If you've turned on the television even once in the last few weeks, you damn well know that Friday marks the release of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a new entry of the classic franchise that set back human-monkey relations for decades. (We're okay with them now, as long as they ride little tricycles.) Since the world will be taken over by apes any day now, we thought we'd list out our favorite TV simians in hopes that they'll spare us and give us a banana. And while we're on the topic of "favorites," you'll notice that Marcel from Friends isn't mentioned here. I hated that poo-flinger.
Evil Monkey, Family Guy
Evil Monkey lives in Chris' closet and... uhhh, grins and does a lot of pointing. Apparently that's enough to get it on this list.
The cast of The Chimp Channel
TBS found comedy gold when it made interstitials featuring monkeys and later made its first original comedy series The Chimp Channel. Fact: Chimps wearing human clothes are funny. Facter: Chimps spoofing movies are always funny.
Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp
Without this weird '70s show, there might never be talking monkeys in commercials.
Bollo from The Mighty Boosh
This gentle giant charms us with a sense of normalcy in a show that's about three solar systems away from normal. Bollo is a talented musician, and DJs at one of London's hottest clubs when he's not at the zoo. And he's a must when you need to pack your bags.
Guenter, Futurama
This little guy was made super smart with a special hat invented by Professor Farnsworth. Even though he really only substantially appeared in one episode ("Mars University") he still makes this list because he put a hat on his butt.
Mojo Jojo, The Powerpuff Girls
The archvillain of the adorable supergirls, Mojo is another super-intelligent simian. Forever jealous that Professor Utonium chose the girls over him, Mojo made it his life's work to take the girls down. But he still shops at the grocery store like you and I.
Cheeta, Tarzan
The goon in the loincloth gets all the credit (and the girls), but we all know it was his chimpanzee sidekick that really did all the hard work.
Bear, B.J. and the Bear
Bear is easily the best truck-driving chimpanzee to appear on primetime television. BJ and the Bear appeared on NBC from 1979 to 1981. But as you can tell from the clip, he wasn't actually that great of an actor.
What TV monkeys make you go bananas?
Follow TV.com writer Tim Surette on Twitter: @TimAtTVDotCom
Can't believe that you left 'Dial M for Monkey' off this list? If you've seen the Powerpuff girls then you must have heard of Dexter's Labratory?
The monkey Runkle accidentally killed is not on here :(
(Californication)
Clyde... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DS3nd8Nrcw
Best performance by a simian in a motion picture.... may I have the envelope please? Clyde, from the Every Which Way but Loose movies!! "Right turn, Clyde."
You left out Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys. It made jokes referring to just about every sci-fi movie or show of the time, from things like Invasion of the Body Snatchers to Silent Running. http://www.tv.com/captain-simian-and-the-space-monkeys/show/2519/summary.html
Sweet lord-a-poppin'! I had no idea there was a new flick coming out in the franchise. Hope it doesn't follow the George Romero route of getting worse and worse. Awesome news.
monkey with banana
I don't remember what it was called, but there was a show -- more of a daily short -- back in the '70s & early '80s that showed chimps pretending to be newscasters.
Dial M for Monkey?!
marcel from friends
Bollo! The Mighty Boosh is amazing! Check him out in their live shows if you haven't seen them yet.
"I hated that poo-flinger"
You, sir, are awesome. I loved Friends, hated that damn monkey.
Annie's Boobs (the monkey) needs to be on this list.
Good list, but I'd add, uh, the monkey from Community.
How about a nod to Gorilla Grodd, who's appeared in SuperFriends, Justice League, and Batman: the Brave and the Bold?
Kill'em all! I hate monkeys ever since I saw the original Planet of the Apes.
"We finally really did it. You maniacs! You blew it up! Damn you. God damn you all to hell!"
Oh Mojo jojo, you were so misunderstood.
What about Marcel from Friends? :(
the author said in the intro that he hates Marcel
Mojo jojo was the best
The ape from the Wild Wild West episode "Night of the Simian Terror" who was raised as Deimos' brother, Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp, the creature from the Star Trek episode "A Private Little War," and Gleep from Space Ghost because he wore a mask.
Space Ghost's monkey was named Blip. The "Gleep" you're thinking about is really Gleek, the Wonder Twins' space monkey featured in several SuperFriends series.
Thanks. Maybe these Hanna-Barbera anthropomorphesized simians all look alike to me.
Hey Tim, any chance of using a YouTube clip for the Mighty Boosh so non-US users can view it too?