10 TV Characters From Non-Crime Shows Who Actually Committed Crime

"You know, we live in a society! We should be more civilized!"

You might wish that a TV show that wasn't flagged as a crime show didn't have criminal characters. Police procedurals and ambitious crime sagas like The Sopranos and Breaking Bad certainly have their place in television history, but sometimes, you might want to spend your time watching characters who aren't breaking the law or solving crimes. A sitcom or earthy drama can be a nice change of pace from the crime shows that seem to dominate the airwaves.

However, as some shows have shown, a character does not have to appear in a crime show to commit crimes. They vary widely in severity and damage caused, but in all cases the characters have committed acts that could be considered criminal (and often go unpunished).

'Seinfeld' — Kramer committing arson in "The Bubble Boy" (1992)

Offense to society is almost inevitable when you have four protagonists who are all very self-centered and at best ambivalent about the interests of others. Such is the case with Seinfeld, where the core cast is entertaining (and sometimes likable) despite the damage they do to those around them.

Kramer is probably the least selfish of the four, and probably the closest to goodwill, but he Clumsy and irresponsible, causing him to wreak a lot of havoc. Nowhere is this more evident than in the iconic season 4 episode "Bubble Boy," where he puts a lighted cigar inside a log cabin and goes for a swim in a nearby lake, only to return to find the entire structure shattered. was burned.

'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' — Buffy firing a rocket launcher in public in "Innocence" (1998)

When supernatural forces emerge from Hell's Mouth every week, and you're the only one stopping them, maybe some rule-breaking can be forgiven. Such is the desperate situation in which the main character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer continually finds himself, and it stands to reason that desperate moments often call for desperate measures.

Few solutions are as extreme, memorable, and comical as her having her friend steal a rocket launcher from a military base, and then using that rocket launcher to destroy an ancient demon said to be impervious to any (vintage) weapons . innocence. "The show does something so funny and daring in one of its most emotionally damaging and surprising episodes, illustrating how deftly Buffy can blend comedy and drama."

'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' — The Gang supplying alcohol to minors in "Underage Drinking: A National Concern" (2005)

"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" Gangs tend to be more destructive and less law-abiding than characters In Seinfeld, that's saying something. They've been morally dubious at best from the get-go, as shown in the episode "Underage Drinking: A National Spotlight," one of the highlights of the first season.

This episode sees the main characters turn their bar, Paddy's, into a bar that doesn't care whether patrons are of legal age or not. In fact, they serve alcohol to countless minors, and even if they rationalize it as they have a "social duty" to provide a safe drinking environment, it's still illegal.

'Rick & Morty' — Rick enslaving and destroying a mini-universe in "The Ricks Must Be Crazy" (2015)

Even though Rick and Morty's Rick Sanchez has proven to be a very popular character, it should be clear to all viewers that he is not a very nice guy. Maybe he's funny and has the occasional family moment (his morals fluctuate as much as the show's quality), but he's also committed galactic crimes, seemingly at least once per episode.

Rick's crimes are seldom as serious as destroying the entire universe he created filled with slaves that existed only to power his car batteries. Furthermore, within the first microcosm there is another microcosm, meaning The number of creatures wiped out because of Rick's actions will be an astronomical number.

'Seinfeld' — George stealing someone's identity in "The Limo" (1992)

George Costanza is probably the most law-breaking character in Seinfeld. He is notorious for being impulsive and only thinking of himself. This makes him (sadly) lovable at times, but when he takes things too far, it makes him arguably the worst of the four main players.

"Limo" sees him taking a limousine from the airport under someone else's identity, so he doesn't need to take the usual taxi route. Jerry was with him on this escapade (which made them pissed off, of course), but since he's using a made-up name to identify himself, he's technically not going to commit identity fraud the way George is.

'The Beatles: Get Back' (2021) — The Beatles disturbing the peace during the rooftop concert

Admittedly, this is the least of the offenses, but technically it still counts as one. At the end of Peter Jackson's miniseries The Beatles: Homecoming, the band performed their last collective gig unannounced on a rooftop midway between their offices and the fashion district in central London.

Some onlookers were pleasantly surprised to hear the Beatles live, but others found it loud and disruptive. indeed, The police were eventually called to the police over the noise complaint, which meant that even though it was a very minor crime - and given the concert's historical significance, it's frustrating to be treated like one in the first place - it was still very important.

'The Simpsons' — Homer drunk driving in "Duffless" (1993)

Homer Simpson may have meant well, but he certainly wasn't the most consistent role model throughout The Simpsons' 30+ seasons. Nothing he's done has made him irredeemable in the eyes of his fans. Still, given that he's appeared in hundreds of episodes, it shouldn't be surprising to realize that he's committed his fair share of crimes and misdemeanors.

One of these is from the season 4 episode "Duffless", which deals with Homer's drinking habits, with the main storyline having him arrested for DUI and abstaining from alcohol for a month. Being The Simpsons, this doesn't last beyond one episode, but it's a solid attempt to address an aspect of Homer's character that's a serious one in reality and one that's usually used on the show to make fun of.

'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' — Charlie trespassing/vandalizing The Waitress's apartment in "The D.E.N.N.I.S. System" (2009)

Unlike Seinfeld, it is difficult to single out a single character from the main gang in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as the least law-abiding character. that might be One of the show's greatest strengths; it really does balance them out, making them just as flawed (and therefore, just as interesting).

There is a strong argument that Charlie is the messiest, although many of his misbehaviors are more precise and less subtle. This includes the many drastic ways he tries to get the attention of the waitress he misses, which is especially evident in "The D.E.N.N.I.S. System", which sees him breaking into her apartment and destroying her garbage disposer so he can come back later to fix this question.

'Peep Show' — Mark drinking in public and spying/stalking in "Local Zero" (2004)

Peep Show's two main characters - Mark and Jez - are both very bad people. The show is aware of this and has always used them as a laughingstock, or an instigator of their destruction.

While most of their indiscretions are offenses to decency rather than offenses involving the law, they occasionally cross the line into the realm of lawlessness. Mark is probably the worst of the two, so it happens to him a lot, like when he's drinking in public and spying on a woman he likes (the latter gets caught by a news crew and put on TV, much to Mark's dismay).

'Seinfeld' — George and Mike obstructing traffic in "The Parking Space" (1992)

While blocking traffic might not sound like the worst crime, the standoff between George and Mike (Kramer's friend) over a parking spot is pretty damaging considering Seinfeld is located in New York, a city of perpetual traffic jams. Both are adamant that they got into it first, and neither wants to back down.

It lasts for most of the episode, with the argument starting during the day and continuing into the night. Even though most other cars could drive around, both of their cars still took up more space than the law allowed for hours, and they were both technically guilty of obstructing traffic.