Comedy is like a caricature of real life. The characters and situations are often extreme, but we still relate. That’s what makes them funny. When using the Enneagram to type characters for comedy, look at the extremes of the spectrum of each type. Especially look at the flaws. We like nothing better than to watch a character’s flaws get him into a ridiculous situation and then see how he tries to get himself out. Just like any other genre, these same flaws should also provide the character with their lovable and redeemable qualities.
The relationships between these characters should provide multiple plot lines and recurring situations for as many episodes as possible. A great way to do this is to include types that are the Stress and Security types of each other. Usually, we soon recognize which episodes will be good-uns by which characters are in conflict with each other and who’s gotten into trouble this time. We wouldn’t want them to learn from their mistakes or grow too much, and luckily for us, in sitcoms they never really do.
Here’s my take on the character’s types from some of my favorite sitcoms.
Gilligan’s Island
Gilligan – Six w Seven
The Six with a Seven wing is also called “the Buddy” and in every episode, the Skipper calls Gilligan his “little buddy”. He is loyal and hardworking, but also a great worrier. When he’s faced with a problem, he has trouble trusting his own judgement and instead seeks advice (which is usually conflicting, hence the comedy) from everyone on the island. He’s usually in a phobic cycle, but can also be very brave when he needs to be. All of these things are distinctively Six qualities.
The Skipper – Eight w Nine
He considers himself in charge and it doesn’t occur to him that anyone might challenge him. This creates a common conflict when Mr. Howell decides he’s in charge or tries to commandeer Gilligan. The Skipper protects Gilligan from being used by Mr. Howell not especially because it’s nice for Gilligan, but because Gilligan is his to boss around, nobody else’s!
Thruston Howell – Eight w Seven
This type and wing combo is sometimes called “the Wheeler-dealer” and it can describe Mr. Howell well. He and the Skipper are great examples of how different Eights can be depending on their wing. The Seven wing gives Mr. Howell his appreciation for fine living, but doesn’t take anything away from his need to be in control of his own situation. He uses money for his muscle and is at a loss when faced with a problem that can’t be solved with it. At the same time, he can join in with the group and proves himself to be just like everybody else.
Lovey Howell – One w Two
Because she rarely has problems, it’s difficult to judge her type, but I think One suits her best. She often is concerned with good manners and things being “proper” and is always making sure she’s put together. She is often a logical thinker (“swimming to the mainland simply isn’t practical…”) but doesn’t feel the need to take credit.
Ginger Grant – Three w Four
The movie star of the island is a stereotypical Three. She identifies with her career entirely and relies on charm to get what she wants, as Gilligan often finds out the hard way, despite the Skipper’s warnings of what he should do if Ginger was after him for something.
The Professor – Five w Six
There really is no other type that would work as well for the Professor. He’s a social Five, a subtype which needs to feel they’ve secured their place with a special skill that everyone else relies on. He’s somewhat withdrawn and completely logical (except sometimes like when he explained the way his lie detector worked).
Mary Ann Summers – Two w One
She’s generous, sensitive, always thinking of how to support and help others and can’t stand for any sort of injustice.
Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld – Nine w One
He avoids confrontation and conflict and everything evens out for him. He’d rather not draw attention to himself, and uses humor as a shield to protect himself and fit in. He gets a lot from his One wing, like fastidiousness and satisfaction with doing the “right” thing.
George Costanza – Six w Seven
Reactive yet never sure of himself and always worrying about potential hazards in the future. Whether he admits it or not, he looks up to Jerry, his security point. He’s concerned with matters of money and saves coupons and receipts until his wallet explodes. He can strategize and has an interest in knowledge from a Five wing, often reading and watching documentaries. He likes the idea of being an achiever, like wanting to pretend to be an architect, but doesn’t actually want to put the work in to make it happen.
Elaine Benes – Three w Four
She’s success oriented, seeing herself as an achiever and also attracted to success in others. Her attitude towards Jerry changes quickly when she realizes he’s doing not too badly money-wise. He, however, never felt the need to brag about it, a very Ninish trait.
Cosmo Kramer – Seven w Eight
At first I thought, Kramer doesn’t have a type. He’s just Kramer. But the more I considered, the more I realized he’s very Sevenish. He’s a big picture thinker and has all sorts of dreams and plans. He’s always busy working on some scheme and isn’t afraid to make things up as he goes along. His One stress point often comes into play when he berates Jerry for any kind of behavior he considers immoral and he often talks about things as though he were an authority. This sort of type can be very unnerving for a peace-loving Nine.
Frasier
Frasier Crane – One w Two
Always concerned with being moral, ethical and helping others, there’s really no other type for Frasier. Watching him create problems for himself because of these qualities, and dealing with dilemmas is the main source of humor in the series. No matter how hard he tries to let go of his One’s “inner critic” and become more like a Seven, he just can’t do it. Whenever something is going well and he should just enjoy it, he can’t seem to help but ruin it with his nitpicking. Instead he more often ends up going to his stress type, Four, feeling misunderstood and isolated because of his unique suffering.
Niles Crane – Four w Five
A definite withdrawn, sensitive and emotional type. Niles often takes on the best qualities of his One security point as well as some of the average traits such as fastidiousness and being critical. Under stress, however, he goes to Two, desperate and willing to do anything to keep from being abandoned. Unlike a One, he’s slow to take action on his desires which is why the series went on for several seasons before he and Daphne got together. Though he seldom admits it, he looks up to his brother, Frasier and strives to achieve the best a One can offer.
Martin Crane – Eight w Nine
No other type would struggle with his situation in the same way as an Eight, having lost the control he once had over his life and instead having to become dependent. The first season focuses on this but as the series progresses, other Eight traits come out when he offers no-nonsense advice to solve Fraiser’s problems, who of course doesn’t follow it. He still has his Eight’s potential faults, like being overly controlling of his space and never wanting to be seen as weak.
Daphne Moon – Two w Three
In the early seasons she was depicted more like a Four, identifying with her uniqueness and her psychic abilities. But as the series progressed and her character developed, she became much more Twoish, care-taking and doing for others coming naturally, without complaint. At the same time, she can hit her stress point and become assertive when she’s treated unfairly, shocking and humbling everyone when they realize their mistakes.
Roz Doyle – Three w Four
She’s career-oriented and wants to be seen as successful and attractive. Like some Threes, especially social variants, she can give off a very Sevenish vibe. This carefree side of her is the contrast she brings to her relationship with Frasier, Seven being the One’s security point. She often tries to encourage him to let loose and have some fun, which is a challenge to him and amusing for us to watch. This goes to show that look-alikes can still carry the same weight in character dynamics as the actual connecting point type.
This is a work in progress and more details and connections between these characters will be added. These connections are what make the situation comedy. Characters have built-in potential conflict in their relationships that can fuel episode after episode without running dry. Think of things that create internal conflict in each of these characters as well, especially dilemma. This is a type of inner struggle that is amusing to watch and also easy to leave unresolved without ruining audience satisfaction. No matter how many times these characters go through the same conflicts, they just don’t learn!
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