Side characters drive the story of a television series forward. Without them, any show would fail. They are often there for comedic relief, emotional support or just to be helpful to the main character.
But, these qualities combined often make the side characters far more interesting than the main ones- leaving the audience confused as to why we don’t see them on our screen as often.
According to New York Book Editors,
‘The secondary character is more than just a minor character. He or she is necessary to the story because this character reveals key details, motivates the protagonist, foils the protagonist or helps define a story’s setting.
Your Guie to Creating Secondary Characters, New York Book Editors
But, sometimes, there are secondary characters who just feel like they should’ve been the main character. They have more interesting lives, funnier dialogue or just generally seems like a nicer overall person.
Bonnie Bennett
When you think about it, Bonnie Bennett was one of the most powerful and courageous characters in The Vampire Diaries. But, her magical, witchy ability was always somehow overshadowed by her best-friend Elena’s love life with the vampire brothers- for some reason.
She’s an easy character to love. Not only is she an independent, loyal and fiercely brave character, but her development over the seasons also makes her more relatable to the audience. She also has an incredibly sassy and honest personality- whilst still wearing her heart on her sleeve, always.
But it is quite clear that Bonnie Bennett’s character was forgotten about for quite some time. For the most part, her character is not given a lot of depth or backstory until Elena leaves the show, and they need to develop a new female lead.
Surely it would make sense for a show about supernatural people to feature one of the only witches more thoroughly?
Petra Solano
Possibly one of the greatest character arcs of all time, Petra Solano portrayed by Yael Grobglas definitely has main-character potential.
Featured in the hit American telenovela, Jane the Virgin, Petra is a loveable anti-hero, who makes all the wrong decisions. From inseminating herself with her ex-husband’s sperm to forcing her evil twin to get a tattoo on her forehead reading ‘Not Petra’, you can’t help but laugh every time she’s on the screen.
Starting out as the ‘bad guy’, the show slowly introduces her background and helps the audience understand why she does things in her own twisted way. Her wit, glamour, and sharp mind help to create a character who isn’t ‘bad’, but rather someone who will do whatever it takes to survive. Dramatically, of course.
Dawn and Pete Sutcliffe
Dawn and Pete are the hilarious side couple from the hit UK show Gavin and Stacey. Their turbulent and often dysfunctional relationship keeps the audience entertained, and their dramatic Essex flair contrasts the more mellow characters from Wales.
Dawn and Pete are representatives of the married couple who can never stay happy. Drama always follows them, from issues with in-laws to supposed drug addiction, this couple keeps the show light and funny, even when bigger issues are being discussed. The thing that makes them so loved is the silliness of their supposed problems, and how outwardly they express their feelings.
In some ways, keeping their relationship to a superficial level and not knowing much about them is good, as it doesn’t draw focus from the main couple, Gavin and Stacey. However, if there were to be a spin-off show for one of the couples, these two would, without a doubt, take the stage.
Brad Morris
Starring in the American sitcom, How I Met Your Mother, Brad is a friend of one of the main characters, Marshall. Portrayed by Joe Manganiello, this character represents the handsome, hyper-masculine ‘bro’.
In his first appearance, he had just been dumped, and started to do typical ‘couple’ activities with Marshall, like brunch and going to Broadway. This showed him to be very comfortable in his masculinity- which obviously puts him in the good books! However, he has one of the funniest villain arcs, as he uses his good looks to sway jury votes in his later career as a lawyer.
Even though Brad’s role in HIMYM was small, he still had a huge impact on the show. His unforgettable personality (and looks) separate him from other small characters.
Although the main five characters remained the same throughout all nine seasons, it was evident that Brad could’ve played a bigger role in the show. He has a long history with Marshall, of course, but he also had storylines with the other big characters.
Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez, who did eventually play a main role in the hit musical comedy-drama, Glee, was arguably one of the best characters on television at the time. Not only did she represent the lesbian community, but also the African-Latina community, at a time when television still favored heterosexual and white relationships.
In the first few seasons, Santana’s character was limited to being the stereotypical mean, rude and beautiful cheerleader. Her character always had the potential to be more than this, and her storyline became a beautiful representation of many people at the time who were ashamed of or struggling with their sexuality.
Whilst she did become a bigger character as the seasons went on, in the first few seasons she still captured the audience with her sassy and flirtatious nature. She was quick-witted, and often cruel to her fellow classmates, but what is a teenage drama without a mean girl?
Sage Aiello
Stephanie Costa portrayed the character of Sage in Netflix’s ‘The Bold Type’. She was a great side character, but arguably someone who the writers could’ve gone into more detail on, especially considering her interesting career.
Sage wrote for the magazine called ‘Scarlet’, but specialized in sex advice and trends. She often told her stories to the main girls and the editors, and they never failed to entertain.
The Bold Type, generally, is about female empowerment, and Sage represents this by taking control of her own sexuality, and sharing he experiences to help others women. However, for many fans, she lacked the screen time that other side characters were given.
