# Best guest or recurring characters ever on TV series
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [December 15, 2005, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827 "2005-12-15T23:48:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/21 "2005-12-16T01:51:01Z")
Spike and Drusilla(James Marsters and Juliet Landau) on **Buffy** , Seasons 2 & 3, before Spike became a regular.
Faith(Eliza Dushku), on **Buffy** and **Angel**.
Alfred Bester(Walter Koenig), on **Babylon 5**.
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/22 "2005-12-16T02:00:59Z")
Frasier’s agent on _Frasier_ – sorry, can’t remember either the character’s name or the actress’s name.
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/23 "2005-12-16T02:10:58Z")
> [@twickster](#):
>
> Frasier’s agent on _Frasier_ – sorry, can’t remember either the character’s name or the actress’s name.
Harriet Sansom Harris, playing Bebe Glazer.
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### Author:  [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/24 "2005-12-16T02:15:12Z")
**Carleton the Doorman**
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### Author:  [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/25 "2005-12-16T02:20:08Z")
Anthony LaPaglia’s Emmy-winning turn as Daphne’s no-good drunk brother on _Frasier_.
Just hysterical.
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/26 "2005-12-16T02:21:57Z")
Does Inspecter Lueger on Barney Miller Count?
Sidney on M_A_S\*H, I don’t think he was mentioned yet.
Mama Carlson on WKRP
Someone said it already, but Buddy on Night Court was the Best.
Shelley Winters as the Grandmother on Roseanne was the best character on Roseanne.
On Northern Exposure I always like Chris’s Brother also but Adam was the best.
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### Author:  [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/27 "2005-12-16T02:23:59Z")
Lord John Marbury (Roger Rees) on _The West Wing_. He’s only in a few episodes, but very memorable.
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/28 "2005-12-16T02:27:08Z")
> [@jayjay](#):
>
> Harriet Sansom Harris, playing Bebe Glazer.
Thanks – I was running through “Fifi, Gigi, Mimi…” 😉
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### Author:  [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/29 "2005-12-16T02:30:20Z")
Janice on **Cheers**. Yes, she was annoying, but Chandler wound up marrying Monica, who was even more annoying, and not as funny.
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/30 "2005-12-16T02:31:16Z")
> [@kunilou](#):
>
> Janice on **Cheers**. Yes, she was annoying, but Chandler wound up marrying Monica, who was even more annoying, and not as funny.
Friends.
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### Author:  [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/31 "2005-12-16T02:38:36Z")
Rex Harrison as Abraham Lincoln on Police Squad! 😉
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### Author:  [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/32 "2005-12-16T02:40:53Z")
> [@silenus](#):
>
> Alfred Bester(Walter Koenig), on **Babylon 5**.
Seconded, and adding Mr. Morden (Ed Wasser).
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### Author:  [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/33 "2005-12-16T03:30:32Z")
> [@T\_SQUARE](#):
>
> “Puddy” On Seinfeld. That guy was great. “High Five.”
“Feels like an Arby’s night”. 😃
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### Author:  [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/34 "2005-12-16T03:37:51Z")
Yay! I get to be first to nominate **Harry the Hat** (Harry Anderson) on **Cheers.**
David Cross on _Just Shoot Me_ was great too. Now whenever we go through the bank drive-through: “Donnie says vacuum!”
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### Author:  [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/35 "2005-12-16T03:41:23Z")
Some good ones from recent/current shows:
Cliff the cheap lawyer on Veronica Mars.
Mandy on 24, just because we can gasp and say, “Omigod! It’s Mandy!”
The TSM on Lost. 😃
And my favorite: The Mayor on Buffy.
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### Author:  [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/36 "2005-12-16T03:45:52Z")
**Zapp Brannigan!** from Futurama.
How they kept such a one note character so consistantly funny I don’t know, but they did.
“Kiff, I’m feeling the captain’s itch!”
“I’ll get the powder, sir.”
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### Author:  [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/37 "2005-12-16T03:51:37Z")
Kelsey Grammer on the Simpsons. Even if the Sideshow Bob episodes have failed in quality over the years.
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### Author:  [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/38 "2005-12-16T13:40:26Z")
The two guys who played the gay couple on “Barney Miller.”
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### Author:  [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/39 "2005-12-16T13:45:23Z")
The cigarette smoking man on the X-files. As time went on, to find out more and more about him was fascinating and chilling. One of my favorite episodes was when they told his life in flashback.
The man wasn’t evil, he genuinely believed he was doing the right thing.
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### Author:  [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2005, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-guest-or-recurring-characters-ever-on-tv-series/335827/40 "2005-12-16T13:59:12Z")
> [@Steve MB](#):
>
> Seconded, and adding Mr. Morden (Ed Wasser).
I’ll third Bester, second Mr. Morden, and add Emperor Cartagia. I think they did a good job at starting him off as just a douchebag, and then slowly revealed that he is completly, fucking out of his mind.
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