# TV Binge Watch (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [August 21, 2019, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004 "2019-08-21T15:27:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 208
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2020, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4146 "2020-07-31T23:44:37Z")
Stock comedy-sketch characters of TV comedians. 1. Freddy the Freeloader - Red Skelton 2. Reginald Van Gleason III - Jackie Gleason 3. Geraldine Jones - Flip Wilson 4. [Eunice Higgins](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM7LLks7UFU) - Carol Burnett ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2020, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4147 "2020-08-01T19:09:15Z")
Stock comedy-sketch characters of TV comedians. 1. Freddy the Freeloader - Red Skelton 2. Reginald Van Gleason III - Jackie Gleason 3. Geraldine Jones - Flip Wilson 4. [Eunice Higgins](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM7LLks7UFU) - Carol Burnett 5. Al Sleet, the hippy-dippy weatherman - George Carlin ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2020, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4148 "2020-08-01T20:57:13Z")
Stock comedy-sketch characters of TV comedians. 1. Freddy the Freeloader - Red Skelton 2. Reginald Van Gleason III - Jackie Gleason 3. Geraldine Jones - Flip Wilson 4. [Eunice Higgins](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM7LLks7UFU) - Carol Burnett 5. Al Sleet, the hippy-dippy weatherman - George Carlin 6. Ed Grimley - Martin Short ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2020, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4149 "2020-08-01T22:53:36Z")
Stock comedy-sketch characters of TV comedians. 1. Freddy the Freeloader - Red Skelton 2. Reginald Van Gleason III - Jackie Gleason 3. Geraldine Jones - Flip Wilson 4. [Eunice Higgins](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM7LLks7UFU) - Carol Burnett 5. Al Sleet, the hippy-dippy weatherman - George Carlin 6. Ed Grimley - Martin Short 7. Bob and Doug McKenzie - Rick Moranis (Bob) and Dave Thomas (Doug) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4150 "2020-08-02T00:27:53Z")
Stock comedy-sketch characters of TV comedians. 1. Freddy the Freeloader - Red Skelton 2. Reginald Van Gleason III - Jackie Gleason 3. Geraldine Jones - Flip Wilson 4. [Eunice Higgins](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM7LLks7UFU) - Carol Burnett 5. Al Sleet, the hippy-dippy weatherman - George Carlin 6. Ed Grimley - Martin Short 7. Bob and Doug McKenzie - Rick Moranis (Bob) and Dave Thomas (Doug) 8. Burt Reynolds - Norm McDonald ---
**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:** [August 2, 2020, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4151 "2020-08-02T01:34:55Z")
Stock comedy-sketch characters of TV comedians. 1. Freddy the Freeloader - Red Skelton 2. Reginald Van Gleason III - Jackie Gleason 3. Geraldine Jones - Flip Wilson 4. [Eunice Higgins](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM7LLks7UFU) - Carol Burnett 5. Al Sleet, the hippy-dippy weatherman - George Carlin 6. Ed Grimley - Martin Short 7. Bob and Doug McKenzie - Rick Moranis (Bob) and Dave Thomas (Doug) 8. Burt Reynolds - Norm McDonald 9. Roseanne Roseannadanna - Gilda Radner ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4152 "2020-08-02T08:49:21Z")
Stock comedy-sketch characters of TV comedians. 1. Freddy the Freeloader - Red Skelton 2. Reginald Van Gleason III - Jackie Gleason 3. Geraldine Jones - Flip Wilson 4. [Eunice Higgins](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM7LLks7UFU) - Carol Burnett 5. Al Sleet, the hippy-dippy weatherman - George Carlin 6. Ed Grimley - Martin Short 7. Bob and Doug McKenzie - Rick Moranis (Bob) and Dave Thomas (Doug) 8. Burt Reynolds - Norm McDonald 9. Roseanne Roseannadanna - Gilda Radner 10. “foreign man” - Andy Kaufman Next: characters who show significant development throughout a series (and I don’t they become 2-dimensional, I mean, they develop as a real person) 1. Gabrielle – Xena, Warrior Princess ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4153 "2020-08-02T15:28:20Z")
Characters who show significant development throughout a series (and I don’t mean they become 2-dimensional, I mean they develop as a real person) 1. Gabrielle – Xena, Warrior Princess 2. Andy Sipowicz - NYPD Blue ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4154 "2020-08-02T16:01:43Z")
[quote=“Little\_Nemo, post:4153, topic:839004, full:true”] Characters who show significant development throughout a series (and I don’t mean they become 2-dimensional, I mean they develop as a real person) 1. Gabrielle – Xena, Warrior Princess 2. Andy Sipowicz - NYPD Blue 3. Howard Wolowitz - The Big Bang Theory ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4155 "2020-08-02T17:34:25Z")
Characters who show significant development throughout a series (and I don’t mean they become 2-dimensional, I mean they develop as a real person) 1. Gabrielle – Xena, Warrior Princess 2. Andy Sipowicz - NYPD Blue 3. Howard Wolowitz - The Big Bang Theory 4. Margaret Houlihan - MASH ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4156 "2020-08-02T17:39:34Z")
Characters who show significant development throughout a series (and I don’t mean they become 2-dimensional, I mean they develop as a real person) 1. Gabrielle – Xena, Warrior Princess 2. Andy Sipowicz - NYPD Blue 3. Howard Wolowitz - The Big Bang Theory 4. Margaret Houlihan - MASH 5. Mr. Spock - Star Trek ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4157 "2020-08-02T17:55:06Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Margaret Houlihan - MASH Ooh, good one-- I think she’s one of the first characters to have significant story arcs around this. Maybe the first, excluding child characters with stories about their growing up. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4158 "2020-08-02T17:59:35Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Ooh, good one-- I think she’s one of the first characters to have significant story arcs around this. Maybe the first, excluding child characters with stories about their growing up. I think in large part it was a reflection of the era. Women characters in popular culture were portrayed a lot differently in 1983 than they were in 1972. Margaret Houlihan happened to be a character who spanned that time period. Her character had to develop because the times were changing. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4159 "2020-08-02T18:14:48Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I think in large part it was a reflection of the era. Women characters in popular culture were portrayed a lot differently in 1983 than they were in 1972. Margaret Houlihan happened to be a character who spanned that time period. Her character had to develop because the times were changing. Yeah, but the _way_ it changed was significant. “The Nurses” is one of the greatest episodes of any show anywhere. Some of that reflected the show moving from farce to straight up comedy to “dramedy,” but the writers didn’t just say “OK, screw continuity, she’s nice now.” It took a lot of effort and concert on the part of the writers and the actress, that really paid off. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4160 "2020-08-03T00:26:45Z")
Characters who show significant development throughout a series (and I don’t mean they become 2-dimensional, I mean they develop as a real person) 1. Gabrielle – Xena, Warrior Princess 2. Andy Sipowicz - NYPD Blue 3. Howard Wolowitz - The Big Bang Theory 4. Margaret Houlihan - MASH 5. Mr. Spock - Star Trek 6. Sheldon Cooper – The Big Bang Theory Just to get things back on track-- and probably name the king of this category. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4161 "2020-08-03T15:08:39Z")
Characters who show significant development throughout a series (and I don’t mean they become 2-dimensional, I mean they develop as a real person) 1. Gabrielle – Xena, Warrior Princess 2. Andy Sipowicz - NYPD Blue 3. Howard Wolowitz - The Big Bang Theory 4. Margaret Houlihan - MASH 5. Mr. Spock - Star Trek 6. Sheldon Cooper – The Big Bang Theory 7. Thomas Barrow - Downton Abbey ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4162 "2020-08-03T17:02:58Z")
Characters who show significant development throughout a series (and I don’t mean they become 2-dimensional, I mean they develop as a real person) 1. Gabrielle – Xena, Warrior Princess 2. Andy Sipowicz - NYPD Blue 3. Howard Wolowitz - The Big Bang Theory 4. Margaret Houlihan - MASH 5. Mr. Spock - Star Trek 6. Sheldon Cooper – The Big Bang Theory 7. Thomas Barrow - Downton Abbey 8. Elanor Shellstrop - The Good Place ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4163 "2020-08-03T21:42:28Z")
Characters who show significant development throughout a series (and I don’t mean they become 2-dimensional, I mean they develop as a real person) 1. Gabrielle – Xena, Warrior Princess 2. Andy Sipowicz - NYPD Blue 3. Howard Wolowitz - The Big Bang Theory 4. Margaret Houlihan - MASH 5. Mr. Spock - Star Trek 6. Sheldon Cooper – The Big Bang Theory 7. Thomas Barrow - Downton Abbey 8. Elanor Shellstrop - The Good Place 9. Temperane “Bones” Brennan - Bones ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4164 "2020-08-04T15:15:08Z")
Characters who show significant development throughout a series (and I don’t mean they become 2-dimensional, I mean they develop as a real person) 1. Gabrielle – Xena, Warrior Princess 2. Andy Sipowicz - NYPD Blue 3. Howard Wolowitz - The Big Bang Theory 4. Margaret Houlihan - MASH 5. Mr. Spock - Star Trek 6. Sheldon Cooper – The Big Bang Theory 7. Thomas Barrow - Downton Abbey 8. Elanor Shellstrop - The Good Place 9. Temperance “Bones” Brennan - Bones 10. Odo - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Next up: Sidekicks and their shows 1. Robin/Dick Grayson - Batman ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004/4165 "2020-08-04T15:43:27Z")
Sidekicks and their shows 1. Robin/Dick Grayson - Batman 2. Willow - Buffy the Vampire Slayer [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004.md?page=207) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-1/839004.md?page=209)