Top 10 TV Shows That Make Fun Of Celebrities

Celebrity cameos have been a staple of “The Muppets” franchise dating all the way back to the original variety program that made Jim Henson’s classic characters household names. Each episode brought in a new special guest star, poking fun at Don Knotts, Steve Martin, and even Luke Skywalker himself. Of course, no star could ever outshine Miss Piggy. While the show satirized celebrities, you could always tell that these performers were having a good time and happy to be part of the experience. After all, you’ve gotta have a sense of humor about yourself when you're sharing the spotlight with Kermit the Frog.

Hidden camera pranks are always more entertaining when they’re victimizing famous people. Co-created by Ashton Kutcher, this MTV series follows the actor as he plays practical jokes on his fellow celebrities. Highlights include Justin Timberlake having his property seized, Beyoncé Knowles ruining Christmas, and shutting down Kanye West’s video shoot. Since departing as host, Kutcher himself has even been tricked. The pranks are mostly harmless and the targets are usually able to laugh about it in the end. The term, “Punk’d,” has also become embedded into our popular culture, giving every prankster in the world an annoying punch line to spout.

“30 Rock” parodies the very idea of celebrity, making fun of narcissistic divas like Jenna Maroney and completely deranged comedians like Tracy Jordan. It takes a somewhat level-headed person behind the camera to keep these childish personalities from exploding. In addition to fictional TV stars, numerous real life celebs have also dropped by to play themselves. We get some great insight into James Franco’s lust for a Japanese love pillow and Al Gore’s sixth sense to hear whales in danger. What’s the deal with Liz’s relationship with Conan, though?

We all wish Dave Chappelle would resurrect his all too short-lived sketch comedy program. Everybody is dying to see his hilarious impressions of Prince, P. Diddy, and Lil Jon again. Oh, and how could we ever leave out Rick James? Although Chappelle made a practice out of lampooning celebrities, there were times when he himself was on the other end of the joke. Remember when Wayne Brady took over the show and revealed his dark side to Dave? Even if Chappelle never makes a comeback, at least we still have Nick Cannon.

“Robot Chicken” doesn’t just make fun of movies and nostalgic cartoons. It has also taken shots at everybody from Michael Jackson to Mr. T. to George W. Bush. Every once and a while, the real celebrity will even agree to lend their own voice. Who could forget the time the nerd scored a date with Scarlett Johansson or had the pleasure of meeting George Lucas? This Adult Swim series has additionally proven once and for all that Lindsay Lohan has the power. In the immortal words of M. Night Shyamalan, “What a Twist!”

It seems like “The Simpsons” enlists a different celebrity guest every week. Sometimes the guest will voice a resident of Springfield. Other times, they’ll have the honor of playing themselves. The show frequently gives its famous guest stars humorous personalities, turning Bette Midler into an overly passionate environmental activist, Johnny Carson into the most talented entertainer on the planet, and Luke Perry into Krusty’s worthless half-brother. From Hollywood royalty to musicians to sports all-stars, “The Simpsons” has turned just about everybody into a yellow, four-fingered caricature. They also established that Ron Howard isn’t a very good driver.

You can never tell what a celebrity is really like until you’ve spent time with them behind the curtain. As an extra and wannabe actor, Andy Millman has seen the likes of Ben Stiller, David Bowie, and Daniel Radcliffe reveal their true colors. In most cases, they’re all horrible people. Andy does get some valuable advice from Kate Winslet, however. If you want to win an Oscar, just do a Holocaust movie. This insight is only made funnier by the fact that Winslet finally won her first Academy Award for “The Reader,” a drama that took place in Nazi Germany a few years later.

No celebrity is safe from “Family Guy.” In pretty much each episode, a celebrity’s career, social life, or appearance will be mocked in a random cutaway gag. Occasionally, though, a celebrity will play into an episode’s plot. The animated series has attracted numerous guest stars, such as an ingenious Lauren Conrad, a too-close-for-comfort Ryan Reynolds, and a deviously insane James Woods. You can always count on the show’s celebrity-based jokes to provide a good laugh. Well, almost always. Please stop with the Conway Twitty trolling.

Aside from showcasing a celebrity host every week, “Saturday Night Live” has provided a platform for comedians to do dead-on celebrity impressions. There have been so many memorable impersonations over the past 40 years, including Gilda Radner’s take of Barbara Walters, Phil Hartman as Frank Sinatra, and Tina Fey’s Emmy-winning portrayal of Sarah Palin. One of the sketches we probably look forward to most is Celebrity Jeopardy, in which Alex Trebek endures the idiotic responses from various famous people and constant insults from Sean Connery. Will anybody ever choose Potent Potables?

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
“Celebrity Deathmatch” (1998-2002; 2006-07)
“Entourage” (2004-11)
“Animaniacs” (1993-98)
“Life’s Too Short” (2011-13)
“Episodes” (2011-)

Whenever a celebrity is in the news or a gossip column, we always eagerly await “South Park” to give its two cents. While creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker pull no punches, they also rarely go for the most obvious gag. Typically, they view celebrities from unique perspectives, offering fresh commentary and uproarious comedy. They even managed to call out Mel Gibson for being a crazy nut before it was public knowledge. Although they may seem cruel, Stone and Parker have actually stated that they like a lot of the celebrities they make fun of… except maybe Barbra Streisand.

Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite TV show that satirizes celebrities? For more entertaining Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.