Hi, Diddly Ho! Ned Flanders & The 9 Best TV Neighbors

From Ugly Naked Guy on Friends to the borderline psychopathic Rose on Two and a Half Men, there have been plenty of neighbors on TV series that have been integral parts of the shows on which they appear. Most of the time, these neighbors would serve as the central family’s foil and be the cause of comic hijinks and foolishness that the episode would center on.

In some cases, the neighbors are just there to provide occasional comic relief. In other cases, they became central to the stories. In fact, these sitcoms just wouldn’t be the same if the main family’s eccentric neighbors just moved out of town.

10 Ned Flanders (The Simpsons)

While Homer Simpson of The Simpsons is a lazy, dejected, dimwitted dad who cares mostly about donuts, beer, television, and relaxing at home, Ned is the complete opposite. A very religious man, he’s the invasive neighbor who’s constantly knocking on your door and wanting to chat you up. That, and he annoyingly never seems to be in a bad mood.

He greets everyone with weird phrases like “Hi-diddly-ho!” and calls Homer his “Neighbor-eeno.” It’s enough to make you want to run away screaming. But deep down, while Ned can be overbearing and has often tried to push his religious beliefs on others on a bad day, he really does mean well. Truth be told, he just really wants to be friends!

9 Steve Urkel (Family Matters)

Believe it or not, Urkel was just meant to be a peripheral character on Family Matters. Originally, the sitcom centered around the middle-class Winslow family living in Chicago. But somehow, the ultra-nerdy Urkel — who occasionally popped in wearing his signature high-waisted suspenders and oversized dark-rimmed glasses — stole every scene he was in, leading to him getting a more pivotal role in succeeding seasons.

Eventually, Family Matters shifted its focus to Urkel himself, his catchphrase in a shrill and nasal voice (“Did I do that?”), and his unrequited love for the eldest Winslow daughter, Laura. Granted, a character like him who was made fun of for his intelligence and sense of fashion would never fly on television today but nonetheless, back then, people really got a kick out of him.

8 George Jefferson (All in the Family & The Jeffersons)

Originally just a supporting character, George Jefferson was so popular on All in the Family the Bunker family’s neighbor that he ended up getting his own spin-off series in The Jeffersons. While Bunker patriarch Archie was very combative and had strong opinions — including some shockingly racist ones — Jefferson, a Black man, was just as vocal and outspoken. Despite often being at odds, however, the two clearly respected one another.

Interestingly, Jefferson was mentioned many times on All in the Family before he was actually seen. This was reportedly because show creator Norman Lear was waiting for actor Sherman Hemsley to become available to portray Mr. Jefferson.

7 Mr. Rogers (Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood)

Recently honored with a movie starring Tom Hanks, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was a super-sweet children’s program from Canada that was created and hosted by the eponymous Mr. Rogers. Geared towards kids aged 2-5, the educational show saw Mr. Rogers talking directly to the camera about different things such as crafts and music, all the while teaching valuable life lessons like how to deal with a death in the family or how kids can overcome racism.

What really made him stand out from other TV personalities, however, was that Mr. Rogers was just himself and not a character. There was no phony ear-to-ear smile or sing-song voice designed to captivate kids. He was as real as you could get and kids of all ages and even their parents appreciated that, welcoming him into their homes like they would their own great neighbor.

6 Cosmo Kramer (Seinfeld)

No one comes bursting through a door, skidding on the floor like Kramer on Seinfeld. Crazy hair flailing about, Jerry always knew that some manic discussion was forthcoming from the eccentric guy in the apartment down the hall.

Known by his closest friends as just Kramer, he was apparently based on show creator Larry David’s real neighbor, Kenny Kramer. He wasn’t just Seinfeld’s neighbor but also a good friend, though he got the gang into trouble on more than one occasion.

5 Ethel & Fred Mertz (I Love Lucy)

Lucy and Ricky Ricardo were friends and neighbors with Ethel and Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy. The two were older than Lucy and Ricky, though they never had children. They bickered a lot and loved to insult one another. Ethel, especially, seemed jealous of Lucy and Ricky’s marriage.

Ethel often found herself caught up with Lucy’s various schemes, usually in her attempts to get back at Ricky because she was upset with him about something comically petty.

4 Kimmy Gibbler (Full House & Fuller House)

“Hola, Tannerinos!” That was the irritating Gibbler’s signature phrase whenever she entered the Tanner home on Full House,  unannounced and usually through the back door that led to the kitchen where the family was busy eating.

Gibbler’s parents were often away so she leaned a lot on the Tanners, the family of her best friend DJ, for love and support. She also provided plenty of comic relief, not only on the original series but also its later spin-off, Fuller House.

3 Barney & Betty Rubble (The Flintstones)

Barney and Betty were best friends with their neighbors Fred and Wilma on The Flintstones. The animated sitcom that aired back in the ’60s had an interesting premise: it was set in a fictional version of the Stone Ages where the characters had limited resources (and clothing), yet had behaved and talked like contemporary folks of the time. Basically, it was life in the suburbs but with modern innovations swapped with Stone Age technology and rock-related puns.

Barney and Fred would fight often, but they were like brothers. Meanwhile, Betty loved to go shopping with Wilma and gossip, especially about their mutual dislike of other women getting close to their men.

2 Penny (The Big Bang Theory)

Penny, whose surname was never revealed on the long-running series The Big Bang Theory, was the girl next door in the apartment who instantly captured Leonard’s eye. The beautiful waitress and aspiring actress was completely out of his league, but somehow Leonard and his nerdy friends convinced her to become friends with them.

Sure, Penny stole their food and Wi-Fi and basically lived at their place, but she also helped them all build their confidence. That, and she was one of the few people who could actually get through to Sheldon’s condescendingly smug exterior.

1 Marcy Rhoades/D’Arcy (Married… With Children)

Without Marcy, who would have been the constant butt of Al Bundys’ jokes on Married…With Children? Marcy lived across the street from the Bundys. Despite Al constantly ribbing Marcy that she looked like a young boy, she was in loving and passionate marriages first to Steve Rhoades then to Jefferson D’Arcy.

Sickeningly sweet and with two seemingly perfect marriages, Marcy took any opportunity she could to take jabs at Al and talk about how wonderful her life was, while he was living in squalor. While she and Peggy were pretty much best friends, there was also a slight rivalry as Peggy would get jealous about how Marcy’s husbands would fawn over her, urging Al to do the same.

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