The character of the misfit has long been a staple in American primetime television, especially in comedies, whose inherent nature is to pick on the odd. The audience often roots for the misfit when he doesn't crumble under the scrutiny of what are considered normal social circumstances. Shows like
The Beverly Hillbillies (1962) and
The Addams Family (1964) showed a group of misfits trying to assimilate into the world around them but not really knowing how.
Taxi (1978) had the extra dimensions of having the group trying to cope in their world while adding the mean character - in this case, Louie de Palma - into the mix. _"Seinfeld" (1990)_ turned the concept around by having the misfits existing on their own terms.
Twin Peaks (1990) created a surreal world in which the already misfit group moved.
Freaks and Geeks (1999) showed the angst faced by misfits in high school. And
The Larry Sanders Show (1992) showed how celebrity misfits try to achieve that love that many misfits desire. More recent trends with misfits on American primetime television are the sense of narcissism that many misfits have, and that misfits are becoming the new "normal".
—Huggo