. A son-of-a-bitch in the true sense of the term, Scrappy-Doo is blamed by many (including me) for the decline of one of the most successful Saturday morning cartoon franchises in TV history. There have been long standing disputes between various groups over the years (Yankees fans vs. Red Sox Nation and the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop feud, to name two). However, you could probably get the camps of both sides to agree on at least one thing... their mutual disdain for Crappy er... Scrappy-Doo.

I realize that Scrappy has his supporters. If any of them happen to be reading this, please tell me... what purpose did he serve? I understand that long-running shows require overhauls, but damn! Many who didn't watch the show during the "Scrappy" era, often wonder why all the hate towards Scoob's nephew. To this I say that all they have to do is sit through one episode (if they can stand it) and they will understand.

Now that I've gotten my Scrappy-Doo digs in for the day, I'll move on. In the poll, "Family Matters" resident nerd Steve Urkel came in a close second. Steve Urkel is a classic case of a character being shoved down the audience's throat... to the detriment of the show. Urkel was funny the first couple of years (before his voice changed and he could still pull off the "nerdy" voice). However, as time went on and Urkel's antics started to dominate "Family Matters", the show strapped on those skis and quickly headed up the ramp. I don't blame JoMarie Payton Noble (who played Harriete Winslow, the character that "Family Matters" was originally centered around) for saying "fuck this" and leaving the show during the last season.

Although I am a huge fan of "The Nanny" and Fran Fine, I can see why many of you voted for her as the most annoying TV character. Call me crazy, but I find her New York/nasal whine and Lucy Ricardoesque antics endearing. Those sexy outfits that she wears on the show don't hurt either.

Tying for 4th place in the poll were "Saved By the Bell" kid Samuel "Screech" Powers and "Friends" resident paleontologist Ross Geller. Like Steve Urkel, Screech's antics wore thin as the character aged and it was obvious that he was straining to do the "nerd" voice. At least, the producers of "Saved By the Bell" didn't allow Screech to completely dominate the show. When it comes to Ross (or as my best friend calls him, "Wuss"), I found him to be funny... but a bit on the whiny side.

One thing that surprised me about the poll results was that only one person found Drew Carey's dreaded co-worker (Mimi) to be the most annoying character out of the 6 choices. Although she wouldn't have received my vote, I thought that more would have found her to be grating. I guess she is more grotesque and hideous than annoying to some. True story: once, Kathy Kinney (the actress who played Mimi) appeared on the cover of TV Guide. It was a close-up picture featuring Kinney as Mimi (overdone make-up and all). This issue of TV Guide was on the table facing up when I was eating dinner one evening. I had to flip that bad boy over before I could finish my meal.

Here are the final poll results:

Scrappy-Doo- 27%
Steve Urkel (Family Matters)- 25%
Fran Fine (The Nanny)- 22%
Screech (Saved By the Bell) and Ross Geller (Friends)- 11% each
Mimi Bobek (The Drew Carey Show)- 2%

Normally, I will post a clip related to the winner of the poll. However, I thought that a photo of Scrappy-Doo would more than suffice. Besides, maybe some of you might want to print a copy of the photo and practice your dart throwing.