# Sitcoms where "sidekicks" steal the show. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 9, 2010, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498 "2010-12-09T03:05:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/41 "2010-12-09T19:05:27Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > [Alexander Scott](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001070/) and [Bubble](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001363/). I LOVE Jane Horrocks! She’s wonderful in anything. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/42 "2010-12-09T19:16:30Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > I think Michael Bluth is considered the main character of **Arrested Development** , and while he is quite funny, it’s really GOB, George, Buster and Tobias that make the show. Its pretty common to have a show with an ensemble of weird and eccentric characters have a main character be more of a normal straight man so the audience has someone to relate to (I’ve heard the main character in these types of shows be called the “Kermit” after Kermit the Frog). Similarily Seinfeld was the most functional member of the Seinfeld cast, Michael Bluth was the only Bluth member with his act at least semi-togeather, Fleischamann was the most normal citizen of Sicily Alaska, Kermit was the ‘sane’ muppet, etc. But this is by design, so I’m not sure they really count. They’re not supposed to be as funny or out-there as the other characters. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/43 "2010-12-09T19:25:17Z")
Brian and Stewie seem to have much more popularity than Peter. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/44 "2010-12-09T19:28:59Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Joy and Randy from My Name Is Earl. Nay! Crabman! ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/45 "2010-12-09T19:35:36Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I think I’m gonna win the thread with this one: > > _Remington Steele_ (Pierce Brosnan, as if anyone didn’t know) > > Even though he was the titular character, the show was intended as a starring vehicle for Stephanie Zimbalist - as reflected in the fact that she had star billing throughout the series’ run. The fact that Brosnan and his portrayal of Steele became so wildly popular allegedly resulted in considerable offscreen tension, with the two stars said not to get along off-camera, though they both denied it. Doris Roberts, another member of the cast, has alluded to this in interviews, calling working conditions on the set “unpleasant”. The sexual tension between Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan was stronger than any on-screen couple I have ever seen. (that said, I don’t know anyone who would have considered Stephanie Zimbalist the “star” of Remington Steele. If any single person was the star, it was clearly Pierce Brosnan) Stephanie Zimbalist was an absolutely stunning woman though—One of the most classically beautiful women in television history… ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/46 "2010-12-09T19:57:02Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > Benson on Soap > > (Og, I feel **old!!!** remembering this) My boyfriend has been watching _Soap_ lately. I only sit through it for Benson and sometimes the guy with the dummy. God, I love Benson, though. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/47 "2010-12-09T20:03:17Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Nay! Crabman! :smack: Of course. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/48 "2010-12-09T21:20:50Z")
Lots of people stopped giving a shit about what the boys on **Entourage** were up to, but Ari’s assistant **Lloyd** has always been worth tuning in for! ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/49 "2010-12-09T21:58:44Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I always thought Conchatta Ferrell as Berta the housekeeper was the funniest thing on that show. She’s got my vote. She doesn’t even need dialogue. ---
**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:** [December 10, 2010, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/50 "2010-12-10T14:21:39Z")
Family Ties was supposed to be about the parents. Meredith Baxter was reportedly furious when it became “The Michael J. Fox Show” ---
**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:** [December 10, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/51 "2010-12-10T16:37:25Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Family Ties was supposed to be about the parents. Meredith Baxter was reportedly furious when it became “The Michael J. Fox Show” Supposedly, it was after the studio audience reaction to the 4th episode (where Alex loses his virginity) that Gary David Goldberg, the show’s creator, told Baxter, “If you want out now, I won’t blame you.” ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/52 "2010-12-10T17:38:41Z")
Guinastasia: > [@](#): > > Does Night Court really count though? It was more of an ensemble than focussing on one particular main character. Harry may have gotten more time than anyone else, but pretty much everyone had equal time. I’ve always thought of Harry as the star of the show and the others his supporting cast, but I suppose YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/53 "2010-12-10T17:54:19Z")
I don’t know if _Roseanne_ counts under the Star/Sidekick criteria but I always thought casting Laurie Metcalf (and John Goodman) alongside Roseanne was brilliant. In the beginning when Metcalf really used her acting chops to add depth, quirkiness and neurosis to her role, I thought it was an excellent contrast to Roseanne’s brashness and being-herself acting (which I also loved). I don’t know if she “stole” the show, but I certainly looked forward to seeing her onscreen as much as I did the star. There was real person there who you could see and appreciate, which was lost when they started turning her into a whiny, near-straitlaced and almost-psychotic caricature. I suppose that could also have been a product of the shows aging and jumping the shark but, given how impressed I was with how her character started out, still very dissapointing. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/54 "2010-12-10T19:55:30Z")
In \*Everybody Loves Raymond, \*just about all the cast members steal the show from Raymond . . . especially Marie. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/55 "2010-12-10T19:57:54Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > I don’t know if _Roseanne_ counts under the Star/Sidekick criteria but I always thought casting Laurie Metcalf (and John Goodman) alongside Roseanne was brilliant. The two of them were way more accomplished actors than Roseanne . . . who basically played herself. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/56 "2010-12-10T22:11:54Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > The two of them were way more accomplished actors than Roseanne . . . who basically played herself. Yeah, I think I said that. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/57 "2010-12-10T23:18:35Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Actually I think she did make it into the comics at some point…I don’t know if they ret-conned her as a childhood friend Clark never talked about until now, or if she was just introduced as an adult. > **[Chloe Sullivan (Character) - Comic Vine](https://comicvine.gamespot.com/chloe-sullivan/4005-49419/)** > > Chloe Sullivan is the best friend of Superman, cousin of Lois Lane and a member of the Watchtower Network, the predecessor of the JLA. She was the long time girlfriend of Jimmy Olsen, but after his death Chloe married Oliver Queen. She worked as a... ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/58 "2010-12-11T07:25:44Z")
Another vote for Christine Baransky as Cybyll Sheppard’s boozy and really sexy friend. ---
**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:** [December 11, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/59 "2010-12-11T14:58:49Z")
Will & Grace should have been renamed Will & Grace, Jack & Karen. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498/60 "2010-12-11T14:58:53Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > I don’t know if _Roseanne_ counts under the Star/Sidekick criteria but I always thought casting Laurie Metcalf (and John Goodman) alongside Roseanne was brilliant. # For all her reputation as an out-of-control prima donna (and by her own admission some of it was justified) Roseanne had astonishingly little problem letting supporting characters steal scenes and episodes. Her mom, Leon, his lover Scott (Fred Willard), Nancy (Sandra Bernhard), Darlene, etc., all walked off with scenes and episodes frequently, nor was Roseanne always the most level headed or likeable (ala Andy Griffith). About the only one who couldn’t steal scenes even when they were written around them were Lecy Goranson (Becky 1) and Michael Fishman (D.J.), though both of their characters dated characters/actors who did (the late Glenn Quinn and Heather Matarazzo respectively). This strange lack of ego is what made it a great show and implies for all the drama Roseanne really knew what she was doing when it didn’t involve Tom Arnold. She also knew how to stack a deck with talent. There was at least one scene that had three Oscar winners in it: Shelley Winters (Roseanne’s grandmother), Estelle Parsons (her mother), and Red Buttons (her mom’s boyfriend), and several eps featured Ned Beatty who hasn’t won an Oscar but has been nominated. # I’ll add _Sanford & Son_. Redd Foxx wrapped up his contractual walkout really quick when Whitman Mayo (Grady) got even higher ratings as the father-figure than he (Redd) had gotten, and Mayo wasn’t the only sidekick to steal the spotlight: Aunt Esther seemed such a vital part of the show in retrospect it’s hard to believe she didn’t appear until season 3 and was then only a recurring character, and Bubba also had his moments. Of the entire extended cast older cast (i.e. older than Lamont and Julio) most were “Chitlin’ Belt” comics; only Mayo came from a theater background. Harriet Sansom Harris (as his demonic agent) and the already mentioned Christine Baranski (as a Dr. Laura clone) both stole episodes of _Frasier_ from the regulars and both walked away with other episodes and shows they were in, so it makes you wonder who would steal a scene they were in together in which they both play over-the-top characters, and strangely, the answer seems to be neither- [they both hold their own](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYH5F6ggUg0). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcoms-where-sidekicks-steal-the-show/563498.md?page=4)