5. “SPOOOON!” (The Tick—The Tick)
For a kid-friendly animated version of Ben Edlund’s wonderfully irreverent comic book of superhero satire, the Saturday morning cartoon retained an impressive amount of its subversive humor, dialing up the absurdity inherent to a world populated with superpowered heroes and villains. There may be no better way to characterize this than the bombastic blue bug-helmed bungler’s baffling battle cry.
4. “HA!” (Edna Krabappel—The Simpsons)
This year, we sadly lost Marcia Wallace—the hilariously bitter, sarcastic voice to Bart Simpson’s teacher. But she left a brilliant legacy of perfect deliveries, often with her legendarily pithy laugh.
3. “Nnnope!” (Lana Kane—Archer)
It not only works in the affirmative to defend her position; it works equally well shutting down the myriad terrible ideas constantly bandied about at ISIS.
2.“Her?” (Michael Bluth—Arrested Development)
Arrested Development always played the long game when it came to running jokes. Of the most successful was Michael Bluth’s incredulousness over his son, George Michael, not aiming higher in his dating standards than his on-again, off-again beau, Egg. Err, Ann.
1.“D’oh!” (Homer Simpson—The Simpsons)
There was no question which monosyllabic utterance would rank highest, was there? For 25 years, Homer Simpson’s annoyed grunt remains the greatest vocal rimshot in the history of the medium. What else is there to say?
… Beyond hearing it a few more times, I mean?