Protrayal of Characters

[Game Freak 4]

This would mostly be about comedies. So, do you think characters are better when they have development and some depth, or when they're one-noted stereotypical cliches. Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei falls into the latter. Many believe The Simpsons were funny when they defininitely fell into the latter then.

Maybe it just depends on the show.

[Bloody Marquis]

Many believe The Simpsons were funny when they defininitely fell into the latter then.

Well, that's certainly far from the truth considering that depth would be the last thing to describe what the characters are like now.

Personally, it depends on how much a character will be used. Characters like Greased Up Deaf Guy, Ollie Williams, or Very Tall Man are pretty good as purely gags, though it helps that they aren't overused. Whereas characters like Herbert have been criticized for being little more than worn-out jokes. If I had to pick, a character should have a bit more to themself than meets the eye as the episodes go on.

[Gokou Ruri]

Pretty much all the comedies I watch are the former. I'm not a fan of comedies that revolve around how stupid a character is, which tend to be the result of the later.

[Silverstar]

Really, it depends on the character(s) and the show(s) in question. Some characters benefit from a little development. Others have no need or call for it. Which style is better varies depending on how much said character is used on the show and what the show calls for.