Favorite TV Supporting Characters

I might think of something new later, when the stress is down. :D But I got my favorite down to Mick Belker and Norm. Belker's raskcallyness or Norm's snark. If Norm ever bit anyone, I think that'd swing my vote. For now, Belker.
 
clarkgriswold said:
We've had some good TV and movie discussions on here recently and I thought this might be a good one. Tell us your favorite supporting characters. Not Tony Soprano, Don Draper or Walter White, but the "lesser" characters. Many of them, while "supporting" were so good they become the highlight of the show.

Some of mine are:
Boyd Crowder- Justified
Mike Ehrmantraut- Breaking Bad
Charlie Nutter- Deadwood
Chalky White- Boardwalk Empire
Richard Harrow- Boardwalk Empire
Roger Sterling- Mad Men
Paulie Walnuts- Sopranos
Kevin- The Office
Andy Botwin- Weeds
Lip Gallagher- Shameless
Crazy Eyes- Orange is the New Black
Dar Adal- Homeland
Ms. Abbott- Vice Principals
Judy Gemstone- The Righteous Gemstones (also Edi Patterson)
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I don’t think you can call someone in the main cast a supporting character. A few of those characters are like the 2nd or 3rd billed.
 
Omar said:
I don’t think you can call someone in the main cast a supporting character. A few of those characters are like the 2nd or 3rd billed.
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well then don't. He wisely put them in "" gives lee-way. Whatever is more fun for you. Is an interesting point you bring. Which character was THE least that became the most?
 
eastisbest said:
well then don't. He wisely put them in "" gives lee-way. Whatever is more fun for you. Is an interesting point you bring. Which character was THE least that became the most?
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Great point.

Could make an argument that anyone on the Office outside of Michael, Jim, Pam, and Dwight were supportive.

GOT? I could list 25 greats.

Awesome thread nonetheless.
 
Omar said:
Dr Krieger- Archer


Cotton Hill- King of the Hill


The McPoyles- Always Sunny

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I dig your style Omar.

Big McPoyle fan and Cotton was one of my favorites from King of the Hill.

The McPoyle trial episode is one of my favorites of Always Sunny.
 
eastisbest said:
Go WAY back
Eddie Haskell. Scenes became more interesting as soon as he walked into them. The 50's family man's Crowder.
Arnold the Pig. Meant to be the post rehearsal lunch, became a media darling.
The Fonz
Spike
Barney Stinson

That I'm bad but not really seems to be a theme. I don't know that I would call any of them my personal favorite but I think they fit the bill of supporting characters that became a highlight. Have to think more on MY personal favorite. Stinson might make the cut.
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I was going to list Arnold the Pig too but thought it might be too fringe.

By the way another character to consider is Jill Taylor from Home Improvement. Not as much for on screen character development but for cultural significance in that many consider her the benchmark for '90s MILFs.
 
irish_buffalo said:
I dig your style Omar.

Big McPoyle fan and Cotton was one of my favorites from King of the Hill.

The McPoyle trial episode is one of my favorites of Always Sunny.
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Having a harder time with dramas, bc the characters in good dramas are always visible. I think of a supporting character as someone who pops up every now & again, but their role isn’t essential to the overall story arch. Characters like Mike & Saul from BB, Cy Tolliver from Deadwood, and Ralph from the Sopranos are essential to the show storylines.
 
Omar said:
Having a harder time with dramas, bc the characters in good dramas are always visible. I think of a supporting character as someone who pops up every now & again, but their role isn’t essential to the overall story arch. Characters like Mike & Saul from BB, Cy Tolliver from Deadwood, and Ralph from the Sopranos are essential to the show storylines.
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That's the beauty, or the flaw, of me not defining it in starting the thread. That's the reason I see Mike as a supporting character in Breaking Bad but maybe not so much in Better Call Saul where his role is more substantial. Boyd Crowder was a stretch for me. I guess another distinction would be between supporting characters and bit characters. When I thought of "supporting" I thought of those characters who were not the major focus/star of the show. To each is own definition.

I am happy that people are enjoying it.
 
Omar said:
Having a harder time with dramas, bc the characters in good dramas are always visible. I think of a supporting character as someone who pops up every now & again, but their role isn’t essential to the overall story arch. Characters like Mike & Saul from BB, Cy Tolliver from Deadwood, and Ralph from the Sopranos are essential to the show storylines.
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Prior to the cable drama revolution in the late '90s it was tougher to identify strong supporting characters in the drama category. Since then it is loaded including some memorable characters that were only in a limited amount of episodes. Some favs that were in this category>

Sopranos>
Furio (Had the best line in the show: "Bet with your head, not over it")
Rosalie Aprile

The Wire>
The Greek
Brother Mouzone
Kenard

Breaking Bad>
The Salamanca Cousins

Mad Men>
Ida Blankenship
Freddy Rumsen

Justified>
Mags Bennett

Deadwood>
The N General
 
clarkgriswold said:
Tobias Funke. Outstanding. A therapist AND an analyst. Who could ever forget his business card.

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Dude is legit the funniest character ever. Just constantly saying totally inappropriate things without any clue that he was doing so. He was so oblivious. So proud to be the world's first combo "analrapist". And later in the show, when he wanted a new start, he got the license plate "ANUSTART". I've been re-watching the show during the sports shutdown, and it kills me.
 
Auggie said:
Prior to the cable drama revolution in the late '90s it was tougher to identify strong supporting characters in the drama category. Since then it is loaded including some memorable characters that were only in a limited amount of episodes. Some favs that were in this category>

Sopranos>
Furio (Had the best line in the show: "Bet with your head, not over it")
Rosalie Aprile

The Wire>
The Greek
Brother Mouzone
Kenard

Breaking Bad>
The Salamanca Cousins

Mad Men>
Ida Blankenship
Freddy Rumsen

Justified>
Mags Bennett

Deadwood>
The N General
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The Furio/Carmella affair ruined that character.
 
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