Springfield's most famous drunk (yes: even more than Homer), it's Barney Gumble. Occasionally billed as Homer's best friend (though that status seems to change), Barney is renowned for his shrill voice, beer belly and tendency to burp. He's pretty much always drunk whenever he's on screen, and has - in the years that the show has been on air - cemented himself as one of American pop culture's most notable barflies. And yet there's something about Barney that isn't quite right. He's iconic, that's for sure, but almost undeservedly so when you consider the low-end nature of the character. Barney has had a few stand-out moments on the show, but he nowhere near deserves the status of a classic Simpsons character. Has he ever laugh out loud funny? Nope! Worst of all, the writers had Barney "sober up" in recent years, thus rendering his character as a mere shadow of his formerly overrated self. So now he's like, double-overrated, because what's the point of Barney unless he's drunk all the time, anyways?
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.