10 TV Side Characters Who Repeatedly Stole The Show

Whether it be sweet potato fries, coleslaw, or a steaming pile of grits, everyone knows that the secret to a truly good meal is the sides. When it comes to TV, the same rules apply. Like hash browns one-upping the omelette they came with, some TV side characters steal the spotlight from the series’ lead. Side characters come in many flavors: chaotic comic relief, compelling anti-heroes, or the painfully relatable butt of every joke. And when it comes to courting audience attention away from the protagonist, these 10 TV side characters are seasoned professionals.

Dr. Zoidberg

My all-time personal favorite TV side character, Dr. Zoidberg, is Futurama’s best. Even though his doctorate is in Art History, he serves as the in-house physician for the Planet Express delivery crew. While at first glance he seems like nothing more than an ink-spitting, shell-shedding, woop-woop-wooping alien crustacean with zero understanding of basic human anatomy, he’s revealed to contain multitudes as the show goes on. Dr. Zoidberg has lived many lives: an art connoisseur, a high-stakes gambler, and, briefly after finding a Zoidberg-sized shell on the seafloor, a homeowner. Like a regular old Earth crab molting, Dr. Zoidberg continually reveals layer after layer of backstory and lore. And like a futuristic Uncle Iroh, there’s a worldly wisdom behind this space lobster’s eyes, even if no one else sees it. Well, Farnsworth can, but he’s too senile to remember.

April Ludgate

April Ludgate of Parks and Recreation is the poster girl for burned-out millennials, appealing to the inner misanthrope in anyone who’s ever worked an office job. The anathema of all things Leslie Knope, April is pessimistic, cynical, and mostly uninterested in the community at large. It’s this utter world-weariness that makes her so deeply relatable, and ultimately what makes her romance with equally all-time great side character Andy Dwyer so damn charming. The final boss of black cat gf/golden retriever bf relationships, April and Andy’s unlikely love story proves the age-old idea that opposites attract (and throw great dinner parties). And while she begins as two-dimensional comic relief, her (usually unspoken) love for her coworkers adds emotional depth and complexity that makes her one of TV’s most endearing side characters. She’s also the only side character on this list who created her own side character: Janet Snakehole, her 1920s alter ego. Now that’s commitment to the bit.

Mike Ehrmantraut

Mike Ehrmantraut steals the show in not one, but two separate prestige dramas. Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are chock-full of characters whose egos and ambitions create problems for everyone else, and Mike is the only character who is consistently able to solve those problems. A dirty cop turned fixer with a tragic past, Mike’s seen his fair share of troubles, but unlike Walter White, Saul Goodman, Gus Fring, or pretty much anyone else running a shady enterprise, he doesn’t let his sad backstory get the better of him through bad decision-making. An unrelentingly efficient pragmatist, Mike approaches even the most chaotic life-and-death situations with a characteristic calm. Ever cool and collected, he’s a level of chill we all secretly wish we could be. He also appreciates a nice pimento sandwich. Respect.

Lafayette Reynolds

In the original Southern Vampire Mysteries book series, Lafayette is a side character who winds up dead in the trunk of a car. But when Nelsan Ellis took on the role in the TV adaptation True Blood, he became such a fan-favorite character that the writers decided to keep him around for the entire run of the show. Charismatic, compassionate, totally hilarious, Lafayette was a light in Bon Temps’ swampy darkness. Even when the show went totally off the rails in later seasons, he was the reason why many fans stuck around for the ride. After all, who wouldn’t want a friend like Lafayette? He’s the life of the party; he makes his loved ones laugh, and he fiercely stands up for himself and others. You have a problem? He will show up dressed to the nines with a shotgun, no questions asked. That’s a ride-or-die right there.

Carol Peletier

Carol Peletier — a name that strikes fear in the hearts of men and zombies everywhere. While she begins both The Walking Dead comic series and its on-screen adaptation as a meek and vulnerable character, TV Carol becomes a far different person than her on-paper counterpart. Her journey from abuse victim to hardened survivor is one of the most compelling character arcs in the entire series. The group has a problem? Just throw Carol at it, and that problem goes away. Who could forget when she single-handedly took down the cannibals of Terminus, allowing the captive Rick Grimes and friends an opportunity to escape? In a show full of badasses, Carol stands at the pinnacle. And despite her ruthlessness, she never abandoned her humanity. After losing her daughter, she becomes a surrogate mom to the group. And when it comes to compassion and combat, moms do it best.

Omar Little

One of the most groundbreaking characters in television history, Omar Little is easily The Wire‘s most compelling. In Baltimore’s never-ending war between police and gangsters, Little is a chaotic free agent. Armed with a shotgun and a bone-chilling talent for whistling, Little turns the modern streets of Baltimore into a scene from an Old West drama. His habit of robbing some of the city’s deadliest denizens is shocking enough, but doing it as an out-and-proud gay man? In a dangerously homophobic environment, that takes an almost superhuman amount of fortitude. But when it comes to being superpowered, Omar’s intelligence and ruthlessness make him feel like a force of nature that’s more than human. Combined with his tender love for his romantic partners, Omar becomes a three-dimensional character who is by far the show’s best.

Daria Morgendorffer

Once a side character on Beavis and Butt-Head, Daria Morgendorffer was such a successful show-stealer that she thefted her way into her own spin-off series. Daria‘s tone is a far cry from the crude slacker humor of the show that inspired it. It’s a deep-thinking character study of a young iconoclast subtly going against the grain of 90s American society. Intelligent, perceptive, and effortlessly nonchalant, Daria teaches a masterclass in being cool. She’s basically everything that Beavis and Butt-Head aren’t. Charming. Emotionally intelligent. Wise beyond her years. In a world full of two-dimensional boys who think the pinnacle of humor is pulling their shirts up over their heads, she’s a sarcastic breath of fresh air.

The Simpsons

One of the most successful sitcoms of all time, The Simpsons wasn’t always a longstanding cultural powerhouse; it began as a side segment of The Tracey Ullman Show. It was a comedy series that began in the late 80s, mixing live-action with animated sketches, The Simpsons being one of them. The launchpad for Matt Groening’s brainchild nuclear family, The Tracey Ullman Show walked so Homer, Marge and kids could fly. That said, the Simpson family is almost unrecognizable in this iteration, crude sketches that barely resemble the hyper-polished animated comedy juggernauts of today. And while they looked different, their antics were still the same — Homer was strangling Bart from the very beginning.

Squidward Tentacles

While SpongeBob SquarePants is a show made for kids, adults have little trouble putting themselves in the tentacles of its most relatable character. Like any real-life grown-up, Squidward Tentacles is tired of the nautical nonsense of the modern world. All he wants to do is listen to jazz, sunbathe, and perform interpretive dance in peace. And while any elementary school-aged viewer would see him as a stick in the mud, anyone with a shred of real-life responsibility can empathize with his plight. Retail work, restaurant jobs, office 9-to-5s, these are the conditions that create Squidwards. Is Squidward’s attitude really the problem here? Or is the problem the crushing system that creates Squidwards? We can’t all filter feed and live in pineapples. Some of us have bills to pay. Sadly, Squidward gets it. Thankfully, his talent for sarcasm helps him cope. If only the same could be said about his clarinet skills.

Olenna Tyrell

Westeros’s reigning Queen of Shade, Olenna Tyrell is the sassy grandmother we all wish we had. When it comes to side characters, the Game of Thrones cast gives the matriarch of House Tyrell some stiff competition. But while Brienne of Tarth, Bronn, and Greyworm are respective masters of badassery, sarcasm, and emotional depth, Olenna Tyrell is the whole package. She was clever enough to assassinate Joffrey (to the service of fans everywhere). She was witty enough to inflict third-degree burns on just about anyone who tried to spar with her verbally. And she was, in her own twisted way, a caring enough grandmother to ruthlessly protect those that she loved, like her granddaughter Margery. Craftier than Petyr Baelish, wittier than Tyrion Lannister, and more enduring than The Wall in the North, Olenna Tyrell was more than just a player of the Game of Thrones; she was one of the few winners.

(featured image: HBO)

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