A Day in the Limelight: Difference between revisions

{{quote|''You know, I've rather enjoyed having my own episode. It almost makes up for being thoroughly neglected for the past two and a half years.''|'''Yami Bakura''', ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series (Web Video)|Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series]]''}}

A secondary or [[EnsemblesEnsemble Cast]] character gets the primary focus for an episode in an atypical fashion. This can be used to either give various cast members a rest, both for the actor and for the audience or to allow different episodes to be shot simultaneously to save on time or costs. It can also be used to explore the possibility of an expanded role for a [[Recurrer]] or secondary character, or to [[Poorly-Disguised Pilot|set up a]] ''[[Spin-Off]]''.

[[Fanfic|Fanfics]]s frequently do this as well, exploring minor characters to flesh out their backstory and their contribution to the overall story.

If the character or characters getting the Day In The Limelight are very minor character, it's a [[Lower Deck Episode]]. If it's a villain, then it's a [[Villain Episode]]. For this happening within a rock band, see [[Step Up to Thethe Microphone]]. If it's a minor mook getting a whole spinoff, it's [[Breakout Mook Character]]. Contrast with [[Day in Thethe Life]], [[A Death in Thethe Limelight]].

* The ''[[One Piece (Manga)|One Piece]]'' manga features "mini-arcs" on the title pages of issues. These detail the fates of villains and minor characters. Only two of them have been animated: Buggy's search for his crew and body and Coby's and Helmeppo's marine training.

* ''[[Gundam]]'' is infamous for this, with a cruel twist: [[A Death in Thethe Limelight|a day in the limelight usually ends in your death]]. When a minor character suddenly gets a episode focused on him and characterization, s/he usually will not be alive by the end of the episode.

* ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' has so many ''main'' characters, it tends to have [[A Day in Thethe Limelight]] chapters/episodes for them between (or even within) major story arcs.

* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'': Seto Kaiba got an entire ''arc'' (half a season) in the limelight- the Virtual Nightmare Arc that explored his [[Backstory]] and featured a face-off with his step-father. Too bad it [[Overtook the Manga|didn't happen in the manga]].

** Common in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]'': In Season 1, Manjyome got his own episode and an abridged [[The Hero's Journey|Heroic Journey]] at the North School. Kaiser got his own episode (culminating in his [[Freak-Out]]) in Season 2, and Sho stepped into the spotlight once in Season 3.

* Sometimes, ''[[Tokyo Mew Mew]]'' padded out its episode count by recycling scripts for different characters. For example, Minto and Zakuro both got [[Ten -Minute Retirement]] episodes. It also occasionally had episodes more or less focused on relatively minor characters -- suchcharacters—such as Keiichiro and [[Robot Buddy|Masha]].

* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (Mangamanga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' spent one episode focusing on the travails of Roy Mustang and his five aides (and [http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb161/NGR_album/fma_37_07.jpg Black Hayate]).

* ''[[Ghost in Thethe Shell: Stand Alone Complex]]'' devoted an entire episode to one of the Tachikomas, its sentient [[Robot Buddy|robot tanks]].

* [[The Idolmaster (Animeanime)|The Idolm@ster]] - Each of the idols gets their own episode that focuses on them and their issues.

* ''[[Naruto (Manga)|Naruto]]'''s [[Ensemble Darkhorse|Shikamaru]] became the ''de facto'' main character of the series for most of the Immortal's arc.

* Urahara Kisuke from ''[[Bleach (Manga)|Bleach]]'' became the focus of a flashback arc set one hundred years prior to the series proper. Other characters prominently featured include: Yoruichi, Tessai, Aizen, Gin and {{spoiler|The Vizards}}.

** Also, in ''[[Bleach (Manga)|Bleach]]'', around the time the vice captains were defending the towers, Ikkaku lampshades this. When a captain asks if he needs help, he says "No way! This is like the one time where the vice captains get the spotlight!"

* Matsuda and Mikami each get one of these in ''[[Death Note (Manga)|Death Note]]''. Matsuda's chapter/episode is even named after him.

* When ''[[Hayate the Combat Butler (Manga)|Hayate the Combat Butler]]'' does these with recurring minor characters, the fact is usually stated enthusiastically by said characters. Sometimes with the main characters complaining that they've been pushed to the sidelines. Of course, this is a given since the series has [[No Fourth Wall]].

* The ''[[Full Metal Panic!]]: The Second Raid'' OVA focuses on Tessa Testarossa, in a humorous [[Day in Thethe Life]] story with no advancement of plot.

* Very common in ''[[Shinkon Gattai Godannar]]''. There are 4 teams of pilots belonging to bases in other countries that occasionally show up to help Goh, Anna, and company. Each of those teams get at least an episode centered mostly around them. Most semi-major characters around the main base get an episode or two dedicated to them as well.

* Knuckles and Rouge receive their own episodes early on in ''[[Sonic X (Anime)|Sonic X]].''

* Pretty much the entire point of the ''Chronicles'' sideseries of the ''[[Pokémon (Animeanime)|Pokémon]]'' anime.

** Speaking of movies, Movie 6 ''[[Pokémon Jirachi Wishmaker (Anime)|Pokémon: Jirachi Wishmaker]]'' and 9 ''[[Pokémon Ranger and The Temple of The Sea (Anime)|Pokémon Ranger and The Temple of The Sea]]'' focus on Max and May, respectively (all other movies tend to focus more on Ash).

* About five episodes in ''[[Baccano (Light Novel)|Baccano!]]'' work as such (although, with [[Third Line, Some Waiting|three plots going on]], nobody gets the episode ''entirely'' to themselves), usually indicated by the title with a general statement about the character in question. The most memorable of these episodes is probably "Ladd Russo likes [[Large Ham|talking a lot]] and [[Ax Crazy|killing a lot]]"

* The ''[[Cowboy Bebop (Anime)|Cowboy Bebop]]'' episode "Mushroom Samba" was this for Ed (and Ein). "My Funny Valentine" is Faye's episode. "Hard Luck Woman" is basically a Day in the Limelight for both of them - Spike and Jet only show up to get angry when the girls leave, get beat up by Ed's dad, and {{spoiler|hide their sadness when they realize both girls have left the crew}}.

* Very common in ''[[Monster (Animemanga)|Monster]]''. Perhaps at its most extreme with volumes 10-11 of the manga, where Tenma all-but-disappears and Wolfgang Grimmer acts as the main protagonist.

* ''[[Digimon Adventure (Anime)|Digimon Adventure]]'' and ''[[Digimon Adventure 02 (Anime)|Adventure 02]]'' do this quite a bit. Generally in episodes where one of the Digimon evolves the episode centers around them and their human partner or if said partner finds a crest/Egg which generally goes hand in hand with the evolving bit. There are a lot of main characters which is probably why. Villains tend to get one if they're about to do a [[Heel Face Turn]] ie Gatomon in ''Adventure'' and Ken in ''02''.

* In the ''[[Ranma One Half½]]'' anime, Nabiki and Kuno got [[A Day in Thethe Limelight]] episode when a fortune teller persuaded Kuno that his true love was Nabiki. The usual cast only appeared in three scenes.

** In the manga, Nabiki got her own story arc and wacky challenger in the ''Kinnosuke Kasaoh'' chapter where she was the one taking the lead against a very [[Money Fetish|similar character]]. [[TakahashiBelligerent CoupleSexual Tension|Ranma and Akane]] provided the [[Combat Commentator]] role that Nabiki usually filled.

** The OAV "An ''Akane to Remember''" is memorable for being set away from the usual Furinkan hijinks. Only Ranma and Akane appear in this story with Ryoga joining them later. The rest of the cast (Genma and the rest of the Tendos) appears only briefly in the beginning where most of them have no lines and the rest of the cast (Kuno et al) don't appear at all. This is a quieter story that focuses more on guests Shinosuke and his grandfather. Ranma and Akane's relationship is explored slightly but mostly in relation to Akane's past aquaintanceacquaintance with Shinosuke. There's no usual "Ranma Bakano [[baka]]!" in this story and Ryoga is there mostly to lend moral support.

* ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia (Manga)|Axis Powers Hetalia]]'' gave the first episode of World Series over to [[Ensemble Darkhorse]] and [[Fountain of Memes]] Prussia, including him expressing a complaint that he hasn't had more screen time.

* Episode 14 of ''[[Desert Punk (Mangamanga)|Desert Punk]]'' with the [[Anti-Hero|titular character's]] [[The Lancer|right hand girl]] [[The Apprentice (trope)||(as well as apprentice]] [[Marshmallow Hell|and possible sex slave in his fantasy harem)]] [[Token Mini-MoeLoli|Kosuna]]. [[Character Development|It's a nice piece that shows her get somewhat closer to achieving her dream of becoming]] [[Femme Fatale|the Kanto Desert's "number one power babe."]]

* ''[[Future GPX Cyber Formula (Anime)|Future GPX Cyber Formula]]'' does this with some of the characters (like Shinjyo, Randoll, Osamu and others) in both the TV series and OVAs. And ''SIN'', the last OVA, focuses on Kaga and his rivalry with Hayato.

* ''[[Inazuma Eleven]]'' did this with Megane in the match versus Shuuyou Meito (episode 9); up until then his main contributions to the team were naming techniques and holding the bench down so it doesn't fly up into the air. While he obviously doesn't get [[A Death in Thethe Limelight]] at the end of the episode, he does {{spoiler|injure himself in a [[Heroic Sacrifice]] where he bounces the ball off his face to redirect it into the goal and score the game-winning point}}, after which he returns to being a benchwarmer.

* The ''[[Warrior Cats (Literature)|Warrior Cats]]'' manga, which all are days in the limelight. So far, they have been given to [[The Lancer|Graystripe]], [[Evil Counterpart|Scourge]], [[Strangled Byby the Red String|Sasha]], [[The Sixth Ranger|Ravenpaw]] and soon SkyClan and [[Magnificent Bastard|Sol]].

* ''[[Mawaru Penguindrum (Anime)|Mawaru Penguindrum]]'' gives episode 9 almost entirely to {{spoiler|Himari.}}

* [[Inukami (Anime)|Inukami!]] Some episodes have Youko hardly appear at all, like the one focusing on Tomohane searching for Keita.

* Episodes 8 and 9 of ''[[Tenchi Muyo!]]!'' are special episodes to Washu and Sasami respectively: {{spoiler|Episode 8 reveals a chunk of Washu's past and episode 9 reveals the connection between Sasami and Tsunami}}.

* ''[[Persona 4 (Anime)|Persona 4: The Animation]]'' has episode 13, which focuses on his younger cousin Nanako. We get to see Yu's summer vacation through her eyes.

* ''[[Maji Dede Watashi Nini Koi Shinasai (Visual Novel)!|Maji De Watashi Ni Koi Shinasai]]'':

* The main characters of ''[[Popotan (Anime)|Popotan]]'' (Ai, Mai, Mii and Mea) each have two episodes that focus mostly on them.

* In ''[[Watchmen (Comic Bookcomics)|Watchmen]]'', each of the six main characters get an issue in the limelight, which illustrates their backstory and relations with other characters. The Comedian's is in Chapter 2, Dr. Manhattan's is in Chapter 4, Rorschach's is in Chapter 6, Nite Owl II's is in Chapter 7, Silk Spectre II's is in Chapter 9 and Ozymandias' is in Chapter 11. They vary from being an in-depth look at their origins, to showing various important events from their lives, to simply being a way of getting better to know a character. The reason for the inclusion of the issues was the fact that Alan Moore plotted the story for six issues, but was contracted for twelve. So he mixed in six character based issues.

* [[X-Men (Franchise)/Characters/90s Members/Characters|Jubilee]] got more than a couple over the course of her original appearances in ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]'' and ''[[Wolverine]]''.

* In ''[[Sonic X (Comic Bookcomics)|Sonic X]]'', most of the later issues star Dr. Eggman.

* [[Brian K. Vaughan]] loves this. Both ''[[Ex Machina]]'' and ''[[Y: theThe Last Man]]'' frequently have backstory issues for any and every recurring cast member.

* This is essentially the point of ''[[Archie Comics Sonic the Hedgehog (Comic Bookcomics)|Sonic Universe]]''. It shows what's happening with secondary characters while Sonic is out fighting [[Big Bad|Eggman]] in the regular comic.

== Fan FicWorks ==

* The ''[[Harry Potter (Literaturenovel)|Harry Potter]]'' fandom is so large that for any significant character, there is a complete saturation of limelight fics. No one even thinks of, for example, a Ginny fic as shedding light on her character since she has already been so thoroughly explored in previous fics that every possible interpretation of her has already been used thousands of times (maybe ''literally'' thousands of times). In fact, by now the process is mainly viewed as simply choosing your favorite preexisting interpretation (slut!Ginny, innocent!Ginny, tomboy!Ginny, etc.) and running with it. Even when all that's known about the character is a name, a house and a plot point, expect several fics focusing on them and expanding on what little canon tells us.

** Sometimes not even that. There's been fan fiction starring Caradoc Dearborn, a character who is mentioned once as an example of someone who died in the last war. That's it. Multi-chapter fiction.

** And sometimes not even that. There exist fics for characters who were never even named in story, but aren't [[O CsOC]]s because their names can be spotted on the class list JK holsholds up in ''Harry Potter and Me''. No house name, no plot point, no canon existence.

* In ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: R]]'', [[I Just Want to Be Special|Kensuke]] is the central character of an episode during the ''Prime'' sequence of events, in which he even gets shipped with a [[Disabled Love Interest|beautiful but blind Chinese girl]]. He also {{spoiler|has the last scene at the end of the story all to himself and her}}.

* Happens in various chapters to various characters of ''[[Toy Hammer (Fanfic)|Toy HammerToyHammer]]'', especially with the omake chapters and chapter 12.

* In the ''[[Mass Effect]]'' self-insert [[Mass Vexations (Fanfic)|Mass Vexations]], [[Author Avatar]] Art gets the entire story to himself... until chapter 17, which is told entirely from the point of view of Tali, who had just become his [[Secret Keeper]] at that point in the story.

* There's a person somewhere that's made a detailed backstory for [[Donkey Kong|Pauline]] of all people. Family, profession and what else she does when she's not the [[Damsel in Distress]]...

* In ''[[Kyon: Big Damn Hero (Fanfic)|Kyon Big Damn Hero]]'', Koizumi gets a boost to his powers and gets to defeat a inter-dimensional robot by himself.

* ''[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/718445/1/A_Day_and_Night_in_Clock_Town "A Day and Night in Clock Town"]'': Someone wrote a ''[[The Legend of Zelda: MajorasMajora's Mask|Majora's Mask]]'' fic that follows seven [[NPC|NPCs]]s around for twenty-four hours, [[Backstory|six months before Link shows up]]. The group includes Kafei, Anju, Cremia, and Grog; the other three don't have names in the game itself but are recognizable by their clothing, occupation, etc.

* ''[[The Ollivander Children (Fanfic)|The Ollivander Children]]'' gives Mr. Ollivander, the mysterious and little-seen wandmaker, more screen time -- althoughtime—although really most of the action is taken up by OC's.

* ''[[Ultimate Sleepwalker (Fanfic)|Ultimate Sleepwalker: The New Dreams]]'' takes an unusual twist with this trope in that the action has occasionally focused on [[Spider-Man]] rather than on Sleepwalker. The reason it's unusual is that subverting [[Popularity Power]] and [[C -List Fodder]] is one of the hallmarks of the series, giving second-stringers the spotlight and relegating A-listers to guest star appearances.

* The [[Periphery Demographic]] of ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' loves writing fanfic about side characters (like [[Big Good|Princess Celestia]] or Applejack's brother Big Macintosh), one-shot characters (like Trixie from "Boast Busters", Photo Finish from "Green Isn't Your Color", or Prince Blueblood from "The Best Night Ever") or even [[Recurring Extra|background characters]] (like Ditzy Doo/Derpy Hooves or [[Doctor Who|Doctor Whooves]]oves). A few wiseacres have even written fics about ''[[Companion Cube|inanimate objects]]'', like Bloomberg the tree from "Over a Barrel" and Tom the rock from "Return of Harmony, Part 2".

* Happens in a ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series (Web Video)|Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series]]'' fanfiction, ''[[Decks Fall, Everyone Dies (Fanfic)|Decks Fall,]] [http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6474469/1/Decks_Fall_Everyone_Dies Everyone Dies]'', where Tristan and a few other secondary characters get to be in the spotlight.

* In ''[[Keepers of the Elements (Fanfic)|Keepers of the Elements]]'', the [[Passing the Torch|Old Keepers]] get two chapters exploring their past.

* [[Script Fic]] ''[[Calvin and Hobbes The Series (Fanfic)|Calvin and Hobbes: The Series]]'' has "Confessions of a Prank-Loving Tiger" for [[Cloudcuckoolander|Soc]][[The Prankster|rates]], as well as "Hypercube" and "An MTM Episode".

* [[Super Mario Bros.|Larry Koopa]] stars in an episode called "The New Kid" in ''[[Calvin At Camp (Fanfic)|Calvin Atat Camp]]''.

* In ''[[The Tainted Grimoire (Fanfic)|The Tainted Grimoire]]'', Clan Gully may be the main characters but they are not the only ones the story focuses on.

* Story sections within the books of [[Dan Abnett]]'s ''[[Warhammer 4000040,000]]'': ''[[GauntsGaunt's Ghosts]]'' often focus on one of the Ghosts, such as Larkin or Bragg.

* [[Ace Pilot|Wedge Antilles]] is always a rather major character in the ''[[X Wing Series]]'', both the books and the comics. But his role as [[The Captain]] and [[The Hero]] tends to give him less personal plotlines than his fellow main characters. Elscol feels out-of-place and is reckless. Gavin Darklighter worries about living up to his cousin [[Mauve Shirt|Biggs']] reputation and has to deal with being the kid. Corran Horn handles his attraction to [[The Mole]] and [[Dating Catwoman|the daughter of the criminal whose father was his father's enemy]], as well as learning that he's a Jedi's grandson. Tycho Celchu [[The Cape (trope)|patiently bears up under suspicion]] and quietly mourns a lost homeworld. Asyr wrestles with allegiance issues. Then there's the Wraiths.

* The ''[[Night Huntress World]]'' books each dedicate one novel to a different supporting character from the main series.

* The [[A Wrinkle in Time|''Time Quartet'' series]] is primarily about Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin, but the fourth book ''[[Many Waters]]'' gives a day in the limelight to Sandy and Dennys.

* ''[[The Dresden Files (Literature)|The Dresden Files]]'' short stories ''Backup'', ''Aftermath'', and ''Even Hand'' are told from the perspective of Thomas Raith, Karrin Murphy, and John Marcone respectively.

* Each book in the ''[[Star Trek: Typhon Pact]]'' series focuses on one member state (sometimes two) of the titular Typhon Pact. Many of these nations were previously underexplored or left as minor players in the ''[[Star Trek (Franchise)|Star Trek]]'' [[Myth Arc]].

* There are two significant ones in ''[[Warrior Cats (Literature)|Warrior Cats]]''. The first is ''Moonlight'', which gives spotlight to Stormfur as he journeys through the mountains. The second is ''Night Whispers'', which is about Flametail struggling to figure out the secrets of a mysterious omen from StarClan, {{spoiler|which fortells his death.}}

* ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Guards Guards|Guards! Guards!]]'' was ''planned'' as one of these (not to a particular series, but to any one that plays city/palace guards as Mooks), but as Mr. Pratchett himself said:

{{quote| "I wanted to give them a spot to shine in the sun, but it turned out to be a full blown tropical vacation."}}

* "Harm's Way" from ''[[Angel (TV)|Angel]]'' season five, focusing on [[Dumb Blonde|Harmony]].

* "The Zeppo" from ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' season three, where Xander gets the limelight. He also gets it earlier in "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered", and later in "The Replacement", {{spoiler|where he's both protagonist and antagonist}}.

* ''[[The X-Files (TV)|The X-Files]]'' did a number of [[A Day in Thethe Limelight]] episodes later in its run, including "Zero Sum" (focused on Assistant Director Skinner, Mulder and Scully's FBI superior), "Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man" (the recurring villain and agent of [[The Conspiracy]] dubbed "Cancer Man" or "the Cigarette-Smoking Man"), "Unusual Suspects", "Three of a Kind" and "Jump the Shark" (the Lone Gunmen, conspiracy theorist [[Comic Trio]] and cohorts of Mulder).

* ''[[Scrubs (TV)|Scrubs]]'' has done this on multiple occasions, in the episodes "His Story" (I-IV), "Her Story, (I-II) and "Their Story" (I-II). These episodes feature the inner monologues of characters other than JD, often alluded to in-character with phrases like "Now that I have this tape recorder, I won't need to be in my head as much". They also include a whooshing sound as JD makes physical contact with the focus character right before the voice over switches, as though the ability to narrate is the result of some sort of communicable disease.

* ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'' had an episode called "Wilson," which revolved around House's beleaguered best friend Wilson, while House and his team's antics gets pushed to the sidelines, with only occasional glimpses at their wacky adventures. "5 to 9" did the same with Cuddy and "Last Temptation", did it for Masters.

* ''[[Degrassi]]'', "Don't Believe the Hype." This episode took Hazel, who was previously just a flunky for the [[Alpha Bitch]], and revealed her secret: she's a Somali Muslim immigrant who was bullied at her previous school for being a "terrorist." She's been pulling an elaborate [[Masquerade]] so the popular girls will accept her. While [[The Reveal]] was well-done, it never answered the question of how she got into the in-crowd when she could never let them visit her house. And none of this came up in any other episode, [[Snap Back|ever again]], aside from an offhand comment by Paige in "Holiday". There's rarely a time when one character is focused on in two consecutive episodes outside two parters.

** Sometimes the episode starts fairly near to the end of the "Law" section, and the majority of the episode is the "Order", as the ADAs run around Manhattan trying to scare up witnesses. This is far less common than it was on [[Law and& Order (TV)|The Mother Ship]].

* The TV show ''[[JAG (TV)|JAG]]'' was known for giving each of the supporting characters an episode of their own once a season.

* Subverted in the ''[[Star Trek: the Next Generation (TV)|Star Trek theThe Next Generation]]'' episode "Lower Decks" where one guest character, who'd appeared in a single episode in an earlier season, was the focus of the show. It seemed to be setting her up as a recurring character, right up to the point where {{spoiler|she dies at the end}}.

** It was originally planned that the character would return on ''[[Star Trek Deep Space Nine (TV)|Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'', but the writers decided that would "diminish" the ending of "Lower Decks".

* The modern ''[[Star Trek (Franchise)|Star Trek]]'' series all have had limelight episodes for various characters, but ''[[Star Trek Deep Space Nine (TV)|Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' was the clear champion in this category thanks to its large cast of secondary, minor, and recurring characters. By the end of the series the recurring villains were getting as much screen time and focus on their problems and schemes as the heroes were.

* ''[[Star Trek Voyager (TV)|Star Trek: Voyager]]'' took this to an extreme with an entire episode devoted to Lt. Barclay, who was not even on the Voyager and inhabited a different sector of space. The episode revolves around Barclay attempting to make contact with the distant Voyager, and the main cast doesn't even appear until the last act of the episode.

* ''[[Lost (TV)|Lost]]'', despite having a huge main cast, has (almost) every episode focus on one character. Some notable episodes that focus on recurring characters who don't usually get their own episodes include:

* ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'' follows the same format as ''[[Lost (TV)|Lost]]'' (obviously due to being created by the same producers) and has every episode focus on one character, some on minor and one episode characters, which include:

* ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'' had ''Ghostfacers'', which featured two characters from a first season episode and their friends. Fans either [[Love It or Hate It|loved it or loathed it]].

* ''[[Babylon 5]]'' with "A View From The Gallery" , which centers upon repairmen Mack and Bo and how they interact with all the main characters over the course of a usual Babylon 5 day of disaster. Mack and Bo were played by guest actors who were not in any other episodes, showing that even the unknown extras have tales to tell. Usually the lesser recurring characters got B-plots rather than eps of their own, but Vir got "Sic Transit Vir".

* ''[[Torchwood (TV)|Torchwood]]'' had perhaps several of these - "Cyberwoman" for Ianto, "Greeks Bearing Gifts" for Tosh, and in season two, {{spoiler|"A Day in the Death" for Owen. Of course, this was after he died. But it was also before he [[Deader Than Dead|stopped moving]].}}

* Season 19 of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' was written with the idea of giving each companion a story where they could do more than [[The Watson|ask the Doctor questions]] and [[Designated Victim|get captured]]. As it turned out [[Doctor Who/Recap/S19 E5/E05 Black Orchid|Nyssa]] got to play an [[Identical Stranger]], [[Doctor Who/Recap/S19 E3/E03 Kinda|Tegan]] got to taste [[Demonic Possession]] and [[Doctor Who/Recap/S19 E6/E06 Earthshock|Adric]] got to... [[Alas, Poor Scrappy|die]].

* In a show that wavers between [[Two Lines, No Waiting]] and [[Four Lines, All Waiting]], the episode "Company Man" in ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'' Volume 1 almost ''completely'' focused around HRG (aka Mr. Bennet) and his very messed-up relationship with his job and family. Up to this point, he was just an [[Overprotective Dad]] In Black, but this greatly expanded backstory and explanation of his motives permanently cemented his [[Ensemble Darkhorse]] status.

* The ''[[M*A*S*H (TVtelevision)|MashM*A*S*H]]'' episode "Hey, Look Me Over" centers on Nurse Kellye, who's usually strictly a background character.

* Starbuck tends to have this for the majority of the episodes in the old ''[[Battlestar Galactica Classic(1978 TV series)|the old ''Battlestar Galactica]]'']].

* The new ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined(2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' has done this a few times, especially in its third season:

* ''[[Power Rangers RPM (TV)|Power Rangers RPM]]'' features 5 episodes named after the title characters ("Ranger [color]"), as well as their mentor, Dr. K. Each elucidates a character's backstory. Dillon, Ranger Black, does not have his own episode, attributable to [[Laser-Guided Amnesia]].

* ''[[Band of Brothers (TV series)|Band of Brothers]]''. Each of the 10 episodes focuses on a specific character to some degree. The lead is Lt/Capt/Maj Winters who is in the limelight for episodes 2, 5, and 10. The other episodes focus on (1) Capt. Sobel, (3) Pvt. Blithe (a case of [[A Death in Thethe Limelight]]), (4) Sgt. Bull Randleman, (6) "Doc" Roe, (7) Sgt. Lipton, (8) Pvt. Webster, and (9) Capt. Nixon. If the episode has narration, it's by the character in the limelight from their [[Point of View]].

* ''[[Blake's Seven|Blakes Seven7]]'' gives Vila a chance to shine in "City at the Edge of the World".

* In the ''[[Remember WENN]]'' episode "The Ghost of WENN," it is revealed that the ghost is actually {{spoiler|CJ, who's miffed at being ignored by the main cast}}.

* During the 70s, there were two versions of the TV game show ''[[Pyramid]]'': The daytime network version (First, ''The $10,000 Pyramid''; later, ''The $20,000 Pyramid''), and a nighttime syndicated version (''The $25,000 Pyramid''), with two different hosts -- Dickhosts—Dick Clark and [[Bill Cullen]], respectively -- whorespectively—who would often [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RizIPafr0Uk appear as a] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLpF9uaJ0Ss celebrity guest] on the other's version to help the contestants win money.

* ''[[Firefly (TV)|Firefly]]'' has a few such episodes: "Jaynestown," where the plot centers on Jayne, "War Stories" explores the dynamics of Wash and Zoe's marriage, and "Objects in Space," which lets the viewer inside [[Cloudcuckoolander|River]]'s head.

* The ''[[Stargate SG-1 (TV)|Stargate SG-1]]'' episode "The Other Guys" focuses on the scientists who usually are just background characters.

* ''[[Stargate Atlantis (TV)|Stargate Atlantis]]'' had "Sunday", the episode was unusual in that this troper didn't guess who the story was about until the end {{spoiler|when Carson Beckett Died}}

* In ''[[The West Wing (TV)|The West Wing]]'', C.J. Cregg has a few episodes devoted to her, such as season 4's "The Long Goodbye" and season 5's "Access."

** One episode gave the spotlight to Cousin Anthony for his 21st birthday, and another one to head baker Joey on whether he'd leave the bakery or not. Not as much as the first example, but a change from the usual.

** A year later, Pat and ''[[Jeopardy (TV)|Jeopardy!]]'' host Alex Trebek traded places and hosted each other's shows on [[April Fools' Day]]. Pat and Vanna also ''played'' that day's ''Wheel'' (with Pat's wife, Lesly, turning the letters) and won over $50,000, which they split between two charities.

* The ''[[Frasier (TV)|Frasier]]'' episode, "Head Game", which focuses on Niles. In fact, the title character only appears in the first three minutes!

* The ''[[White Collar]]'' episode "As You Were" focuses on Jones, who's normally the junior FBI agent who sits in the surveillance van.

* ''[[The Legend of Dick and Dom (TV)|The Legend of Dick and Dom]]'' is an [[Ensemble Cast]] show, but the emphasis is usually on Prince Dick and Prince Dom; they get [[Taken for Granite]] in "Rock Hard", so their servants Lutin and Mannitol get [[A Day in Thethe Limelight]], trying both to cure them and get that week's [[MacGuffin]]. [[Hilarity Ensues]].

* In ''[[Highlander (TV series)|Highlander]]'', Duncan MacLeod had a greatly reduced presence in the final season. Most of these were [[Poorly-Disguised Pilot|Poorly Disguised Pilots]] for new Immortals, but the penultimate episode, "Indiscretions," gave Methos and Joe Dawson their own story.

* The season 7 ''[[How I Met Your Mother (TV)|How I Met Your Mother]]'' episode "Symphony Of Illumination" seemed to be this, similar to the ''[[Scrubs (TV)|Scrubs]]'' examples above: unlike every single previous episode, it begins with Future!Robin narrating the episode to ''her'' future kids, rather than Future!Ted narrating it to his own. However {{spoiler|tragically subverted in the end, with the revelation that Robin's narration, (but not the events of the episode) was actually just a fantasy in her head taking place during one scene near the end of the episode, where she was sitting in the snow trying to convince herself that she was glad about learning that she was infertile, and glad that those kids of hers she's imagining aren't real}}. At the very end of the episode {{spoiler|the narration switches back to Future!Ted talking to his kids and telling them that their Aunt Robin never became a mother, so Robin's narration was just one more incident that Future!Ted wasn't around to see and only learned about later,}} which isn't that much of [[A Day in Thethe Limelight]], because many, many episodes of the show revolve around a character other than Ted.

* As Zachary Levi was busy [[Directed Byby Cast Member|preparing]] "[[Chuck]] Versus the Leftovers", most of "Chuck Versus Phase Three" focused on Sarah.

* There are a couple episodes of ''[[Starsky and Hutch (TV series)|Starsky and Hutch]]'' that center on Huggy Bear.

* "In The Cold, Cold Night" by [[The White Stripes (Music)|The White Stripes]] is sung by Meg instead of Jack.

* [[Hello! Project (Music)|Hello Project]] members sometimes only get to lead a single once. An example is ''Morning Musume''`s ''Namida ga Tomaranai Houkago'', but there are plenty more.

* Most early [[Queen (Music)|Queen]] albums had two or three songs sung by Roger Taylor or Brian May instead of Freddie Mercury. Taylor's "I'm In Love With My Car", the B-side of "Bohemian Rhapsody", is probably the most famous of the bunch. That or Brian May's "39" from the same album.

* [[Rammstein (Music)|Rammstein]]'s cover of [[The Ramones (Music)|The Ramones]]' song "Pet Sematary" was sung by keyboardist Flake Lorenz instead of singer Till Lindemann.

* "Such a Shame" from [[The Bee Gees (Music)|The Bee Gees]]' 1968 album ''Idea'', written and sung by Vince Melouney, is the only song on a Bee Gees album not written or sung by a Gibb.

* Almost all of [[The Beatles (Musicband)|The Beatles]] albums had one or two songs composed and sung by [[George Harrison]], as well as at least one song sung by [[Ringo Starr]].

* The [[Wings (Musicband)|Wings]] songs by people other than [[Paul McCartney]]. Denny Laine had a small handful of songs, Jimmy McCulloch had two ("Medicine Jar" and "Wino Junko"), and Joe English had one ("Must Do Something About It").

* Marigold by [[Nirvana (Music)|Nirvana]] has Dave Grohl (before he became a well known frontman with Foo Fighters) sing lead while Kurt Cobain played the drums.

** And, in turn, [[Foo Fighters (Music)|Foo Fighters]] drummer Taylor Hawkins sings "Cold Day in the Sun" instead of Dave Grohl.

* [[The Beach Boys (Music)|The Beach Boys]]' God Only Knows was originally A Day in the Limelight for Carl Wilson on lead vocals. Carl eventually became a much more frequent lead singer from this moment on.

* The Edge has sings lead vocals on three [[U 2 (Music)|U 2U2]] songs: "Seconds," "Van Diemen's Land," and "Numb." Bassist Adam Clayton makes a vocal appearance on b-side "Endless Deep."

* Gene and Paul sing almost all of [[Kiss]]' songs. However, one of the few songs Peter Criss sang was one of their biggest hits, "Beth".

* "Rock Me" and "Does Your Mother Know" isare among the few songs from [[ABBA (Music)| ABBA]] where one of the femalemale members, werein thethis backupcase singersBjorn, as Bjorn is the one who sings lead.

* '''In General''': [[Gaiden Game|Gaiden Games]]s tend to take this idea and run with it, for obvious continuity reasons.

* ''[[Dragon Quest IV (Video Game)|Dragon Quest IV]]: Chapters of the Chosen'' has 5 chapters -- 4chapters—4 of which are Days In the Limelight for the various henchmen and side-characters that join you in chapter 5.

* ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' usually has Luigi as Player Two or absent completely, until ''[[LuigisLuigi's Mansion (Video Game)|Luigis Mansion]]'' gave him a starring role.

** ''Luigi's Mansion'' was Luigi's second day in the limelight. His first was 8 years earlier in the educational game ''[[Mario Is Missing (Video Game)|Mario Is Missing]]!'' Then again, that one might be closer to a blacklight.

*** On the subject of Luigi, all three of the ''[[Super Mario Bros. (Animationanimation)|Super Mario Bros]].'' cartoons had an episode starring him. One of them ("Life's Ruff") didn't even have Mario or any other main characters besides Hip and Hop Koopa appear.

** Peach gets one in ''[[Super Princess Peach (Video Game)|Super Princess Peach]]''.

** [[YoshisYoshi's Island (Video Game)|Yoshi]] and [[Wario Land (Video Game)|Wario Land]] have their own series. Wario has even branched out into the [[Wario Ware (Video Game)|minigames business]].

** Even Bowser gets in on the action. ''[[Mario and Luigi Bowsers Inside Story (Video Game)|Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story]]'' has Bowser as the main protagonist. He's forced to take back the Mushroom Kingdom from Fawful (with aid from the Mario Brothers, who spend most of the game inside his body futzing around with his internal systems to occasionally power up the big lug) and [[Took a Level Inin Badass|takes a massive Level In Badass]] as he reluctantly becomes the hero.

** Waluigi, while not having any game to his name, only appearing in spinoffs, had a couple of great moments and stages to himself. In the ''[[Mario Tennis]]'' series and ''[[Mario Golf|Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour]]'', he and Wario are featured the most in the games intro scenes, and he appeared without Wario in the GBA game (considering that both [[Mario Golf]] and the [[Mario Tennis]] series are developed by Camelot, this makes sense). In ''[[Mario Party]] 3'', he is a [[Climax Boss]] of sorts, [[Hijacked Byby Ganon|hijacking the villain spot from Bowser]] and being battled on his own board, and had some great themes in addition. In ''Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix'', while only serving as the first boss, he had one of the best musics to dance to, and in ''[[Mario Kart]] DS'', he had [[Pinball Zone|Waluigi Pinball]] the whole thing and it's theme being considered some of the [[Best Level Ever|best]] [[Awesome Music|things]] ever to graze a Mario game. In [[Mario Sports Mix]], he again has a pinball stage, which also had a really good theme to it's name.

* ''[[Final Fantasy (Franchise)|Final Fantasy]]'' series.

** ''[[Final Fantasy VI (Video Game)|Final Fantasy VI]]'' has this in the World of Ruin - Relm's painting, Gau's father, Strago and Hidon, Cyan's Dream, Locke and Celes in the Phoenix Cave...pretty much every main character in the game gets a subquest which explores their backstory and wraps it up.

* Knuckles from the ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (Franchise)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' games got his own game called ''[[Knuckles Chaotix (Video Game)|Knuckles Chaotix]]'', which was also a day in the limelight for the eponymous Chaotix group. Interestingly, despite [[Evil Counterpart|Metal Sonic's]] presence in the game, {{spoiler|Sonic does not appear until the very end.}} Tails has also gotten two games of his own, ''[[Tails Adventure (Video Game)|Tails Adventure]]'' and ''[[Tails Sky Patrol (Video Game)|Tails Sky Patrol]]'', but the second was a very obscure [[Game Gear]] game only released in Japan. [[DoctorDr. RobotniksRobotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Video Game)|Dr. Robotnik's game]] was actually a [[Dolled-Up Installment|cleverly-hidden clone]] of the Japanese-only ''[[Puyo Puyo]]'' (likewise, ''[[Kirby]]'s Avalanche'' is just a Kirby-fied version of Puyo Puyo). [[Evil Twin|Shadow]] also got [[Shadow the Hedgehog (Videovideo Gamegame)|his own game]], which went in a different direction by being primarily a [[Third-Person Shooter]] with only some of the more familiar Sonic elements mixed in.

** In ''[[Sonic Heroes (Video Game)|Sonic Heroes]]'', each of the four teams gets an arc, so many of the characters (notably ''all'' of Team Chaotix, who hadn't been seen since ''Chaotix'', mentioned above) get far more focus than in their other appearances.

** The third ''Marl Kingdom'' title (never released in the U.S., due to the low sales of Rhapsody) was essentially a collection of different characters getting time in the limelight. One event in particular sets up one of the characters from ''[[La Pucelle (Video Game)|La Pucelle Tactics]]''.

** A borderline case being the Asagi Wars mode of Prinny 2, as well as Asagi Mode in the original. While ''[[Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?]]'' is, in itself, a day in the limelight for the titular [[Ensemble Darkhorse|ensemble darkhorses]], each of those alternate modes focus on [[Ensemble Darkhorse|Asagi]] (with Asagi Wars actually finally having her in the role of main protagonist).

* ''[[Touhou (Video Game)|Touhou]] Hisoutensoku'' has three main characters, each with individual stories. Sanae had previously been both a major character and a playable character, but until then Cirno and Hong Meiling were insignificant minor characters, surprising everyone with their presence. And then with ''Great Fairy Wars'' Cirno got her own game!

* ''[[Putt -Putt]] and Pep's Dog on a Stick'' had you controlling Putt-Putt's dog Pep instead of the titular character.

* ''[[Portal 2 (Video Game)|Portal 2]]'' has a new DLC level editor that comes with a mini-storyline involving Cave Johnson sending you through multiple dimensions to build and test new test chambers. Cave discovers a multiverse of alternate Caves, and squares off with his [[Evil Twin]], Dark Cave, before sending you to find a dimension of pure money.

* ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' has done this several times. Zoe got the [http://sluggy.com/daily.php?date=050710 "28 GEEKS LATER"] storyline all to herself, as well as most of [http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=020114 "Fire and Rain."] Bun-Bun took center stage for the epic [http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=021230 "Holiday Wars"] and [http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=050124 "Oceans Unmoving"] arcs. Oasis went from being an occasional guest star to the focal character during the [http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=060814 "Phoenix Rising"] arc. And the [[B -Side Comics]] [http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=030118 "Meanwhile in the Dimension of Pain"] and [http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=070106 "No Content On Saturdays"] focused on the adventures of the Dimension of Pain demons and Kiki, respectively. Oddly enough Sasha did ''not'' get one of these, even in the [http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=070514 "Bikini Suicide Sasha Days"] arc.

* A recent ''[[Girl Genius (Webcomic)|Girl Genius]]'' side story involved Maxim [[Serious Business|acquiring a new hat]].

* ''[[Homestuck (Webcomic)|Homestuck]]'''s Act 5 {{spoiler|Act 1}} focused exclusively on the trolls, who up until that point had been heard from a fair bit but rarely seen.

* In ''[[El Goonish Shive (Webcomic)|El Goonish Shive]]'', the Bringing Silly Back arc seems to be his for secondary character Noah. Also, Justin gets a lot more attention in this arc than previous ones.

* [[Authority in Name Only|The King of Town]]'s Very Own Quite Popular Cartoon Show in ''[[Homestar Runner (Web Animation)|Homestar Runner]]''. Initially subverted in that when it was originally released, it was just a well-disguised Strong Bad Email, but they actually released one a year later. There's also No Hands on Deck, which is fanservice to those who think Strong Bad is hogging Homestar's spotlight (not only does neglected Pom Pom appear, but Strong Bad doesn't appear ''at all'').

* In ''[[Arenas (Fanfic)|Arenas]]'', some episodes are centered on characters which aren't called Doom.

* ''[[The Simpsons (Animationanimation)|The Simpsons]]'' epsiode "22 Short Films About Springfield" gave a ton of minor characters vignettes of their own. Professor Frink is late, and can only manage to belt out his planned theme song ("Professor Frink, Professor Frink, he makes you laugh, he makes you think...")

** Most of the [[Loads and Loads of Characters]] in ''The Simpsons'' have had their day in the limelight, most times more than once. Usually these take the form of "Minor Character has some kind of problem and needs to stay with the Simpsons temporarily." Noteworthy examples include Grounds-keeper Willie, Gil, and Otto the Bus Driver. Even the Crazy Cat Lady got a B-plot of her own. We are still waiting for episodes centric on Disco Stu, Sea Captain, the Bumblebee Man, Moleman, and ''many many'' others though.

* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender (Animation)|Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' with "Zuko Alone", "Appa's Lost Days" and "Sokka's Master". The first showed what the main antagonist (well, by that point, he [[Anti-Hero|wasn't quite that anymore]]) did and thought about when he wasn't, well, antagonizing; the second told a story that explained where the main character's pet had been and who he met along the way since his four-week disappearance following his kidnapping; and the third depicted [[Plucky Comic Relief]] character Sokka [[Took a Level Inin Badass|taking a level in badass]] through sword training.

*** The third quarter of season three was basically one episode for each character sharing this trope with Zuko. Toph even [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshades]] this in the finale, noting that she hasn't had her own "life-changing field trip" with him.

* ''[[Hey Arnold (Animation)|Hey Arnold!]]'' deserves props for having several stories where a secondary character is spotlighted ("Timberly Loves Arnold" with Gerald's younger sister and "Career Day" with the neighborhood ice cream man, for example).

* ''[[Codename Kids Next Door (Animation)|Codename: Kids Next Door]]'' also did this with "Op TRAINING", focusing on Numbuh 2's younger brother, Tommy, going through training at the KND Arctic base, without the regulars appearing at all. In fact, the only other character who had appeared in a previous episode was the villain, Father.

* 80's cartoons that [[Merchandise-Driven|had heavy merchandise and toy lines behind them]] (''[[G.I. Joe]]'', ''[[MASKM.A.S.K.]]'', ''[[The Transformers (Animationanimation)|The Transformers]]'') did this all the time, [[This Looks Like a Job For Aquaman|devoting episodes here and there to otherwise minor or gimmicky characters.]] Obviously, kids won't buy an action figure for a character who never does anything on the show except stand in the background.

** The G.I. Joe example is marvellously parodied in a ''[[Robot Chicken]]'' episode - angry that he's left out of all of the missions because his white costume is too noticeable in a jungle environment, Snowjob is called up by the "President of Switzerland" to help flush out some yeti in the Swiss Alps. After a transport montage include ski-sleds, dog sleds, and tobogganing, it turns out the yeti claim was a hoax for the normal G.I. Joes to throw snowballs at and mock Snowjob (they apologise to him and give him a job clearing snow from around the base afterwards).

* ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003 (Animation)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003]]'': The 2003 series had an episode entitled "Hun on the Run", centering around Shredder's minion [[Battle Butler|Hun]]. Although the Turtles also appear, Hun is the main focus of the episode, giving hints as to his background.

** "Girls' Nite Out" was also the name of such an episode for [[Batman: The Animated Series (Animation)|Bat]]girl and [[Superman: theThe Animated Series|Supergirl]]. It was one of the many [[Crossover|Crossovers]]s that led to the foundation of the [[DCAU]].

** This is actually [[Girls' Night Out Episode|its own subtrope]] now.

* ''[[South Park (Animation)|South Park]]'' has had a few, such as "Pip" (which was about [[Great Expectations|Pip]]) and "Butters' Very Own Episode" (which is Butters' very own episode). Other examples include "Erection Day" and "Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset", which focused on Jimmy and Wendy, respectively.

* Most ''[[American Dad (Animation)|American Dad]]'' episodes either focus on Stan or at the very least feature him prominently. Two major exceptions are "The One That Got Away", whose plot focuses exclusively on Roger, with the rest of the family getting only a token B story. They don't even get ''that'' in "Escape from Pearl Bailey"; the plot is driven entirely by Steve, while the rest of the family has a grand total of [[Mandatory Line|two lines]] in the entire episode.

* ''[[The Fairly Odd ParentsOddParents]]'' had a couple of these. "The Secret Origin of Denzel Crocker" focused heavily on Timmy's fairy-obsessed teacher and explains how he became the way he is, and shortly afterwards, "The Big Scoop!" revisited first-season episode "A Wish Too Far!", but from [[Those Two Guys|Chester and AJ]]'s perspective.

* ''[[Phineas and Ferb (Animation)|Phineas and Ferb]]'' had an episode, "Isabella and the Temple of Sap", devoted to Isabella and the Fireside Girls obtaining an ingredient for the title character's Project of the Day (as seen in the episode "Bubble Boys").

** "Not Phineas and Ferb" focuses on [[Loony Fan|Irving]], [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold|Buford]] and [[Bollywood Nerd|Baljeet]]. ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'' is apparently fond of this trope.

* The ''[[Teen Titans (Animationanimation)|Teen Titans]]'' episode "Lightspeed" combines this with a [[Villain Episode]], focusing on Kid Flash (hero) and the Hive Five (villains). Also "For Real," which concerns Titans East.

** One could also count "Titans East," which focuses on that team and Cyborg while the other main Titans barely appear.

* ''[[101 Dalmatians (Disney)|One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]'': Two-Tone got her share of the limelight in "Love `em and Flea `em". In most episodes, she has one or two lines.

* ''[[Winx Club (Animation)|Winx Club]]'' had an episode where Stella participates in a beauty pageant, and another where Tecna is strongly suspicious of Professor Avalon. But the most notable non-Bloom-centric episode was "Magic in My Heart", which focuses on Musa putting on a concert at Red Fountain against her father's wishes. It's especially notable since Bloom and Flora (and in the original, Tecna) were all [[Demoted to Extra]] s. (It could also be considered [[A Day in Thethe Limelight]] for Stormy, as the rest of the time, the Trix's plans revolve around Icy and Darcy, but here she gets to fight Musa by herself.)

* ''[[DextersDexter's Laboratory]]'' did this a few times, with Dexter's Mom, Dad, and Dee Dee getting the spotlight in a few episodes.

* ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures (Animation)|Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' had "Sepulveda Boulevard", a full episode detective noir-esque story centering around Montana Max, Plucky Duck, and Elmyra Duff. It was the only episode of the show that did not have Buster Bunny or Babs Bunny in any capacity (there's a picture of Babs on a billboard, but that's it).

* AlotA lot of season 2 episodes of ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' focused on side characters, with Spike, the Cutie Mark Crusaders (whether individually or as group together), Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, and Cheerilee being the center of attention.

* ''[[Gargoyles (Animation)|Gargoyles]]'' did an episode focusing on Vinnie Grigori, a very minor character who had appeared in several episodes as a generic security guard. The titular Gargoyles unintentionally disrupted his life and lost him several jobs, and the Limelight episode was about his quest for vengeance. He ultimately {{spoiler|succeeds, and actually ''creams'' Goliath by using a specially designed shoulder-mounted cannon.}}

* Though the center of the shower and the plot itself is supposed to be all about Kuzco in ''[[The Emperor's New School (Animation)|The Emperors New School]]'', the second season focused on several secondary character's such as Guaca, Yatta, Bucky the Squirrel... heck, even Kronk's shoulder angels gets one.

* Though ''[[Batman the Brave And: The Bold (Animation)|Batman the Brave And The Bold]]'' is a [[Limelight Series]] in general, teaming [[Batman]] up with various other heroes, the episode "Aquaman's Outrageous Adventure!" stands out for focusing almost entirely on [[Aquaman (Comic Book)|Aquaman]] as ''he'' works with various other heroes (and goes sightseeing with his family). There's also a [[Villain Episode]] starring [[The Joker]].

* ''[[Tale Spin (Animation)|Tale Spin]]'' episode "Flight School Confidential" is revolved largely around Kit venturing to Thembria, with Baloo only getting a brief role in the opening and closing scenes. A couple of episodes also focus dominantly on Rebecca and Molly's relationship.

* Although most of the episodes of [[WITCH (Animationanimation)|WITCH]] focus on one of the five main girls, at least one episode per season revolves around [[Understanding Boyfriend|Matt]], [[Badass Normal|Caleb]], and [[Our Goblins Are DifferentWickeder|Blunk]] as well.

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