Patriarch, Matriarch, Craftsman, Clown

If you know me, you know this concept thrills me. I love the idea of techniques in television, the paradigms throughout it all, and this certainly fills that love! Back in May, the creator of Arrested Development, Mitch Hurwitz, talked about how the Bluth family was modeled after a pattern in all television (and movies, books, etc). The concept of matriarch, patriarch, craftsman, and clown. There are always at least one of each in a media type thing. Typically, however, you could have numerous clowns. Like Arrested Development, of course. Hurwitz said Gob is the clown (as you can see above), but surely Tobias is, as well. There may always be more craftsmen, too. (See George Michael.)

However, one thing I was thinking about is the possibility of a fifth one. Is there a fifth one? Take How I Met Your Mother, for example. Ted is the patriarch, Robin is the matriarch, Lily the craftsman, and Barney the clown. You can count Marshall as a clown, too, but it seems like he's something else. If you have any idea what that fifth one might be, then I am all ears.

Patriarch refers to the male head of the group. Matriarch, the female. Craftsman refers to the character who sees things as they are and is rather straightforward. The clown is just the goof. Some of the fun examples, Buzzfeed pointed out are as follows.

Seinfeld: Patriarch (Jerry), Matriarch (Elaine), Craftsman (Kramer), Clown (George)
30 Rock: Patriarch (Jack), Matriarch (Liz), Craftsman (Tracy), Clown (Jenna)

Here, you can see, with 30 Rock, Kenneth could also be part craftsman and part clown, but he could be either. There's likely always more than one with the craftsmen and clowns. As for Seinfeld, Kramer is very clownish, but he is more of a voice of reason than George.

Friends: Patriarch (Ross), Matriarch (Rachel), Craftsmen (Chandler and Monica), Clowns (Joey and Phoebe)
The Simpsons: Patriarch (Homer), Matriarch (Marge), Craftsman (Lisa), Clown (Bart)
Mad Men: Patriarch (Don), Matriarch (Joan), Craftsman (Peggy), Clown (Roger)
The Breakfast Club: Patriarch (Bender v. Andy), Matriarch (Claire), Craftsman (Brian), Clown (Allison)
The Fantastic Four: Patriarch (Reed), Matriarch (Sue), Craftsman (Ben), Clown (Johnny)
The Empire Strikes Back: Patriarch (Han Solo), Matriarch (Leia), Craftsman (Chewbacca), C-3PO (Clown)
The Beatles: Patriarch (John), Matriarch (Paul), Craftsman (George), Clown (Ringo)
American Idol: Patriarch (Simon), Matriarch (Paula), Craftsman (Randy), Clown (Ryan)

As for other examples, I thought of some myself.

The Office: Patriarch (Jim), Matriarch (Pam), Craftsman (Michael), Clown (Dwight)

While Dwight is probably more conscious of his actions than Michael, the latter is more of a narrator-esque presence throughout the show.

Community: Patriarch (Jeff), Matriarch (Britta v. Shirley v. Annie), Craftsman (Abed), Clown (Troy, Pierce, Chang, Dean, Starburns, etc, etc, etc)
Parks and Recreation: Patriarch (Ben), Matriarch (Leslie), Craftsman (Ron, Ann), Clown (Tom, Andy)
New Girl: Patriarch (Nick), Matriarch (Jess), Craftsman (Schmidt), Clown (Winston)
The Mindy Project: Patriarch (Danny), Matriarch (Mindy), Craftsman (Peter), Clown (Morgan)
Wilfred: Patriarch (Ryan), Matriarch (Jenna), Craftsman (Wilfred), Clown (Drew)
I Love Lucy: Patriarch (Fred), Matriarch (Ethel), Craftsman (Ricky), Clown (Lucy)
Cheers: Patriarch (Sam), Matriarch (Diane), Craftsman (Carla), Clown (Norm)
Full House: Patriarch (Jesse), Matriarch (Becky), Craftsman (Danny), Clown (Joey)
Breaking Bad: Patriarch (Walt), Matriarch (Skyler), Craftsman (Mike), Clown (Jesse)
Toy Story: Patriarch (Woody), Matriarch (Jessie), Craftsman (Buzz), Clown (Rex, Hamm, Mr. Potato Head)
The Wizard of Oz: Patriarch (Scarecrow), Matriarch (Dorothy), Craftsman (Tin Man), Clown (Lion)
The Muppets: Patriarch (Kermit), Matriarch (Miss Piggy), Craftsman (Rowlf), Clown (Fozzie, infinite)
Harry Potter: Patriarch (Harry), Matriarch (Hermoine), Craftsman (Hagrid), Clown (Ron)

I love this concept so much.