Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most memorable catchphrases from television.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the most memorable catchphrases
00:06from television.
00:07We won't be including lines from animated shows for this list, as those may need a list
00:11of their own.
00:25The Star Wars films have inspired plenty of catchphrases, so it's no surprise that this
00:28hit TV series did the same.
00:30Spoken frequently by Din Djarin, the Mandalorian whom the show follows, as well as fellow members
00:35of this particular sect of helmeted warriors, this is the way, caught on in popularity as
00:39quickly as the show itself.
00:46Din and company use it as a kind of mantra and affirmation of their group's set of
00:50rules, the Way of the Mandalore.
00:52However, fans and the memes they make, have co-opted the phrase to apply to whichever
00:57life path or amusing situation they find themselves in.
01:00It's still relatively new, but we could see it becoming more iconic over time.
01:04This is, after all, the way.
01:19Detectives on TV often have their trademark quotes, and Lieutenant Columbo is no exception.
01:23The superb, yet unassuming investigator often appears inept to the people he's questioning,
01:28but his questions always get him closer to the truth.
01:31And just when it seems like he'll leave the suspect alone, he'll turn back because
01:34he has just one more thing or some variation thereof, and that thing is generally the question
01:46or information that Columbo needs to get to the truth, or else leads to the suspect confessing.
01:50It's a great phrase to use in many situations, particularly if you want to surprise someone
01:54with information.
01:56We imagine it's been a favourite of lawyers and cops especially.
02:08The exclamation heard across thousands of bars, this catchphrase epitomises the welcoming
02:12atmosphere of Cheers.
02:13Whenever regular customer and fan favourite Norm Peterson arrives, practically everyone
02:17in the place greets him by name.
02:22Norm usually follows this up with some sort of witty remark on life or beer.
02:30The beautiful thing about this catchphrase is just how versatile it is.
02:33Even if you substitute someone else's name in place of Norm's, it can feel like a Cheers
02:37reference.
02:38Sometimes, you just want to go where everybody knows your name.
02:51James Evans Jr., or JJ, was a breakout character when Goodtimes first aired.
02:56Part of his success was due to his wit and charisma.
02:59However, a major factor in what made him so memorable was his catchphrase.
03:10JJ often exclaims, "'Dynomite', or else refers to himself as, "'Kid Dynamite'".
03:14The catchphrase proved so popular that it nearly eclipsed the rest of the show entirely,
03:19with the expression enduring long after Goodtimes had faded into the background of pop culture.
03:23Thanks to JJ, and Goodtimes, people have never said dynamite in quite the same way.
03:41Inspirational speeches are all well and good, but sometimes you need something easy to remember
03:45to keep your spirits up.
03:46Football coach Eric Taylor clearly thought so, as most of the pep talks he gives to his
03:50team before a game or during halftime end with him repeating this catchphrase.
04:01Whether it's coach Taylor himself saying it, or the team chanting it themselves, this
04:04phrase never fails to get us pumped.
04:06When you're trying to bring the hype to others, or even just giving yourself advice,
04:10this is one catchphrase that you can't lose by using.
04:23This wholesome sitcom is loaded from top to bottom with catchphrases.
04:26Although how rude was also tempting, please forgive our impoliteness as this one just
04:31eclipsed it in popularity.
04:33The incredibly precocious, youngest Tanner sibling Michelle often stole whichever scene
04:37she was in, no matter what she said.
04:43Still, this one really blew up, along with the show.
04:48Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen saying, "'You got it, dude' was the ultimate kid catchphrase
04:52of the late 80s and early 90s.
04:58As kids, we probably annoyed our parents by answering with this whenever we were asked
05:02to do something.
05:07Given that Larry David plays a fictional version of himself, and a lot of it is improvised,
05:17it could make it hard for a catchphrase in this show to stand out.
05:19However, thanks to how incredibly awkward Larry is, this one just works.
05:31Larry often describes things by calling them, "'Pretty good'", though he tends to
05:34draw it out quite a bit and vary it up depending on the situation.
05:37Whether he's describing one of many disastrous social interactions or something positive,
05:42like his marriage, Larry's catchphrase covers it all pretty, pretty good.
06:01John Knott is incomparably funny as the blustering Sheriff's deputy, Barney Fyfe.
06:05While he gets up to plenty of amusing antics during the show's run, fans most often remember
06:09his reaction to any hint of wrongdoing.
06:20His solution to potential shenanigans is to nip it in the bud before they go any further.
06:25And sure, this expression existed before Barney, but his goofy and insistent personality, and
06:29the fact that he was belting it on one of the most popular shows of the 1960s, certainly
06:33put it into the public consciousness.
06:48Speaking of Barney's, Barney Stinson is practically a catchphrase machine.
06:51The suit-loving, high-five-giving bro has a dozen or so catchphrases, many of which
06:55he cultivates as part of his persona.
06:57Yet of them all, this is the most, well, you get it.
07:06Barney uses the word legendary frequently.
07:08Ted would argue too much, but with all the things he gets up to, events often reach a
07:12level where the moniker is appropriate.
07:14He also frequently interrupts the word with one of his other catchphrases, wait for it.
07:18But whether you wait for it or not, it's become quite the epic catchphrase.
07:34Most catchphrases take a couple of repetitions to catch on, yet it would probably surprise
07:38many to learn that this one is only spoken once in the entire run of the show.
07:42Jan Brady is often compared to her older sister, Marsha, and when speaking to her parents,
07:47she laments that she only hears about her sister at school.
07:57Of course, pop culture, and even the Brady Bunch movie, took this simple line and ran
08:01with it, to the point where it's practically the rallying cry for everyone overshadowed
08:05by their siblings.
08:12Across Doctor Who's many adventures throughout time and space, the Doctor has had a few different
08:16catchphrases that have caught on, but arguably the most iconic catchphrase goes to one of
08:20the most iconic Doctors, played by David Tennant.
08:22His incarnation favours the French phrase for, let's go, finding many situations where
08:27it's appropriate.
08:33These range from epic action scenes to casual conversations.
08:36The one he seems to enjoy most is meeting a man called Alonzo, which is kind of perfect.
08:47And Doctor Who fans are happy to quote the phrase in everyday life.
08:49The stakes may be lower when we're just going to the grocery store, but the gusto
08:53is the same.
09:07Arthur Fonzarelli, better known as Fonzie or The Fonz, is among TV's coolest characters.
09:11His impossibly suave and charismatic demeanour and overwhelming popularity led to plenty
09:16of catchphrases, but while any of them could have been correctamundo for our list, sometimes
09:20a simple sound is enough to get the job done.
09:26However you spell the Fonzie noise, everyone knows what it is, and knows that it's often
09:30accompanied by a thumbs up or two.
09:32Often used as a noise of general approval or success, this sound transcends language
09:36to become recognisable the world over.
09:47All the noble houses of Westeros have memorable sayings or mottos that have made a splash
09:58on pop culture, but House Stark's words have left the biggest mark.
10:04Within the show, the phrase is a warning, both specifically relating to the icy threat
10:08from the far north, as well as a general reminder that things can always get worse.
10:12Which really epitomises Game of Thrones as a whole, if you think about it.
10:15The words have become a widespread meme, as well as a fun way of remarking on something
10:19ominous on the horizon.
10:31A phrase that probably haunted actor Gary Cobham for decades, this catchphrase was popularised
10:35by the actor's character Arnold Jackson on this 70s and 80s sitcom.
10:40Arnold had a habit of piercing his lips and asking what someone was, in fact, talking
10:44about.
10:50Although the target of his question was usually his brother Willis, he did vary it depending
10:54on whom he was asking.
10:55However, the catchphrase stuck with Willis, because it's otherwise a pretty general
10:59question.
11:00But no matter who's doing the asking, or who's being asked, what you talk about Willis
11:03is among TV's most famous lines.
11:09Sheldon Cooper is one of the more… unique sitcom characters.
11:17His lack of social skills and inability to pick up on comedic cues gives him an unusual
11:21sense of humour.
11:22Arguably the most famous of these are his classic pranks, which are usually accompanied
11:26by him using the nonsense word, Bazinga, to indicate that he's joking or that he thinks
11:31he's put one over on someone.
11:39Along with its frequent use on the show, the word has entered the public lexicon as an
11:43alternative to other phrases like Zing or Snap.
11:45Although some people use it sarcastically, there's no doubt that it's become a famous
11:49catchphrase.
11:55Although this show about nothing tended to use situational or observational humour more
12:05than catchphrases, many of its lines have entered pop culture.
12:09No Soup for You was a close runner-up, but Jerry Seinfeld's hatred for his fellow building
12:13member Newman takes the cake.
12:16Jerry's arch-rival frequently causes him misfortune, whether directly or indirectly.
12:24And whenever Jerry suffers for it, he mutters his hated rival's name in annoyance.
12:35Whoever it is you blame for your own bad luck, fans of Seinfeld generally hold the same grinning
12:39mailman for their misfortune.
12:52As one of the longest-running science fiction franchises, Star Trek has had plenty of catchphrases
12:57that have boldly gone into our pop culture.
13:00As much as we would've liked to include Captain Picard's catchphrase, we were unable
13:03to make it so this time.
13:05Rather, the entire Vulcan culture, first epitomised by Mr Spock in the original series, has a
13:10catchphrase that's among the most recognisable from TV.
13:15Along with the famous finger salute, Vulcans often greet or bid each other farewell with
13:19the phrase, "'Live long and prosper'".
13:29It's a simple, yet effective catchphrase that's surprisingly heartfelt for a species
13:32that's not big on emotions.
13:34We humans like it too, though.
13:42Steve Urkel is another character who, by himself, had more catchphrases than some entire shows.
13:47But easily his most popular and well-known is this one.
13:55The clumsy, dorky neighbour boy is always causing trouble, albeit unintentionally.
13:59So when things inevitably go awry and he messes something up, he'll ask in that whiny voice.
14:07It's iconic because it's such a common phrase, yet the tone Urkel uses for it is
14:13what takes it from memorable to something you couldn't forget if you tried.
14:17And there are plenty who have, Carl Winslow among them.
14:30Dunder Mifflin's awkward boss Michael Scott never passes up an opportunity for a joke,
14:34particularly if there's a lewd element to it.
14:37So whenever he, and occasionally other characters, spot an unintended innuendo, they break out
14:42this catchphrase.
14:48Michael didn't invent this saying, but he certainly went a long way towards popularising
14:52it.
14:53We're sure if you were to compare how many people pointed out innuendos using, that's
15:00what she said, before and after The Office, the difference would be staggering.
15:03Huge, even.
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15:33There are many memorable catchphrases on this iconic sitcom.
15:37And while, we were on a break, very nearly made the cut, it's just not quite as universal
15:41as Joey Tribbiani's go-to pick-up line.
15:49This lady's man manages to distill the art of flirting into a mere three words.
15:53It isn't used as much as you may remember, and it does show up later than you might think
15:57– season four, in fact – yet it's so iconic that it's practically become synonymous
16:01with pick-up lines.
16:09Not all of us have the charisma to pull it off, but that hasn't stopped Friends fans
16:13in their millions from trying.
16:18So is there a famous TV catchphrase we forgot to include?
16:21Tell us just one more thing about your favourite in the comments.