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The Duncan Family (in order of billing):
Teddy Duncan
Portrayed by: Bridgit Mendler
A 15-year old high school sophomore and, until the new arrival, the middle child of the family. She records a series of video diaries for her baby sister for when she's older, which form a substantial portion of the show's narrative (and where the title comes from). She cares a great deal for her family, even if she isn't great at expressing her affection for some of them, and has a special attachment to her baby sister, Charlie. So far, she appears to be a good student, and is obsessed with most of the things typical of girls her age, preeminently boys.- Aloof Big Sister: Most of the times, she's not very close to Gabe, though they have their bonding moments.
- The B Grade: In the episode "Teddy's Little Helper", Teddy uses Charlie to help her get out of the abomination of getting a B in English class on her progress report. Hilarity Ensues.
- Being Good Sucks: At least, that's how she feels in regards to her reputation as a "goody-goody."
- Butt-Monkey: Often gets this role from time to time.
- Catchphrase: "Good luck, Charlie", though it's frequently borrowed. Lampshaded in "Future Drama":Future Charlie: (after her attempt at following Teddy's advice has failed) I really have to watch these things to the very end. It's not over until she says...
Teddy: (on the computer screen) Good luck, Charlie. - Cool Big Sis: To Charlie, to the point she makes a video diary just for her.
- Cute Clumsy Girl: At least, she's clumsy when she tries to play volleyball.
- Dude Magnet: She's well aware that many boys find her attractive. This becomes a plot point in several episodes, such as "Teddy Rebounds".
- Follow in My Footsteps: Amy pushes Teddy to try to be the school mascot, purely because she was the mascot when she was a student. Amy also pushes Teddy to wear her old prom dress to Prom. Teddy then hides a prom dress in the bushes so she is able to wear a prom dress more fitting of her style.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Compared to both her brothers, PJ and Gabe, she's more the more responsible one. She is the wisest and most responsible of the Duncan kids.
- Gender-Blender Name: Lampshaded in "Take Mel Out to the Ballgame":Mel: Teddy? Charlie? Doesn't your dad know any girl names?
- Go-Getter Girl: She's determined to get good grades, thinks getting a B is bad, and even joins the volleyball team to pad her college resume, even though she stinks at it.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: In-universe, she's considered to be this to a fault.
- Informed Attribute: Teddy being a goody two shoes in some episodes.
- Mature Younger Sibling: She's this to her older brother, P.J., being the wisest and most responsible of the Duncan siblings. While P.J. is much less of a troublemaker than their younger brother, Gabe is, P.J. is far more immature and airheaded than Teddy is, and far more careless than both Teddy and Gabe.
- Ms. Fanservice
- Mysterious Middle Initial: Teddy's middle initial is R. It hasn't been stated what the R stands for.
- Nice Girl: While her In-Universe reputation as a "goody-goody" is definitely a stretch (seriously, she can be quite rebellious and defiant when the script calls for it), she's proven to be the 2nd nicest character in the show (after PJ), and is always there for her friends and family, even if it means self-sacrifice
- Official Couple:
- With Spencer, as of "Charlie Goes Viral", and up until "Girl Bites Dog". Restarted in "Can You Keep a Secret?", up until "All Fall Down"
- With Beau as of "Teddy's New Beau", until "Bob's Beau-Be-Gone".
- Tomboyish Name: She has a boyish name like her sister Charlie.
Amy Duncan
Portrayed by: Leigh-Allyn Baker
The 30-something mother of the Duncan family, who works as a nurse at a hospital. The main source of the show's humor and drama is the rest of the family's often-misguided attempts to help take care of the baby as Amy returns to work. She seems like the Only Sane Man but her ego and Spotlight-Stealing Squad mentality keeps her from this.- Attention Whore: Loves being in the spotlight. She once hired a fake family to perform a musical number with her onstage because her real family lacked the finesse (and dedication).
- Catchphrase: "Ba-Bam!"
- Competition Freak: Often getting overly competitive, even over trivial things.
- Everyone Has Standards: She may have an ego so big, she'll betray her own family to get in the spotlight, but she is (usually) very loving and protective of Charlie, to the point Charlie is the only family member she doesn't replace with a professional performer before appearing in a talent show.
- Flanderization: Originally she played the role of Only Sane Woman and just occasionally thought of herself as very good at something (like being her school mascot, even her coach agreed she was a great mascot), but by the end of Season 1 it turned into a case of Small Name, Big Ego.
- Friendly Rivalry: Her relationship with Mary Lou, Ivy's mom. Also starts developing one with Debbie Dooley.
- Happily Married: She and Bob are in a happy marriage.
- High-School Sweethearts: With Bob. Bob played basketball; Amy was the mascot.
- Hospital Hottie: She's an attractive nurse.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: With Bob. She's much shorter than her husband.
- Ironic Name: The name Amy means "beloved", yet Amy rubs nearly every character the wrong way on numerous occasions. See YMMV for
another reason behind the irony. - It's All About Me: She likes to steal the spotlight from the others and is an Attention Whore.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Rude, self-centered, and sometimes unreasonable, but deep down a loving mom.
- Lethal Chef: Heavily implied, hence the great lengths P.J and Bob go through to make sure she doesn't cook Thanksgiving dinner.
- Mama Bear: Actually used by the Duncans to describe Amy - and she owns the trope to very good effect. In simple terms: mess with her offspring... and you will pay for it.
- Manipulative Bitch: Towards Lauren Dabney and her own son (Gabe) in "Rat-A-Teddy"
- Narcissist: She's already an Attention Whore, but sometimes she can take it too far due to the fact she believes it's...
- Never My Fault: Until the Series Finale, she hardly ever admits her wrongdoings.
- Obnoxious Entitled Housewife: A more likable one, though, as despite her more self-serving characteristics, she's a loving mom.
- Only Sane Woman: Originally until her flanderization.
- Parent Service: Her most prominent example being her performance at Charlie's Music and Me daycare.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Amy likes to think that she's the best at everything she does, and seems to believe that she's a big time star just waiting to be discovered; she once replaced her family (except Charlie) with professionals for a group talent show, which she didn't technically apologize for.
- Stage Mom: Often takes advantage of opportunities given to her kids, especially Teddy and Gabe, to get famous and relive her glory days in college.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: She's more conventionally attractive than her chubby, bald husband.
Gabriel P. "Gabe" Duncan
Portrayed by: Bradley Steven Perry
The sarcastic, often dour 10-year old son, who resents Charlie for having usurped his position as the baby of the family, and thus drawing a good deal of attention away from him. His perceptions seem somewhat justified. Continues the proud Danny Bonaduce tradition of looking nothing like the rest of the family.- Absurdly Youthful Mother: Gender Flip. In the future episode set ten years in the future Gabe would be 24 which is young for a parent. Especially considering the kid sounds like a toddler or preschooler so Gabe would've had him even younger
- Aloof Big Brother: To Charlie. Initially he's not too fond of Charlie because of Infant Sibling Jealousy but eventually warms up to her, sort of.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: To PJ and Teddy. He often insults and bothers both his older siblings.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: He's very smart and clever, but his main interest is pranking and causing troubles.
- Butt-MonkeyPJ: We used to do all kinds of fun stuff.
Gabe: When did that stop?
Teddy: Let's see... how old are you? - Character Development: While his trademark sarcasm never leaves, he does noticeably mature as the series goes on and grows more empathetic towards his family, especially towards Charlie and Toby.
- Deadpan Snarker: He's constantly sarcastic.
- The Dreaded: Played for Laughs. Almost every adult he's ever met is aware of his infamous reputation as a prankster and their reactions often range from mild annoyance to utter terror.
- Eviler than Thou: He and Mrs. Dabney are always on the banter about this.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: He and PJ are the Foolish to Teddy's Responsible. Although he is smarter than PJ, he is a troublemaker and careless at times.
- Hollywood Genetics: His dark hair makes a contrast to the rest of his blonde family.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He has his moments when he does good things for the others, despite his usual behavior.
- Mouthy Kid: He's a smartass kid who likes to tease everyone in the family.
- Middle Child Syndrome: Became like this after Toby's birth.
- Mysterious Middle Initial: What does the P in Gabriel P. Duncan stand for again? Given the general Star Wars theme they seem to use when naming their children, Padme, or even Palpatine, might be good guesses.
- The Prankster: He's known for being a troublemaker.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Manly to PJ's sensitive.
- The Snark Knight: Gabe and Mrs. Dabney all work this trope like dogs on a T-bone.
- Tall, Dark, and Snarky: Gabe's shaping up to be this in Season 3.
- Teen Pregnancy: His kid is probably the result of one. In the future episode set ten years in the future Gabe would be 24 which is young for a parent. Especially considering the kid sounds like a toddler or preschooler so Gabe would've had him even younger.
- The Un-Favourite: Things are so hectic in the series premiere that the rest of the family forgets to feed him.
Charlotte "Charlie" Duncan
Portrayed by: Mia Talerico, Ava Sambora (Future Charlie in "Futuredrama")
The 9-month old (as of the series premiere, currently 4 years old) newest addition to the Duncan family. She begins the series as an infant, not doing much except make noise, pooping and spitting up. Nonetheless, she's extremely cute, and quickly progresses to new milestones, such as making her first attempts at real English words, and taking her first steps. She is whom the series' title comes from.- Aesop Amnesia: In "Guys and Dolls", Amy tried to help Charlie with her jealousy of Toby, which seemingly worked. Amy pretended to make Toby talk and say that Charlie is his favorite sister. Come Doppel Date however, Charlie wanted Toby to stay in the hotel. Justified in that she's still a toddler. "Future Drama" shows that while the dynamic doesn't necessarily end, Charlie is a lot more well-intended but Toby finds her intrusive.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: To some extent, to the point of sometimes being nosy.
- Birthday Buddies: She and Toby share the same birthday, but she is three years older. To call them buddies would be pushing it, as in The Stinger of "Charlie 4, Toby 1", her birthday wish is for him to disappear.
- Character Development:
- She gets a lot more characterization in seasons 3 and 4. As she grows up, she seems to take after Gabe, who was jealous of her, whereas now Charlie is jealous of Toby. She also appears to be shaping up to be a troublemaker, like Gabe. She's also inherited her mother's ego which has lead Amy and Bob to say she's her mother's daughter.
- In "Duncan Dream House", for the first time, Charlie was actually right about keeping their old home, and even had her own scene where she talks to her imaginary circle.
- If "Futuredrama" is any indication, she grows up to be more like Teddy.
- The Cutie: Charlie attracts an "Aww" from the studio audience nearly every time she's on camera.
- Deuteragonist: From Season 3 onward, Charlie is given a lot more character focus, mostly due to her growing up.
- Evil-Detecting Baby: In "Girl Bites Dog", Charlie bites Spencer because she somehow knows he's cheating on Teddy.
- Gender-Blender Name: Charlie.
- Genre Blindness: Her future self learns this the hard way after getting beat up by 11-year old Toby, since she forgot to wait for the ending tagline of the video diary, "Good luck Charlie!"
- Infant Sibling Jealousy: Since Toby was born, she constantly asked that he be left somewhere, thrown away, or ignored him as much as she could get away with. It ran in the family, as Gabe felt the same way about her, and each older sibling of the Duncan household felt the same way about their immediate younger sibling.
- Little Miss Snarker: She's shaping up to be this in Season 3. This became evident when she picked up the phrase "aw nuts" from Amy.
- Little Sister Instinct: She bites Spencer in "Girl Bites Dog" because she could sense that something was off about him. The end of the episode reveals that Spencer was seeing another girl behind Teddy's back.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Charlie's real name is Charlotte.
- Ping Pong Naïveté: Charlie often appears really smart for a baby (her cognitive abilities and understanding of language would make Jean Piaget turn in his grave), but she'll be the Spanner in the Works if the plot calls for it.
- Plot Device: Being about 9 months old, she starts out as such. However, thanks to Character Development due to her growing up, there are some episodes where she gets a subplot of her own.
- Secondary Character Title: The main character is Teddy, who is making a series of video diaries for Charlie to watch in the future, all of which end with Teddy telling her "Good luck, Charlie".
- She's All Grown Up: Her future self. The present Charlie even lampshades this during the Credits Gag of "Futuredrama".
- Shipper on Deck: Implied to be this towards Teddy and Spencer.
- Tomboyish Name: She has a boyish name, just like her sister Teddy.
Bob Duncan
Portrayed by: Eric Allan Kramer
The 40-something man of the house. Bob runs his own business as an exterminator. He seems rather absent-minded (not being able to recall Gabe's birthday or where he goes to school), and can be quite clumsy at times. He's also quite fond of his daughter Teddy, and can thus be overprotective of her.- And Starring: "With Eric Allen Kramer"
- Berserk Button: This cannot be stressed enough: Do not call Amy "crazy" or "a pest" in front of Bob - unless you're family... or Amy. Yes Mr. Piper, we're talking to you.
- Big Eater: Often becomes the butt of the jokes due to this.
- Bumbling Dad: Mostly averted. Although he has plenty of his own quirks, he's a very competent father and often plays Only Sane Man when someone else, especially Amy, creates a scheme.
- The Conscience: Or at least when his wife goes off the deep end.
- Drives Like Crazy: Bob with the new car. First, he crashes it into the kitchen. Then, in the credits, he crashes it into the eight floor of a building.
- Happily Married: He and Amy are in a happy marriage.
- Henpecked Husband: His wife Amy tends to be the more assertive, dominant one in their relationship.
- High-School Sweethearts: With Amy. Bob played basketball; Amy was the mascot.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: With his much shorter wife Amy.
- Insistent Terminology: Prefers to be called a "pest-control specialist" rather than an "exterminator."
- I Was Quite the Looker: Looked like PJ in his younger years.
- The Nose Knows: Bob was able to identify the sex and species of a mouse, as well as the fact that it was pregnant, by analyzing the scent of its droppings.
- Smug Snake: He usually is not this trope, but whenever he actually shows dominance, he acts quite supercilious.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Amy is more conventionally attractive than chubby, bald Bob. This becomes somewhat of a subversion in Season 3, as a result of Eric Allan Kramer's drastic weight loss giving him a bulkier look, evened out by a haircut that made his already thinning hair more apparent.
Potty John "PJ" Duncan
Portrayed by: Jason Dolley
The 17-year old eldest child of the family. He's a phenomenal airhead and a horrible student. His passion seems to be playing rock and roll, even though he's not very good at it. He cares a good deal about his family and wants earnestly to do his part in helping raise his baby sister, but his absentmindedness makes this difficult.- And Starring: "and Jason Dolley".
- Character Development: He becomes noticeable smarter and more ambitious as the series goes on.
- Childish Older Sibling: He's much more immature and careless than his younger sister, Teddy.
- Cool Big Bro: To Charlie, he's probably closer to her than he is to his other siblings.
- Deadpan Snarker: Has his moments, most notably in "Name That Baby".
- Dumbass Teenage Son: A good example would be his boss putting him on the case to find out whose been stealing chicken from the restaurant. It was the boss himself, and he put PJ on the case because he figured he was too stupid to work it out.
- Dumb Blond: PJ is the family Ditz and has blond hair.
- Embarrassing First Name: According to his birth certificate, PJ's name is revealed to be "Potty John". Bob tries to get it corrected, but PJ's name is now "PP" Duncan.
- Expy:
- PJ is a grungier, working-class version of Newt Livingston. This is made even more pronounced by the fact that the same actor plays both characters. PJ is probably smarter than Newt, but the characters on this show are smarter too, so it balances out.
- Older viewers might notice a few striking resemblances to Jeff Spicoli. Take away the surfer accent, the Brilliant, but Lazy facets of Spicoli and the fact that Disney can't feature the main trait that everyone remembers Spicoli for, and you have PJ.
- Follow in My Footsteps: Bob states that he'd like PJ to join him in pest control, and he'd rename the company to "Duncan & Son" if he did. PJ immediately decides to go study.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: He and Gabe are the Foolish to Teddy's Responsible. He is far more immature and airheaded than Teddy is, and while he is much less of a troublemaker than Gabe, he is far more careless than them both.
- Genius Ditz: It's been stated and proven that he's the best cook in the house.
- Kiddie Kid: In spades. The most visible example being how his favorite show is The Gurgles, a Teletubbies Expy starring singing, dancing shapes that even Charlie has outgrown.
- Kindhearted Simpleton: Easygoing and friendly but definetely not the brightest
- Momma's Boy: Of all the Duncan kids, PJ is undoubtedly the one closest to Amy. Amy in turn acknowledges that he is her favourite. Generally portrayed in a positive and often sweet light.
- Nice Guy: Bob views PJ as the nicest of his children.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: PJ is supposed to be short for Patrick John. Due to Bob's poor penmanship on the birth certificate, it actually stands for Potty John.
- Pair the Dumb Ones: His eventual girlfriend Skyler is an even bigger ditz than he is.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Sensitive to Gabe's manly.
- Smarter Than You Look: Hinted at, as when he's focused, he's surprisingly on the ball. Mrs. Dabney even lampshades it: "Sometimes youre smart, sometimes you're dumb. Hard to keep up."
- Supreme Chef: He's not the brightest bulb in the box, but he's one heck of a cook (at least in comparison to Amy).
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: A video of Bob from his high school basketball days shows that he looked exactly like his son PJ does today, only with longer hair.
- Unfortunate Names: PJ's name was supposed to be Patty John, after his grandfather Patrick John, but Bob was so frazzled when signing the birth certificate, that he wrote "Potty John" instead. This is fixed by the end of the episode though. But now it instead reads "PP".
Toby Wan Kenobi Duncan
Portrayed by: Jake Cinoa & Logan Moreau (not credited in opening titles)
The newest addition, he shares a birthday with Charlie.- Audience Participation: The name and gender of the baby was determined by an online poll.
- Birthday Buddies: He and Charlie share the same birthday, though she is three years older than he is. To call them buddies would be pushing it, as in The Stinger of "Charlie 4, Toby 1", Charlie's birthday wish is for him to disappear.
- Punny Name: His full name is Toby Wan Kenobi Duncan.
Recurring Characters
Ivy Wentz
Portrayed by: Raven Goodwin
Teddy's best friend. She hopes some of Teddy's popularity will rub off on her, and she thinks the Duncan family is incredibly strange but more entertaining than her own family. She's also a horrible student who rejoices over receiving her first B.- Big Beautiful Woman: Ivy might be overweight but her hair and make-up are always nicely done and she wears fashionable clothes. Justified since she's very concerned about her appearance.
- Book Dumb: Ivy waited until her sophomore year in high school to get her highest grade ever: a B.
- Deadpan Snarker: Often expresses her disdain for other people with snarky remarks.
- The Fashionista: She loves fashion and shopping.
- Fat Best Friend: Of the brash, outgoing type, to Teddy.
- Hormone-Addled Teenager: Known for being a little boy-crazy.
- Sassy Black Woman: She and her mother are both Sassy Black Women, though Ivy has a bit of an edge on her mother since Mary Lou likes jigsaw puzzles and likes to sing "Row Row Row Your Boat" in German.
Emmett
Portrayed by: Micah Williams
PJ's somewhat nerdy best friend, and the drummer in his band. He has an incredibly creepy crush on Teddy, which he's deluded himself into thinking is an actual relationship.- Black and Nerdy: He's black, somewhat dorky and wears glasses.
- Stalker with a Crush: Towards Teddy. He's actually convinced himself that they're in a real relationship.
Mrs. Estelle Dabney
Portrayed by: Patricia Belcher
The Duncans' next-door neighbor. Mrs. Dabney is cranky, unfriendly, and at times, manipulative. Born in 1958 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, she comes from a set of identical quintuplets, none of which are anything like her personality-wise.- Deadpan Snarker: Her interactions with Gabe tend to be Snark-to-Snark Combat.
- Evil Redhead: Has red hair and usually used as an antagonist.
- Manipulative Bitch: She's quite cunning to the point that she's able to set a trap on Gabe.
- Mistaken for Murderer: PJ and Gabe misinterpret her outburst at her soap operas, and her attempts to get rid of the smell of death and a large, heavy trunk as evidence that she murdered her husband.
- Polar Opposite Twins: Or rather Polar Opposite Quintuplets: Mrs. Dabney comes from a set of identical quintuplets, none of which are anything like her personality-wise.
- Sassy Black Woman: Averted. However, this begins to show in The Unusual Suspects when she says "You're not the boss of me!" to Amy.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: Mrs. Dabney apparently comes from a set of identical quintuplets.
- Worthy Opponent: To Gabe, as she's just as cunning as he is, and Gabe admits to enjoy their rivalry in one episode.
Spencer Walsh
Portrayed by: Shane Harper
Teddy's study buddy, love interest, and eventual boyfriend (and then eventual EX-boyfriend). After numerous botched attempts, he finally gives Teddy her first kiss. He comes from a wealthy family, about which he's quite modest, and enjoys hip-hop dancing... oh, yeah, and he's a two-timing jerk. Teddy recently decided to give him a second chance and they're back together.- Character Development: Spencer started out looking like a Satellite Love Interest, but later turned out to be pretty interesting. And then turns out to be a cheating Jerkass. To his credit, Spencer deeply regretted his actions, and has made up with Teddy. They're dating once more.
- Did Not Get the Girl: Sadly, in Teddy's Choice, he does not end up with her, this time through no fault of his own.
- Dumb Jock: At least from Victor's point of view.
- Mistaken for Cheating: Subverted. Teddy thinks Spencer is cheating on her with Skyler, but then learns from Spencer that she's his cousin. He turns out to be lying. He is cheating on her with Skyler, who believes that Teddy is his cousin.
- My Greatest Failure: Cheating on Teddy.
- Official Couple: With Teddy, as of "Charlie Goes Viral", and up until "Girl Bites Dog". Restarted in "Can You Keep a Secret?"
Jo Keener
Portrayed by: G Hannelius
A female student in one of Gabe's classes, she constantly threatens and bullies him. It turns out a part of her motivation is being unable to express her crush on him. Not likely to be seen again since the actress has moved onto other projects, namely Dog with a Blog on the same network.- The Bully: She persistently bullies Gabe.
- Cute Bruiser: She beats up Gabe on a regular basis.
- Gamer Chick: She takes it very seriously. She ends up dislocating Gabe's shoulder when she thinks he's cheating at the game they're playing.
- Gender-Blender Name: Jo is not a very feminine name, which is why Teddy thought she was a boy when Gabe first told her about Jo.
- Little Miss Badass: Much stronger than she looks.
- Loving Bully: She bullies Gabe because she likes him.
- Pintsized Powerhouse: She breaks Gabe's arm and Teddy's collar bone.
- Tomboyish Name: Only known as Jo.
- Tsundere: She hurts and picks on Gabe, but reluctantly admits she likes him.
Skyler
Portrayed by: Samantha Boscarino
The girl whom Spencer was cheating on Teddy with. Skyler and Teddy became friends afterward, then she became PJ's girlfriend.- Brainless Beauty: Lampshaded by her former boyfriend Brock.PJ: I know it stinks to get your heart broken, especially by someone as beautiful and smart as Skyler.
Brock: Well, beautiful. - The Ditz: So dumb that PJ looks like a genius by comparison.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Teddy—she sometimes took this role when Ivy is not around.
- Official Couple: With PJ. They get back together in the Christmas special.
- Pair the Dumb Ones: With PJ. She is an even bigger ditz than him.
Mary Lou Wentz
Vonnie
Portrayed by: Cyrina Fiallo
Friend of Teddy's since the episode "T-Wrecks."