The evidence is clear that there are great leads in shows like Breaking Bad or Fleabag who have engaging leads that keep you watching. You want to see how Walter White survives in the drug business, or if Fleabag finally manages to get her life on track. But a show isn’t necessarily going to stick if the main character isn’t interesting enough, not if the supporting cast is more than able to step up to the table. Here are a few of those characters who shine out from beneath the shadow of the main character.
Teen Wolf
No one really watched the show for Scott, the only person capable of making being a werewolf boring. The fan favourite was Stiles Stilinski, played by Dylan O’Brien, thanks to his humour and being one of few actually smart characters. He’s also one of the few human characters, making him just as confused as all of us about this world of monsters. This is usually to a hilarious degree, and hence one of the most relatable characters on the show. While he definitely acts as the comedy relief for the show, Stiles has his own fair share of dark and emotional scenes that help in showing how interesting and complex he was as a character. It’s a shame that Dylan left the show before it concluded, but then again he was too good for this, mediocre at best, show. All I want now is a Stiles detective spin-off.
How I Met Your Mother
This show is better than Friends and I will die on this hill. We all know you are guaranteed to have more fun at a bar than in a coffee shop, and all the members of the gang are much more enjoyable to watch. However, it’s the characters being so much better that is both a gift and a curse for the show. Compared with the rest of the gang in How I Met Your Mother, Ted Mosby sucks, especially when up against Barney. I actually quite liked him as a character in earlier seasons, but nowhere near as much as other characters. When someone talks about this show, chances are you aren’t going to burst out with a random Ted Mosby quote, you’re instead going to exclaim “Legend-wait for it-dary”.
Barney makes a full U-turn from womanizer to a devoted husband, and eventual dad
The show is supposed to describe how Ted meets the mother of his kids but instead shows him as a bit of an ass, dumping girls left and right and just not being very nice. Barney, on the other hand, was an instant fan favourite not just on the show, but TV as a whole, thanks to a great and funny performance by Neil Patrick Harris. Throughout the 9 seasons of the show Ted doesn’t really develop, like at all, while Barney makes a full U-turn from womanizer to a devoted husband, and eventual dad. Over the show you see him for who he is beyond his playbook, and how much he cares for his friends. It’s a legend-wait for it- dary performance that’ll go down as one of the greats.
Grey's Anatomy
Okay, I will admit it. I haven’t seen much of Grey’s Anatomy but I’ve seen enough to know that Sandra Oh’s Christina Yang should have been the lead from the start. The Killing Eve star was a much-beloved character on the show for the 10 seasons she was on for. Her sharp, witty and confident character was loved from the get-go with brilliant one-liners that were oh so very relatable while also being a huge icon for women. A great many fans would love yet another Grey’s Anatomy spin-off like Station 19 or Private Practice following her future escapades. But perhaps it is best she left as otherwise we wouldn’t have got Killing Eve as we know and love it. It’s all just swings and Roundabouts.
A show is only as good as its cast, and when it’s not just the lead doing remarkable things on screen it can truly build up the series into something special. So, make sure to show those supporting characters some love. You never know, they could end up with their own show.