5 Times Iconic TV Shows Featured Armenians

There are some things that carry over from show to show, some jokes that can appear in both crime dramas and the silliest sitcoms, pop culture references that can pop up here and there. One of them is the appearance of Armenians, in completely different connotations.

Sometimes to hint at a character's roots, sometimes in a comedic way to emphasize Armenian family traditions, and sometimes for no particular reason at all. Usually they are only mentioned by the main cast and are not even in the show, but in some cases the Armenian characters make it into the shows themselves.

Well, here are 5 popular shows that have done it perfectly.

1. The Simpsons

Of course, there was no way we weren't going to start with the iconic animated series. In The Simpsons, having an Armenian character was a big deal for the overall story. In season 9, episode 2, it was revealed that Principal Skinner wasn't really Seymour Skinner, but a man named Armin Tamzarian, who had to steal Skinner's identity.

Another major case involved Moe Szyslak. In season 23, episode 22, he says he is "half monster-half Armenian" when Lady Gaga 's character says she loves her monster fans. Another amazing reveal!

There were also two other Armenian characters, Chuck Garabedian and Dr. Egoyan, who were not important to the overall story, but were essential to the episodes in which they appeared.

2. The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory is another show that has mentioned Armenians quite a bit. In season 1 episode 14, it was Penny who complained that she couldn't get to work because of Leonard, so she had to go down the fire escape, forcing her to "crawl through the window of a lovely Armenian family who insisted I stay for lunch.” So it's clearly a reference to Armenian hospitality, even to strangers.

There was also a Mrs. Vartabedian mentioned in season 2 when Penny went to Leonard's apartment in her underwear and his girlfriend was upset. But Leonard said it was okay for members of their building to be that casual, and he sometimes eats cereal with Mrs. Vartabedian on the third floor. Sheldon, hearing this, says he's never been invited to have cereal with Mrs. Vartabedian. Leonard replies that it's because Mrs. Vartabedian doesn't like him.

There were several other mentions of Armenians, like "Armen the miniature horse breeder" who was Amy's fake boyfriend. Or when Leonard went to the funeral of a man, Nerses Manoukian, who was the owner of a DVD store where Leonard rented a movie and never returned it.

3. How I Met Your Mother

In season 2, episode 1, Marshall goes to a hotel room, sure he'll find Lily there, since they broke up and her credit card account showed that she had charged a room at that hotel. But the door is opened by a guy, and Marshall immediately punches him in the face, thinking he was with Lily. Turns out he was just this Joey Adalian who is an identity thief.

In season 6, episode 13, Lily goes to her appointment with fertility expert Dr. John Stangel, who looks exactly like Barney except for a beard and dark brown hair. Lily assumes the doctor is Barney in disguise and asks him where he got his beard. He says his mother is Armenian.

4. The Sopranos

There was a Vin Makazian in the Sopranos universe who was a corrupt cop who helped the mob, and he was a gambler as well. While it was never stated that he was Armenian, still the name says it all. Also, at one point Chrissy mentions an Armenian guy's boat, and one of AJ's friends at the club complains about their Armenian landlord.

5. The Office

In the last season of The Office, when Jim and Dwight were trying to make amends and work together to improve the work of their interns, Jim made up a situation where there was a "Turkish Ambassador to Armenia, Yuri Slovak" mentioned. And while Clark failed at the task he was given, Dwight had an outburst and shouted, "There is no Turkish Ambassador to Armenia. The two countries have no diplomatic relations."