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| 10 | %% Due to the nature of this trope, finding a proper image will be very tricky. |
| 11 | %% DO NOT add an image to this page or any of the other EnsembleDarkhose subpages without discussion in Image Pickin'. |
| 12 | %% See this IP thread for reference: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1467086178072723400 |
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| 16 | They don't always take the lead on TV, but whether they're part of the main cast or only show up in a few episodes, the fans [[EnsembleDarkHorse love these characters anyway]]. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | ---- |
| 19 | !!Example Subpages: |
| 20 | [[index]] |
| 21 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/{{Angel}}'' |
| 22 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/{{Arrowverse}}'' |
| 23 | ** ''EnsembleDarkHorse/{{Arrow}}'' |
| 24 | ** ''EnsembleDarkHorse/TheFlash2014'' |
| 25 | ** ''EnsembleDarkHorse/Supergirl2015'' |
| 26 | ** ''EnsembleDarkHorse/LegendsOfTomorrow'' |
| 27 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/BabylonFive'' |
| 28 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/Batman1966'' |
| 29 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' |
| 30 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/{{Charmed|1998}}'' |
| 31 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/DoctorWho'' |
| 32 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/GameOfThrones'' |
| 33 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/HogansHeroes'' |
| 34 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' |
| 35 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/{{Jeremiah}}'' |
| 36 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/NorthernExposure'' |
| 37 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/{{Psych}}'' |
| 38 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/{{Riverdale}}'' |
| 39 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/{{Smallville}}'' |
| 40 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/StarTrek'' |
| 41 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/{{Supernatural}}'' |
| 42 | * ''EnsembleDarkHorse/TheWalkingDeadTelevisionUniverse'' |
| 43 | [[/index]] |
| 44 | |
| 45 | !!Other Examples: |
| 46 | |
| 47 | * ''Series/The100:'' |
| 48 | ** Monty, though billed as a main character, has gotten the least amount of attention out of everyone in the main cast, and the fans love him for his NiceGuy tendencies in a CrapsackWorld. |
| 49 | ** Miller is another one, who started off just as one of Bellamy's henchmen in the first season and slowly grew in importance. His [[WhenSheSmiles When He Smiles]] moments play a role. |
| 50 | * ''Series/TwentyFour'': |
| 51 | ** Chloe O'Brien. Especially interesting as she was hated by the fandom until she [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap started becoming awesome]] halfway through Season 3. |
| 52 | ** Apart from Jack Bauer (who's the main character anyway), the only other character to appear in the first seven seasons of ''24'' is Aaron Pierce, whose actor (Glenn Morshower) was listed as a "guest star" rather than a member of the main cast in the 49 episodes he appeared in. He is also probably one of the few characters who can rival Jack in terms of badass. (It's also worth noting that despite not appearing in the final season, he was ''not'' killed off.) |
| 53 | ** Tony Almeida, who was pretty much Jack's antagonist in Season 1. Then he [[spoiler:is the one to receive information that Jack's wife Teri is suffering from amnesia and is in trouble, and they milk the situation making the audience worry that Tony is the infiltrator at CTU and will let Teri die. He then shows up at the Bauer residence and shoots a man about to kill Teri,]] earning both the audience's love and Jack's trust. Since then Tony has been one of the most beloved characters on the show. |
| 54 | ** Renee Walker has become one. Originally introduced in Season 7 as a foil and MoralityPet for Jack, she's gone on to become a ''bona fide'' badass KnightInSourArmor, and one of the few people on the show capable of out ''Jack Bauering Jack Bauer''. It's little wonder her nickname in fan circles is "[[FanNickname Jill Bauer]]". |
| 55 | ** Curtis, aka "Black Bauer." So naturally, he died a [[DroppedABridgeOnHim rather sudden and pointless death]], which caused a lot of bitterness towards the writers. |
| 56 | ** Mandy, who only appeared in 7 episodes in the series (split between Seasons 1, 2, and 4), yet made an indelible impression as a DarkActionGirl who always knew how to get away [[KarmaHoudini scot-free]]. |
| 57 | ** Good old Bill Buchanan. A ReasonableAuthorityFigure who trusted Jack's judgment (even if he disagreed with his methods) and had the clout to help Jack out when the situation called for it. Easily the most competent CTU Director the show ever had. |
| 58 | ** Belcheck from Day 9 appeared in most of the season but didn't have a lot of screentime. What little he did though showed that he was as much of a badass as Jack was, and the fact that he's one of the rare characters late in the series to show 100% loyalty to Jack quickly earned him a lot of popularity. |
| 59 | * ''Series/ThirtyRock'': |
| 60 | ** Kenneth, who becomes more and more prominent in each season. |
| 61 | ** Jack Donaghy as he was originally supposed to be a minor character, but is one of the leads along with Tina Fey. |
| 62 | * In ''Series/{{Alphas}}'' Gary Bell, the high-functioning autistic member of the group, is by far the most popular character in the series. Amongst the many reasons he's so beloved is his cool power, his snarky attitude, and the fact that he almost always has the best and funniest lines on just about every episode. |
| 63 | * ''Series/{{Andromeda}}'': Gaheris Rhade was killed off in the first episode. Then, he appeared in a few flashbacks... In the end, his IdenticalGrandson joined the crew, and it was revealed that {{Sufficiently Advanced Alien}}s had intended him to be the main character at first. |
| 64 | * ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'': |
| 65 | ** GOB is clearly meant to be the least likable of the Bluth siblings and receives the least individual focus for the first three seasons, but his status as TheUnfavourite snagged him a lot of fan sympathy early on -- something that the creators seem a little more aware of, as of Season 4. (Being played by Creator/WillArnett probably helps, too.) GOB's puppet Franklin also counts, possibly because he so unapologetically CrossesTheLineTwice every time he appears, and the writers can't seem to resist bringing him back. |
| 66 | ** Tobias was originally meant to be a supporting character, but the hilarious performance by Creator/DavidCross got him a PromotionToOpeningTitles before the show even started. He's still absent for a few episodes early on in Season 1, but becomes a full-fledged lead very quickly and is probably one of the most, if not ''the'' most, memorable character on the show. |
| 67 | * ''Series/AsTheWorldTurns'': Doctor Reid Oliver as played by Eric Sheffer Stevens. A StraightGay DrJerk who had a strong SlapSlapKiss relationship with Luke before they officially became a couple. His GenreSavvy nature and tendency to [[LampshadeHanging hang lampshades]] makes him an OnlySaneMan. The fact he does actually care deeply for the welfare of his patients, [[PetTheDog pets the dog]] whenever Katie's involved, and has a relatively functional, caring relationship with Luke puts him in JerkWithAHeartOfGold territory. |
| 68 | * ''Series/BattleStarGalactica1978'': |
| 69 | ** While [[TheHero Apollo]] was obviously intended to be the leading man, Starbuck won audiences over very quickly with his [[LoveableRogue roguish charm]] and sharp wit (in a style not too different from that of [[Franchise/StarWars Han Solo]]). |
| 70 | ** Baltar's Cylon henchman Lucifer quickly grew a large fan following with the expert use of his ascorbic tongue. |
| 71 | * ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'': |
| 72 | ** Creator/RonMoore and crew famously intended to leave Helo stranded on post-nuked Caprica after the miniseries, but were besieged by viewers wanting to know how he was going to survive: ironically, his rescue has led to several major plot points. The show also features a strong and relatively unchanging core cast, many minor members of which have become [[http://frakkingtoasters.com//index.cgi?date=20060120 popular in fandom]]. |
| 73 | ** Cally. An extra in the loading bay, she got picked for a violent death after several scenes in the background. She was supposed to be raped then killed. Instead she bit off the attacker's ear and got promoted in status. Eventually she marries a main character. |
| 74 | ** Anders grew from a romantic foil for the Lee/Kara ship to a main character. He gets to be part of ''Galactica'''s final send-off and even appears on the Season 4.5 DVD boxset. |
| 75 | ** There's Racetrack, who was meant to be a one-episode bit part replacement for Boomer's co-pilot Crashdown who was kept on as a recurring character simply because the producers liked the actor who played her. |
| 76 | ** Seelix, who's something of a "Manufactured Darkhorse" by none other than Aaron Douglas, aka Chief Tyrol. Her character was literally credited as "Technician #2" in her debut episode, but Douglas began calling her Seelix during takes, which she was eventually credited as. As the show went on, she got a first name, and became a Viper pilot -- all because Aaron Douglas is a badass actor. |
| 77 | * ''Series/BionicWoman'': Sarah Corvus, the main character Jamie's predecessor in getting bionic implants, ran so many rings around the supposed lead that many people watched the show for her alone. |
| 78 | * ''Series/BlakesSeven'': Avon, the snarktastic, outwardly amoral, leather-wearing computer geek, becomes the lead in Series 3 and 4. Also, Vila; probably intended to be the most minor of the original Seven, he became the only character to be in every single episode. |
| 79 | * ''Series/BoardwalkEmpire'': |
| 80 | ** Richard Harrow sports the killer trope combo of IronWoobie and HandicappedBadass, causing him to instantly become one of its most popular characters after his relatively late entrance into Season 1. As of Season 2, he got a PromotionToOpeningTitles. |
| 81 | ** Chalky White, played by the same actor as Omar Little on ''Series/TheWire''. Creator/MichaelKWilliams has such a small, but memorable part in the pilot that fans latched onto him. He's back as a regular for Season 2, as well as getting a few episodes in the spotlight. By Season 4, he's practically the show's second lead. |
| 82 | * ''Series/{{Boohbah}}'' (of all shows): Jumbah, the blue Boohbah, is easily the most popular out of all the Boohbahs, likely due to him having the most personality out of all of them. |
| 83 | * ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'': |
| 84 | ** Eric Matthews started off as a stereotypical older brother but received large character development became a Cloudcuckoolander BookDumb Wiseman by the midseason on forth and is the most popular of the series. |
| 85 | * ''Series/BreakingBad'': |
| 86 | ** Tuco, for being so terrifyingly insane and hammy it loops back around to entertainingly awesome. His return in ''[[Series/BetterCallSaul Better Call Saul]]'' was met with open arms. |
| 87 | ** The Cousins, both for their intimidating presence, professionalism, and stone-cold badassery in most, if not all of their scenes. |
| 88 | ** Badger and Skinny Pete, no doubt due to their comical nature. [[spoiler:Their scenes in ''Film/ElCamino'' have only increased their popularity.]] |
| 89 | ** Huell, Saul's ineffectual, pointy-headed bodyguard, especially when he's paired with Kuby. |
| 90 | ** Gomez, for his unwavering loyalty to Hank as well as their VitriolicBestBuds partnership. |
| 91 | * ''Series/BurnNotice'': Madeline, Michael Westen's mother, in more ways than one. She started off as a thorn in Michael's side, and an annoyance to viewers; however, only a few episodes in, she started looking tougher than most of the bad guys. Since then, she's befriended every regular on the show, done her fair share of espionage, reconciled Jesse and Michael after their falling out, and been the only one other than Fiona whose threats Michael seems to actually fear. So of course, she's earned herself a following among watchers that's roughly proportionate to the respect she's earned from the characters. |
| 92 | * ''Series/{{Castle|2009}}'': Lanie Parish is becoming this. She can most definitely hold her own against Castle and Beckett, and seems to get some of the best lines in an episode that aren't uttered by the two leads. |
| 93 | * ''Series/{{Casualty}}'': A blonde nurse, only ever referred to as "Cath" or "Kath", seems to be popular with the fans, yet never really gets '''any''' storylines (not even a minor one). She's not a OneShotCharacter or a {{Ghost Extra|s}} by any means, but she rarely speaks. But, amazingly, she is ''never credited on-screen''. She is blonde and appears mostly in scenes where Zoe, Ruth, Jay and/or Nick Jordan are present. |
| 94 | * The GenreAnthology seres ''Series/ChannelZero'' usually has at least one truly popular character each season: |
| 95 | ** ''Candle Cove'': The Tooth Child, who's practically the MascotVillain for the entire series. |
| 96 | ** ''No-End House'': Dylan. Many found him to be more interesting than Margot and nearly everyone was saddened when [[spoiler: he was killed before he and his wife could escape the House]]. |
| 97 | ** ''Butcher's Block'': |
| 98 | *** Louise, being eccentrically entertaining, proving to be quite caring to the Woods sisters, Luke, and Izzy, and badass when needed to be. |
| 99 | *** Edie Peach, the TokenGoodTeammate of the Peach family, due to being seemingly genuinely polite and entertaining (and at times creepy). |
| 100 | *** The Meat Servant, for his interesting design and endearing personality and mannerisms. |
| 101 | * ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'': |
| 102 | ** While the Charmed Ones' mother Patty can't really be considered a minor character, she's actually in the series surprisingly little - appearing only as a spirit advisor in a handful of episodes, and not even showing up in Season 6. But due to her soothing, maternal presence and how often a Heartwarming Moment follows her arrival, she's beloved by the fandom. In fact, her actress Finola Hughes received more fan mail than the lead actresses during the show's run (although possibly because she also had a pre-existing fan base from her SoapOpera days). |
| 103 | ** The Seer was only on for ten episodes and yet nearly everyone loved her. Mostly because she was always snarky, awesome and deliciously evil but partly because she had more chemistry with Cole AND the [[LesYay sisters]] than any of the proper pairings were supposed to have. |
| 104 | ** Kyra, who only appeared in three episodes in Season 7. Due to being played by Creator/CharismaCarpenter and being both fun and surprisingly layered (a demon without a soul who'd experienced enough of humanity through her visions that she wants to become human permanently), she's a fan favourite and many wish she'd stuck around longer. |
| 105 | ** Mark Chao is only in one episode in Season 1, and is already a PosthumousCharacter for most of the run time. His chemistry with Piper and their tragic love story - he's a ghost who has to move on once the sisters get justice for his murder - endears him to the fandom. His actor Creator/JohnCho, now considerably more famous, later said that he was still asked about his ''Charmed'' appearance to this day. |
| 106 | ** Bianca from the episode "Chris Crossed" - Chris's girlfriend from the BadFuture, with an interesting power of being able to regenerate herself and belonging to a family of witch assassins - made enough of an impression that she's a frequent character in 'Charmed Sons' fan fictions focusing on adult Wyatt and Chris. |
| 107 | ** Melinda Warren gets so much love in the fandom that one would be surprised she's only in one episode. But as she's the start of the Charmed line, and possesses all three powers, she enjoys great fan press. |
| 108 | ** Drake shows up for a three episode arc in Season 7 as a demon-turned-human to teach Phoebe not to give up on love before [[DiedHappilyEverAfter dying peacefully as his enchantment comes to an end]]. Creator/BillyZane's LargeHam performance, his great chemistry with Alyssa Milano and the interesting backstory endears him to the fandom. |
| 109 | ** Henry Mitchell is introduced halfway through Season 8 to be Paige's endgame love interest. Despite how quickly they were paired up, Ivan Sergei's chemistry with Rose [=McGowan=] and his BadassNormal credentials - willingly fighting a powerful whitelighter witch to prove his love for Paige, in addition to being a well-meaning parole officer - mean he's accepted as her best love interest. |
| 110 | ** Phoebe's endgame love interest Coop, while acknowledging that their pairing was rushed and could have used more development, is still quite well-liked. His approach to love and personality has made him a favourite among some fans who think that, rushed relationship aside, he seems like a good match for her. |
| 111 | %%* ''Series/CheapSeats'': Wendy Guey aka The Human Mogwai. |
| 112 | * ''Series/ChicagoFire'': Jeff Clarke from Season 2 proved to be so popular with fans that he got his episode count ''doubled'', not to mention more character development than some of the original cast. Most of the credit for this can be given to his actor, Creator/JeffHephner, and Hephner's genuinely captivating performance. Quite a number of fans were extremely disappointed when [[spoiler:the character was written out after getting his Lieutenant's badge and transferring houses]], though [[spoiler:that ''does'' leave the door open for a return every so often]]. |
| 113 | * ''Series/{{Chuck}}'': |
| 114 | ** Creator/KristinKreuk (known best for her role as Lana in ''Smallville'') makes a brief guest appearance as "Hannah" in Series 3 as a potential romantic interest for the main character, altering the dynamic of his will-they/won't-they relationship with Sarah Walker [[spoiler:They do.]]. Her characterization ended up as being a much more likable, well-rounded, and interesting person than Sarah [[spoiler:but Chuck still dumps Hannah]]. It wasn't that she was more well rounded than Sarah, who was a well rounded character in her own right. It's more that she was cute and funny and had some chemistry with Chuck. However seeing as the majority of the shows fans are Sarah/Chuck fans, and the series up until that point had built up the relationship between them, the switch would not have gone down well. |
| 115 | ** [[ThoseTwoGuys Those two creepy guys]] Jeff and Lester and their "band", JEFFSTER! |
| 116 | ** Ellie's boyfriend Devon was originally going to be a spy, but his character was too popular so they kept him as the lovable Captain Awesome. Though they kind of got to have their cake and eat it too, as he's still the first major civilian character to learn about Chuck being a spy, and gets to help him quite a few times. |
| 117 | * ''Series/{{Cluedo}}'': Several VictimOfTheWeek characters are quite popular. |
| 118 | ** George Biddle from "The Best Insurance", due to implicitly being a RetiredBadass and SelfMadeMan (Colonel Mustard calls Biddle the best sergeant he ever had and was happily surprised by his rise in the insurance industry) who makes people want him dead just by doing his job of being a polite but diligent investigator and appraiser rather than the usual {{Jerkass}} (except for his grievance with Colonel Mustard). |
| 119 | ** Marianne Kray from "Fatal Distraction" is a nasty person, but fans still adore her humorous LargeHam personality and flashy quirkiness (such as using her stiletto heel as a corkscrew). |
| 120 | ** Dave the Hippie from "The Traveller", due to being an over-the-top hippie who turns out to be more calculating and devious than he looks. |
| 121 | ** Jack Peacock from "The Bolivian Connection", due to the rich history he has with all the regular suspects and his briefly discussed BackStory as a dashing figure who mysteriously vanished years ago. |
| 122 | ** Candice Costello from "The Word, the Flesh, and the Devil" is a fan favorite for her MsFanservice appearance, humorous SugaryMalice barbs toward several of the suspects, and for how, unlike most guest stars, she has the moral high ground over some of the people who hate her. |
| 123 | ** Marjary Hunt from "The Hanged Man", due to being both a smart and well-meaning old woman and the source of some creepy TarotTroubles scenes. |
| 124 | * ''Series/{{Community}}'': |
| 125 | ** Several side characters are extremely popular among fans, most notably Magnitude ("POP POP!"), Star-Burns (his name is ''Alex''), and Garrett, TheComicallySerious LargeHam ("CRISIS ALERT!"). |
| 126 | ** Drama Professor Sean Garrity, due to Kevin Corrigan's incredibly over-the-top portrayal. |
| 127 | ** Rachel, the coat check girl played by Creator/BrieLarson, from "[[Recap/CommunityS4E08HerstoryOfDance Herstory of Dance]]" is widely considered one of the best parts of Season 4, by Creator/DanHarmon himself and much of the fanbase. |
| 128 | ** Koogler, the ManChild FratBro played by [[Series/ArrestedDevelopment Mitch Hurwitz]] in "App Development and Condiments". |
| 129 | ** Custodian Lapari, largely in part due to him being played by the hilarious Creator/KumailNanjiani and being a surprising invocation of EvilIsCool in "Modern Espionage". |
| 130 | * ''Series/CriminalMinds'': |
| 131 | ** Ask around a fan community who its frequenters' favorite [=UnSubs=] are and Tobias Hankel's name is bound to come up quite a bit. It doesn't hurt that he's [[TheWoobie sympathetic]] and from a [[MrFanservice Reid]]-centric episode. |
| 132 | ** Austin from 52 Pickup is liked by those who wish she'd been a recurring love interest for Reid. As well as the fact that she saved a potential victim from the [=UnSub=] based on the profile Reid gave her and her own observational skills (albeit at the cost of becoming his new one). |
| 133 | * ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': Lab tech Adam Ross became an Ensemble Darkhorse and he got elevated to series regular in this spinoff. |
| 134 | * ''Series/DarkAngel'': [[Creator/JensenAckles Alec]] was very popular with fans, [[MrFanservice particularly female ones]], who often watched more for Alec character development than for the Familiars vs. Transgenics storyline. Alec's appearance on the show was determined by the popularity of his genetic twin, [[Creator/JensenAckles Ben]]. Despite being [[spoiler: mentally unstable and homicidal]], he gained a lot of popularity in the one episode he appeared in. Since [[spoiler: he is [[MercyKill killed]] at the end of said episode, the writers decided to bring the actor back as Ben's (equally charming, slightly less unstable) twin, Alec]]. |
| 135 | * ''ComicBook/{{Darna}}'': For a supporting character who hasn't even had his backstory revealed much at all, Ali from the 2022 version is surprisingly popular. He's even earned a popular FanNickname, "Ali Best Boy". Many fans latched onto him being one of the few characters who puts Regina's well being first and formost, along with being the one of the few recurring male characters who has a purpose beyond being a love interest (though he does have feelings for Regina, it's not often focused on). It helps that his actor Mac Manicad has considerable natural charisma despite not being as well known as his co-stars. |
| 136 | * ''Series/DesignatedSurvivor'': |
| 137 | ** Aaron Shore gets a bit of this, for being TheCynic and OnlySaneMan. |
| 138 | ** Kimble Hookstraten for being a level headed Republican Speaker, when she could have easily been a {{Jerkass}} like many in the House, the Senate, and state-level leadership. It's a shame that she didn't come back for the second season. |
| 139 | ** Abe Leonard, while sleazy, is fairly popular for being a more three-dimensional IntrepidReporter than any of the media personalities before him. |
| 140 | * ''Series/DesperateHousewives'': Has [[CoolOldLady Karen McCluskey]] (a recurring character) and Orson Hodge (who was supposed to be only a special guest star in Season 2). The audience's appreciation was so great that both received a PromotionToOpeningTitles (until [[spoiler: Orson left Bree in the Season 6 finale]]). Karen's Darkhorse status was acknowledged by the writers on the finale [[spoiler: when, dying of cancer, she took the heat for the murder thus saving the four main characters, then died shortly after. Made all the more badass by knowing that the actress playing her was ''actually dying of cancer'' at the time]]. |
| 141 | * ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}'': Bennett, even though she only appeared for three episodes. Well, she is played by Creator/SummerGlau, duh! |
| 142 | * ''Series/DonkeyHodie'': |
| 143 | ** Duck Duck is popular with many fans despite appearing the least amount of times out of the 4 main characters of the show. It helps that she's played by Stephanie D'Abruzzo, a famous Muppeteer. |
| 144 | ** Donkey's cousin Dodie Hodie also has a few fans, despite only appearing in one episode of the show. |
| 145 | * ''Series/TheElectricCompany1971'': Despite Julie not being more important than any other Short Circus member, some fans consider her to be the heart of the group as she's the only member to remain in it for the entire run of the show. |
| 146 | * ''Series/{{Elementary}}'': |
| 147 | ** [[ReformedCriminal Alfredo]] [[TheSponsor Llamosa]] and [[TeamPet Clyde the tortoise]] enjoy a great deal of popularity relative to screen time. |
| 148 | ** Despite only appearing in a few episodes in the early seasons, Ms Hudson is extremely popular among fans due to being a very positive and respectful portrayal of a transgender character in a mainstream show and one who is played by a transgender actress as well. |
| 149 | %%* ''Music/FlightOfTheConchords'': Murray Hewitt. |
| 150 | * ''Series/{{Frasier}}'': Kenny Daly. After an endless series of managers who are introduced with an episode devoted to how the station (and Frasier in particular) deals with this new personality running things, show up in a few episodes more, and then leave... Kenny shows up -- and charmed viewers enough so that he stayed for the rest of the show. |
| 151 | * ''Series/{{Friends}}'': |
| 152 | ** Both Phoebe's love interests, Mike and David, are well liked, especially Mike. |
| 153 | ** Jack Geller is popular too. His wife not so much... |
| 154 | ** Janice is this. Although, being hilarious and annoying at the same time, she's also a BaseBreakingCharacter. |
| 155 | ** Richard, for being one of the most decent and likable love interests. Like Janice though, he can fall into the BaseBreakingCharacter territory, since some people see him as TheScrappy. |
| 156 | ** Kathy was this, at least until the writers [[DerailingLoveInterests broke her and Chandler up]]. The cast actually liked Paget Brewster enough that they wanted her to stay. |
| 157 | * ''Series/GilligansIsland'': Mary Ann Summers was given the [[OutOfFocus least amount of screen time]], had the least amount of jokes written for and around her, and was credited dead last ([[AndTheRest after being “the rest” along with the Professor in Season 1]]). Heck, her character was even cropped out of a Magazine/TVGuide cover photo in favor of Ginger and Gilligan. As it turned out, Mary Ann became one of the most (if not THE most) beloved and popular characters of the series. Her [[TheIngenue genuine sweetness]], intelligence and natural beauty made her irresistible. She received the most fan mail out of any cast member, and consistently surpassed Ginger in “Ginger or Mary Ann?” polls. In the 1993 stage musical, Mary Ann was written as the lead female role. Until her death in 2020 from COVID-19, Creator/DawnWells embraced her character and had kept the franchise alive and well with her books and numerous appearances through the years. |
| 158 | * ''Series/GirlFromNowhere'': TK from "Lost and Found" was loved by the audience because of having a sympathetic backstory compared to other victims Nanno preys on -- he's a pickpocket but all so he can get his father's attention -- and is the ''nicest'' people found in the show, to the point that Nanno herself started to fall in love with him. It says something that people started crying their hearts out when TK [[PleaseDontLeaveMe simply asks Nanno to not disappear on him]] [[spoiler:and Nanno has no choice but to.]] |
| 159 | * ''Series/{{Glee}}'' really seems to have more of a Darkhorse Ensemble than an EnsembleDarkHorse. |
| 160 | ** Artie gets a lot of fan love relative to his screentime. |
| 161 | ** Mike Chang, who's only had a handful of lines, but is probably one of the best dancers on the show along with Brittany, and thus has a very large fanbase. |
| 162 | ** Sandy, the CampGay ex-glee coach. |
| 163 | ** Kurt's dad Burt. |
| 164 | ** Blaine. His first musical number sold more copies on iTunes than any other song ever performed on Glee, and to this point he's had more solos than many of the main characters due to his popularity. He's played by Darren Criss, who had his own large fandom before he even joined Glee. |
| 165 | ** Dave Karofsky, along with the actor who plays him, Max Adler, is incredibly popular particularly among gay male fans. There is a fan campaign going around that wants Karofsky to sing on the show, as well. |
| 166 | ** Coach Shannon Bieste, the ''only'' character on the show whom the vast majority of the fanbase unabashedly loves. Even those who hate ''literally everything else'' about it love Shannon. |
| 167 | * ''Series/TheGoodPlace:'' [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Trevor]] had only appeared in a couple episodes on the show's first season but rapidly became one of the series' most popular characters due to [[Creator/AdamScott his actor]] fully embracing the character's CardCarryingVillain nature and delivering a gloriously obnoxious performance. |
| 168 | * ''Series/TheGoodWife:'' There were a few one-shot characters who proved popular enough to keep bringing back again and again -- Elsbeth Tascioni most of all. |
| 169 | * ''Series/TheGreatBritishBakeOff'': Liam from Season 8. He was a happy-go-lucky guy who, at 19, was the youngest baker of the season. His charming personality, overwhelming kindness, and noted ability to making great flavor combinations, made everyone fall in love with him. Everyone was happy we he got "Star Baker", but also a massive wave of sadness hit the fanbase when he was eliminated. |
| 170 | * ''Series/GreysAnatomy'': Bokhee, a scrub nurse, is oddly popular with fans for a background character with almost zero lines. It helps that she has the eight-highest episode count of ''the entire cast'' and is played by an [=IRL=] nurse Creator/SandraOh (Cristina Yang) outright called "[[https://twitter.com/iamsandraoh/status/383456432982478848?lang=en my second mom]]" |
| 171 | * ''Series/{{Grimm}}'': |
| 172 | ** Bud, the {{Adorkable}} Wesen repairman. |
| 173 | ** Sebastien, Renard's confidant. He's even got his own fan club -- Team Silly Squirrel! (And they've nicknamed him Chirpy -- it was originally "Renard's Canary", but "devolved".) They even pulled a "If Sebastien dies, we riot!" movement on Twitter and Tumblr. [[spoiler:Sadly, Sebastien died anyways.]] |
| 174 | ** Meisner, owing to the fact that [[MrFanservice Damien Puckler]] is [[https://24.media.tumblr.com/e1d1830ee88cd5154c876398dbb7e374/tumblr_n23xbh99M71roc8kvo1_250.gif dead sexy]] and a total badass. One (female) reviewer has taken to calling him "Tall, Dark and Dreamy". |
| 175 | * ''Series/HawaiiFive0'' |
| 176 | ** August March is only in two episodes, but is a popular RoguesGallery member for his manipulative tricks and how his actor is reprising a role from the original series. |
| 177 | ** Serial arsonist Jason Duclair only appears four times, but greatly intrigues many fans through a combination of his terrifying pyromania and occasional NobleDemon moments. |
| 178 | ** Retired [=FBI=] profiler Alicia Brown is only in six episodes but is one of Steve's more popular love interests. |
| 179 | ** OneShotCharacter mob hitman Nick Mercer has a surprisingly big following due to [[spoiler:his FanficFuel rich BackStory as TheAtoner who has been faking the deaths of his recent targets and setting them up in new lives with his own UndergroundRailroad.]] |
| 180 | ** It's only in Season 7 that Duke gets a PromotionToOpeningTitles, but his role as a MauveShirt CoolOldGuy who is played by a star of the original show makes him extremely popular. |
| 181 | ** Gerard Hirsch only makes a few appearances per season after his debut, but his role as a reformed criminal with a goofy crush on Kono makes him pretty popular. |
| 182 | * ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': |
| 183 | ** Ando, Hiro's best friend, is well-liked for his blase personality that balances out Hiro's excited one. |
| 184 | ** D.L., a badass whose main concerns are his son and wife. He makes it very clear that he doesn't wish to abandon Niki, but acknowledges that she's dangerous for their son. |
| 185 | ** The Bennet family's son Lyle (who doesn't do much, but shows proper concern for his sister's wellbeing) and adorable dog Mr. Muggles also qualify, and the latter became an in-fandom Memetic Mutation. |
| 186 | ** For that matter, what about Hiro himself? He was added as an afterthought when the creator's wife pointed out that no character created so far actually liked having powers, besides possibly Peter and D.L., and it's partly this very love of being superpowered that has made him easily one of the most (if not ''the'' most) popular characters. |
| 187 | ** Claude Rains, Peter's grouchy invisible mentor. Being played by Creator/ChristopherEccleston helps. |
| 188 | ** Of the Season 4 additions, Emma is considered the most liked by the fans, given her storyline of coming to terms with her ability and chemistry with Peter. |
| 189 | ** Sparrow Redhouse. Before she became a major part of the Graphic Novels Rebel story arc she'd only had one brief appearance yet she was still a character fans wanted to see more of. |
| 190 | *** From the graphic novels, there's BrainUploading BadassIsraeli Hana Gitelman and mismatched mother-daughter Company partners Connie and Penny Logan (a appearance-shifting {{Narcissist}} whose powers only work on other people and a BadassNormal with a chip on her shoulder). |
| 191 | * ''Series/{{Highlander}}'': Methos. He was originally supposed to die at the end of the third season, but he stayed alive for the whole series and the two [[SoBadItsGood movies]] that came afterwards because he was a [[DeadpanSnarker terribly]] [[MysteriousPast popular]] [[HoYay character]]. So popular, in fact, that some fans regularly remind others that ''Duncan [=McLeod=]'' is supposed to be the hero of the series (people tend to forget that). |
| 192 | * ''Series/HolbyCity'': This SpinOff of ''Casualty'' has an AscendedExtra who is occasionally used in storylines and is more than a LivingProp or {{Ghost Extra|s}}. The show has a ginger-haired nurse called Marie-Claire, who speaks with an Irish accent, making an appearance. Her accent is genuine Northern Irish, and no {{Oireland}} stereotypes are used here. |
| 193 | * ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'': |
| 194 | ** Luther Mahoney remains one of the most memorable criminals from the show. Even though the majority of his appearances were flashbacks, he was quite the MagnificentBastard and Erik Dellums is still complimented on his role to this day. |
| 195 | ** Recurring character Dr. Scheiner is quite popular for being a humorously eccentric GrumpyOldMan. |
| 196 | ** Gordon Pratt is one of the more popular antagonists in a LoveToHate sense. Being played by Creator/SteveBuscemi doesn't hurt either. |
| 197 | ** Robert Ellison from "Bop Gun" is one of the most popular {{One Shot Character}}s, thanks to Creator/RobinWilliams's genuinely heartbreaking and [[PlayingAgainstType against type]] performance. He even earned an Emmy nomination for his performance. |
| 198 | ** John Lange from "Subway" is popular as well, thanks to being a well-written JerkassWoobie and Creator/VincentDOnofrio's excellent performance. |
| 199 | * ''Series/HoratioHornblower'' adaptations: There are several fan favorite minor characters, and some fans prefer them even over the main man Horatio. |
| 200 | ** [[TheProudElite His]] [[BlueBlood Lordship]] {{Major|lyAwesome}} Edrington appeared only in one of eight installments but became very memorable and fans' particular favorite. His cool is beyond awesome and his GentlemanSnarker character shines very brightly, even though the series is the WorldOfSnark. He's very popular in fan fics. |
| 201 | ** The Duchess from "The Duchess and the Devil". She's an older lady, but vivacious, spirited, cheeky, clever, charming and immensely hot, capable of taking care of herself and able to fool the Spanish by hiding Horatio's super important dispatches. It doesn't happen a lot that a hero of WoodenShipsAndIronMen adventure gets paired with such an interesting and well-developed woman counterpart. Most fans absolutely adore her, though she has also been called "annoying cargo". |
| 202 | * ''Series/HouseOfAnubis'': |
| 203 | ** Jason Winkler, by a lot. Despite being a teacher and one of the antagonists, when he didn't come back after Season 1, many fans were begging and waiting for his return, probably making him one of the most loved characters in the show. This might have something to do with his implied TeacherStudentRomance with Patricia, and his sympathetic motivation for evil (needing immortality due to a degenerative illness). |
| 204 | ** Fans are fond of Jerome's little sister Poppy, and Patricia's [[PolarOppositeTwins twin]], Piper, despite Poppy not appearing at all in Season 3 and Piper only getting a cameo. |
| 205 | ** While the rest of the new characters in TheMovie are TheScrappy, Dexter was well liked by fans for being sympathetic, funny, and seemingly a mix of all the boys in personality traits. |
| 206 | * ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': |
| 207 | ** Nora for being the most decent girl Barney has met, seeing through his tricks, and being British. |
| 208 | ** Brad is unsurprising in hindsight, considering how Joe Manganiello's career subsequently took off. |
| 209 | ** Although Quinn is disliked by Barney/Robin and Barney/Nora shippers, she does have her own fans who like her for her feistiness and the fact that she can match Barney when it comes to being cunning and manipulative. |
| 210 | ** Stan from "The Three Days Rule" is also somewhat popular, probably due to his sexy voice, recitation of Pablo Neruda, and being played by [[Creator/KevinMichaelRichardson a pretty popular voice actor]]. One wonders how his date with Robin went... |
| 211 | ** Daphne, the SassyBlackWoman Marshall ends up hitching a ride with to get to the wedding in the ninth season. |
| 212 | ** Linus, the bartender giving Lily the [[INeedAFreakingDrink Kennedy Package]] who has his own meme. |
| 213 | ** Despite the finale having [[BrokenBase mixed reactions]], most people liked the old lady Ted sat next to at the train station [[ShipperOnDeck who got excited about Ted meeting The Mother.]] |
| 214 | %%** Ranjit, Wendy and Randy. |
| 215 | * ''Series/ICarly'': |
| 216 | ** Wendy was a mostly semi-recurring MrExposition character, who gained enough popularity to start being shipped with the main characters. Wendy was a victim of ChuckCunninghamSyndrome at the end of Season 2, roughly the same time Gibby started to be used more frequently. |
| 217 | ** InUniverse, Freddie is one. When they interact with their fans at ''Webicon'', he is ''mobbed'' by girls. Carly and Sam don't get anywhere like that level of attention, and most of their attention is based around which of them should be dating Freddie. |
| 218 | %%* ''Series/{{JAG}}'': Clayton Webb. |
| 219 | * ''Series/{{Justified}}'': Boyd Crowder. He was originally going to be a one off villain. Raylan shooting him was supposed to kill him. However, the showrunners fell in love with Boyd and the fatal shot was changed to "Near fatal" and Boyd is a show mainstay now. |
| 220 | * ''Franchise/KamenRider'': |
| 221 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderBlack'' and ''Series/KamenRiderBlackRX'': Kotaro Minami, the main character for both series, is incredibly popular for the entire franchise. Somewhat justified, as he has the most appearances of any Rider in history by episode count alone. |
| 222 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'': Takeshi Asakura/Kamen Rider Ouja remains a popular villain in the Rider franchise. Up until Kitaoka's return in Chou Super Hero Taisen, he's the only Ryuki Rider to reappear in [[Series/KamenRiderDecade future]] [[Series/KamenRiderExAid installments]] with the original actor reprising his role, whether it's voice only (Decade) or in person (Ex-Aid). |
| 223 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'': The [=DenLiner=] Imagin -- Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros -- and Deneb were just the {{Non Human Sidekick}}s to the show's main heroes, but by the end of the year, their popularity had overtaken the show itself. Mostly the Taros'. This prompted several musical releases, a {{spinoff}} anime starring them, and ''three'' additional movies for the series (one of which is part of a larger series). |
| 224 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'': Kaito and Zack, the main members of team Baron: The former due to him being TheRival as well as his [[AntiHero complex]] [[AntiVillain character]], the latter due to being an overall NiceGuy among many morally ambiguous Riders. This lead to Kaito getting an extra form he wasn't supposed to get ([[SuperMode Lemon Energy Arms]]), Zack getting his own Rider form at all ([[PowerFist Kurumi Arms]]), and both getting their own special stories dedicated to them even after the series has ended. |
| 225 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'': '''Kuroto Dan'''. The hammiest, funniest bastard in ''Ex-Aid'' with HeadsIWinTailsYouLose as M.O on the top. Also he is '''the''' MadScientist in franchise than basically runs on them. His expressions are FountainOfMemes and his god rants are legendary. |
| 226 | *** Taiga Hanaya and Kiriya Kujo. The first one for his EvilIsCool attitude and backstory of FallenHero. The second one for being the ConsummateLiar, having cool henshin pose, and woobish backstory. |
| 227 | ** Kazumi Sawatari/Kamen Rider Grease from ''Series/KamenRiderBuild''. Despite only being the tertiary Rider of his series, in a NHK poll to decide the most popular Kamen Rider he scored 10th place, above over half the lead Riders in the franchise as well as every other non-lead Rider. |
| 228 | * ''Series/KindredTheEmbraced'': Mark Frankel's Julian Luna became this, after poor writing and acting resulted in lead character Frank Kohanek (Creator/CThomasHowell) becoming TheScrappy. Season 2 was going to make Julian Luna the lead and write out Kohanek; but Frankel's death in a motorcycle accident resulted in the show being cancelled after the first season, as no other characters were strong or popular enough to carry the show. |
| 229 | * ''Series/{{Kings}}'': |
| 230 | ** Crown Prince Jack Benjamin. When your daddy's played by Ian [=McShane=], and you're ''still'' stealing scenes, it's safe to say the fans are going to adore you. It helps that Sebastian Stan is fairly well known for his role on ''Gossip Girl'' and is really rather attractive. |
| 231 | ** In fandom, not only is Jack one of the most popular, but his [[StalkerWithACrush stalker]] / [[{{Gayngst}} secret]] [[BuryYourGays boyfriend]] Joseph (who appeared in only two episodes) gets more attention than some of the main cast. |
| 232 | * ''Series/TheLastManOnEarth'': |
| 233 | ** Seafaring CrazySurvivalist Pat, GildedCage bunker survivor Pamela, and imprisoned ReluctantMonster Karl all have their antagonistic moments and their combined number of episodes aren’t enough to fill a season, but all are seen as delightfully colorful and able to rival or surpass the main cast in entertainment value. |
| 234 | ** Martinez, the prison guard played by Creator/GeoffreyRivas, only appears in one WholeEpisodeFlashback, but makes a good impression for being a warm-hearted but pragmatic ReasonableAuthorityFigure who treats the only other survivor at his prison (SerialKiller Karl) nicely but is ProperlyParanoid about the dangers of letting a murderer out into the world. |
| 235 | * ''Series/TheLateLateShow'': An almost literal example with Secretariat with Creator/CraigFerguson. Initially just stock footage of some goofballs gadding about in a horse suit, the pantomime horse soon began to show up in the studio as a running gag and proved extremely popular with audiences, to the point where they've even had "Team Secretariat" T-shirts made and a whole sketch ("Secretariat in New York") was created around the character. |
| 236 | * ''Series/TheLateShowWithStephenColbert'': Stephen's wife Evie, who almost never appeared in the pre-COVID era of the show, became indispensable as both producer and sole audience member during their 15 months in quarantine. She proved so popular with the audience that she now makes regular appearances on the show, even after it has resumed full production. |
| 237 | * ''Series/TheLeagueOfGentlemen'': Papa Lazarou only appears four times over the entirety of the show's run (including TheMovie), and yet he's probably the show's most discussed, quoted, and beloved character. |
| 238 | * ''Series/{{Leverage}}'': |
| 239 | ** The show has Massachusetts State Police detective Patrick Bonanno. He made a few appearances in Season 2, most importantly serving as the impetus for the events of the Season 2 finale. The writers were really surprised at how happy viewers were to see him appear in "The Jailhouse Job," the Season 3 premiere. |
| 240 | ** It could also be argued that Hardison's rival hacker "Chaos" is an ensemble darkhorse; he is the only one to re-appear from "The Two Live Crew Job" (as of s3), and the fans were glad to see him again. This is particularly ironic when considering that he is played by ''Creator/WilWheaton''. |
| 241 | * ''Series/LoisAndClark'': Back in the 90s, this show had a problem. Like many Franchise/{{Superman}} shows, the hero suffered from a lack of competent foes. His biggest enemy, ComicBook/LexLuthor, was written out of the show after actor Creator/JohnShea opted not to return for the second season. What to do? Along came Tempus, time-traveling bad guy and one-shot villain. Played by obscure soap actor Lane Davies, Tempus' endlessly-quotable jibes and penchant for LeaningOnTheFourthWall proved so popular that he ended up returning each subsequent year. |
| 242 | * ''Series/{{Lost}}'': |
| 243 | ** Rose and Bernard. They began as rather minor characters, with Rose being a blatant MagicalNegro in Season 1, but their popularity allowed them to have ADayInTheLimelight, and Bernard is the only surviving member of the Tailies ([[spoiler:Besides Cindy, who became a recurring minor Other]]). |
| 244 | ** Despite his placement on the far end of the SlidingScaleOfAntagonistVileness, Martin Keamy enjoyed a substantial following for his short guest appearance due to both Kevin Durand's fabulous performance and for being one of the few ''Series/{{Lost}}'' villains to be out and out evil. |
| 245 | %%** There's Richard Alpert. |
| 246 | ** Daniel Faraday developed a huge following, despite limited screen-time. |
| 247 | ** Frank Lapidus started to become a fan favorite when he was reintroduced in Season 5, and was cemented as an EnsembleDarkHorse in Season 6. |
| 248 | ** One of the extras, [[http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/SBSSG Sexy Blue Striped Shirt Girl]]. Popular enough to warrant [[http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/The_Lostpedia_Interview:Faith_Fay an interview with her actress]]. |
| 249 | ** Libby. [[spoiler:And then she got shot by Michael without ever getting an episode focused on her.]] |
| 250 | * ''Series/MadMen'': |
| 251 | ** Miss Blankenship [[spoiler:dies a few episodes after she is introduced]] but seems to have won a lot of fans for being a [[DeadpanSnarker queen of one-liners]] [[spoiler: Roger says that's [[IWasQuiteALooker not all that she was queen of]]]]. [[ScrewPolitenessImASenior The cantankerous old woman]] can even put Bert Cooper in his place and totally get away with it. |
| 252 | ** Sally Draper has received much more screen time and character development then her brother Bobby. |
| 253 | ** Rachel Menken appeared for only the first season, but was a very effective and memorable foil for Don. |
| 254 | ** Sal was the most liked junior executive early on and a sympathetic portrayal of a gay man discovering his sexuality, and many discussions see fans wanting him back. |
| 255 | ** Faye Miller gets a lot of love from the fan base, with many being upset that Don chose Megan over her, even if they understand why he did. |
| 256 | ** Dawn and Shirley are this for a lot of fans. Being they're two best friends that serve as [[SnarkKnight the Daria and Jane]] of the agency and are the only African-American staffers on the show. Dawn's PluckyGirl storylines and Shirley's sass and [[MsFanservice short skirts]] don't hurt either. |
| 257 | ** Trudy Campbell has always been popular with the fanbase, but her SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome when she [[spoiler: kicks Pete Campbell out with a rousing TheReasonYouSuckSpeech]] pushed her into a bit of a twitter sensation. |
| 258 | ** Some have found Meredith (epitome of DumbBlonde in this show) to become this following her assignment as Don's Secretary in Season 7. Her innocent naiveté complements Don's weariness quite well. |
| 259 | * ''Series/MareOfEasttown'': |
| 260 | ** Mare's mother Helen, for being a snarky old woman who isn't afraid to speak her mind, naturally making her one of the funniest characters on the show. |
| 261 | ** Colin, who is adorable, slightly awkward, has a crush on Mare, and is played by Creator/EvanPeters, all traits that endeared him very quickly to the audience. Some fans would've preferred if Mare had ended up with him instead of Richard, and [[spoiler:his sudden death at the end of Episode 5 devastated most of the viewers]]. |
| 262 | ** Dylan's parents, who try to be GoodParents to DJ and are genuinely good people, in contrast to their son. Many fans were disappointed when [[spoiler:Lori ended up getting custody of DJ and felt like it should've gone to them instead.]] |
| 263 | * ''Series/{{MASH}}'': The is probably ''[[TropeCodifier the]]'' original ensemble show, so it's unsurprising that this trope pops up there. |
| 264 | ** The cross-dressing Corporal Max Klinger was meant to be a one-time joke, but eventually became a regular. He was one of the only four characters to stay through the show's eleven seasons. The other three are Hawkeye, Maj. Houlihan, and Father Mulcahy, who were main characters from the scratch. |
| 265 | ** Sidney Freedman was almost meant for a one-shot appearance, but was brought back on several occasions. |
| 266 | ** Colonel Flagg was a very popular and memorable character despite appearing in only 7 episodes. |
| 267 | * ''Series/TheMentalist'': |
| 268 | ** Walter Mashburn, the bored billionaire with an interest in Lisbon, is only in two episodes but is a major scene stealer who is almost unaminously praised and who a lot of fans vainly hoped to see play big roles in the Volker and/or Red John arcs. |
| 269 | ** The combined episodes featuring [=LaRoche=], Hightower, and Wainwright don't even add up to 1/4th of the show's episodes, and none of the three ever warrant main billing. However, the characters are all very well-liked by the fanbase by the end of their runs on the show, rivaling several of the more prominent characters in popularity. Put it down to all three of them getting some decent HiddenDepths and/or CharacterDevelopment and [=LaRoche=] being a TheComicallySerious ByTheBookCop, Hightower having some ActionMom and PragmaticHero tendencies, and Wainwright being a SharpDressedMan who is one of the few bosses to actually punish Jane when he really crosses the line. |
| 270 | ** Patrick's old carnie friend Pete Barsocky is only in three episodes, but is very popular for being a humorous GentleGiant played by [[Creator/McGainey [=MC=] Gainey]]. |
| 271 | * ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'': |
| 272 | ** Sir Leon. Despite having only actually turned up to basically provide filler dialogue in 7 episodes over the course of Season 2 and being universally feared to have been killed by dragon flames in the Season 2 finale, he returned for Season 3 due to the huge fan outrage at his death (screw continuity). After all, when you've married a troll and you need someone to be diplomatically silent about it, who do you call? Sir Leon! |
| 273 | ** Both Lancelot and Gwaine showed up in an episode, dominated all of their scenes and won the hearts of fangirls everywhere, and caused much rejoicing on their return. |
| 274 | * ''Series/MiamiVice'': [[DaChief Castillo]] got a shocking amount of fanfic and fan attention back when the series was airing. Being played by Creator/EdwardJamesOlmos certainly helped. Henry Jenkins, in the book ''Textual Poachers'' writes extensively at how strange it was that the frumpy-by-comparison Castillo captivated the fanbase. |
| 275 | * ''Series/TheMightyBoosh'': |
| 276 | ** Old Gregg is one of their best known characters, and one of the most often imitated. He only has probably about a page's worth of dialogue, but more than a few fans of the show could recite the entirety of it. |
| 277 | ** The Hitcher, despite the fact he's a psychopath who would rape Howard behind the counter if he were female. |
| 278 | * ''Series/MorkAndMindy'': Exidor. He started out as the leader of the cult "Friends Of Venus" (the other members of which were figments of his imagination) in the episode "Mork Runs Away". By the end of that episode it was clear the audience loved him almost as much as they loved Mork. He returned in the episode "Mork The Gullible" to rapturous applause, and after that he became a recurring character who was greeted by the audience with cheers throughout all four seasons. Interesting side note: His first two appearances concluded with him being disappointed with Mork for his lack of belief in Exidor's "religions". They eventually ended up as close friends ([[HoYay sometimes they seemed]] '''[[HoYay very]]''' [[HoYay close]]). |
| 279 | * ''Series/TheMole'': The Dutch version has [[TheStoic Ellie Lust]] from Season 16. She was a fan favourite because of her no-nonsense attitude and memorable one-liners which were referenced by everyone (even contestants and the host) in later seasons. She returned for an all-stars season and once again became a fan favourite. |
| 280 | * ''Series/MrRobot'': |
| 281 | ** Leon, Elliot's laid-back friend from prison who likes to go on long, surprisingly insightful tangents about various 90's sitcoms and just so happens to be [[spoiler:a skilled hitman and the right hand of the most powerful crime lord in the world. Surprisingly, his popularity continued even after he helped kill fan favorites Mobley and Trenton]]. |
| 282 | ** Irving, also a Dark Army fixer, for being such a big psychopath in his final scene of Season 3 that the scene nearly becomes hilarious rather than horrifying. |
| 283 | ** Gideon and Shayla also receive a lot of love from the fandom for being the one of only kind characters of the show and caring about Elliot's well being. People were heartbroken when they died. |
| 284 | * ''Series/TheMuppetShow'': |
| 285 | ** For a Muppet that only appears once in a blue moon, [[CrazyIsCool Crazy Harry]] is real popular with the fans. |
| 286 | ** [[{{Dracolich}} Uncle]] [[TokenEvilTeammate Deadly]]. He didn't appear much (only in a few episodes, musical numbers and the "Muppet Melodrama" sketches), but he became somewhat popular, especially after his major role in [[Film/TheMuppets2011 the 2011 movie]]. |
| 287 | * ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'': |
| 288 | ** From the [[Film/ManosTheHandsOfFate worst movie]] came its most enduring guest character -- Torgo, the stammering, swollen-kneed, scruffy-bearded, ratty-clothed, thoroughly creepy yet ineffectual henchman to The Master. Not only does he make numerous appearances and cameos in the host segments over the next couple seasons, he's even given an epic fate as he becomes Torgo the White. |
| 289 | ** [[SelfDemonstrating/BoisterousBruiser Dablone]], the ''only'' enjoyable character on [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]] subject ''Film/{{Escape 2000}}''. |
| 290 | ** The Aztec sidekick from ''Film/ThePumaman''. |
| 291 | ** Professor Lembach, the granter of grants in ''Film/TheProjectedMan'', even though he's only in about two scenes. |
| 292 | ** ''Film/WarriorOfTheLostWorld'': MEGAWEAPON!! |
| 293 | ** Who dares deny the beer-swilling badassery that is Rowsdower?! |
| 294 | * ''Series/NightCourt'': |
| 295 | ** [[DeadpanSnarker Dan Fielding.]] Even though he balanced between being a JerkAss and a JerkWithAHeartOfGold [[UnpopularPopularCharacter (and was downright]] ''[[UnpopularPopularCharacter loathed]]'' [[UnpopularPopularCharacter in universe by almost everyone)]], to date, whenever anyone mentions the show he (as well as his actor, John Larroquette) are usually the first people that come to mind. |
| 296 | ** Bull Shannon was one as well, for being a lovable GeniusDitz, a GentleGiant, and [[TheRedStapler popular enough to get his own doll for a time.]] |
| 297 | * ''Series/{{Nikita}}'': Among the supporting characters, [[TheBrute Roan]] is surprisingly popular, given that he's a [[TheQuietOne mostly wordless]] sociopath. The fact that he's MadeOfIron and wears a BadassLongcoat probably helps. |
| 298 | * ''Series/NoOrdinaryFamily'': Some characters who only make one or two appearances, like ReasonableAuthorityFigure Detective Cho, the Powells' mysterious new friends the Cotten family, supervillains Rebecca and Theo (an earthquake maker and a pyrokinetic), downplayed ObnoxiousInLaws Allan and Barbara, and Trent (a home invasion witness played by Creator/JacksonRathbone) all enjoy almost as much fanfare and recognition as secondary characters with more than twice their screentime. |
| 299 | * ''Series/TheNoddyShop'': |
| 300 | ** The Ruby Reds have a good number of fans despite being minor characters compared to the other puppets (they only comment on the action in episodes and sing in several songs). |
| 301 | ** Lichtenstein (also known as Stein) is another minor puppet character who gets a lot of attention from the fandom. |
| 302 | ** Another fan-favorite minor toy is Angelina from "Part of the Family", to the point where her episode is one of the first results for ''The Noddy Shop'' on Google! |
| 303 | * ''Series/NorthernExposure'': MultipleChoicePast hermit Adam only appears in 10 out of 110 episodes but is one of the show's most beloved characters. |
| 304 | * ''Series/NowhereBoys'' |
| 305 | ** Ellen, who ended up becoming an AscendedExtra. |
| 306 | ** Phoebe as well, the reluctant TeamMom to a group of homeless teenage boys. |
| 307 | ** Peta is also becoming this. |
| 308 | * ''Series/Numb3rs'': Oswald Kittner (Creator/JayBaruchel), a fantasy baseball player from the Season 3 episode "Hardball", was going to be a oneshot character before fan reaction caused the creators to bring him back in the episode "Democracy". |
| 309 | * ''Series/TheOfficeUS'': Unless he's having ADayInTheLimelight, [[AdamWesting Creed Bratton]] often has only one line per episode, if not less. Doesn't stop him from completely stealing the show in the eyes of the fans whenever he says something. |
| 310 | * ''Series/{{Oz}}'': |
| 311 | ** Donald Groves, the [[AffablyEvil surprisingly polite]] ([[LaughablyEvil and hilarious]]) [[ImAHumanitarian cannibalistic murderer]]. [[spoiler:His death is both a massive TearJerker and a prime example of TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter.]] |
| 312 | ** Resident escape artist Agamemnon Busmalis is one of the most beloved out of the recurring cast, thanks to [[PluckyComicRelief bringing some much needed levity to an otherwise bleak show]] and being one of the few genuinely kindhearted prisoners. |
| 313 | ** Enrique Morales is popular among fans for being an intimidating and badass MagnificentBastard who thoroughly outplays his enemies again and again. |
| 314 | ** Peter Schibetta is almost universally beloved, thanks to being a ''massive'' JerkassWoobie in a cast full of them. |
| 315 | ** Dr. Tariq Faraj, the hilariously snarky dentist who pulls an elaborately clever scheme to get back at Robson for his constant racial slurs, which results in the latter spiraling into well-deserved comeuppance after spending season after season committing every horrible deed in the book. While the doctor appears in only few episodes, his character arc laments his status as one of the biggest {{Troll}} in the entire series. |
| 316 | * ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'': |
| 317 | ** Jean-Ralphio was so memorable after his initial appearance that he became a recurring character and even had other members of his family introduced. |
| 318 | ** Perd Hapley is also a popular supporting character that is very popular with the fanbase in regards to supporting characters. |
| 319 | ** Ken Hotate, Old Gus, Greg Pikitis, Orin, Harris and Brett (the animal control guys), Mel (the red-faced guy at town hall meetings), and the woman at town hall meetings (who made sun tea out of sprinkler water) are all also quite popular. |
| 320 | * ''Series/PeakyBlinders'' has Alfie Solomons, the head of a [[KosherNostra Jewish crime syndicate in London]]. He first appeared in season two and has less than an hour of total screen time over six seasons. And yet he's one of the most popular characters on the show. This is in no small part thanks to Tom Hardy playing the character with chaotic aplomb, which perfectly complements the quiet intensity that Cillian Murphy brings to the lead character [[TheDon Thomas Shelby]] when the two are onscreen together. |
| 321 | * ''Series/PeepShow'': |
| 322 | ** Super Hans, Jeremy's techno nutter mate. He's a self centered fantasist but his often hilarious drug addiction and plain coolness have endeared him to many fans (He has a snake, for crying out loud). |
| 323 | ** Alan Johnson is another candidate. Originally a one-episode character, he became Mark's boss at JLB in the second series, and is one of the more widely-loved characters. |
| 324 | * ''Series/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians2023'': Hermes and Hephaestus are supporting characters in Season 1, with the latter only appearing once, but they are quite popular, mainly due to the compelling performances of their actors. |
| 325 | * ''Series/PhilOfTheFuture'': LovableAlphaBitch Tia and Debbie ThePollyanna are praised as being among the more consistently interesting and entertaining recurring characters despite only being featured in season 1. |
| 326 | * ''Series/PicketFences'': |
| 327 | ** Alzheimers patient Howard Buss only makes scattered appearances across the first two seasons, but the way his tenure as mayor (where he proves to be a refreshing ReasonableAuthorityFigure in comparison to his predecessors) and struggle with Alzheimer's combine remarkably touching pathos and the occasional comedic moment make him a fan favorite. |
| 328 | ** K.C. "The Snake Lady" Barrett, a python-draped FemmeFatale, only appears in one episode, [[spoiler:at the end of which she is PutOnAPrisonBus]], but is one of the more iconic EccentricTownsfolk. |
| 329 | * ''Series/{{Popular}}'': April Tuna. The sexually aggressive nerd was the weirdest and often best part of the show. |
| 330 | * ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' usually has one stand-out ranger per season, but there are some figures that stand out amongst the entire franchise. |
| 331 | ** Tommy Oliver from the original season is probably the most notable example. Starting as a character introduced halfway through the first season and using limited stock footage, Tommy's gone on to be ''the'' face of the series. Seasons will bend over backwards to include him if given the opportunity. |
| 332 | ** In terms of villains, the Psycho Rangers from ''In Space'' were popular enough to have a [[ThePsychoRangers trope named after them]]. Out of them, Psycho Pink is actually fairly popular in her own right as she was the least fleshed-out in ''In Space'' but received an episode of her own in ''Lost Galaxy''. Not to mention she's a ''Power Rangers'' villain that's actually '''killed''' a Ranger in battle. |
| 333 | ** ''Series/PowerRangersSPD'' has several. Doggie Cruger is popular because of the UsefulNotes/FurryFandom, his {{Woobie}} backstory, and because he's the first mentor to go out into battle as a Ranger[[note]]not counting [[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder Tommy]], since he's had a history of fighting beforehand[[/note]]. Kat the CatGirl scientist has gotten plenty of love not just for her attractive appearance, but also for becoming the [[HourOfPower Kat Ranger]], with some fans wishing she got to keep the suit longer. She was even popular enough to become a playable character in ''VideoGame/PowerRangersBattleForTheGrid'', getting in before Doggie. The A-Squad only have about ten minutes of screentime spread across a handful of episodes, but they're one of the most memorable aspects of the show [[spoiler:for being the first rangers to turn evil of their own volition, and having the first female red among them.]] |
| 334 | ** ''Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive'' is not one of the most fondly remembered seasons, though even haters really like the Hartford family's butler, Spencer. He serves as not only the Red Ranger's butler, a [[ServileSnarker snarky one at that]], but also gives the rangers some words of wisdom that help them whenever they feel down. |
| 335 | ** ''Series/PowerRangersSamurai'' is held in even worse regard, but everyone appreciates the inclusion of Lauren Shiba. She's the first female Red Ranger who stays good through her run, and normally serves as the series' representative in franchise-wide events. |
| 336 | * ''Series/ProjectRunway'': Tim Gunn. Many fans maintain that he is 80% of the reason for watching the show. |
| 337 | * ''Series/{{Psych}}'': Jimmi Simpson became a fan favorite during his brief appearances as Inspector Mary Lightly. |
| 338 | * ''Series/{{Reacher}}'': |
| 339 | ** Lazy yet competent and concerned medical examiner Jasper is only in about half of the episodes and only has a few scenes per episode, but fans like him and his expanded role. |
| 340 | ** Officer Stevenson is kept out of most of the action due to the characters not knowing whether they can trust him, but he is well-liked for being a NiceGuy who is helpful when he has a chance to be. [[spoiler:His DeathByAdaptation is one of the few sore spots for many fans of the original book.]]* ''Series/RedDwarf'': |
| 341 | ** "Mr. Flibble" went from [[ConsultingMisterPuppet a character's insane delusion in one episode]] to interviewer on the official site. |
| 342 | ** Ace Rimmer. The ultimate [[TheAce Ace]] who crosses dimensions and saves universes. Seriously, what a guy! |
| 343 | ** Duane Dibly, Cat's dorky alter ego. His actor attributed his popularity to the lack of black nerd characters. |
| 344 | ** Talky Toaster. His constant asking if people want toast is practically memetic. On the official website, it's him who does the interviews with characters. |
| 345 | * ''Remember WENN'': CJ was originally just the guy in the booth. By Season 3, he got an least one line per episode and was shown to harbor an unrequited crush on Betty. |
| 346 | %%* ''Series/{{Revenge}}'': Emily's ally Nolan pretty much has this in the bag. |
| 347 | * ''Series/{{Revolution}}'': |
| 348 | ** Lets face it, Miles is the ''real'' protagonist. |
| 349 | ** For a villain, Neville is quite likeable. However, given how the character has devolved in a SmugSnake who TookALevelInJerkass and gets humiliated a lot, "likeable" is a relative term. |
| 350 | * ''Series/{{Rhoda}}'': Carlton the Doorman was considered such a miniscule off-screen character that an executive producer provided his voice. The character's popularity propelled that producer -- Creator/LorenzoMusic -- into a new career of numerous voice acing roles, including [[WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends one particular fat cat]]. |
| 351 | * ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'': |
| 352 | ** Sabrina has a rotating circle of best friend characters across the whole series. The favourite of the lot seems to be Valerie -- from Seasons 2 and 3. Her entertaining neurosis provided a great contrast to Sabrina's more outgoing personality, and it helps that her debut marked the show's GrowingTheBeard. |
| 353 | ** Aunt Vesta, who only appeared in one episode. Played by Creator/RaquelWelch and being a CoolAunt (as well as a MsFanservice) -- she featured a lot more in the novelizations due to her popularity. |
| 354 | ** Likewise is Aunt Irma from Seasons 6 and 7, also played by an icon of the FantasticComedy -- Creator/BarbaraEden. Her EvilMatriarch status is PlayedForLaughs and she's given enough PetTheDog moments to be likable. Had the show been renewed for an eighth season, she would have become a regular. |
| 355 | ** Creator/TaraStrong appeared in the two spin-off films ''Film/SabrinaGoesToRome'' and ''Film/SabrinaDownUnder'' as an IneptMage called Gwen. Utterly {{Adorkable}}, many fans wished she could have been incorporated in the main series. |
| 356 | * ''Series/TheSandman2022'': Hob Gadling only appears in one episode, and it is the one that arguably has the least to do with the main plot. However, he is one of the show's most popular characters, due to Creator/FerdinandKingsley's natural charisma, the character's love for simply being alive, and his interesting dynamic and friendship with Dream. Many fans have expressed a desire for Hob to be given an expanded role in Season 2. |
| 357 | * ''Series/SchittsCreek'': |
| 358 | ** Jocelyn Schitt was written as the StraightMan and {{Foil}} character for Roland Schitt played by Creator/ChrisElliott and for Moira played by Creator/CatherineOHara. However, Jennifer Robertson's ability to hold her own in scenes with comic legends like Elliott, O'Hara and series co-creator Creator/EugeneLevy has led to the character getting more and more to do. In Season 4, she was given an unexpected late-in-life pregnancy storyline that was a part of multiple episodes, including one where Jocelyn bullies David into throwing her a baby shower and the season finale that has her giving birth. |
| 359 | ** Twyla Sands initially started out as one of the many quirky townspeople and something of a stock character, but she has gradually become a fan favorite because of Creator/SarahLevy's spot-on delivery and chemistry with Annie Murphy who plays Alexis. Since she is a RealLifeRelative of the co-creators and stars (the sister of Creator/DanLevy and daughter of Eugene), she has a natural chemistry with the characters of David and Johnny as well. |
| 360 | ** Ronnie Lee, played by Karen Robinson, started out as a town councilor whose main job was to call out the Roses on their BS. She was always popular, but Robinson pulled off a minor miracle by making her character ''more'' popular after she becomes the SitcomArchNemesis of beloved and incredibly likable Patrick. The chemistry between Robinson and Creator/NoahReid, who always made Patrick so befuddled by her dislike, made both characters more lovable. |
| 361 | ** Bob Currie, a minor character played by Eugene Levy's ''Series/{{SCTV}}'' castmate John Hemphill, has become known for his often short but bonkers interactions with the main cast and his highly specific shuffle. |
| 362 | * ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'': |
| 363 | ** Hooch is the most popular side-character. At first, he was just a background surgeon used to punctuate a joke about J.D. assuming "Hooch" was the name of a black guy in "Turner & Hooch" (for the record, it's the name of the dog in the Tom Hanks movie ''Film/TurnerAndHooch''). Towards the end of that episode, as he got more annoyed at people calling him "Hooch", he started displaying a charmingly AxCrazy personality as he yelled at them to stop, prompting characters to say the sort-of CatchPhrase "Hooch is crazy!" Thanks to this, he became loved by many fans, especially for his many quotables, despite being in only four episodes in the fourth season. Because of this positive response, creator Creator/BillLawrence made sure to fit him into the Season 7 premiere. Unlike other shows, Scrubs is pretty good at making sure they don't overuse an Ensemble Darkhorse. |
| 364 | ** "Snoop Dogg intern", who started as a one-line joke, but who stayed around to become "Snoop Dogg resident" and "Snoop Dogg attending". |
| 365 | * ''Series/SesameStreet'': For those who aren't [[NightmareFuel/SesameStreet freaked out]] by them, the Martians could also qualify. YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP. UH HUH. UH HUH. YIP YIP YIP. |
| 366 | * ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'': |
| 367 | ** Fans love them some Mycroft Holmes. Oh, yes, they do. (It doesn't hurt that Mycroft is played by Creator/MarkGatiss...) |
| 368 | ** Molly's pretty popular, especially since she [[CanonForeigner wasn't in the books]] and was only meant to be in one episode initially. But she's probably the chewiest [[TheChewToy Chew Toy]] on TV. |
| 369 | ** Anthea has had seven lines across the entire series. She still rocks. |
| 370 | ** Anderson became this upon being RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap in the short "Many Given Thanks" and the Series 3 premiere "The Empty Hearse", where he's basically a stand-in for the show's fandom, having theorized various ways that Sherlock could be alive due to feeling guilt over (seemingly) driving Sherlock to suicide. |
| 371 | * ''Series/{{Silo}}'': |
| 372 | ** Deputy Marnes is an enormously popular supporting character due to his BruiserWithASoftCenter moments, how he is a good {{Foil}} to both Holston and Juliette, and how he is played by Creator/WillPatton. |
| 373 | ** Easygoing FriendOnTheForce Hank and highly dependable (both as a friend and an engineer) WrenchWench Shirley are probably the best-liked of the lower levels-dwelling secondary characters. |
| 374 | %%* ''Series/{{Skins}}'': Several Characters turn out to be this due to there being multiple generations. |
| 375 | %%** Series 1 & 2 has Chris. |
| 376 | %%** Series 3 & 4 has Emily, J.J., Naomi, and Katie for some. |
| 377 | %%** Series 5 has Alo & Rich. |
| 378 | * ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': |
| 379 | ** [[Comicbook/GreenArrow Oliver Queen]] first arrived in Season 6 and quickly became a massive fan favorite character, especially since many fans viewed him as a more proactive hero than Clark, as [[VillainsActHeroesReact he actually sought out the bad guys rather than waiting for trouble to become visible]]. His popularity grew to such magnitudes that he was added to the regular cast in Season 8 and [[spoiler: got shipped with Chloe after fans -- who'd been writing shipper fics for them since their first meeting -- demanded it]]. |
| 380 | ** When Alicia Baker made her debut in the third season, she was intended to be nothing more than the latest [[MonsterOfTheWeek "Freak of the Week"]], just a StalkerWithACrush {{Yandere}} with the hots for Clark. But her early scenes with Clark in that episode (where they're forced to reveal their super powers to each other, then realize they can relax and be themselves in each other's company) had such a sweetness to them, that [[FanNickname "Calicia"]] became a FanPreferredCouple. She returned in the fourth season, complete with a HeelFaceTurn, an AccidentalMarriage to Clark...and a [[ILetGwenStacyDie tragic death.]] While she only appeared in 3 episodes, Alicia looms large in Smallville's mythology for 2 reasons: 1) She's one of only 3 women in the show's entire 10 year run whom Clark explicitly stated he loved (the other 2 being Lana and Lois, making Alicia the only one [[CanonForeigner who wasn't from the comics]]), and 2) In her final episode, she [[TheReveal revealed]] Clark's secret to Chloe, forever altering the [[FanNickname "Chlark"]] dynamic for the show's remaining 5 1/2 seasons. |
| 381 | ** Non-malicious meteor freaks Jordan Cross (who has visions of people's deaths and tries to prevent them), Cyrus Krupp (who has HealingHands and harmless delusions that he's an alien), and Sarah Conroy (who can bring people into a dreamworld and ultimately comes across as TheCutie) all have minor followings and appear on internet lists of notable {{One Shot Character}}s. |
| 382 | ** The Wonder Twins' sole appearance in the show caused them to be RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap for many fans due to being portrayed as realistically flawed {{Heroic Wannabe}}s who get some CharacterDevelopment and use their powers more interestingly than they ever did in the cartoons. |
| 383 | * ''Series/Space1999'': Alan Carter (Nick Tate). He was a prominent supporting character in the first season. However, during the creative shake-up before the second, his character was slated to be axed along with every other supporting role. Fan reaction was so strong that not only was Carter retained, he was given a promotion (from Chief of Recon to pretty much Third-in-Command) and bigger parts in later episodes. Only one other supporting character from the first season (Xenia Merton as Sandra Benes) was retained, but didn't get the expanded role Carter did. |
| 384 | * ''Series/StargateSG1'': |
| 385 | ** Vala Mal Doran was initially intended to be only a one-shot character for one episode in the middle of Season 8, but had such a strong fan reaction that she earned a recurring role in Season 9 and a regular role in Season 10. |
| 386 | ** Walter Harriman originally had the unenviable task of basically being a [[EngagingChevrons verbal]] [[TheBigBoard exposition device]] with no name. Started showing up in more and more episodes as a kind of ShoutOut, eventually got a real name (after several years), and even appeared in some of the "Behind the Scenes" specials. |
| 387 | *** And then, in 200, after ''ten seasons'', [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments he finally gets to go through the gate!]] |
| 388 | ** Similarly, Siler, the much-beleaguered gate technician, has gained quite a following from fans who like to see him get electrocuted, knocked out, and tossed back by an explosion every few episodes. |
| 389 | ** Radek Zelenka was only meant to appear on ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' for one episode, but became a recurring character due to popularity with fans. Some parts of fandom have also embraced one-shot characters Miko and Parrish, as well the recurring character of Major Lorne. |
| 390 | ** Doctor Carson Beckett would also fit this trope, started off as a recurring character in the first season before being promoted to regular for Season 2. [[spoiler:Killed off in the third season. Only to be brought back in the fourth season after fan outrage caused a re-think.]] |
| 391 | ** Pretty much the same thing has happened to the gate technician, who acquired a fan nickname [[AscendedFanon that became canon]] (Chuck), and has gradually gained personality from Season 2 onwards. |
| 392 | *** Sorry, not true. Whilst the fans did have a name for him, the Chucknician, Chuck gained his name in canon by actor Creator/TorriHigginson accidentally referring to actor Chuck Campbell by his name during a take which the producers decided to use. At least that's what Chuck Campbell said whilst on stage at a convention. |
| 393 | ** Todd the Wraith is also up there in fan appreciation, probably due to being the only Wraith in the Pegasus galaxy with a sense of humor and utterly stealing any scene he's in. Originally just a random Wraith that cooperated with Sheppard to escape Genii confinement, he went on to aid Atlantis a few times against the Asurans and became a recurring character. |
| 394 | ** Rodney [=McKay=] was only brought in for a few episodes of ''Stargate SG-1'' but proved popular enough to be a major character in ''Stargate Atlantis'' with whole episodes dedicated to his character. |
| 395 | * ''Series/StargateUniverse'': Has currently Greer and ''The Destiny''. Greer is obviously well liked, being an utterly cool pyromaniac badass and as for Destiny... just see the [[WMG/StargateUniverse WMG]]! |
| 396 | * ''Series/StrangerThings'': |
| 397 | ** Barb, who gained a huge fan following as the earnest, dorkish best friend of main character Nancy before (and partly as a result of) [[spoiler: [[DroppedABridgeOnHim having a bridge dropped on her]]]]. |
| 398 | ** Steve basically started the show as Nancy's JerkJock boyfriend who mostly existed as an obstacle for Jonathan's affections towards Nancy, although by the end of Season 1 he was shown to be not such a bad guy. His CharacterDevelopment in Season 2 and genuinely heartwarming relationship with Dustin ended up turning him into one of the show's most popular characters. |
| 399 | * ''Franchise/SuperSentai'': |
| 400 | ** In ''Series/ChoudenshiBioman'', the villain Bio Hunter Silva is popular despite his short screentime because he instilled fear to many audience with the possibility of how [[AnyoneCanDie any of the Bioman can die by him]], and his reappearance in ''Super Hero Taisen'' is received very warmly. |
| 401 | %% ** ''Series/ZyudenSentaiKyoryuger'' has Yayoi Ulshade (Kyoryu Violet) and CuteMonsterGirl Candellila. |
| 402 | * ''Series/{{Taxi}}'': |
| 403 | ** One first season episode had Latka [[CitizenshipMarriage marrying a call girl]] so he could remain in the US. The "minister" who presided over the ceremony, Reverend Jim Ignatowski, proved such a hit that he became a cast regular the following season. |
| 404 | ** Jeff, the guy who stood next to Louie in the "box", was originally just an extra, but over time he was given lines, some of them even significant. During the final season, he got ADayInTheLimelight. |
| 405 | * ''Series/TeenWolf'': |
| 406 | ** [[UnfazedEveryman Stiles]] [[DeadpanSnarker Stilinski]]. While the ''intended'' hot and popular characters are the MrFanservice werewolves Scott, Derek, and Jackson, it's scrawny, human, MuggleBestFriend Stiles who's gotten a lot of fans hot under the collar and begging for more of him in upcoming episodes. |
| 407 | ** [[PrettyBoy Isaac]] [[{{Adorkable}} Lahey]] also has had this effect for quite a few fans. |
| 408 | ** Danny Mahealani. He's Jackson's StraightGay best friend, has only had about a dozen lines and has only had a real influence on the actual plot maybe twice, but you'd be hard pressed to find a fan of the show who doesn't love him. |
| 409 | * ''Series/That70sShow'': Sad sack Roy Keene (played by Creator/JimGaffigan) only appeared occasionally but ended up very popular. |
| 410 | * ''Series/TheThickOfIt'': Jamie has only been in three episodes, but is one of the most popular characters. |
| 411 | * ''Series/TheThinBlueLine'': BRIGADIER BLASTER SUMP, DAMN YOU! (It's helped by the fact he's played by Creator/StephenFry). |
| 412 | * ''Series/Titans2018'': |
| 413 | %%** The FauxAffablyEvil Nuclear Family. |
| 414 | ** Jason Todd's guest appearance was well-liked, with many feeling that his portrayal was [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap better and more nuanced]] than his comic counterpart. In a DC Universe poll, the majority of voters preferred to have Jason stay alive, rather than be killed and return as ComicBook/RedHood. [[spoiler: He still died and returned as Red Hood anyway, but it didn't hurt his popularity one bit.]] His popularity only increased after the second season, with most fans pointing to him and Gar as the best characters among the current Titans team, though whether this is due to them being well-written or just [[BaseBreakingCharacter not as unlikeable as their teammates]] is up to interpretation. |
| 415 | ** Donna Troy's cheerful disposition and PlatonicLifePartners chemistry with Dick had many fans hoping that she'll be a regular for Season 2 - which wound up being the case. And although she drew criticism for some of her actions in the second season, [[spoiler:her death was universally panned, with the hints of [[DisneyDeath her return]] doing little to dispel the backlash from losing her and how she died. Thankfully, season 3 has her back for good.]] |
| 416 | ** The Wilson Kids too, since this is their first proper live-action incarnation. Jericho was well received for being a cheerful HandicappedBadass played by an actual deaf actor, Chella Man. Rose made her way into the fans hearts for being an [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] ActionGirl and quite [[FanservicePack eye candy]] courtesy to Creator/ChelseaZhang. |
| 417 | ** While they only made a minor appearance in one episode, the Doom Patrol were ''beloved'' by viewers. Their eventual spin-off has received nothing but praise from fans. |
| 418 | ** Garth quickly became a fan-favorite thanks to his NiceGuy personality, and because just being around him [[TheHeart helped the original Titans to act better]]. [[spoiler:His death was not well-received as a result, though most did predict it in advance.]] |
| 419 | * ''Series/TopGear'': The Stig, originally a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute of the first Stig and only around to drive the cars around the track, became a surprisingly popular character, to the point where he participated in some of the other stunts ''Series/TopGear'' did (all while wearing his trademark helmet and jumpsuit), as well as regularly cameoing in [[FunnyBackgroundEvent background visual gags]]. |
| 420 | * ''Series/TrueBlood'': |
| 421 | ** Jessica has a very big fanbase despite not being in the books at all. |
| 422 | ** Despite only appearing in a handful of episodes, [[spoiler: being alive in only a few of them]], Godric is very popular among the fans. Probably because he is a total Badass. |
| 423 | * ''Series/{{The Twilight Zone|1959}}'': Many of the anthology series's episodes are elevated into iconic status not by the plot or the twist (or at least not just by them) but because of certain compelling guest stars who many fans still fondly remember. |
| 424 | ** The eponymous MagnificentBastard ConMan and AngelUnaware from "Mr. Garrity and the Graves" is a joy to watch. |
| 425 | ** Without Creator/BurgessMeredith as BadassBookworm William Wordsworth, "The Obsolete Man" would be far less iconic. |
| 426 | ** In "Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?", the thoughtful and statuesque dancer and the {{Cloudcuckoolander}} played by Creator/JackElam are just as entertaining as the alien who reveals himself in the iconic final shot. |
| 427 | ** CoolOldGuy Mothershed, FriendToAllChildren Johnny Robb (Creator/JamesBest), and Steinhart TheGambler (Creator/LeeVanCleef) from the western gothic episode "The Grave." It's telling that the best-liked scenes of the episode (and some of the best-liked scenes of the series for some) are just the three of them sitting around in a saloon solemnly talking to either each other or the main character. |
| 428 | ** Convict Corry and RidiculouslyHumanRobot Alicia from "The Lonely," as their chemistry and emotion prove that an episode with no horror elements whatsoever can be a good one. |
| 429 | * ''Series/TwinPeaks'': Audrey Horne became very popular due to her strong-willed character and, whilst still managing to be a bit of a bad girl sometimes, still not being nearly as evil nor cruel as many of the Twin Peaks residents. [[MsFanservice And for other reasons]]. Sherilyn Fenn was even offered to play Audrey in a spin-off. Of course, [[SeasonalRot she did become less popular gradually as the show itself started to fall apart, along with most of the characters.]] |
| 430 | * ''Franchise/UltraSeries'' |
| 431 | ** While the Ultramen, the heroes of the franchise, are much-beloved in their own right, many fans like to say that the real stars of the shows are the countless {{kaiju}} and aliens who serve as MonstersOfTheWeek. Many of these monsters have become as advertised and merchandised as much as the Ultras, with every series having ''at least'' [[MascotMook one "mascot" kaiju]]. With the endless diversity and creativity in design, powers, and stories the producers give to their weekly villains, it would be hard to find any other work where fans find the weekly opponents to be as memorable and significant as the main heroes. |
| 432 | *** In fact, some of the most popular have gone from one-shot characters to recurring characters in their own right. Case in point: Gomora. As the only MonsterOfTheWeek in the original ''Series/{{Ultraman}}'' to feature in a MultiPartEpisode, he became an instant hit with viewers in 1967 and immediately skyrocketed to one of the most famous kaiju in the Ultra Series. This got to the point where 40 years later he got ''[[Series/UltraGalaxyMegaMonsterBattle his own spinoff show]]'' where he battles other kaiju and is now considered an Ultra hero in his own right, even fighting alongside Ultraman on a few occasions. |
| 433 | *** Coming in close at a close second would have to be Baltan, who is pretty much to the Ultra Series what the Daleks are to ''Series/DoctorWho'' or King Ghidorah is for ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}''. While he doesn't reappear as frequently as some other recurring kaiju, his distinctive appearance and iconic EvilLaugh make him the most recognizable character in the franchise worldwide behind Ultraman himself. |
| 434 | *** To list detail other recurring kaiju and seijin who could be considered an example would triple the length of this page, so here's a quick rundown of some of the big hits -- [[Series/{{Ultraman}} Zetton, Red King, Mephilas,]] [[Series/UltraSeven Eleking, Metron, King Joe,]] [[Series/ReturnOfUltraman Nackle, Bemstar, Twin Tail,]] [[Series/UltramanAce Vakishim,]] [[Series/UltramanTaro Birdon, Tyrant,]] [[Series/UltramanLeo Nova,]] [[Series/UltramanTiga Golza,]] and [[Series/UltramanGaia Gan Q.]] |
| 435 | *** Of course, plenty of one-off Kaiju of the Week have become popular enough with fans to create demand for them to reappear again, such as Jirass from ''Series/{{Ultraman}}'' (even if solely due to the fact that he is [[PropRecycling literally just]] Franchise/{{Godzilla}} with a frill). |
| 436 | ** While Series/UltramanGaia may be the show's title hero, many fans prefer Ultraman Agul and his human host Hiroya Fujimiya, the first AntiHero Ultra in franchise history. In fact, the two were initially meant to be retired at the series' halfway point, but fan popularity was strong enough that Fujimiya was brought back 10 episodes later and Agul 5 episodes afterwards. |
| 437 | ** Series/UltramanLeo's brother Astra was introduced in an attempt to save the series' poor ratings, but barely had any screentime in the show. That didn't stop him from becoming popular enough to recur in later series and movies with increased roles. |
| 438 | ** ''Series/UltramanEighty'' has Yullian, one of the very few female Ultras in the franchise. Introduced near the end of the series in her human identity Ryoko Hoshi, she only transformed '''once''' in the entirety of the show, and has made no other major appearances since. Many fans are dying to see her make a big return though. They got their wish in ''Series/UltraGalaxyFightTheAbsoluteConspiracy'', where she got to fight with 80 and [[Series/UltramanRB Grigio]] against the Zetton army [[spoiler:and even played an important role in the plot when Absolute Tartarus kidnapped her, setting up a SequelHook]]. |
| 439 | ** Ultraman Justice's only appearances as of 2018 are two ''Series/UltramanCosmos'' movies (the first of which he only appeared at the very end), but he is the favourite Ultra of many fans, due to his AntiHero attitudes contrasting with Cosmos' gentleness, his memorable character development, and fusion with Cosmos into Ultraman Legend. Much like Yullian, he also returned in ''Series/UltraGalaxyFightTheAbsoluteConspiracy'' to fans' delight, and even fused with Cosmos into Ultraman Legend. |
| 440 | ** Series/{{Redman}}. This obscure Ultraman clone achieved MemeticMutation after Creator/TsuburayaProductions began uploading episodes online as fans took note of his unprovoked brutality towards his monster foes, knife-wielding combat style, and the NoBudget [[SoBadItsGood productions values of the series]], creating an AlternativeCharacterInterpretation of Redman as a MemeticPsychopath. [=TsuPro=] soon embraced this too, commissioning a ''Redman'' comic book series that follows the murderous characterization. |
| 441 | ** ''Series/UltraQ'''s money-eating monster Kanegon. Despite having only a handful of TV and film appearances (almost none of which feature him alongside an Ultraman), he's one of the most famous Ultra monsters in Japan and very frequently appears in merchandise, advertising, and other material. |
| 442 | *** Similarly, we have Pygmon, the friendly monster from the original ''Series/{{Ultraman}}''. He doesn't reappear very frequently, but is extremely popular in Japan due to his UglyCute appearance, gentle personality, and having many memorable moments such as his HeroicSacrifice in his second appearance |
| 443 | ** ''Series/UltramanMebius'' has Zamusha, a samurai-like alien whose very appearance screams of so much badass that even though he only appeared in two episodes, fans were demanding for him to have his own series. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, he proved TooCoolToLive.]] |
| 444 | *** From the same series is Ultraman Hikari. His debut as the AntiHero Hunter Knight Tsurugi made him an instant hit with viewers, but even when he was restored to being just Ultraman Hikari, he remained beloved for his appealing design, interesting character and memorable story arc. He even got his own miniseries that explored and expanded upon his background and character development even further, and still makes reappearances to this day. |
| 445 | ** Ultraman Xenon. Despite having some of the smallest screen time of any Ultraman (he only appears to give Series/UltramanMax a new weapon and then in a single shot of the ''Max'' finale), he's still a topic for fans even after the show ended, and many would like to see more of him some day. He finally returned in ''Series/UltraGalaxyFightTheAbsoluteConspiracy'' and won his first fight, even if he was mainly there to assist Max and Ribut against [[Series/UltramanOrb Maga-Orochi]]. |
| 446 | ** While TheMovie ''Film/UltramanStory'' is generally remembered as being a StockFootage-fest (by those who even remember it at all), its antagonists Juda and his robot Grand King rank among some of the franchise's most popular villains. The latter in particular has become a powerful recurring MonsterOfTheWeek in several series beginning with ''Series/UltramanGinga''. |
| 447 | *** And speaking of kaiju from movies, what about King of Mons from ''Series/UltramanTiga, Series/UltramanDyna, and Series/UltramanGaia: Decisive Battle in Hyperspace''? Despite that generally-seen-as-mediocre film being his only appearance, his sheer power and impressive design were so memorable that many fans rank him among their favorite Ultra kaiju. |
| 448 | ** ''Series/UltramanTiga'': The series' BigBad [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Ghatanothoa]] (or in this case, [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Gatanozoa]]). Being [[CoolVersusAwesome a creation of HP Lovecraft who battles an Ultraman]] gets you places. Also Evil Tiga, who despite having only a single appearance, is among the most popular evil Ultras in the Ultra series. |
| 449 | ** Advertising/UltramanNice. Even if his "series" was just a collection of StylisticSuck SelfParody infomercials for selling Bandai's Ultraman toys, Nice is beloved for his cool asymmetrical design and comedic nature and has appeared in many stage shows, sometimes even as the host. Many fans were happy he's set to return in ''Series/UltraGalaxyFightTheDestinedCrossroad''. |
| 450 | * ''Series/{{Vikings}}'': |
| 451 | ** Season 1 had Tostig, the grandpa who asked Ragnar to come on the raid because he wanted [[BloodKnight to die in battle]] and join his old friends in [[WarriorHeaven Valhalla]]. Given the character has only 6 minutes of screentime, divided over 2 episodes in a series with almost 60 aired episodes it's impressive that he became one of the most beloved character on the show. |
| 452 | ** Season 2 had [[AntiVillain Jarl Borg]], who became another fan favorite. |
| 453 | * ''Series/{{Wednesday}}'': |
| 454 | ** Yoko is very popular in the fandom and has a lot of fan content dedicated to her, despite her only having a couple of lines in the show and not having any plot relevance. This is mainly due to her actress being well-liked in the fanbase and her being indirectly involved in one of the most popular scenes in the first season, namely Enid moving out of her and Wednesday's room and staying with Yoko for a bit. |
| 455 | ** Rowan is only in the first episode before being [[spoiler:killed off]]. However, despite this, he is quite popular with the fanbase, due to his actor's good looks and his similarities in appearance to Joel from ''Addams Family Values''. |
| 456 | ** Divina is surprisingly popular for a minor character, mainly due to her good looks and her being originally meant to be in a relationship with fellow Dark Horse Yoko. |
| 457 | ** Uncle Fester only appears in one episode but is quite popular in the fandom, many due to his fun personality and Creator/FredArmisen's LargeHam performance. |
| 458 | * ''Series/TheWestWing'': |
| 459 | ** Ainsley Hayes, an intelligent and even-minded Republican character who was able to have a back-and-forth with Sam. Sorkin would later admit that letting Emily Procter leave the show was his biggest mistake -- he had the option when her contract expired to bring her back as a full member of the cast, but decided not to as he wasn't sure he had any stories to write for the character. |
| 460 | ** Lionel Tribbey, a righteous White House Counsel whose existence allows John Larroquette the opportunity to [[LargeHam bathe in a river of ham]]. |
| 461 | ** Oliver Babish, Tribbey's successor, who adheres to a strict moral code and projects a confidence that allows him to speak candidly with both the President and the First Lady over their respective obstacles during the MS scandal. |
| 462 | ** Bruno Gianelli, a Campaign Manager with a high success rate, who -- while not deferring to a particular political party -- professes himself as someone who listens intently to the wants of the American people, preferring that to telling them what they should want. As a result, he coolly and calmly probing the Bartlet staff on how to function during Seasons 3 and 4, even calling out the President for not giving him proper flexibility to do his job. |
| 463 | ** Joe Quincy, a male version of Ainsley Hayes that offered Creator/MatthewPerry the chance to successfully [[PlayingAgainstType play against type]]. |
| 464 | * ''Series/TheWheelOfTime2021'': Siuan is only in one episode of the first season, but has proven quite popular in the fanbase despite this. This is mainly due to her well-received relationship with Moiraine, and Creator/SophieOkonedo's natural charisma. |
| 465 | * ''Series/TheWhiteQueen'': Richard, Duke of Gloucester is a glorified extra in the first four episodes and a secondary character in Episode 5, but when he does finally come to the forefront, he's a scene-stealer. Most critics and fans have praised Creator/AneurinBarnard's memorable performance as one of the highlights of this miniseries, including those who find the show's quality to be uneven. |
| 466 | * ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'': |
| 467 | ** Jeff Davis, who was the youngest comedian on the show, proved to be very popular with fans, despite not appearing in many episodes. His popularity led to him being the first fourth-seater in the 2013 CW revival |
| 468 | ** Speaking of the CW revival, recurring fourth-seater Gary Anthony Williams has gained a following among fans as well. |
| 469 | * ''Series/WillAndGrace'': Snarker supreme Rosario is popular with many fans especially thanks to her funny interactions with Karen. |
| 470 | * ''Series/TheWire'': |
| 471 | ** Slim Charles is very popular for a relatively minor character. Reliable, competent, honorable and loyal, he displays plenty of positive but scarce virtues. |
| 472 | ** Brother Mouzone, for much the same reasons as Omar. Appeared in six episodes of the whole series, but his popularity rivaled some of the regular characters. And then taken up to eleven when he first [[CoolVsAwesome fought Omar]] and then [[EnemyMine teamed up]] with him to [[spoiler: take revenge on Stringer]]. |
| 473 | ** During a premier party for Season 5's debut, the loudest cheer for cast/character accrediting went to Michael B. Jordan/Wallace. |
| 474 | ** Out of the child characters, Michael Lee is probably the only one with a significant fandom, thanks to a combination of his warm-hearted personality, [[TheWoobie tragic childhood]] and signs of genuine badassery. His [[TakeThatScrappy pounding the shit out of Kenard]] didn't hurt, either. |
| 475 | ** Felicia Pearson/Snoop. The opening scene of Season 4 when she bought a nailgun probably had something to do with that. |
| 476 | * ''Series/TheXFiles'': |
| 477 | ** Skinner. He appeared in only one episode in Season 1 but his role was getting substantially bigger as the show went on. For some people, him just showing up in [[Film/TheXFilesIWantToBelieve the second movie]] was the best thing about it because the series finale implied he might have been offed. |
| 478 | ** The Lone Gunmen, a trio of dorky {{Conspiracy Theorist}}s was dearly loved. They even got their own short-lived spin-off show, ''Series/TheLoneGunmen''. |
| 479 | ** Eugene Victor Tooms distinguished himself as one of the series most popular Monster of the Week, even being one of the few to appear in more than one episode. |
| 480 | ** Mrs Scully. Sheila Larken's performance was always a joy to watch. It was pity that Mrs Scully usually showed up only for a family crisis and thus was seen to suffer a lot. |
| 481 | ** That sweet HornyScientist of TheLabRat Agent Pendrell. Amazing that he managed to become a fans' favourite as his role was really minor and he was killed off way too soon. |
| 482 | * ''Series/TheYoungOnes'': This show is one of the purest examples of an EnsembleCast, being that [[SpotlightStealingSquad no one character was ever featured over the others]] throughout its run and everyone got a good chance to shine. Still, ask any Brit old enough to know to quickly name one of the lads, and nine times out of ten they’ll say "Vyvyan" first. Then again, when you look at the pilot, Vyv is the last lad to be introduced and the one given the [[DynamicEntry most dramatic entrance,]] indicating that the creators probably figured he’d attain this status anyway. |
| 483 |
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