Sometimes it’s hard to be a supporting character on a show. Things don’t revolve around you, and often, you’re just there to serve the main character’s story. There are shows likeThe SopranosandMad Menwhich may have ensemble casts, but in each, their protagonists do tend to emerge as the focus.
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That’s not exactly the case for the following shows, and the spotlight-stealing supporting characters within them. Here are examples of characters who aren’t the leads, but for one reason or another, emerge as one of the most memorable parts of the shows they belong to. Even if they’re not always focused on, one thing’s for sure: their shows would suffer without them.
Gob Bluth – ‘Arrested Development’ (2003-2019)
Described by Bluth family matriarch Lucille as her “fourth least favorite child”, Gob fares better withArrested Development’sviewers, where he’s not only one of the most popular Bluth siblings, but one of the most popular characters on the show full stop.
ConsideringArrested Development’sreputation for being one of the funniest shows of all time (at least for its first three seasons), that’s saying something, as just about everyone is hilarious. But between his Segway, magician acts, comical arrogance, and general stupidity, few characters were as consistently hilarious as Gob, and it still stands as one ofWill Arnett’s most iconic roles for good reason.
Spike – ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ (1997-2003)
Buffy The Vampire Slayerhad a knack for introducing new characters that could be just as interesting (or even more interesting) than the main cast, butnone dominated the spotlight as much as Spike. He collided with the status quo in season 2 and was a big reason why the show went from good to great around the same time.
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Planned as a villain who’d only be in a handful of episodes at first, the writers wisely saw potential and kept Spike around, and his role increased in later seasons. He became one of the more morally complex heroes on the show, capable of being either an anti-hero or villain… plus he was always extremely charismatic and had many of the show’s funniest lines.
Olenna Tyrell – ‘Game of Thrones’ (2011-2019)
Diana Riggappeared in less than a quarter of all theGame of Thronesepisodes, but her character, Olenna Tyrell, stands as one of the show’s most memorable. Almost every scene with her was great, thanks to her wit, cunning, and ability todisarm just about anyone with her words alone.
The icing on the cake was probably her dislike of the Lannisters, and she was instrumental in taking them down a peg or two in season 4, after they’d caused so much damage in the show’s earlier seasons. While other characters appeared in far more episodes than her, few can claim they’re anywhere close to as iconic as Olenna.
Omar Little – ‘The Wire’ (2002-2008)
The role that first brought attention to thegreat, lateMichael K. Williamsstill stands as one of the best characters in TV history.The Wirehas dozens of great characters (and no bad or uninteresting ones), but Omar stands as maybe the best.
In a world where the policemen, criminals, politicians, and every other institution have a set of rules to follow, Omar stands as a thrilling wild card in the city of Baltimore. He had his own code and was something of a modern-day Robin Hood, only robbing those who he believed to be harming society (it was “all in the game”, as he’d say). Plus, he was smart and confident enough to survive rubbing almost every major gang the wrong way, which in a world as dangerous asThe Wire’scertainly counted for something.
Chloe O’Brian – ‘24’ (2001-2010)
24was a show where if your name wasn’t Jack Bauer, you were probably going to die. It was brutal to its heroes and side characters even beforeGame of Thrones, and for a while, it seemedKiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer was the only character resilient enough to survive the whole show.
That changed when Chloe was introduced. Somewhat annoying and an obstacle to Jack at first, the two developed a bond that was genuinely nice to see grow on screen over the seasons. Chloe grew to be far more likable and more reliable than even Jack, as his behavior became more extreme and even villainous near the end of the show. You could argue Chloe’s the hero of the show, even if Jack technically always remained its protagonist.
Hurley – ‘Lost’ (2004-2010)
Lostalready had a ton of characters from the start, and still managed innovative (and sometimes ridiculous) ways to introduce new ones as the seasons went on. But none were quite as beloved as Hugo “Hurley” Reyes, who was one of the funniest, most relatable, and most endearing characters acrossLost’ssix crazy seasons.
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Part of what Hurley made great is he reacted to what was going on the same way most people watching at home would. He wasn’t always the most heroic but neither was he villainous - he was just a guy trying to survive on a dangerous and mysterious island. It was always easy to put yourself in his shoes, making him one of the most compelling and memorable parts of the show.
Lorne – ‘Angel’ (1999-2004)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer’sspin-off show,Angel, had almost as many great supporting characters as its parent show. Near the top of the pack would have to be Lorne, a charismatic, Seabreeze-drinking, friendly green demon who ran a karaoke bar and could read people’s futures if they sang to him.
All that added together withAndy Hallett’s great performance led to a character who would instantly energize any scene he appeared in. A minor character in season 2 whose role in the show continually grew until he was a main cast member by the last couple of seasons, Lorne is one of the main reasonsAngelwas almost as good a show asBuffywas before it.
The Janitor – ‘Scrubs’ (2001-2010)
Scrubsis a bizarre, surreal sitcom by itself. But The Janitor is an agent of chaos in the best way possible. Even when he didn’t influence the plot and only popped up to torment the main character, J.D., his scenes were always hysterical, and he quickly became arguably the show’s funniest character.
Even more impressive: The Janitor’s actor,Neil Flynn,often improvised his off-the-cuff, bizarre lines, making him an even more unpredictable and hilarious force of nature withinScrubs. Without The Janitor,Scrubsmight still have been a good show. With The Janitor, it became one of the greats.
Abed Nadir – ‘Community’ (2009-2015)
The snarky Jeff Winger may have beenCommunity’slead character, but Abed was without a doubt the heart of the show. Sympathetic, funny, and able to link anything to a movie or TV show he’d seen, Abed was maybe the most consistent and endearing character in all ofCommunity.
Part of his charm came from the way he almost seemed aware he was in a TV show, or otherwise treated his life as if it were dictated by TV logic. GivenCommunitywas a TV show, Abed as a character provided it with a major source of creative meta-humor and comedy, which are some of the things it has becomemost known and celebrated for. Also, great: he was one-half of one of the best friendship duos in TV history: Troy and Abed (in the morning).
Adam Sackler – ‘Girls’ (2012-2017)
Girlsis a great show in its own right, but one of the best things it ever did was introduce the world toAdam Driver. He was an essential part of the cast, even playing a large role in the show in its later seasons, after Driverhad become Hollywood famous.
Everything great about Driveras an actor can be found in his role as Adam Sackler here. He’s funny, intense, sometimes scary, energetic, relatable, and able to completely disappear into his character.Girlsis a show worth watching for Driveralone, and while the rest of the cast is also great, he’s truly phenomenal.
