Think You Know Your Classic Sitcom Characters?
Think you know classic sitcoms well enough to identify them from only three character names? Each question gives you one trio and four possible shows. Some answers will be obvious, while others feature neighbors, coworkers, and supporting players only devoted fans will remember. Let’s see how many you can get right.
Screenshot from I Love Lucy, CBS (1951-1957)
1. Which Classic Sitcom Featured These Characters?
Rob Petrie, Sally Rogers, Buddy Sorrell
A) The Dick Van Dyke Show
B) The Bob Newhart Show
C) That Girl
D) Make Room For Daddy
Rogers & Cowan (publicity agency), Beverly Hills., Wikimedia Commons
Answer: The Dick Van Dyke Show
Rob Petrie wrote for a television comedy series alongside Buddy Sorrell and Sally Rogers. The sitcom divided its stories between Rob’s workplace and his home life with Laura and Ritchie.
CBS Television Uploaded by We hope at en.wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons
2. Can You Place These Familiar Mayberry Residents?
Thelma Lou, Floyd Lawson, Otis Campbell
A) Petticoat Junction
B) Green Acres
C) The Andy Griffith Show
D) Mayberry R.F.D.
Screenshot from The Andy Griffith Show, CBS (1960–1968)
Answer: The Andy Griffith Show
Thelma Lou was Barney Fife’s girlfriend, Floyd operated Mayberry’s barbershop, and Otis was the town drunk. Their recurring appearances helped turn Mayberry into one of television’s most recognizable fictional communities.
Screenshot from The Andy Griffith Show, CBS (1960–1968)
3. Can You Name The Sitcom From These Three Characters?
Lucy Ricardo, Ricky Ricardo, Ethel Mertz
A) The Honeymooners
B) I Love Lucy
C) The Lucy Show
D) The Dick Van Dyke Show
Screenshot from I Love Lucy, CBS (1951–1957)
Answer: I Love Lucy
Lucy and Ricky Ricardo lived in a Manhattan apartment building owned by their friends Fred and Ethel Mertz. Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley played the show’s central foursome.
4. Which Supernatural Sitcom Included These Characters?
Gladys Kravitz, Larry Tate, Endora
A) I Dream Of Jeannie
B) My Favorite Martian
C) The Munsters
D) Bewitched
Screenshot from Bewitched, ABC (1964–1972)
Answer: Bewitched
Endora was Samantha Stephens’s meddling mother, while Gladys Kravitz constantly suspected something unusual was happening next door. Larry Tate was Darrin’s boss at the McMann and Tate advertising agency.
Screenshot from Bewitched, ABC (1964–1972), Modified
5. Which Spooky Sitcom Featured This Unusual Trio?
Gomez Addams, Wednesday Addams, Lurch
A) The Munsters
B) The Addams Family
C) Dark Shadows
D) The Ghost And Mrs. Muir
Screenshot from The Addams Family, ABC (1964-1966)
Answer: The Addams Family
Gomez was the enthusiastic patriarch of the macabre Addams household, and Wednesday was his solemn daughter. Lurch served as the family’s towering butler and answered summons with his memorable catchphrase.
Screenshot from The Addams Family, ABC (1964–1966)
6. Where Did These Three Castaways Appear?
Mary Ann Summers, Thurston Howell III, Roy Hinkley
A) Gilligan’s Island
B) The Love Boat
C) McHale’s Navy
D) F Troop
Screenshot from Gilligan's Island, CBS (1964–1967)
Answer: Gilligan’s Island
Mary Ann and millionaire Thurston Howell III were among seven castaways stranded after the S.S. Minnow’s ill-fated voyage. Roy Hinkley was better known to his fellow islanders simply as the Professor.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
7. Which Television Family Included These Characters?
Alice Nelson, Sam Franklin, Oliver Tyler
A) Family Affair
B) Eight Is Enough
C) The Partridge Family
D) The Brady Bunch
Screenshot from The Brady Bunch, ABC (1969–1974)
Answer: The Brady Bunch
Alice Nelson was the Brady family’s housekeeper, and Sam Franklin was the butcher she dated. Oliver Tyler, better remembered as Cousin Oliver, moved into the Brady home during the show’s final season.
Screenshot from The Brady Bunch, ABC (1969–1974)
8. Which Groundbreaking Sitcom Featured These Characters?
Archie Bunker, Edith Bunker, Michael Stivic
A) Maude
B) All In The Family
C) Good Times
D) The Jeffersons
Donaldson Collection, Getty Images
Answer: All In The Family
Archie and Edith Bunker shared their Queens home with their daughter Gloria and her husband, Michael Stivic. Archie’s clashes with Michael allowed the series to address politics, prejudice, and generational conflict through comedy.
Screenshot from All in the Family, CBS (1971–1979)
9. Which Workplace Comedy Featured These Three Characters?
Mary Richards, Murray Slaughter, Sue Ann Nivens
A) The Mary Tyler Moore Show
B) Murphy Brown
C) The Bob Newhart Show
D) Taxi
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
Answer: The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Mary Richards and Murray Slaughter worked in the WJM newsroom in Minneapolis. Sue Ann Nivens hosted the station’s homemaking program while displaying a much sharper personality away from the cameras.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
10. Which Sitcom Featured These Former Neighbors Of Archie Bunker?
Florence Johnston, Tom Willis, Lionel Jefferson
A) Sanford And Son
B) The Jeffersons
C) Diff’rent Strokes
D) Archie Bunker's Place
Screenshot from The Jeffersons, CBS (1975–1985)
Answer: The Jeffersons
Lionel was the son of George and Louise Jefferson, while Tom Willis became his father-in-law. Florence Johnston worked as the Jefferson family’s housekeeper and regularly traded insults with George.
Screenshot from The Jeffersons, CBS (1975–1985)
11. Which Sitcom Included These Members Of The Evans Family’s World?
Willona Woods, J.J. Evans, Thelma Evans
A) What’s Happening!!
B) Sanford And Son
C) Good Times
D) 227
Screenshot from Good Times, CBS (1974–1979)
Answer: Good Times
J.J. and Thelma were two of James and Florida Evans’s three children. Willona Woods was the family’s close friend and neighbor in the Chicago housing project where the series was set.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
12. Which Military Comedy Featured These Characters?
Maxwell Klinger, Margaret Houlihan, Father Mulcahy
A) Hogan’s Heroes
B) M*A*S*H
C) McHale’s Navy
D) Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Screenshot from M*A*S*H, CBS (1972–1983)
Answer: M*A*S*H
Major Margaret Houlihan and Father Francis Mulcahy served with the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War. Maxwell Klinger initially pursued a discharge through outrageous outfits before becoming the unit’s company clerk.
Screenshot from M*A*S*H, CBS (1972–1983)
13. Which Nostalgic Sitcom Featured These Milwaukee Characters?
Potsie Weber, Ralph Malph, Al Delvecchio
A) Laverne & Shirley
B) Happy Days
C) Welcome Back, Kotter
D) Mork & Mindy
Screenshot from Happy Days, ABC (1974–1984), Modified
Answer: Happy Days
Potsie Weber and Ralph Malph were friends of Richie Cunningham in 1950s Milwaukee. Al Delvecchio eventually became the owner of Arnold’s Drive-In, the group’s favorite gathering place.
ABC Television Uploaded by We hope at en.wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons
14. Which Sitcom Put These Characters Under One Roof?
Chrissy Snow, Larry Dallas, Stanley Roper
A) Too Close For Comfort
B) Bosom Buddies
C) Three’s Company
D) One Day At A Time
Screenshot from Three's Company, ABC (1977–1984)
Answer: Three’s Company
Chrissy Snow shared a Santa Monica apartment with Janet Wood and Jack Tripper. Larry lived nearby, while Stanley Roper was the roommates’ suspicious and frequently exasperated landlord.
Screenshot from Three's Company, ABC (1977–1984)
15. Which Workplace Sitcom Brought These Three Colleagues Together?
Latka Gravas, Elaine Nardo, Louie De Palma
A) Taxi
B) Wings
C) Barney Miller
D) Night Court
Screenshot from Taxi, ABC (1978-1983), Modified
Answer: Taxi
Latka and Elaine worked at New York’s fictional Sunshine Cab Company under dispatcher Louie De Palma. The ensemble comedy followed drivers who often viewed cab work as temporary while pursuing other ambitions.
Screenshot from Taxi, ABC (1978-1983), Modified
16. Which Radio Station Comedy Featured These Characters?
Les Nessman, Jennifer Marlowe, Venus Flytrap
A) NewsRadio
B) The Mary Tyler Moore Show
C) WKRP In Cincinnati
D) Buffalo Bill
Screenshot from WKRP in Cincinnati, CBS (1978–1982), Modified
Answer: WKRP In Cincinnati
Les Nessman reported the news, Jennifer Marlowe worked as the station’s receptionist, and Venus Flytrap hosted music programs. All three belonged to the eccentric staff of struggling radio station WKRP.
Screenshot from WKRP in Cincinnati, CBS (1978–1982), Modified
17. Which Sitcom Featured These Friends And Neighbors Of Bob Hartley?
Jerry Robinson, Carol Kester, Howard Borden
A) The Bob Newhart Show
B) Newhart
C) The Odd Couple
D) Dear John
Screenshot from The Bob Newhart Show, CBS (1972–1978), Modified
Answer: The Bob Newhart Show
Jerry was Bob Hartley’s friend and an orthodontist, while Carol worked as the receptionist at their Chicago office. Howard lived across the hall from Bob and Emily and regularly wandered into their apartment.
Screenshot from The Bob Newhart Show, CBS (1972–1978), Modified
18. Which Sitcom Featured These Familiar Bar Regulars?
Carla Tortelli, Cliff Clavin, Frasier Crane
A) Archie Bunker’s Place
B) Cheers
C) Becker
D) Wings
Screenshot from Cheers, NBC (1982–1993)
Answer: Cheers
Carla worked at the Boston bar where Cliff spent countless hours sharing questionable facts with anyone who would listen. Psychiatrist Frasier Crane joined the group after first appearing as Diane Chambers’s romantic interest.
Screenshot from Cheers, NBC (1982–1993)
19. Which Sitcom Brought These Roommates Together?
Sophia Petrillo, Rose Nylund, Blanche Devereaux
A) The Golden Girls
B) Three's Company
C) The Facts Of Life
D) Designing Women
Screenshot from The Golden Girls, NBC (1985–1992)
Answer: The Golden Girls
Blanche opened her Miami home to Rose Nylund and Dorothy Zbornak, while Sophia was Dorothy’s outspoken mother. Their contrasting personalities fueled arguments, confessions, and many late-night conversations over cheesecake.
Screenshot from The Golden Girls, NBC (1985–1992)
20. Which 1980s Family Sitcom Featured These Characters?
Mallory Keaton, Irwin “Skippy” Handleman, Nick Moore
A) Growing Pains
B) Family Ties
C) Who’s The Boss?
D) The Hogan Family
Screenshot from Family Ties, NBC (1982–1989), Modified
Answer: Family Ties
Mallory was the fashion-conscious daughter of Steven and Elyse Keaton, while Skippy was the family’s devoted neighbor. Nick became Mallory’s artist boyfriend despite making a poor first impression on her parents.
Screenshot from Family Ties, NBC (1982–1989), Modified
How Many Sitcoms Did You Recognize?
If you identified at least 15 shows, your classic television knowledge is strong enough to survive even the trickier supporting characters. A perfect score means names such as Les Nessman, Howard Borden, and Sam Franklin never disappeared from your memory. Whether you aced the quiz or discovered a few gaps, there is always another classic sitcom waiting for a rewatch.
Screenshot from Bewitched, ABC (1964–1972)
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Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
