Seconds anyone?

So, something I have thought about for a long time now; in films, TV, books, video games, any form of entertainment media, The secondary characters are always the show stealer's.

Think about the best sitcoms around today, now my bias may come through here but, Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother, Chuck, The Big Bang Theory, The Simpsons And Family Guy. I mean do you really prefer JD over Dr Cox? Barney will always steal a scene from Ted Or Robin, Jeff, Casey, Sheldon, Kuthripoli, Willie, Ralf and the incarnations of Bill Cosby all beat their main characters to the metaphorical punch(line). Now Don't get me wrong, I love the main characters, they drive the show, and I'm not saying that we should scrap them and make way for the second in commands. But the phenomenal characters that we get from this, a prime example is How I Met Your Mother, in season 1 Barney was an awesome, suit wearing, womanising 1 dimensional character, now 3 seasons later he's a awesome, suit wearing womanising 2 dimensional character because the writers realise he's an asset, making the viewing experience better for all of us. of course using a second character for views and laughs is all fun and games until it goes too far.

"If Secondary characters be the food of laughs, give us excess of it." Yeah you do that and you will burst in an implosion of a thing I like to call lack-of-story-amite, a hilarious implosion, but a breakdown all the same. A brilliant example of this is a very beloved show for a lot of people I know, "The Big Bang Theory". When this first started we were told it will be a show about Penny and Leonard, but now, with the second season at an end, I can't help to think we may as well change the name to "the Sheldon Show". 67% of the airtime of that show is now "sheldon does something funny" I mean don't get me wrong, I love it. But it stops a good comedy, from becoming a great show.

Now I complain about these characters being both a blessing and a curse for a television show, but what about the Barney and Sheldon's of the big screen? Well In a sense, the rule about "Little Airtime = great characters" stands for these as well,since we don't become as attached to these characters we don't question it when they stick a polecat down their trousers and run around a police station. When I think about a few recent comedies that come to mind now, Forgetting Sarah Marshal, Dodgeball(recent?), Anchorman, All the secondary characters shine through, Who doesn't love Paul Rudd's watchless surfer in FSM, Or Pete the Pirate in Dodgeball? And who can look me in the screen and say to me, I prefer Ron Burgundy over Brick Tamland? No one, because they are all amazing.

I often think that perhaps they should have had more time, or perhaps another movie for them, then realise, No. that would involve getting to know them, and having a serious character development. can you truly imagine Tamland going through a divorce?

I can, and it would be Hilarious. Not Good. Hilarious.

Now looking back a few more years, to shows and films passed, you realise this is a fairly new phenomenon, friends didn't have an amazing secondary cast. Kenan And Kel was all about the orange soda and catdog, Pinky and the Brain, they had themselves to make funnies. It seems the 90's were a time of doubleacts, and groups, this is the comedy of the 90's, but for the '00's I can assure you it is secondary characters, so sit back, relax cos Barney isn't going anywhere.

Joe Strange

All data presented in this blog is 100% accurate. Don't check, just trust me.