# TV Characters' Initials **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 15, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053 "2004-12-15T23:10:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davmilasav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@davmilasav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davmilasav)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/1 "2004-12-15T23:10:26Z")
Alex P. Keaton Sherman T. Potter Maxwell Q. Klinger We all know the initials but does anybody know what they stand for? šŸ˜• I know the ā€œTā€ in James T. Kirk is Tiberius but the others have always made me wonder. Anybody? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/2 "2004-12-16T00:13:19Z")
If memory serves, Larry Gelbart once said the ā€œTā€ in Potterā€™s name was like the ā€œSā€ is Harry Trumanā€™s. In other words, it stood for nothing. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/3 "2004-12-16T00:29:29Z")
Bullwinkle J. Mooseā€™s middle name is said to be Jay (as in Jay Ward); Iā€™m guessing the same is true for Rocket J. Squirrel. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/4 "2004-12-16T00:30:25Z")
I donā€™t know any of the others, but speaking of Alex Keatonā€¦ the ā€œJā€ in Michael J. Fox stands forā€¦ Andrew. Actually, Andrew is Mr. Foxā€™s real middle name. He adopted the initial ā€œJā€ as a tribute to the great character actor Michael J. Pollard. Or so Iā€™ve heardā€¦ Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/5 "2004-12-16T00:30:39Z")
Oh, and how about Maynard G. Krebs? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/6 "2004-12-16T00:33:39Z")
I learned on this very board that the cop from the 80s with the puffy hairpiece was named Thomas Jefferson Hooker. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/7 "2004-12-16T00:41:52Z")
> [@davmilasav](#): > > I know the ā€œTā€ in James T. Kirk is Tiberius But what did the R stand for in the episode _Where No Man Has Gone Before_? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/8 "2004-12-16T00:45:18Z")
^^Ruh-roh (to quote Scooby Doo). Though I donā€™t read ST novels, Iā€™ve heard that an author named Peter David ret-conned this as a joke between Kirk and Gary Mitchell, who sometimes derisively called Kirk ā€œRhinoceros.ā€ This may be a Trek urban legend, though. Trek fans can explain ANYTHING Right, Aesiron? Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/9 "2004-12-16T00:46:47Z")
> [@Sir Rhosis](#): > > I donā€™t know any of the others, but speaking of Alex Keatonā€¦ the ā€œJā€ in Michael J. Fox stands forā€¦ Andrew. > > Actually, Andrew is Mr. Foxā€™s real middle name. He adopted the initial ā€œJā€ as a tribute to the great character actor Michael J. Pollard. Or so Iā€™ve heardā€¦ > > Sir Rhosis Iā€™ve heard he had to change because there was already a Michael A. Fox and he didnā€™t want to be confused with him. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/10 "2004-12-16T00:48:07Z")
^^Youā€™re right, but still, did he choose J for the reason I remembered? Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/11 "2004-12-16T00:54:05Z")
> [@Sir Rhosis](#): > > ^^Youā€™re right, but still, did he choose J for the reason I remembered? > > Sir Rhosis Oddly enough, [yes](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000150/bio). Thatā€™s just weird. Pollard was always such a creepy troll-like guy. ---
**Author:** ![Hustle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df705f/32.png) [@Hustle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hustle)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/12 "2004-12-16T01:15:38Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Iā€™ve heard he had to change because there was already a Michael A. Fox and he didnā€™t want to be confused with him. Probably not so much that he didnā€™t _want_ to as he wasnā€™t _allowed_ to use the name of another actor. Iā€™m fairly sure itā€™s a union rule (Screen Actorsā€™ Guild?). Thatā€™s why these days you get a lot of initialed or three-name actors and actresses. All the common names are already taken, so Sam Jackson has to be Samuel L. Jackson. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/13 "2004-12-16T01:44:48Z")
What about **Kermit T. Frog** , roving reporter? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/14 "2004-12-16T01:47:29Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > What about **Kermit T. Frog** , roving reporter? Probably the same middle name as Crow T. Robot. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/15 "2004-12-16T01:49:39Z")
^^^Yes, both of those two also had the middle name of Tiberiusā€¦ šŸ˜ƒ Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![emekthian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecae2f/32.png) [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/16 "2004-12-16T02:29:46Z")
> [@Tapioca Dextrin](#): > > But what did the R stand for in the episode _Where No Man Has Gone Before_? > [@Five Minute Voyager](#): > > Spock: Iā€™m sympathetic, not stupid. Thereā€™s still one problem to resolve, though. What did you say was on the tombstone Gary made you? > Kirk: ā€œJames R. Kirk.ā€ > Spock: Right. Whatā€™s with that? A god wouldnā€™t make such a grave mistake. > Kirk: What mistake? It was a sentence: ā€œJames are Kirk.ā€ Which I are. \_\_ ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/17 "2004-12-16T02:33:25Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Iā€™ve heard he had to change because there was already a Michael A. Fox and he didnā€™t want to be confused with him. What I remembered hearing was that he couldnā€™t simply be Michael Fox, because there was another one. I believe that was this [Michael Fox](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0289147/). So he had the choice of using his first name, middle initial and last name, but didnā€™t want to be Michael A Fox (as in Michael, he thinks heā€™s a ā€œfoxā€). According to the bio on [IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000150/bio): "According to an interview with Fox, he originally decided to use the middle initial J instead of his own A because he didnā€™t want teen magazines to use headlines such as ā€œMichael, A Fox!ā€ ---
**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:** [December 16, 2004, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/18 "2004-12-16T02:35:27Z")
**Ernest G. Bilko** - he occasionally said it stands for _Greedy_, but I donā€™t know of any full name. ---
**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:** [December 16, 2004, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/19 "2004-12-16T02:45:10Z")
And since weā€™re using actors as well as characters, thereā€™s **Harry H. Corbett.** (Note to Americans - heā€™s the star of Steptoe And Son, a British comedy that was remade as Sanford And Son. ) He said the H stands for ā€œHenything you like.ā€ He added it to distinguish himself from the pupeteer **Harry Corbett.** ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/20 "2004-12-16T02:52:56Z")
Bartholomew J. Simpson-- The J is for Jojo. If I recall correctly. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053.md?page=2)