Homer Simpson Is the Best Character in 20 Years

To mark the 20th anniversary of Entertainment Weekly, the magazine ran a poll to determine which was the most popular television or film character in the last two decades. Somewhat unsurprisingly, that turned out to be Homer Simpson of the long-running television series “The Simpsons,” with Harry Potter as the runner-up, the Telegraph informs.

Also in the running, aside from Homer and Harry, was Buffy from teen-favorite series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” Carrie Bradshaw of HBO’s cult series “SATC” and the Oscar-nominated Heath Ledger as The Joker. According to the fans who voted, neither of these holds a candle when compared to Homer and his iconic “D’oh!” which is why he was crowned with the ultimate title, the series creator believes.

“People can relate to Homer because we’re all secretly propelled by desires we can’t admit to. Homer is launching himself head-first into every single impulsive thought that occurs to him. His love of whatever... is a joy to witness,” Matt Groening says for Entertainment Weekly. Runner-up Harry Potter was also named a “global icon” but he has nothing of Homer’s longevity, as he’s been on TV for 21 seasons now, which makes “The Simpsons” the longest show ever to be on the air.

“The star of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’ played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, came third in the list followed by Tony Soprano from HBO drama series ‘The Sopranos’ and comic book villain the Joker played by late Australian actor Heath Ledger in ‘The Dark Knight.’ Rounding out the top 10 were Rachel from ‘Friends,’ Edward Scissorhands from the movie of that name, Hannibal Lecter played by British actor Anthony Hopkins, Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw […], and cartoon character Spongebob Squarepants,” the Telegraph further says of the rest of the occupants of the poll.

Entertainment Weekly had nothing to do with the results of the survey, save to post it online. In other words, the people have spoken: Homer Simpson is officially the best character of the last 20 years, both on television and in film.