The characters above all fall under the lightning rod trope. There is a knee jerk reaction many have with the word trope; understandable, since it usually has a negative connotation. It’s impossible to watch television or experience any fiction without encountering tropes.

Some giveaways that a character fits the term is they’re always the butt of the joke, pitiful, scapegoated, and surrounded by a cast more than willing to kick them while they’re down. 

The one guy in class that sucks the fun at the room. The idiot who can’t do anything right. We have all seen the pattern before. These characters take the focus as something bad happens or their sole purpose is to ruin everyone else’s good time. Sometimes these moments lead to friendly hazing or downright bullying. Often this can mask other characters’ faults or highlight them depending on the tone. These instances often aren’t meant to be taken seriously and can lead to hilarious and over the top behavior.

If you’re familiar with “Community” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” you will recognize the characters and their role within their friend group. 

“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” is unique because the power dynamic seems to constantly shift and we’ll see every character get the piss taken out of them; in retrospect, Dee is a bad example, since early on in the pilot it seemed like Charlie was going to fill this role. As more episodes came out it became clear that when it comes to ridicule, everyone’s fair game. Mac was revealed to be a huge hypocrite and Dennis became a psychopath with control issues. Rather than conforming to the usual cool buds and one buzzkill, they completely subvert the trope. There’s a reason why this is the longest running live action sitcom it’s brilliant and has limitless comedic potential. 

In the first season of “Community”, Britta was a counter culture know it all. In season six, she got drunk and shit her pants during a crisis. Her character progression has been controversial among fans. Personally I like Britta’s arc as each passing year I find her more relatable. Besides there’s the dinosaur costume easter egg in the show which adds a lot of complexity to her character and especially her relationship with her parents, but I digress.

The punching down received can be from the lightning rods coworkers, friends, their own family, or even the universe itself. 

Let’s talk about Jerry…

No, not that Jerry! He certainly fits the description though. Everyone is openly hostile towards Jerry in Parks and Rec and it has a comedic contrast with the otherwise wholesome nature of the show.

In “Rick and Morty”, Jerry’s constantly being talked down to by his family. When Rick’s not being objectively verbally abusive, his family belittles him. This isn’t to say this treatment is always unprovoked as the series continues. 

Jerry is a novel take on the trope because as seen in the “The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy” there is a way for people in every day life to leverage their pity. The whole episode is a metacommentary on Jerry’s character. As Rick points out:

You act like prey, but you’re a predator! You use pity to lure in your victims! That’s how you survive! I survive because I know everything. That snake survives because children wander off, and you survive because people think, “Oh, this poor piece of shit. He never gets a break. I can’t stand the deafening silent wails of his wilting soul. I guess I’ll hire or marry him.”

It’s a profound monologue from Rick because while openly toxic people are criticized, there’s a away these perpetual victims can use their pitifulness to avoid scrutiny and manipulate people.

Wait, what’s your point? Are you saying it’s hack to have one character as a punching bag? That these shows are in some way bad or lesser because of it? Nothing like that, tropes aren’t inherently good or bad; just a pattern for writers to be aware of; this awareness allows us to break, subvert, satirize, and embrace. Tropes, archetypes, and clichés are all inseparable from universal storytelling that can be traced from the latest episode of a sitcom to an ancient myth.