15 First Jokes, Roasts, and Zingers from Iconic Characters
![15 First Jokes, Roasts, and Zingers from Iconic Characters](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/2/3/890023_320x180.jpg)
A great show can really sum up a character’s personality in their first moment. The genius of the show’s creators and writers were subtly on display here because, although we may not have known it at the time, we actually learned a lot about these now-iconic characters from their first lines. Some characters evolve over the years, and some never learn any lessons, but either way, it’s always nice to look back on the incredibly flawed person they were in the beginning (and for a large portion of the show’s run).
If we’re hooked, and follow the show season after season, a once over of the pilot feels like an old yearbook. They have these primitive, sometimes almost embarrassing atmospheres that were luckily good enough to keep the show chugging along. As money flowed in, the characters started looking a lot better (or worse if you’re Rob McElhenney tackling this trope). And as the actors and writers worked to round out the character, they became finely crafted into someone to love for the long haul. Let’s look back to where it all began with these 15 of your favorite character’s first ever lines of dialogue.
Homer Simpson
![CRACKED HOMER SIMPSON There's no time to be careful. We're late. THE SIMPSONS Responding to Marge's plea to drive safely, Homer's first line is pretty Homer-esque, but also pretty responsible when you realize he's trying to get somewhere on time.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/9/6/889296.jpg)
Jerry Seinfeld
![CRACKED JERRY SEINFELD See, now to me, that button is in the worst possible spot. SEINFELD D88 OFF DUTY Jerry opens the very last scene of the finale with the same 4 lines he opened the series with. George's last moment asks, Haven't we had this conversation before?](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/9/5/889295.jpg)
Liz Lemon
![CRACKED LIZ LEMON Whoa, excuse me! There's a line, buddy! 30 ROCK Her assertive street justice moment paired with the fact that she's buying a hotdog is classic Lemon right off the hop.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/9/4/889294.jpg)
Leslie Knope
![CRACKED LESLIE KNOPE Hello, hi. My name is Leslie Knope, and I work for the Parks and Recreation Department. Can I ask you a few questions? PARKS AND REC Moments later, she sweeps a drunk man down a slide, so her professionalism is paired nicely with the ongoing joke of Pawnee's trashiness.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/9/2/889292.jpg)
Michael Scott
![GRACKED MICHAEL SCOTT Alright, Jim. Your quarterlies look very good. How are things going at the library? THE OFFICE Jim didn't get the library sale, so Michael cockily mugs to the camera like watch the master at work. Не gets the sale but mistakes a woman for a man. A great intro to Michael Scott.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/9/3/889293.jpg)
Jake Peralta
![GRACKED JAKE PERALTA This job is eating me alive. I can't breathe anymore. I spent all these years trying to be the good guy. The man in the white hat. I'm not becoming like them. I am them. BROOKLYN NINE-NINE Не reveals that it's a speech from Donnie Brasco. The lines are word for word, but Brasco's full speech has more F-bombs, and a fear of getting Lefty whacked.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/8/9/889289.jpg)
Dennis Reynolds
![CRACKED DENNIS REYNOLDS Another big night, fellas. 164 dollars and 87 cents. IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IR This is the opening line of the entire series. Which is an incredibly normal line for someone who would evolve into one of the most psychopathic characters in TV history.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/9/1/889291.jpg)
Jeff Winger
![CRACKED JEFF WINGER Abed... Nice to know you, and then meet you. In that order. COMMUNITY Then, after Abed gives him valuable information about Britta, Winger's line, Abed, I see your value now is a great indicator of his dastardly selfishness.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/8/7/889287.jpg)
Michael Bluth
![GRACKED MICHAEL BLUTH You can't just comb that out and reset it? ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT This line about Lucille's hair is a response to her line, Look what the homosexuals have done to me.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/9/0/889290.jpg)
Monica Geller
![CRACKED MONICA GELLER There's nothing to tell. It's just some guy I work with. FRIENDS This is the first line of the entire series. Then we see Ross after being left by Carole, Phoebe cleansing oras, Joey mentioning strip clubs, Chandler being quippy as hell, and Rachel entering in a wedding dress. All within 2.5 minutes.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/8/5/889285.jpg)
Frasier Crane
![GRACKED FRASIER CRANE Listen to yourself, Bob! You follow her to work, you eavesdrop on her calls, you open her mail. The minute you started doing these things, the relationship was over. FRASIER His stern rant ends in a bright and chippy, Thank you for your call. This brilliant setup/punch was the perfect way to reacquaint the audience to Dr. Frasier Crane.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/8/6/889286.jpg)
Cartman
![CRACKED CARTMAN Yeah! Go home you little dildo! SOUTH PARK This line sets the tone of the show right off the hop, and they quickly get into Cartman's anal probe by aliens.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/8/8/889288.jpg)
Red Foreman
![CRACKED RED FOREMAN Eric! What the hell happened to Bob's hair? His head looks like a poodle's ass. THAT '70S SHOW This startles Eric (showing his fear of his strict father), and also shows Red's old world contempt for all the trendy '70s B.S.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/8/3/889283.jpg)
Bart Simpson
![CRACKED BART SIMPSON Jingle Bells/Batman smells/Robin laid an egg/The Batmobile broke its wheel/The Joker got away. THE SIMPSONS If you were a kid in the late '80s and early '90s, you were 100% singing this song.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/8/4/889284.jpg)
Moira Rose
![CRACKED MOIRA ROSE I've been gutted! John, I've been stripped of every morsel of pleasure I earned in this life! SCHITT'S CREEK Schitt's Creek really lays out the premise in this first scene, and no character's first line encapsulates this as well as Moira's.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/8/2/889282.jpg)