Mad About You: The Main Characters, Ranked By Intelligence
The funniest people are often super intelligent as they observe the world around them and pull out the elements that make for the most interesting jokes. Paul and Jamie carry Mad About You with their funny quotes and heartwarming marriage, but not everyone on the '90s sitcom is as clever as they are, and some people lack emotional intelligence or the ability to perceive how others are feeling.
Whether Paul and Jamie are making smart jokes or friends and family members are featured in frustrating and heartwarming scenes, some of the main characters on Mad About You are very smart.
11 Maggie Conway
Maggie and her husband Hal aren't likable Mad About You characters and since they want others to think that they're smart and sophisticated, that makes them seem conceited.
If Maggie stopped trying so hard to be cool and liked by everyone, viewers might be able to get to know her better. But since she doesn't make an effort with Paul and Jamie, and she's very caught up in what people think about her, Maggie doesn't seem very smart.
10 Lisa Stemple
Lisa is a positive free spirit who loves life and who doesn't want to be confined to a traditional 9-to-5 job, a serious relationship, or any obligations. While this bothers Jamie, fans can appreciate that Lisa is exactly who she is and that she's real and genuine, even though sometimes she could definitely be more mature.
While Lisa is resourceful and can find solutions to her problems, and it's impressive when she gets a high-up job at a department store, Lisa does rely on Jamie too much. Lisa is missing emotional intelligence.
9 Burt Buchman
Paul's father Burt gets upset very easily and his quick temper suggests that he needs to slow down and de-stress. When compared to his family members and the other characters who he interacts with, Burt doesn't have as much emotional intelligence, and he can be very tough.
Burt likes doing things the way that he has always done them and resists change. If he would loosen up a bit, he might seem smarter, but his stubbornness gets in the way.
8 Uncle Phil
Uncle Phil is a quirky character who wants life to be a certain way, and when it doesn't work out, he's incredibly frustrated.
Phil makes the mistake of committing coupon fraud, which gets him into a lot of trouble. If it wasn't for this problem, Phil would seem smarter since he has the air of a wise, philosophical person who has the answers to life's greatest questions.
7 Dr. Mark Devanow
The best episodes of Mad About You see Paul and Jamie handling changes in their lives while spending time with their hilarious friends and family. While Mark stands out as a somewhat funny character, as he regularly makes silly comments, he's not as smart as Paul, Jamie, or his wife Fran.
Mark is a doctor and was smart enough to work hard and make it through, but because he makes the sad choice to leave his family and travel, fans don't understand his decisions.
6 Fran Devanow
Before Fran leaves the industry behind to start a family, she is Jamie's boss at a PR firm, and between this impressive career experience and her scenes on the show, fans can tell that Fran is incredibly intelligent.
Fran is strong and unfair to show her emotions, especially when she feels confused after her husband leaves and she has to raise their child on her own for a period of time. Fran is smart to recognize that Paul and Jamie are the kind of friends who will always support her and have her back.
5 Ira Buchman
Ira is an interesting case because on the surface, he doesn't seem very smart. He's not an intellectual and he can be more goofy than perceptive.
But at the same time, Ira cares about showing loyalty and kindness to Paul, Jamie, Burt, Sylvia, and Uncle Phil, and being a solid family member means a lot to him. Although Ira spends a lot of the sitcom on his own, he does care about the well-being of others and he doesn't want to be selfish, which is an intelligent choice.
4 Mabel Buchman
The Mad About You revival makes a big change and now Mabel is in her first year of college. In these 2019 episodes, fans can see that Mabel has grown up to be a strong, caring, independent, and wise person.
Mabel can listen to her gut instincts and figure out what is necessary for her in order to be happy, in this case distancing herself a bit from her parents.
3 Sylvia Buchman
Sylvia might have a hard exterior, as she doesn't always want to be nice to Jamie and she can boss Paul around a lot. Fans can tell that Sylvia is more caring than she wants people to think. Ultimately, Sylvia is an intelligent character who has great gut instincts but who sometimes resists doing what she knows is right.
While Sylvia can get caught up in petty topics, she's smart enough to know that she wants to be a big part of Jamie, Paul, and Mabel's life, and it's sweet to watch her with Mabel.
2 Paul Buchman
Paul's Mad About You quotes about love show that he's a brilliant person who loves to observe the people in his life.
Whether making a new documentary that he's passionate about or giving Jamie advice, Paul wants to be the best person that he can be and he's proud of everything that he has accomplished. Fans love watching Paul make jokes and his quotes are always clever and special.
1 Jamie Buchman
Jamie is the smartest character on Mad About You as she follows her heart and knows exactly what she needs to do in order to be content.
When Jamie quits her job and stops working for a while, others don't understand her choice, but Jamie was getting so overwhelmed and unhappy that she was worried about continuing on that path. Jamie has a great, solid, and practical approach to any situation. Jamie is also intelligent enough to know that sometimes she has to let loose and have fun, even though that is hard for her.