In Lost in Space, I believe Doctor Smith was supposed to be an extremely minor character and I understand was to be written out after one or two episodes. He ended up being one of the main characters at the end.
Wait. You RECALL that? How the hell old ARE you, anyway? :eek:
You have to include the Robot (B-9), who was not in the original pilot, either, and helped turn the show into The Dr. Smith/Robot Comedy Hour.
I am deeply ashamed I didn’t think of this much earlier. It’s been that kind of week.
Avon became the most interesting if not the focal character in Blakes 7
Agent Pendergast.
Wasn’t George Smiley a minor character in some of the early John le Carre spy novels/movies like “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” who later became the main character?
Falstaff in Henry IV.
Darryl on The Walking Dead. He doesn’t get all that much extra screen time, but he has a loud and enthusiastic fan base. I’ve seen life size cardboard cutouts of our Darryl in various mall shops.
Who was such a minor character that he wasn’t even in the movie made from the first book he appeared in.
When Denise Huxtable got bumped from A Different World, Whitley clicked right into place.
The 1940s Daredevil comic, a year or two in, introduced a team of kid sidekicks, the Little Wise Guys. Even though they kept the Daredevil name, the lead character disappeared and the kids took over the book.
IIRC, the comic strip Nancy was originally called Fritzi Ritz.
David Healey, originally introduced as “Kevin” on Roseanne, was Darlene’s sometime boyfriend. He eventually moved into the Conner’s house and became a regular in the series. Roseanne knew acting talent when she saw it.