9 Underrated Characters from 'The Simpsons'

A show that long ago surpassed every record of number of seasons for an animated series, The Simpsons is the kind of cultural staple that has helped to define major parts of multiple generations' lives at this point, and we're all just along for the ride. One of the major drawing points of this show has been the way it delved into the people of Springfield, the rare fictional locale that feels like a home away from home for many fans.

Every time we think The Simpsons might end, it gets picked up for multiple further seasons and a stack of Disney+ specials. This show might outlive all of us. Yet, even with thirty-two (and a half) seasons in the bag, there are still a lot of underappreciated characters in that sprawling supporting cast.

Bernice Hibbert

Even eagle-eyed Simpsons fans may not recognize this entry, as Bernice has a surprisingly small number of appearances on the show. To add to her obscurity, she originally appeared under a different name entirely. Yet, we know she has an incredible sense of style, based on the actor Phylicia Rashād in her role as Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show.

Besides that, Bernice remains a bit of a mystery. We know she shares her husband's hilarious laugh, and that they have five children together. She also has a penchant for boozing it up, attending events, and hanging out with Marge and company. For such a social lady, we just don't know enough about Bernice, but we are here to learn. Exploring her relationship with Dr. Hibbert is just one way to dig in and bring her character to the forefront.

Sophie Krustofsky

Having Krusty the Clown as a dad sounds like a bit of an ordeal, and in classic episodes like "I'll Be Home for Krustmas," our suspicions were confirmed. Her mother Erin was a soldier that Krusty had a one-night stand with during a USO tour who told her daughter that her dad was a "pathetic clown." After running a quick search on the internet, Sophie had a pretty solid idea of who she meant.

Yet, being Krusty's daughter isn't all that Sophie has going. While at first she showed little interest in following in her father's footsteps, she soon grew into a performer in her own right when she became an accomplished violinist. As an Esports player and a soccer star, Sophie is capable of living in multiple different worlds at once, which makes her an interesting character we'd love to get to know a little better.

Sideshow Mel

While Sideshow Bob (Kelsey Grammar) and even his brother Cecil (David Hyde Pierce) have been granted the spotlight at various points, Mel's lot in life is to be the second banana even to the second banana. A classically trained actor that delivers every line like he's performing a Shakespearean sonnet, his greatest contribution to the series is his loud, obvious proclamations made at inconvenient times.

Mel joined Krusty's act as a replacement for Sideshow Bob when Bob became infuriated by his role as the runner-up to Krusty. While Mel seems fairly secure in himself and his role in Krusty's act, he doesn't mind getting real with the clown and telling him when he's crossed a line, which is our favorite thing about him.

Patty & Selma

There are quite a few episodes that highlight Patty & Selma, but these are two characters we are always happy to see on our TV screen. While they are generally portrayed as being grim and without joy, later episodes explored their characters in a way that showed greater complexity. Though Marge may be the most likable sister due to her people-pleasing tendencies, her sisters are the ones setting more sustainable examples by declaring that the way to get through life is by "not giving a crap" what people think.

While the Bouvier sisters are often defined by their dislike for Homer, it's not exactly a surprise that they would want better for their sister considering how often he causes absolute chaos in her life. Still, these two have softened with time, and occasionally admit that Marge genuinely seems happy with Homer, even if they can't wrap their heads around it.

Smithers

We were all pretty excited when Smithers found love with someone other than Mr. Burns. The fact that it was with Michael de Graaf, voiced by legendary queer actor Victor Gerber, was icing on the cake. Yet, even this smooth-talking charmer had an unpleasant side, and the two of them ended up going their separate ways after an upsetting incident with an adorable puppy that Smithers ended up adopting.

This is why we love Smithers. He is surrounded by some pretty terrible people and is often complicit in their bad behavior, but there is a softer side to him. Working for one of Springfield's most terrible citizens, Smithers still cries during musicals and takes in unloved pets, making him one of the show's unsung greats.

Maya

Maya and Moe first carried on a flirtation online, and when they finally met up in person, he was surprised to see that she looked exactly like her photo, but she stood only about three feet tall. Homer and Marge were incredibly impressed with her, but Moe couldn't appreciate what he had and leaned hard into jokes about her height. Ultimately, this led her to leave him, but the two recently reunited.

While we can't help but question her taste in men, Maya is a great character with or without Moe around. Dazzling people with her kindness and intelligence, she's the kind of minor background figure that we'd love to see step into the limelight going forward.

Mary Wrestlemania Spuckler

The Spucklers are mostly based in stereotypes of rural people, with plenty of jokes about interfamily dating along the way. Yet, while they can be a lot, their daughter Mary shows a lot of positive traits. She's also possibly the love of Bart Simpson's life, though looks into Bart's future haven't shown a particularly positive romantic trajectory.

Mary is more or less the perfect girl, but Bart has a hard time appreciating her for the gem that she is. That's why it'd be great to see Mary break out and do her own thing. This is the kind of character who could easily be the star of her own adventures, which is why we're looking forward to what the future might hold for her.

Janey

This is a character that started strong but never got explored and ended up fading into the background. Janey is Lisa's best friend in early episodes of the series, but she rapidly falls off the chart and has mostly appeared only in cameos or crowd shots. We don't have a particularly good idea of who she is other than that she likes to hang out with her friends, like most kids do.

Lisa's ongoing struggle to fit in leads us to believe that the story of their friendship could be a lot more interesting than we've seen so far. At any rate, Janey's character being more or less dropped has always bugged us, and we'd like to see her pop up in future seasons.

Lenny and Carl

Carl & Lenny - The Simpsons - The Saga of Carl

Lenny and Carl have the rare distinction of appearing in a chart-breaking number of episodes while remaining more or less mysterious past their relationship with Homer. That is certainly part of their charm, but episodes that have spotlighted them remain some of the series' best.

Lenny is a Buddhist with a comical sense of indifference toward his own death and a tendency toward getting injured in outlandish ways. Carl shares Lenny's faith and makes vague references to growing up in Iceland that we'd love to hear a little more about. The two have apparently always been friends, and this is exactly the kind of thing that could be explored in future episodes.

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