Top 10 Best Big Mouth Characters

The youngest member of the dysfunctional Bilzerian family, Jay is the proud perv of the friend group. He doesn’t have a hormone monster, yet, but then again, as Maurice points out, he basically IS a walking talking hormone monster. Fond of his, er, pillows, Jay is open with his friends about his raging mojo, and attracted to both sexes. He keeps it real, but his intensity can be too much for some people. Still, his zero-filter attitude makes him one of the funniest kids on the show.

The openly gay student of the class, Matthew is outwardly all confidence and sass. He dishes out advice, snark, and witty insights at the drop of a hat, and seems to have himself figured out, while the others are still struggling. But despite this outward confidence, Matthew is quite lonely, and as sensitive about growing up as anyone else. On top of that, he also feels left out because of his sexuality. However, he’s not unpopular; he’s best friends with Jessi, he has a budding romance with Jay, and he’s the favorite of Maurice the Hormone Monster.

The loving and supportive father of Nick, Leah, and Judd, Elliot Birch is almost TOO perfect. If his kids have a problem, he empathizes to an embarrassing degree. If they act out, he encourages them to be themselves. Nothing is off limits. He isn’t shy about his emotions and frequently expresses how much he loves his family. The contrast between Elliot and his wife Diane to their kids - who run the spectrum from normal to borderline psychopath - makes for a hilarious family dynamic, avoiding the usual trope of the judgmental or fretful sitcom parents.

The titular big mouth, Nick is a bit of a late bloomer. Anxious about ALL the things that go with puberty, including his height and whether or not he’s growing up fast enough, he always feels a step behind his friend Andrew (who got his hormone monster before him). Constantly struggling to figure himself out, he went through a number of Hormone Monsters, including the geriatric Rick and the utterly naïve and immature Tyler, before finally getting Connie, the Hormone Monstress. Despite his insecurities, he's a good friend with a level (if big) head on his shoulders.

Missy is also something of a late bloomer. While she’s smart, articulate, and self-assured, she has a real streak of self-loathing. Her tendency to overthink leads her to withdraw from her friends, as she starts to question what she enjoys, and feeling ashamed of everything about herself - from her body and sexuality to her outspokenness. Her hippy parents don't seem to understand how she could become depressed, or that she isn’t always the idealistic, uber-mature vision of her that they see. Ultimately a nerd with a big heart, her unwavering moral compass makes her one of the most endearing characters in the show.

Jessi seems to have it all together. She’s friends with basically everyone, she’s considered attractive by her peers, and she’s got a smart sense of humor. However, things are not well at home and underneath she’s a mess. Her parents’ constant fighting and their impending divorce have triggered a lot of issues for her, including depression and acting out, for example by shoplifting and experimenting with drugs. Fortunately for her, she has one of the best Hormone Monstresses in the business to help her combat the emotional storms. Wry and tough, Jessi is a good kid at heart and there’s a reason why she’s so popular.

The first of the gang to hit puberty and get assigned a hormone monster, Andrew is an ice-breaker for his friends, going through the mystifying changes they can’t quite understand. Something of an unexpected hit with the ladies, Andrew is constantly trying to balance his crushes with the confusion of what it means to grow up. Unfortunately, he doesn’t exactly have the best role models at home, with an overly fretful mother and an overbearing and intensely critical father. Andrew’s tendency to internalize the negative family input has caused him to lash out. Hopefully Nick and his other friends can help to set him right before it’s too late.

Despite all the troubles the kids have growing up, Coach Steve is a living cautionary tale of why going through those growing pains is so, so important. Not that we don’t love this stunted-in-adolescence weirdo! The naïve man-child does his best to guide the kids through this confusing patch of their lives. But when it comes right down to it, he’s more incompetent than they are. Maybe if he’d had a more functional hormone monster than Rick he would have turned out better? All the same, his good nature and upbeat attitude, fearing no shame or judgement, makes him a strangely good role model in some senses and one of the funniest characters in the show.

The female personification of hormones, Connie is fun and flirty, but also a little scary. Not to mention that the way she says Bubble Bath is absolutely legendary. First Jessi’s full-time Hormone Monstress, and then Missy and Nick’s, she oozes confidence, a sense of glamour, and the occasional sob-fest by the bucket-full. In equal measure witty, passionate, and forthright, she’s every bit a match for her male counterpart Maurice – and apparently smells a heck of a lot better, too … which isn’t exactly a surprise.

Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions

Lola

Duke Ellington

Shame Wizard

Marty Glouberman

Caleb

A lot of the show’s notoriety has to do with this guy, right here. Maury is every crass, perverted, uncontrollable, raging hormone on the planet rolled into one character. Like Connie, he frequently likes to leap out at his “clients” at the most embarrassing or sudden moments. Absolutely sex-crazed, he tries to guide Andrew and the others under his tutelage in the right direction – even if that direction is almost entirely motivated by sex, the thought of sex, or the promise of anything remotely related to sex. He has on occasion gone too far, but he’s all the more hilarious for his shock factor.