4. Newman - Seinfeld
Wayne Knight played one of the most memorable recurring characters in Seinfeld, as Jerry's arch nemesis Newman, a postal worker who holds his "high position" over Jerry at every errant opportunity, using it to blackmail him and regale us with the disturbing stories of what a career in the postal service might actually entail. As something of a running joke throughout the series, the postal service is observed as something of a sinister construct, a secret society with a dark, unseen side, perhaps indicated best when Newman announces that he used to work the same route as the Son of Sam killer, David Berkowitz. Unsurprisingly, he's lazy - just
look at him - arrogant, and probably one of the worst employees ever, in fiction or otherwise; we frequently hear that he pays his co-workers to do his shifts, ducks out of work at any opportunity, and will threaten not to deliver people's mail if they aren't kind to him. We strongly suspect that Larry David had an unfortunate run-in with a postman once, because going by the strong sense of disdain he has for them throughout the show, there has to be a reason behind it...