MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > TV Shows where a secondary character qui...

TV Shows where a secondary character quickly or slowly overtook the show?


There were a few post about Jaleel White (aka, Steve Urkel) not to long ago. This got me wondering what others television shows were overtaken by a secondary character.

I can think of at least two others:

Fonzie on Happy Days (which almost became completely about him) and Eddie Haskel on Leave it to Beaver (where did he come from?)

Any others?

reply

How I Met Your Mother ended up being more like "Neil Patrick Harris and friends"

In the Doctor Who series, Nurse Who took over the show the last two seasons 😁

reply

That's a good choice. I've never seen the show. But I definitely know of it. Everytime someone talks about it or what not the first thing that comes to mind is "Doogie Howser".

reply

It's a good show. Not as good as Friends, but it comes close. Neil Patrick Harris steals every fucking scene, but he does it in a constructive way. Even though he's usually the one that shines the most, you can see the chemistry between all the actors.

reply

Oh God I hate that show.

So forced, unnatural and painfully unfunny. I did not laugh once. EVER. And while we’re talking about it, what was with that stupid fucking voiceover?

I suppose I have never really been a huge sitcom fan, but HIMYM is by far the bottom of the barrel as far as I see it.

reply

Nurse who??? Seriously sexist bullshit statement.

reply

Oh take a look at the Doctor Who thread. A flood of man baby tears! It’s a bit embarrassing for them, actually.

reply

I avoid it.

I don't care if they don't like a woman in the role. I don't care if they don't like the show anymore. I haven't really enjoyed it that much since mid Smith. I just get really annoyed when they refer to Jodie as Nurse Who. I wonder if their daughter came to them and said, "I'm going to med school. I'm going to be a doctor" if they would say, "Sorry, only men can be doctors, but women can be nurses."?

reply

Yeah, the insinuation is completely sexist, agreed.

I’m with you, I found a general decline in Doctor Who after Smith, but I would argue that Whittaker was a breath of fresh air after the painfully dull Capaldi. Her first season was always going to be divisive and it struggled to find its feet story-wise no question. The last season though was everything I love about Doctor Who and then some. It totally reignited my DW passion and I really can’t wait for the next season.

reply

I actually really like her as the doctor, I just found her first season a little boring. I think I may have been worn out getting through Capaldi's seasons. I liked him as the doctor as well, just didn't care for most of the stories. I haven't watched the last season. I needed a break but I will watch it.

reply

Oh I hope you love it as much as I did. Just be prepared for massive additions to the storyline. You know, like they did in classic Doctor Who in a time before everyone had a bug up their butt about anything that doesn’t fit their personal agenda.

reply

I don't really care about agendas. I'm glad you liked it. I'll give it a try in a bit.

reply

I’m not saying she took over the show but Willow became a lot more prominent as seasons progressed in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

reply

Well that's something...your certainly not the only one.

reply

• The Mandalorian. It was quickly overtaken by Baby Yoda.
• Luther, it was overtaken by Ruth Wilson (such an underrated actress, btw).
• Lucifer... well, Lucifer is the main character, so it doesn't qualify as a secondary character overtaking the show. It's more like the main character erasing everything else. He IS the show, period, everyone else is just noise.

reply

i have ni what this is...

reply

The Mandalorian is the last Star Wars series. The only watchable thing Disney has done in that franchise.

Luther is a British series about a cop played by Idris Elba. Ruth Wilson plays a secondary character that collaborates with him, kind of female Hannibal Lecter, and she's damn good. In a nutshell, she steals the show. The first season, at least. I don't know why they didn't keep using her.

Lucifer is a procedural crime show, with Tom Ellis playing Lucifer, the king of Hell, enjoying some time on Earth. The show is meh, but Ellis is pure awesomeness.

reply

Homer Simpson!

reply

I intentionally left that one out.

lol...

Excellent choice!

Good job!

reply

[deleted]

I thought of another...

Joey Lawrence (Blossom)

reply

1. Henry Winkler **Happy Days** 1974-1984 [ABC]
2. Ken Osmond **Leave It To Beaver** 1957-1963 [CBS/ABC]
3. Homer Simpson **The Simpsons** 1989- [FOX]
4. Neil Patrick Harris **How I Met Your Mother** 2005-2014 [CBS]
5. Joey Lawrence **Blossom** 1990-1995 [NBC]
6. Jalell White **Family Matters** 1989-1997 [ABC/CBS]
7. Mille Bobby Brown **Stranger Things** 2016- [Netflix]
8. Walton Goggins **Justified** 2010 - 2015 - [FX]
9. Jonathan Brandis **Seaquest DSV** 1993-1996 [NBC]

reply

And another...

Millie Bobby Brown **Stranger Things**

reply

Walton Goggins in Justified, the character of Boyd Crowder was initially meant to die in the first episode but he was so popular with audiences, it was decided to make him a recurring character. His role just grew and grew.

reply

He was a great character. Usually the villain but with depth.Wynn Duffy was great too.

reply