History Main / OddlySmallOrganization

* South Park Studios, ran by Creator/TreyParkerAndMattStone to create WesternAnimation/SouthPark, handles almost the entirety of the production with a staff of 40 or so people. The reason is they embraced advancing technology and the StylisticSuck of their own work to be able to make an episode in as [[AbsurdlyShortProductionTime little as six days]], an episode will be halfway animated before the script is finished, and with most characters voiced by Parker and Stone the smallest alterations can be done in just a few hours.

* ''Series/PrettyGuardianSailorMoon'': Like the managa, the Dark Kingdom consists only of Queen Beryl, the Shitennou and Queen Metaria, along with original character Mio Kuroki.

* ''Series/StargateSG1'': The US Government & Military setup Stargate Command, eventually staffing 20+ off-world teams and a significant base defence force, a large staff cadre including research scientists, a medical team, and assorted administrative sections such as a cafeteria. It is also under the command of a General. It does still follow a GhostExtras format as we rarely see what any of the other teams are doing. The show focused on SG 1, their primary team.

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'' has a recurring plot point of the USS Enterprise being the only ship in Star Fleet available for even the most important missions. The worst-case was the [[Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture first movie]] where it was the only ship available when an unknown object of great size approached Earth. Repeat, Star Fleet only had ONE ship to defend their ''base of operations.'' Occasionally this is subverted and we do see large groups of ships appear, but outside of ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', in which there was a full-scale war going so it would ludicrous to keep using the "we're the only ship available" plot thread, it's extremely rare.

** Unseen University is like this as well. While we have Archchancellor Riducully and the Bursar, at least half of the jobs are done by one of the brightest and youngest wizards -- Ponder Stibbons. And, in ''Literature/UnseenAcademicals'', he uses his large number of UU positions to his advantage; he's a voting majority on the University council all by himself.

* In ''Film/MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian'', the resistance against the Romans is split into an innumerable number of tiny organizations that constantly [[WeAreStrugglingTogether skirmish with each other]]: the 'Judean People's Front', the 'Judean Popular People's Front', the 'Campaign for a Free Galilee,' and the 'Popular Front of Judea' (which has only one member remaining.) This is dangerously close to TruthInTelevision. It's an old, old joke that if you get two Jews in a room and propose a question you will get at least three different opinions.

* The VolcanoLair in ''Literature/DrFranklinsIsland'' actually takes quite a large staff, but other than Dr. Franklin and [[ReluctantMadScientist Dr. Skinner]] they're all unnamed and not distinguished at all as individuals -- just a succession of nurses and orderlies in [[LightIsNotGood pale uniforms]]. Some of that is because they speak Spanish while Semi, the viewpoint character, doesn't, and some is because only the two white doctors understand the full scope of the project and keep the staff largely in the dark and away from the girls. When Semi and Miranda start their SlowTransformation in a replica of a hotel room, as soon as their changes become serious the two doctors take over their care entirely.

* ''WesternAnimation/BuddyThunderstruck'': Sheriff Cannonball and Deputy Hoisenberry are the only cops in Greasepit.

* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': This is true of the Autobots and Decepticons in many continuities, where both factions tend to be represented by rather small teams, with [[RememberTheNewGuy a couple of new characters trickling in]] [[MerchandiseDriven as new toys come out.]] It's usually given the justification that the franchise's ForeverWar and shortages of energon mean that both sides' forces are stretched far and thin by necessity.