# 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:** 3
**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 4, 2023, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/42 "2023-02-04T15:08:35Z")
Yeah, I always thought it was odd that Ann, who was a nurse, seemed to spend more time at city hall than at her actual job. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/43 "2023-02-04T16:24:27Z")
Nicholas on Eight Is Enough. Too young to have any interesting plot lines, he was just there to be a cute little mophead. Chuck Cunningham on Happy Days- but I guess the producers had that figured out after the first episode. Doris Ziffel on Green Acres. Arnold was the only one worth having on screen in that family, even though he was a total ham. Lily on How I Met Your Mother. Marshall was the cool one, Lily was just a train wreck of a girl. Robin was the only girl they needed in that series. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/44 "2023-02-04T16:30:17Z")
**Larabee** on _Get Smart_. Did CONTROL really need an agent even dumber than Max? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/45 "2023-02-04T17:18:34Z")
At least with Disco Stu, he’s such an obviously one-joke character (created for a one-off gag involving a mis-lettered “DISCO STUD” jacket) that the humor comes from the increasingly absurd ways the writers find to shoehorn him into an episode. (Let’s have someone throw something at his head, just so he can say “Disco Stu should have Disco Ducked!” Let’s put him in a parody of the _Odyssey_, just so he can call himself “Discus Stu!” etc. etc.) ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/46 "2023-02-04T17:54:30Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Disco Stu and Duff Man are literally the exact same character… Not at all; in fact, they’re polar opposites. Duff Man is the ultimate corporate shill; and, as we all know, Disco Stu doesn’t advertise. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/47 "2023-02-04T18:02:30Z")
Also, Duff Man isn’t just one person. ---
**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 5, 2023, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/48 "2023-02-05T00:40:46Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Well, what are the odds of a Diane type falling for a Sam type? “Chicks dig bad boys.” ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2023, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/49 "2023-02-05T01:46:40Z")
“Duffman can never die. Only the actors who play him.” ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2023, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/50 "2023-02-05T16:37:12Z")
One of my favorite high school teachers was my very prim and proper English teacher. She was married to the auto shop teacher. He was not prim and proper. ---
**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 5, 2023, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/51 "2023-02-05T16:56:11Z")
It may be that the English teacher wasn’t as “prim and proper” outside the classroom. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2023, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/52 "2023-02-05T17:08:40Z")
“His Honor”, which has a great cast, has Rosie Perez cast as AUSA Delmont. A very poor choice, IMO. She mainly smirks and tries not to use her Brooklyn voice, but is generally just annoying. The character is marginally part of the plot, so technically it belongs there, but the choice is wrong and she appears way more often than the plot calls for. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2023, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/53 "2023-02-05T17:13:09Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > ultimately Raj doesn’t even marry her! Totally pointless. I’m pretty sure that _was_ the point. > [@Shoeless](#): > > Anu (snip) she sucked all the funny out of every scene she was in > [@Sitnam](#): > > Priya (snip) she sucked the funny out of the room I’m beginning to sense a theme here regarding actresses with South Asian roots on TBBT. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2023, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/54 "2023-02-05T17:24:41Z")
“Vethuviuth.” ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2023, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/55 "2023-02-05T17:52:10Z")
Never mind fiver words long ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2023, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/56 "2023-02-05T18:02:18Z")
Yeah, he hasn’t been funny since “Christmas Vacation” in '89, and was lucky to survive “Three Amigos” after pissing off Short and Martin so badly that they haven’t spoken to him since. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2023, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/57 "2023-02-05T18:30:38Z")
The poster boy for this discussion has got to be Coco, the ladies’ gay cook on _The Golden Girls_. The character was so clearly ill-suited to the series that the producers dropped him after the first episode, and in his place elevated Dorothy’s mother Sophia from a recurring character to a series regular. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2023, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/58 "2023-02-05T18:37:25Z")
Brother Mouzone on The Wire, he was like a cartoon character on a hyper realistic cop show. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2023, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/59 "2023-02-05T22:08:03Z")
Did Diff’rent Strokes really need Sam? Really? Even Arnold didn’t want him there. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2023, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/60 "2023-02-05T22:42:38Z")
In the second season of _Buck Rogers in the 25th Century_: I actually liked Hawk, but in the context of the show, he was a weak substitute for Black Barney. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248/61 "2023-02-06T00:25:12Z")
On **Roseanne** , Sandra Bernard’s character had no reason to be there except that she was presumedly Roseanne Barr’s pal IRL. She didn’t fit the show and stuck out like a very sore thumb. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-tv-character-who-doesnt-belong-in-a-series/979248.md?page=4)