There are multiple hilarious alter-egos of legendary characters from comedy TV shows, many of whom are just as funny as their actual selves. Several ofthe best sitcoms of all timeintroduce a wacky personality who brings along a fictional version of themselves, and this makes these characters even more intriguing than they already are. While some of these aliases only appear for a singular episode, others frequently become recurring gags in their respective TV shows.
These aliases are typically based on whom these characters see themselves as, or who they aspire to be deep down. It’s not uncommon for these alter egos to take inspiration from figures fromthe best movies in cinematic history, either, like James Bond, for example. Whether they’re completely fictional or inspired by someone else,these TV characters’ alter egos are all hilarious.
10Michael Scarn (Michael Scott)
The Office
The Office’sMichael Scott has several alter egos, some more politically correct than others, but the most memorable is easily Michael Scarn. While mentions of Scarn appear throughout the show,Michael Scott’sThreat Level Midnightmovieproperly brings his iconic super spy persona to life.
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Scarn is everything that Michael secretly wishes to be, or sees himself as: suave, brilliant, and a hero. Michael Scott’s alter ego is absolutely inspired by theJames Bondmovies, from Scarn’s tragic backstory to his various female companions. However, Scarn doesn’t just appear in Michael’s home movie. Michael brings Scarn out frequently, like when he and Dwight infiltrate Prince Paper or during “Dinner Party,” one ofthe funniest episodes ofThe Officeever.
Cast
This mockumentary comedy series observes the mundane and humorous daily lives of employees at the Scranton branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. It offers insights into office dynamics, personalities, and the eccentric behavior of both management and staff, depicting an ordinary workplace with extraordinary characters.
Although Michael sees Scarn as a side of him that is smooth and charming, the alter ego is just as ridiculous as the Dunder Mifflin manager, too. The Scarn dance is wildly funny, and the fact that Michael takes this scene so seriously makes the choreographed sequence that much better.
9Burt Macklin (Andy Dwyer)
Parks And Recreation
Interestingly, Andy Dwyer’s Burt Macklin inParks and Recreationshares asimilar TV backstoryto Michael Scarn. Andy’s legendary FBI Agent is a fantastic addition to his character, and Macklin is a figure that best encapsulates theParks and Recreationfavorite’s interests and personality.
BeingParks and Recreation’s FBI Agent Burt Macklin helps Andy discover his dream of becoming a police officer, and even when he fails, he can still seek comfort in playing as his alter ego.
Macklin is a great and comical member of Leslie’s City Council campaign,although he spends more time focusing on trivial and time-wasting issues, like who tries to throw a pie at Ben. Andy’s alter ego is often joined by one of April’s personas, such as Judy Hitler or Janet Snakehole, which makes his appearances even more enjoyable.
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is a television series that premiered in 2009, focusing on Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat in Pawnee, Indiana. She encounters various challenges from bureaucrats and citizens while striving to beautify the town through her role in the Parks and Recreation Department.
However, Burt Macklin is so much more than an imaginary character for Andy. BeingParks and Recreation’s FBI Agent Burt Macklinhelps Andy discover his dream of becoming a police officer, and even when he fails, he can still seek comfort in playing as his alter ego. Macklin is always there to help, but every scene he appears in is always hilarious.
8Ricky Spanish (Roger)
American Dad!
Roger’s evil alter-ego inAmerican Dad, Ricky Spanish,is by far the most chaotic of his characters. The alien often switches between different personas, and because of his otherworldly abilities, Roger is able to slip into these characters simultaneously and be in multiple places at once.
Ricky Spanish is first introduced in the season 7 episode of the same name, and when Roger takes his alter ego out for a spin again, he remembers why he retired the disguise in the first place.Ricky Spanish is feared across the fictional town of Langley Falls,and the way his name is said in hushed tones makes the character even funnier. The hysterical Spanish has wronged everyone in various ways, ranging from pure violence to simply being chaotic.
From the creators of Family Guy comes American Dad!, an animated series that follows the exploits of the Smith family. Stan Smith is the average American father, except his job at the CIA sees him made privy to all manner of national secrets. The Smith family is relatively normal, with Stan’s wife Francine, children Haley and Steve, talking pet goldfish Klaus (who has the personality of a German Olympic skier), and the eccentric and sociopathic alien Roger who lives in their attic.
For example, Spanish burns down a petting zoo with a flamethrower, kills Avery Bullock’s wife, and even lets his partner, Daniel, go down for the heist they are caught committing. Sadly, the most notable ofRoger’s best disguises inAmerican Daddoesn’t appear very often, but when he does, it’s always a fantastic watch.
7Lorde (Randy Marsh)
South Park
Randy Marsh has some weird jobs inSouth Park, but the oddest is when he takes on the persona of pop star Lorde. Randy’s alter ego appears throughoutSouth Parkseason 18, and when he performs as Lorde at the boys’ garden party, they believe he knows a relative of the singer. Of course, audiences immediately know that it’s Randy, mainly because of the mustache,but this makes this ludicrous storyline even funnier.
South Parktakes this gag to ridiculous levels, explaining that Randy isn’t just impersonating Lorde, he actually is her. The running joke that Randy Marsh has a huge career as a teenage musician from New Zealand is baffling. Stan’s father hides his riches in a wall in the garage, hiding his success from his family.
South Park follows the irreverent misadventures of four grade-schoolers—Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny—that take place in the quiet, dysfunctional town of South Park, Colorado. The animated series explores various social and political issues through its characters' humorous and often absurd escapades.
He even keeps his true identity under wraps around other massive music artists like Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj. The extent Randy goes to keep up this act is wild, but when Stan discovers the truth and later shares it with his friends, the Lorde persona slowly disappears from the show. Perhaps Randy will reprise Lorde in the upcomingSouth Parkseason 27, however.
6Jackie Daytona (Laszlo Cravensworth)
What We Do In The Shadows
What We Do in the Shadows’ Laszlo Cravensworthis a fantastic character, and his personality is so layered and entertaining that he doesn’t really need an alter ego. However, in the season 2 episode “On the Run,” Laszlo flees Staten Island when fellow vampire Jim demands owed rent money.
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Laszlo settles down in a rural community in Pennsylvania and takes on the name Jackie Daytona, a laid-back bartender who is always sporting a tooth-pick and has an amazing enthusiasm for women’s volleyball. Many viewers ofWWDITSwant a Jackie Daytona spin-off. Laszlo’s “regular human bartender” is hilarious, especially as Daytona seems to relate to the locals far better than his true self ever does.
What We Do in the Shadows
What We Do in the Shadows, released in 2019, is a mockumentary series exploring the nightly lives of a group of centuries-old vampires residing in Staten Island. The comedic show delves into their interactions with each other and the modern world, providing a humorous take on the vampire genre.
The vampire slips into the role of Daytona immediately, as if he’s been portraying the character forever. What’s even funnier, though, is that when Jim tracks Laszlo down, Daytona’s tooth-pick stops him from recognizing him.Daytona is generous and wholesome, and in some ways, the alter ego allows audiences to see what kind of person Laszlo would be if he were still human.
5Hannah Montana (Miley Stewart)
Hannah Montana
Miley Stewart’s Hannah Montana is one of the most well-known fictional alter egos in the world of TV.Hannah Montanaintroduces Miley as a normal teenage girl, but one who has a secret that her peers can only dream of. Behind closed doors,Miley puts on a blonde wig and steps out as the titular superstar, but after a long concert and hours of performing, she goes back to school as if nothing has happened.
Miley hiding her double life is the main premise ofHannah Montana, and most episodes focus on her attempts to keep her identity under wraps.Hannah Montanais one ofthe best Disney sitcoms ever, and Miley and her closest confidant’s escapades keep audiences laughing without fail.
Hannah Montana is a sitcom that aired on the Disney Channel for four seasons from 2006-2011. The series stars Miley Cyrus as Miley Stewart, a fourteen-year-old middle school student living a double life as Hannah Montana, a famous pop singer. Miley’s real-life father, Billy Ray Cyrus, plays her dad on the show.
One crucial storyline is when Lilly finds out that Miley is Hannah, and while it creates a brief rift between them, Lilly later becomes an important factor in keeping the secret. After years of posing as Hannah,Miley eventually reveals her true self in the season 4two-parter, “I’ll Always Remember You.” Although Miley doesn’t keep her alter ego, viewers still remember the brilliantly funny lengths she goes to in order to keep her two lives separate.
4Regina Phalange (Phoebe Buffay)
Friends
All ofPhoebe Buffay’s aliases inFriendsare comical, but her best is the recurring personalityRegina Phalange. Phalange is a long-running gag inFriends, and Phoebe pulls her out to assist in all manner of wacky situations.Phoebe’s iconic alter ego first appears when she speaks with Emily’s stepmother in Londonafter Ross says Rachel’s name at the altar, where she introduces herself as a doctor.
Regina Phalange crops up several times throughout the rest of the show, too. For example, Phoebe becomes the French Régine Philange while in Vegas with Joey. Even whenFriends’ Phoebe Buffayisn’t portraying Regina Phalange, she finds hilarious ways to reference the alias.
Friends is a television sitcom that debuted in 1994, revolving around six young New Yorkers navigating the complexities of adulthood. The series highlights their friendship as they support each other through personal and professional challenges, encapsulating the ups and downs of life in a comedic and relatable manner.
When she calls Rachel on the plane in theFriendstwo-part finale, Phoebe tells her something is wrong with the plane’s “Left phalange.” What’s so great about Regina Phalange, however, is that nothing about Phoebe’s character is set in stone.Phoebe makes Regina’s personality up as she goes along,and she is really just a more chaotic version of herself.
3Clive Bixby (Phil Dunphy)
Modern Family
Clive Bixby and Julianna’s best moments inModern Familyare fantastically funny. Phil’s romantic alter ego, who generally appears on Valentine’s Day or anniversaries, gets up to all kinds of trouble with Claire’s other persona. While Julianna is funny too, Clive is the true scene-stealer.Being Clive proves just how much Phil cares about keeping the spark alive with Claire,and it also reaffirms the fact that the Dunphy patriarch loves to play around.
Phil truly commits to the Clive alias, who is an interesting blend of various fictional womanizing characters.
Phil truly commits to the Clive alias, who is an interesting blend of various fictional womanizing characters. While the bumbling Clive Bixby often causes some embarrassment, he always comes through for Claire and Julianna. It’s hilarious when he transforms into Clive’s cousin, Claude, in the season 11 episode “Paris,” who is basically the French counterpart of Phil’s invented personality.
Modern Family is a comedy series that follows the unconventional Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker family as they redefine what makes a family in their modern age. Broken into sub-families, the three diverse groups shake up the nuclear formula with empty nesters, adopted children, gender neutrality, and more as they attempt to navigate the various pitfalls and comedic misadventures of their dysfunctional but warm-hearted family dynamic.
Although it’s a little cringey, Phil doesn’t keep the benefits of Clive a secret, and he even teaches Jay how to woo Gloria again. InModern Family’s ending, Phil and Claire’s children all leave their home, and it’s great to think that Clive and Julianna may join their travels across the country in the RV.
2Tiny Rick (Rick Sanchez)
Rick And Morty
Although Tiny Rick is biologically Rick Sanchez, there’s no doubt that the crazed scientist takes on a new personality in “Big Trouble in Little Sanchez,” one ofthe best episodes ofRick and Morty. Rick puts his brain into a younger clone of himself and attends high school with Summer and Morty in order to catch a vampire, but he becomes so invested in his new life that his consciousness is forced to battle Tiny Rick for control.
Tiny Rick is a baffling character, but everything that comes out of his mouth is hysterical. The “Let Me Out” song is unbelievably catchy, andit’s brilliantly funny that the students get so attached to Tiny Rick so quickly.
He makes such an impression on his classmates that he becomes more popular than Summer and Morty ten times over, although his presence is so ridiculous that Summer has to get Tiny Rick expelled so she can save her grandfather. Although this alter ego doesn’t appear again after season 2,Rick and Morty’s Tiny Rick returns in the comics.Hopefully, Rick will bring Tiny Rick back in the future, like he does with Pickle Rick.
1Mrs. Featherbottom (Tobias Funke)
Arrested Development
There are plenty of oddities inArrested Development’s Bluth family, but Tobias Fünke stands out for many reasons. The therapist-turned-actor makes some strange choices throughout the show, and one of the most notable ones is Tobias’ alter ego, Mrs. Featherbottom. When Lindsay kicks Tobias out, he returns to the model home under the guise of Mrs. Featherbottom so that he can still be a part of Maeby’s life.
This hilariousmovie reference inArrested Developmentis a nod to Robin Williams inMrs. Doubtfire. However, Mrs. Featherbottom is also inspired byMary Poppinsand general British stereotypes.Tobias is so overly committed to his character to the point that it’s dangerous. He drives a mini down the wrong side of the road, tries to float with an umbrella, and even crashes through the model home’s balcony.
Arrested Development, a television series premiered in 2003, follows the dysfunctional Bluth family who are coping with the loss of their fortune. Central to the narrative is Michael Bluth, the diligent son attempting to stabilize the family amidst their eccentricities and financial turmoil.
What’s so funny is that Tobias does this so he can still be a father to Maeby, but half the time, he fails to pay any attention to his daughter. He’s also pretty bad at keeping up with hisalter ego, and when he gets annoyed that nobody has figured him out, he stops shaving and gives up on his makeup.
