# Name a TV character who doesn't belong in a series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, actor-characters\ **Created:** [February 3, 2023, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248 "2023-02-03T10:45:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/21 "2023-02-03T21:04:36Z")
Packer in _The Office._ Just a total ass. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/22 "2023-02-03T21:09:06Z")
Anu, the arranged fiancee for Raj in the final season of Big Bang Theory. Not sure if it was the character or the actress, but she sucked all the funny out of every scene she was in. And ultimately Raj doesn’t even marry her! Totally pointless. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/23 "2023-02-03T21:10:31Z")
I think Packer is there because initially, at least, every character was based on one in the original UK show, and there was a similar character there. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/24 "2023-02-03T21:18:19Z")
I think he was there to justify the use of Batman. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/25 "2023-02-03T21:29:22Z")
I think Chevy Chase is hilarious, but his style of humor just didn’t fit in Community. He was doing his Chevy thing and the others were doing something else. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/26 "2023-02-03T22:39:10Z")
> [@Pavelb1](#): > > I think Chevy Chase is hilarious, Oh, you’re the one. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/27 "2023-02-03T22:46:36Z")
Going back a few years, there was the character of Ellen Hartley on the _Bob Newhart Show_. She played Newhart’s sister. She was brunette, cute, bright, and funny. In fact, she was a shorter version of Suzanne Pleshette’s Emily. The writers gave Ellen the same outlook, and the same type of snappy, humorous lines as Emily. The only twist she brought to the show was as Howard’s love interest, and that wasn’t even done well. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/28 "2023-02-03T22:55:03Z")
> [@Pavelb1](#): > > I think Chevy Chase is hilarious You obviously never saw his talk show. > The easy answer as to why the show was canceled is pretty easy: it simply wasn’t very good. Clips online reveal a low-energy Chase enacting limp slapstick from his glory days, a low-energy audience not laughing at him, and interviews that were full of prolonged pauses and awkward moments. He and Dan Aykroyd would wrap rubber bands around their faces. He’d talk to bubblegum-blowing champions. Comedian Archie Hahn appeared as his producer, and their banter — to put it bluntly ± sucked. Oh yes, and Chase would play piano on the show for extended sequences. He was … okay I guess. Read More: [Why The Chevy Chase Show Failed In Its First Season](https://www.slashfilm.com/1129339/why-the-chevy-chase-show-failed-in-its-first-season/) ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/29 "2023-02-04T00:05:30Z")
The character I’d most like to delete from a series is Julien in **The Shield**. Every time they dragged out his “gay guy in denial” story line, the episode would come to a screeching halt. Also: the actor murdered his wife, so screw that guy. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/30 "2023-02-04T00:31:31Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > The biggest one I can think of is Duff Man Two words. Disco Stu. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/31 "2023-02-04T00:42:36Z")
You are 100% right. Disco Stu and Duff Man are literally the exact same character (besides the core gimmick). ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/32 "2023-02-04T00:49:35Z")
He gave the Commissioner someone to talk to before he had to call in Batman. If the Commissioner had an imaginary friend or a pet dog to talk to (“Oh, no, the Riddler’s back” “Wuff!”) that would have worked just as well. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/33 "2023-02-04T01:00:56Z")
Also gave False Face someone to impersonate… ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/34 "2023-02-04T04:06:17Z")
I always thought Chief O’Hara’s main job was to show up with the paddy wagon and order his ~~extras~~ officers to load up the mooks after the Dynamic Duo had finished them off. > [@Andy\_L](#): > > He gave the Commissioner someone to talk to before he had to call in Batman. I think this is probably the real answer. There always has to be some character they need to explain things to so the viewers get caught up on the story, leading to unforgettable scenes like this [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pMnwzlwM1qs/hqdefault.jpg "Batman and Robin Not Available") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMnwzlwM1qs) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/36 "2023-02-04T12:27:53Z")
> [@Palpatine1](#): > > Getting back to “Frasier,” the character who never made sense to me was Niles and Frasier’s Dad. How could such a blue-collar type have produced those uppercrust WASPy-preppy intellectuals?! I figured one possible explanation was the mom being even more of an uppercrust WASPy-preppy intellectual than Frasier is — such that the odds of him needing a good psychiatrist go up as you get closer to describing her as _‘a Diane Chambers type.’_ ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/37 "2023-02-04T12:42:40Z")
> [@Palpatine1](#): > > Getting back to “Frasier,” the character who never made sense to me was Niles and Frasier’s Dad. How could such a blue-collar type have produced those uppercrust WASPy-preppy intellectuals?! There was an episode, Fathers and Son, with David Ogden Stiers that has that as part of the plot. The David Ogden Stiers character fits the type of father they should have. And he spent time with their mother. Maybe he is their real dad, or so the story goes. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/38 "2023-02-04T12:47:18Z")
I’ve known actual people who are like that , who came from a blue-collar background but act as though they didn’t ( it’s more pretentious than upper-crust) and it makes more sense to me than the idea that their mother was like them but still ended up with their father ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/39 "2023-02-04T12:50:31Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > I’ve known actual people who are like that , who came from a blue-collar background but act as though they didn’t ( it’s more pretentious than upper-crust) and it makes more sense to me than the idea that their mother was like them but still ended up with their father Well, what are the odds of a Diane type falling for a Sam type? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/40 "2023-02-04T13:16:47Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Yes, that’s been true for pretty much this whole season, and actually started last season. They’ve expanded the cast and added so many subplots that Sheldon’s lucky to have five minutes in the show named for him. I would have stopped watching a while ago, but my wife still likes it. I wonder if they felt audience might get bored with Sheldon’s shtick. As much as I like the show, they do over use the same set up/delivery over and over. Someone says something they believe to be true, Sheldon says ‘well actually…’. I do enjoy the show and even that doesn’t bother me all that much, but I’m liking the Georgie/Mandy/Connie(meemaw) grouping they have going on. I think the three of them work together (as characters and actors) pretty well. I’m not sure if the various scenarios/pairings they’ve put the other characters into were fruitless attempts at the same thing or meant from the outset to be short character B plots/arcs. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/41 "2023-02-04T14:13:29Z")
> [@colinfred](#): > > I think Bulldog worked great as a contrast to Frasier and as a foil. I would say Ann from _Parks+Recreation_. The first series focused on Leslie’s crusade to fill Ann’s pit but from series 2 onwards there was less and less reason for her to be there but she kept coming back. Originally Leslie was supposed to be a government obsessed nerdball. The other characters stood in contrast. Ann was supposed to be the view of someone in the community. I suppose Ann could have commented on all of the government weirdness as she was friends with Leslie. Over time Leslie was made more and more competent to the point that she had the answer to everything. She no longer needed a friend. Ann did not work in government and even when they awkwardly got her in the same building it didn’t make a lot of sense. They did sort of indirectly create a character for Ann as Pretty Girl Who’s Too Good For Everything. She had a basic level of competence, but plowed through all available men and had no interests. So she hung out with Leslie and the crew because she had nothing else. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248.md?page=3)