17 Tattoos Inspired by TV Shows

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You might love your favorite TV shows, but most of you don’t love them enough to permanently enshrine them on your skin. That being said, plenty of people are that dedicated to their favorite shows, and there are tons of tattoos featuring TV show logos and characters out there. Here are some of the many truly great show tattoos on the net.

1. and 2. Doctor Who 

Given how popular Doctor Who is—it’s even celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year—it should be no surprise that there are hundreds of tattoos devoted to the show out there.

While it’s hard to choose the best from a massive group like this, Sioux Sinner’s tattoos are certainly fantastic and the canvas they’re inked on certainly isn’t bad either. Both her Dalek and Adipose tattoos were done by Bob Maskal at Merddian Line Tattoo in Oak Park, IL.

Fans of traditional tattoos will certainly be able to appreciate this TARDIS complete with a Gallifreyan seal as inked by Jenni of Heart and Soul Tattoo, NM.

3. and 4. Firefly 

The crew of Serenity may have only lasted one season on Fox and a movie after that, but the Browncoats they inspired are some of the most dedicated fans around—which is why it shouldn’t be all too surprising that many of them have tattoos dedicated to the show.

Serenity might just be one of the most unique-looking ships in science fiction, and Flickr user RobinInSeoul used this to her advantage when getting this stunning traditional Asian designed tattoo by Scott Budgen of Lady Luck Tattoos in Waterford, MI. And in case you’re curious, the Chinese characters spell out “Serenity.”

The great thing about Sarah Nelson’s Firefly tattoo is that even those who haven’t seen the show can still appreciate the message and the simplicity of the design. Artwork by Adam Harmon of Salem Ink.

5. and 6. Star Trek 

With six different TV incarnations, 12 films, and some of the most dedicated fans in the universe, there are tons of Star Trek tattoos out there. Even so, Amy still puts most of them to shame with one full sleeve of Trekkie goodness and another on the way. All of the artwork on her arms was completed by San Francisco artist Mez Love.

While the majority of Star Trek tattoos are very intricate (with the exception of the popular communicator badge tattoos), there’s something so lovely about Jennifer Renner’s refreshingly simple Trek tattoo, done at Triple T, that simply bears the motto “to boldly go.”

7. Twin Peaks 

The same Mez Love who did that fantastic Star Trek sleeve also did the work on this superb Twin Peaks piece. David Lynch would be proud.

8. and 9. The Muppets

Those of us who grew up with The Muppets will always retain a special place in our hearts for them, but some fans take it a step further, reserving a special place on their skin for their favorite characters.

For those who were born to rock and loved Electric Mayhem before they even heard Led Zeppelin, there are no words to describe the awesomeness of this tattoo featuring Dr. Teeth, Janis, and the rest. This astounding work was done by Andrea of Slave to the Needle.

For those that prefer the goofball antics of the Swedish Chef, you’ll surely enjoy this tattoo—even if it shows poor Kermit roasting on a hot skillet. Unsurprisingly, Mike, the bearer of this work, is a chef. Work by Alex Morse of The Canvas Tattoo Studio.

10. and 11. Futurama

Futurama is still one of only a handful of shows to be resurrected after its initial cancellation, and though it has recently been announced that this upcoming season will be its last, fans are still hoping it will be saved yet again. With that kind of dedicated fan base, it’s no surprise that there are so many great Futurama tattoos out there.

This one, on Geeky Tattoos reader Paige, is particularly geeky because it not only features Bender destroying humanity, but because the physics student got it done by Michael Bianco while at Megacon. I’d say she earned her geek cred with this one. If you like Futurama tattoos, don’t miss Bianco’s portfolio where he has another piece featuring giant Zoidberg fighting mega Bender.

It’s pretty common these days for people to mix their interests with classic tattoo imagery like the Virgin Mary, but it’s particularly fitting with Zoidberg, who is almost certainly still a virgin. Still, I think the good doctor would be proud, after all, “Now Zoidberg is the popular one!” Art by Jon L. of Big Deluxe of Salt Lake City, Utah.

12. The Simpsons

While The Simpsons has been around long enough to collect its share of fans with tattoos, most of them are pretty basic copies of the characters. That’s why this one, by Tim Pausinger of Toronto, which features traditional tattoo styling and one of Milhouse’s most nerdy quotes, might just be the best Simpsons tattoo ever.

13. Curb Your Enthusiasm

Thanks to Buzzfeed, I now know that there are a lot of people out there with Larry David tattoos. While it’s hard to pick a favorite from such an odd menagerie, the utter strangeness of the blend of Motorhead’s War Pig and Larry David’s face makes it by far the most memorable. Apparently this one belongs to Twitter user Mr. Tooth.

14. Archer

This is by far one of the greatest adult-oriented cartoons on television these days, so it’s not all too surprising that someone has a tattoo based on the show. This particularly exquisite design was done by Zane at STR Body Modification, Australia.

15. The Munsters

This classic TV show has inspired a whole legion of tattoos on people in the goth and rockabilly scenes, but I have yet to see any that are nearly as good as this amazing Grandpa Munster portrait by artist Roman Abrego.

16. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

When Geeky Tattoos reader Moe decided he needed a TMNT tattoo, he called his artist suggesting a tattoo featuring the turtle’s masks creating a leg band. When the artist, Austin West at Divinity Tattoo in AZ, suggested this image instead, Moe was instantly sold, and this brilliant heraldry of turtles design was born.

17. My Little Pony

Say what you will about My Little Pony, but you can’t deny that the show has a seriously dedicated fan base and there are certainly plenty of less adorable tattoos a person could get. This particular design was inked by Derrek Everette of Broken Art Tattoo in CA.

As always, if you have any tattoos that would fit in here, feel free to share them. Otherwise, let’s discuss: If you were going to get a TV show tattoo, which show would be your inspiration?