Six Famous Sitcom Characters Who Are Kind of Creeps in 2025
When sitcoms began in the 1950s, they were shot in a multi-camera setup on black-and-white film. Nowadays, of course, they’re all in full color and most have embraced single-camera or mockumentary formats. Laugh tracks were also standard for half a century, but for the last two decades, they’ve generally been considered too cheesy for TV.
But when you rewatch any old sitcom, none of these things will remind you of just how dated a show really is like the characters who appeared in them. This is especially true of the “ladies man,” who, in the bright lights of 2025, now just comes off as a complete creep.
Sam Malone in ‘Cheers’
There’s really no way that Sam Malone (Ted Danson) wouldn’t get sued for sexual harassment today. Besides the fact that he immediately cozies up to every attractive woman who enters his bar, when Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) becomes an employee, he relentlessly pursues her, even when she says she isn’t interested and as she dates other guys. Obviously, Diane likes Sam, so you could point to some mutual attraction, but when Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley) arrives as Sam’s new boss, Sam is similarly relentless in his pursuit of her. The only reason the character gets away with it — and why Cheers is still watchable today — is because of Danson’s likeability.
Barney Stinson in ‘How I Met Your Mother’
How I Met Your Mother debuted more than two decades after Cheers, and yet, somehow the sexual exploits of Neil Patrick Harris’ Barney Stinson are even more dated than Sam Malone’s. Perhaps it’s because Cheers begins when Sam becomes interested in Diane, and thus, he’s kind of a recovering ladies man, whereas Barney is still in the throes of his sexual conquests in How I Met Your Mother. Whatever the reason, Barney’s relentless string of one-night-stands make him seem just desperate in 2025. Sure, his Lothario character is often the butt of the joke — but one that feels more than two decades old.
Rob Petrie in ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’
When Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke) meets his future wife Laura Petrie (Mary Tyler Moore), he’s nearly 30 and a sergeant in the U.S. Army. Eleven years his junior, Laura is a 17-year-old dancer for the USO. Yes, it was a different time, but yes, it’s also creepy in retrospect. (Although, not quite as creepy as 38-year-old Jerry Seinfeld actually dating a 17-year-old girl.)
Mr. Feeny in ‘Boy Meets World’
Mr. Feeny must be obsessed with the Matthews boys. In Season One of Boy Meets World, he’s Corey’s sixth grade teacher. Then, when the characters move to high school, he follows them there, becoming the principal. That’s not too weird, until he follows Corey and his friends to college, once again becoming their professor. He’s also got a very strange love/hate relationship with Corey’s older brother Eric. All of this is enough to feel weird on its own, but Mr. Feeny is also the Matthews’ next-door-neighbor.
Steve Urkel in ‘Family Matters’
In Season Five of Family Matters, ultimate nerd Steve Urkel develops a formula for something he calls “Cool Juice.” Upon ingesting the elixir, he becomes the deeper-voiced, smooth-talking Stefan Urquelle, who also happens to be a smarmy babe magnet. Even Laura Winslow, Urkel’s longtime crush, becomes enamored with him. Urquelle is a bit of a sexist creep, but there’s also something wrong with Urkel himself going out of his way to get with someone by pretending to be something he isn’t: cool.
Gonzo in ‘The Muppet Show’
He fucks chickens. There’s no way they can consent.