Wow, talk about the unanswerable question! These guys have been my 2 favorite television characters of all time. However, i think you could have easily added Peter Griffin from "Family Guy" to the list also. But, "Family Guy" also has great characters like Stewy and Brian the dog. And I am in utter shock over the guy who has never seen a Simpsons episode and doesn't care. That's just wrong, the Simpsons will go down as one of the best shows ever on television, animated or not. The comedy is top notch, the writing is excellent, and it's been on for what, 13 or 14 years. It has stood the test of time, and is still a great program.
Now, to the debate of who's better between Al "Four Touchdowns in one game" Bundy, and Homer J. Simpson, well, that's a damn tough one. And when a decision is tough, i usually go to the facts and the numbers. Both of these shows, the Simpsons and Married With Children are 2 of the original shows that the Fox network aired when they debuted. They both have stood the test of time, as the Simpsons is still going, and Married with Children lasted a good 9 or 10 seasons, and still does well in syndication. Homer Simpson easily takes an advantage here, as the Simpsons have outlasted Married With Children.
However, you have to give Al Bundy(Ed O'Neil) his dues, because lets face it, he works harder than Homer Simpson ever has. What do i mean by that you ask? Well, Ed O'Neil is an actual actor who had to get up and go to work everyday to keep the show fresh. Homer Simpson is simply a drawn creation of Matt Groening, who is voiced by Dan Castellaneta. And it's no knock on Dan, but doing a voice for a character is nothing compared to actually showing up and acting. Bottom line, Al Bundy was a real person who did the work, Homer has help. Advantage Al Bundy.
Final thoughts: The Simpsons is still going, hell with a movie in the works and the fact that it is perrenially a good show, it definitely deserves all the acclaim it receives. Hell, the show may never end. Married With Children didn't last as long, but was great nonetheless. The Simpsons started off as more of a family show in it's first 2 seasons and developed into a cruder, more dark humored show as it progressed. However, Married With Children began as crude and dark humored, and ended the same way, and still remained fresh. Bottom line is, I could debate this for the rest of my life, but I think the answer is simple, Al Bundy was an everyman, meaning he was the working class hero, who had a lazy wife, and kids who were worthless, though christina applegate was hot!! I'm sure any working class man can relate to Al Bundy at one point in his life or another. Homer Simpson is also a working class hero and one of the funniest characters ever created. However, it all comes down to the fact that Ed O'Neil actually did the hard work of acting out Al Bundy and Homer Simpson had help from a voicer and a creator. I love them both, but the winner of the best television character of all time, by probably less than 1 percentage point is AL BUNDY!!
Keep on rockin and rollin!!