Richest Characters on TV

Most of my favorite TV shows have been centered around characters who don't earn a large income. Sitcom characters such as Al Bundy of "Married With Children" and Fred in "Sanford and Son" are loveable partly because they lack wealth.

There are some wealthy characters, however, who I actually enjoy watching. Many of them are millionaires, and some merely upper-middle class. Some of the characters are not necessarily nice, but they are lovable in their stereotypical roles as heartless misers.

Here is a list of my favorite wealthy TV characters.

10. Blake Carrington from "Dynasty" - John Forsythe played this oil magnate who seemed to be much more human than the oil barons from that other popular show about oil families. I also was very much attracted to Carrington's wife, played by Linda Evans.

9. Cliff Huxtable from "Cosby Show" - I initially had trouble associating Bill Cosby as anything other than poor, since his work with "Fat Albert" and his own comedy records. The show caught on, and soon I was able to accept his role as a doctor married to an attorney.

8. Bill Davis from "Family Affair" - Uncle Bill (played by Brian Keith) had a high rise apartment, a live-in butler, a lucrative career, and enough money to get a lot of wealthy socialites.

7. Philip Drummond from "Different Strokes" - I never did ascertain how Mr. Drummond (played by Conrad Bain) got his millions. The only info revealed in the series was that he was a wealthy widower, who ended up adopting two black sons of a former employee.

6. Larry David from "Curb Your Enthusiasm" - David plays himself in this HBO sitcom set near Hollywood. He is still earning money from his work on "Seinfeld" which, judging from his fine home in an affluent neighborhood, has made him quite wealthy.

5. Jerry Seinfeld from "Seinfeld" - As a standup comic in the series, Seinfeld has made quite a name for himself. He has appeared on Jay Leno, and he has made enough money to pay cash for a Cadillac for his parents. In one memorable episode, his ex-girlfriend Elaine was astounded when she saw how much he had earned in one year.

4. George Jefferson from "The Jeffersons" - George (Played by Sherman Hemsley) owns a chain of dry cleaning stores, allowing him the wealth to reside in a well-to-do apartment complex and hire a full-time maid.

3. C. Montgomery Burns from "The Simpsons" - Homer's self-centered boss owns the nuclear plant and the biggest mansion in Springfield. He is the stereotypical penny-pinching, snobbish millionaire we have come to associate with Ebenezer Scrooge.

2. J.R. Ewing from "Dallas" - The greediest and most self-serving of the Ewing family, J.R. (played by Larry Hagman) was hated so much that people tuned in every Friday for five years to see what scheme he would next employ. I admit that I was a little disappointed when the show finally revealed who shot J.R.

1. Jed Clampett from "Beverly Hillbillies" - The Clampett matriarch is different from all the wealthy characters on this list. He still considers himself a poor man from Appalachia, where he had found oil on his land.