# Great Recurring Character On TV Shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 4, 2009, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256 "2009-05-04T05:18:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/1 "2009-05-04T05:18:50Z")
I was watching _Sanford and Son_ and I was just cracking up with the character of Esther played by the late LaWanda Page. Esther was truly one of the best recurring characters on TV. What other recurring characters do you think are “GREAT”? For the purposes of this thread, let’s say that a recurring character is one that isn’t central or needed for the show. For instance, you could easily do _Sanford and Son_ without Aunt Esther but it wouldn’t be as funny. So definately let’s say if the character’s name ever appears in the opening credits they are not recurring but a secondary character. So that means characters like Urkel or Fraiser which started out that way but moved to secondary or main status wouldn’t count. (And yes I know it’s your opinion so there will be differences in what a recurring character is. If you’re not sure say it anyway) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/2 "2009-05-04T05:38:01Z")
The Ghostfacers and Bobby on _Supernatural._ ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@Red\_Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/3 "2009-05-04T05:41:55Z")
The Local Store owners from A League of Gentlemen. Crack me up every single time. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/4 "2009-05-04T07:26:27Z")
Going back a while, Exidor (Robert Donner) on _Mork & Mindy_. The quintessential whackjob. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/5 "2009-05-04T07:47:38Z")
“Hi, my name is Larry, this is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl.” ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/6 "2009-05-04T07:56:19Z")
Zathras! (oh, sorry, I mean _Zathras_) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/7 "2009-05-04T08:44:33Z")
**Bewitched** had some of the greatest: Aunt Clara, Uncle Arthur, Maurice, Dr. Bombay, various other aunts (usually when Agnes Moorehead was evidently unavailable), Cousin Serena, Queen Hepzibah, Esmerelda. **Northern Exposure** had Adam (Adam Arkin), the nutcase hygienically challenged brilliant chef, and Eve (Valerie Mahaffey) as his queen of all hypochondriacs wife (who was Christian Scientist and an heiress). They were great. I also liked Maurice’s on-off sheriff’s deputy girlfriend Barbara Semanski. Mahaffey was later a recurring character on _Wings_ as Tim Daly’s character’s psychotic ex-girlfriend. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/8 "2009-05-04T08:52:45Z")
In addition to Aunt Esther **Sanford and Son** had several other truly great recurring characters, including her alcoholic husband Woody. My favorite was Grady but there was also Bubba, Skillet, Julio, Hoppy, Smitty, Rollo, and Frank Nelson’s “Yessssssssssssss” man (presumably the same character he played on Jack Benny). In the final season Nancy “Miss Jane Hathaway” Kulp joined as Hoppy’s mother and was funny in a couple of episodes (though I’m still not sure why a white cop would have to house his retired and aristocratic seeming/obviously well educated mom in a run down rooming house in Watts). Several of Fred’s friends on the show were fellow Chitlin’ Circuit comics he’d known before he became famous. Lawanda “Aunt Esther” Page was almost like a sister to him as they’d known each other since childhood and went into show biz about the same time. Redd, Lawanda, and Don “Bubba” Bexley all produced some pretty blue “party albums” as well. (Whitman ‘Grady’ Mayo was odd man out with the old men characters since he was only in his early 40s when he was on the show.) **All in the Family** had some good ones as well: the Lorenzo family (Vincent Gardenia and Betty Garrett) who irked Archie for their gender reversal (she worked in construction and he was a house husband), the Jeffersons (before they were spun off), Quigley (the ubiquitous [Burt Mustin](http://images.google.com/images?q=burt%20mustin&sourceid=navclient-ff&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2006-38,GGGL:en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi), official old man of '70s television), and a few others. **Andy Griffith Show** had some of its best episodes with Ernest T. Bass (one of the brilliant over-the-top comic performances of TV history), the Darlings, and later from Barney after Don Knotts left the show. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/9 "2009-05-04T08:55:59Z")
Badger in _Firefly_. Willie the Snitch in _Buffy_. Q in _Star Trek_ ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/10 "2009-05-04T12:20:42Z")
Vicky & The Big Giant Head on 3rd Rock. Nana Mary on Roseanne, wonderfully played by Shelly Winters. Leslie Winkle on Big Bang Theory. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/11 "2009-05-04T12:42:06Z")
Momma Carlson on WKRP. With a shout out (just like she used to do) to her butler, Hirsch. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/12 "2009-05-04T13:09:35Z")
Major Hochstetter. It was fun watching him pop a blood vessel. _What is this man doing here?_ ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/13 "2009-05-04T13:12:33Z")
Psychiatrist Dr. Sidney Freedman on M_A_S\*H ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/14 "2009-05-04T14:00:43Z")
Herbert from **Family Guy.** ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/15 "2009-05-04T14:23:02Z")
The wonderfully insane Callisto, from Xena: Warrior Princess. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/16 "2009-05-04T14:26:17Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Zathras! > > (oh, sorry, I mean _Zathras_) No _Zath_ras You are talking about my brother Za_thras_. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/17 "2009-05-04T14:36:26Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Quigley (the ubiquitous [Burt Mustin](http://images.google.com/images?q=burt%20mustin&sourceid=navclient-ff&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2006-38,GGGL:en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi), official old man of '70s television) Jesse James was a mean, dirty killer. Arrested Development had plenty. Barry Zuckercorn Bob Loblaw Rita Wayne Jarvis Who? STEVE HOLT! Sally Sitwell Tony Wonder Annyong! ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/18 "2009-05-04T14:40:01Z")
The Lone Gunmen from _The X-Files_ (and not on their own short-lived show: Byers (Bruce Harwood), Frohike (Tom Braidwood) & Langley (Dean Haglund). My favorite of their appearances was at the spy convention in Las Vegas episode (“Three of a Kind”). ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/19 "2009-05-04T14:41:09Z")
Harry The Hat from Cheers. ---
**Author:** ![Claire\_Beauchamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256/20 "2009-05-04T14:44:23Z")
Dammit. The first ones that leaped to mind were Exidor and LarryDarrylandDarryl. That’s what I get for being late to the party. _sigh_ I also agree heartily with Callisto, Sydney Freedman, and The Lone Gunmen. I would also add Col. Flagg. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-recurring-character-on-tv-shows/495256.md?page=2)