Ensemble Darkhorse/Live-Action TV: Difference between revisions

* ''[[Angel]]'' had Skip, a [[Pop-Cultured Badass|a demon knowledgeable about recent movies]]. He was supposed to be just a one shot character, instead he was brought back for a few episodes and his role was expanded.

* Doctor Reid Oliver as played by Eric Sheffer Stevens on [[As the World Turns]]. A [[Invisible to Gaydar]] [[Dr. Jerk]] who had a strong [[Slap Slap Kiss]] relationship with Luke before they officially became a couple. His [[Genre Savvy]] nature and tendency to [[Lampshade Hanging|hang lampshades]] makes him an [[Only Sane Man]]. The fact he does actually care deeply for the welfare of his patients, [[Pet the Dog|pets the dog]] whenever Katie's involved, and has a relatively functional, caring relationship with Luke puts him in [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]] territory.

** A better example may be Cally. An extra in the loading bay, she got picked for a violent death after several scenes in the background. She was supposed to be raped then killed. Instead she bit off the attacker's ear and got promoted in status. Eventually she marries a main character.

*** Before {{spoiler|being murdered by ANOTHER (arguable) Ensemble Darkhorse}}

* Lanie Parish is becoming this in ''[[Castle]]''. She can most definitely hold her own against Castle and Beckett, and seems to get some of the best lines in an episode that aren't uttered by the two leads.

* On ''[[Casualty]]'', a blonde nurse, only ever referred to as "Cath" or "Kath", seems to be popular with the fans, yet never really gets '''any''' storylines (not even a major one). She's not a [[One-Shot Character]] or a [[Ghost Extras|Ghost Extra]] by any means, but she rarely speaks. But, amazingly, she is ''never credited on-screen. ''

** By contrast, the [[Spin-Off]] known as ''[[Holby City]]'', also has another who fits this trope; except she is an [[Ascended Extra]] who is occasionally used in storylines and is more than a [[Living Prop]] or [[Ghost Extras|Ghost Extra]]. The show has a ginger-haired nurse called Marie-Claire, who speaks with an Irish accent, making an appearance. Her accent is genuine Northern Irish, and no [[Oireland]] stereotypes are used here.

** Both nurses live up to this trope, and (shamefully) don't get many major plotlines.

* Exidor on ''[[Mork and Mindy]]''. He started out as the leader of the cult "Friends Of Venus" (the other members of which were figments of his imagination) in the episode "Mork Runs Away". By the end of that episode it was clear the audience loved him almost as much as they loved Mork. He returned in the episode "Mork The Gullible" to rapturous applause, and after that he became a recurring character who was greeted by the audience with cheers throughout all four seasons. Interesting side note: His first two appearances concluded with him being disappointed with Mork for his lack of belief in Exidor's "religions". They eventually ended up as close friends ([[Ho Yay|sometimes they seemed]] '''[[Ho Yay|very]]''' [[Ho Yay|close]]).

* In the first season of ''[[The Muppet Show]]'', everyone thought Frank Oz's main character would be Fozzie Bear. Miss Piggy was a supporting character, so far down the list she didn't even have a consistant performer (Richard Hunt performed her for half the episodes she appeared in). Then Oz was operating her when she was supposed to slap Kermit, and decided to go for a karate chop instead, and something clicked. Oz would later describe her as his only [[Rounded Character|three-dimensional character]], saying [[Flat Character|Fozzie had two dimensions, and Animal zero]].

** Need we mention those old hecklers, [[Statler and Waldorf]]?

* From ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'''s [[Manos: The Hands of Fate|worst movie]] came its most enduring guest character -- Torgo, the stammering, swollen-kneed, scruffy-bearded, ratty-clothed, thoroughly creepy yet ineffectual henchman to The Master. Not only does he make numerous appearances and cameos in the host segments over the next couple seasons, he's even given an epic fate as he becomes Torgo the White.