A one-shot or one-off character is a character who appears in only one episode of a series, after which they are never seen again. Very common in
Walking the Earth and various
Of The Week shows.
Long Lost Uncle Aesop from a
Very Special Episode is one example, as is the
Girl of the Week for any hero who suffers the
Cartwright Curse. In a movie, the one-shot can be anything from a
Spear Carrier to a
One-Scene Wonder.
Line numbers and importance to the story don't matter: A one-shot character can be the focus of an entire episode, or just be a
Bit Character. The defining trait is that he shows up once, and disappears afterward.
Sometimes a one-shot becomes
so popular he gets a
cameo later in the series, or he becomes a
recurring extra, or even a
full-blown cast member. Infrequently, what seems like a one-shot may actually be a
Chekhov's Gunman.
The opposite would be
Regular Character. See also
Recurring Character.
Types of character that are frequently one-shots:
