Larry David, creator of both Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, is celebrating his 65th birthday this week. Although Seinfeld had the obnoxious George Costanza, in 2000 with Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry invented a new type of comedy with a new type of protagonist, “The Obnoxious/Annoying Comedy (with the obnoxious protagonist).” These comedies usually have some common features: they tend to be cynical, witty and irreverent, and the protagonist is usually politically incorrect, lazy, self-involved, embarrassing and slightly dishonest and delusional (perhaps TV/movie writers understood that these are the ultimate personality traits destined to annoy). Here are the 10 most obnoxious names in comedy who will only make you laugh more than they will irritate you:

10. Gerry “Mr. D” Duncan - Mr. D (2012-?)

Based on comedian Gerry Dee’s real-life experiences as a high school teacher before he switched to comedy full-time. The premise shines the light on teaching from the teacher’s point of view, and as it turns out, teachers don’t know everything, especially Mr. D. who knows pretty much nothing. He suffers from delusions of grandeur and cares about himself much more than he cares about his students.

9. Pete - Pete VS. Life (2010-?)

Pete is a struggling young sports writer. He’s an average guy, but there are fields in which he excels: lying, selfishness and laziness mainly. What makes the show special is that Pete’s life is analyzed and observed by two premier league commentators who have something to say about every move he makes.

8. Jeremy Osbourne and Mark Corrigan - Peep Show (2003-?)

Flat mates Mark and Jeremy have nothing in common besides being socially awkward. Mark is a total loser and Jeremy is a lazy, self-involved slacker. The series has a unique style in which the audience gets to hear the 2 main characters inner thoughts, which tend to be dark and sometimes stupid, but usually just extremely embarrassing.

7. Ethan Tremblay - Due Date (2010)

Due Date is a comedy of extreme discomfort. It’s main and obnoxious character is Ethan Tremblay. An encounter with Ethan tends to test one’s sanity. He asks innumerable annoying questions, he bores people with details they do not want or need to know, and generally shares way too much information.

6. Warwick Davis - Life’s Too Short (2011-?)

This fake documentary follows the day-to-day existence of real-life dwarf actor Warwick Davis. Warwick plays a fictional version of himself, in which he is desperate, conniving, fame-hungry and self-centered, but eventually he always gets his punishment for his awful behavior.

5. Rick Spleen - Lead Balloon (2006-2011)

Rick is a cynical and misanthropic comedian who enjoys a very mildly successful career. He is petty, annoying and disappointed from how his life turned out. In more or less every episode he tends to get himself into embarrassing situations that shed a very negative light on him.

4. Kenny Powers - Eastbound & Down (2009-2012)

Kenny is self-obsessed and has a huge ego; he is a celebrity only in his own mind. He is offensive to more or less everyone and he’s also extremely lazy. The humor in the show is darker than black and Kenny’s character is one of the most negative TV characters ever seen (up there with Joffrey from Game of Thrones). The 3rd season of this HBO series was also its best in my opinion; its conclusion was satisfying yet obviously sad because the show has ended.

3. Michael Scott - The Office US (2005-?)

It’s as hilarious as it is uncomfortable to watch Michael Scott (Steve Carell), the manager of the Scranton branch of a paper company, Dunder Mifflin. He lacks any skills, he is a social moron and is also completely unable to keep a secret. Does Steve Carell’s departure from The Office have something to do with the fact that he got a little too much into character?

2. David Brent - The Office UK (2001-2003)

David Brent is the kind of boss who wants to be your friend and mentor, possibly even a father figure. He thinks his employees look up to him and think he’s funny, but the truth is, they actually find him irritating and almost intolerable. That is actually the key aspect in his personality, he is self-delusional and totally oblivious to how other people actually see him (and that’s also where the humor in The Office derives from).

1. Larry David - Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-?)

Larry David plays a fictional version of himself – Larry is an incomprehensibly successful writer and co-creator of Seinfeld with $400 million in his bank account, but he’s not entirely happy. Larry has a lot of problems with certain social conventions and expectations. He gets annoyed a lot from other people’s behavior and manages to annoy others just as much. Every episode finds Larry in an awkward situation caused usually by his strong belief in his own principles.

Did I manage to annoy you? If you think this is the most obnoxious post ever written (or preferably if you have something positive to say) then comment on our Facebook page and let us know!

Technorati Tags: Larry David, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, George Costanza, Mr. D, Gerry “Mr. D” Duncan, Gerry Dee, Pete VS. Life, Jeremy Osbourne, Mark Corrigan, Peep Show, Ethan Tremblay, Due Date, Warwick Davis, Life’s Too Short, Rick Spleen, Lead Balloon, Kenny Powers, Eastbound & Down, Michael Scott, The Office US, Steve Carell, David Brent, The Office UK

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