Supporting characters who made the film/tv show more than the star

[Comic-Reader Lad]

I think Jimmie Walker as JJ Evans became the breakout character on Good Times even though the show spun off with Esther Rolle's character.

Also, on Alice, Flo quickly became a fan favorite with her big personality and "Kiss My Grits" catchphrase. However, I always felt Linda Lavin was a great anchor character for the show, so I never felt Flo overshadowed Alice.

I disagree that Niles stole the show from Frasier. Both he and Kelsey were a great comic duo and they needed each other like Laverne and Shirley or Lucy and Ethel. Kelsey made Frasier's journey to find long lasting happiness with a woman interesting and funny to watch. Grammer deserves all the accolades he's gotten from that show.

Of course, David Hyde Pierce was a revelation as Niles, but no, I never thought he stole attention from Kelsey. Similarly, I felt Mary Tyler Moore and Bob Newhart absolutely never lost the spotlight to their gifted casts of supporting players. It's just that all three stars were very generous with giving screen time to their costars.

[Punisher007]

The Fonze.

Steve Urkel.

Spike from Buffy.

Han Solo and Darth Vader.

Stewie Griffin from Family Guy.

[AnakinFlair]

Robbie Reyes for Agents Of SHIELD season 4.

Colleen Wing and Ward for Iron Fist.

Oliver Queen/Lex Luthor for Smallville.

Would Lex count on Smallville? I know it was a Superman origin, and so it was a Clark Kent show; but I always felt that they were co-leads because it was also just as much a Lex Luthor origin story.

[Steel Inquisitor]

Would Lex count on Smallville? I know it was a Superman origin, and so it was a Clark Kent show; but I always felt that they were co-leads because it was also just as much a Lex Luthor origin story.

Yes, many characters overshadowed Clark on that show. Chloe and Lois do, as well.

[Valentis]

Snape and Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter

Spike from Buffy

Sabrina from The Archie comics

Steve Urkel from Family Matters

[Gaastra]

Miss piggy was just a nameless background pig in the muppet show. Then they did a sketch with her in a singing group and she outsings over everyone. It launched her in the series.

Cookie monster was a mean nameless monster who tried to eat kermit! After teaming him with kermit a few times he started to turn into cookie monster.

Elmo on seseme street was a really minor muppet and had another voice at first!

Smurfs were one shots in johan and peewit.

Bugs bunny and daffy duck were one shots in porky pig.

Woody woodpecker was a one-shot in andy panda.

Rabbids were just minor bad guys in the rayman games.

Happy days was just minor stars in love american style.

Ncis was just a minor group in the show jag.

Mario was in the donkey kong games and show first going second to donkey kong!

[Jim Kelly]

For the young whipper-snappers, you will not remember, and I barely do myself, but Maynard G. Krebbs upstaged Dobie Gillis on THE MANY LOVES OF DOBIE GILLIS--the beatnik Maynard was played by Bob Denver, who went on to be Gilligan.

Schultzy on THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW had some of the best lines, outshining Bob--she was played by Ann B. Davis, who everyone knows as Alice that worked for the Brady family and had an ongoing affair with Sam the butcher. By the way, the actor who played Sam--Allan Melvin--had many T.V. roles, including as Sgt. Charley Hacker on GOMER PYLE USMC--but he had just as many roles as a voice actor in Saturday morning cartoons. Gomer, of course, was spun off from THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW--which had a lot of break-out character actors.

Edd Byrnes became famous overnight playing Kookie on 77 SUNSET STRIP--even had his own song on the Top 40, "Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)" that he performed with Connie Stevens.

[babyblob]

Edd Byrnes became famous overnight playing Kookie on 77 SUNSET STRIP--even had his own song on the Top 40, "Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)" that he performed with Connie Stevens.[/B]

The only other time I have ever heard of this guy was when he did a guest spot on married With Children. At the end of the episode he sang the song with Anthrax who were quarantined to the house after eating Peg's mystery loaf.

[DrNewGod]

...Colleen Wing and Ward for Iron Fist...

I'd add Simone Missick's Misty Knight to Jessica Henwick's Colleen Wing. The single biggest thing that bums me about Disney and Netflix's tug-of-war pulling that franchise apart is that we never got a proper Daughters of the Dragon series. That was especially disappointing after they whetted our appetites with such a delightful bar fight.

TNG had a couple of breakout characters. While designed more as an ensemble piece than TOS, TNG clearly focused on Picard and Riker. Picard never faded into the background, but Worf and Data blew past Riker like he was standing still. I sometimes wondered what would have happened had producers cast The Rocketeer's Bill Campbell, who I understand was on the short list, over Jonathan Frakes.

[Powerboy]

Late to the party.

Not sure it's been mentioned yet but Ed Norton (Art Carney) in the Honeymooners though I think that's exaggerated. He and Gleason both worked because they made a great comedy team.

Artemus Gordon in the Wild Wild West.

Dr. Smith in the original Lost in Space. Yeah, he put the extreme campiness into it but it would have been canceled after 13 episodes had he not done that.

[kingaliencracker]

Star Trek/Mr. Spock

The Big Bang Theory/Sheldon Cooper

Night Court/Dan Fielding

[RockyHorror]

Politely, it ain't Niles.

It's their old man.

Hmmm. It's not difficult to imagine Frasier going on with a character actor similar to John Mahoney in some similar role.

I can't see the show continuing without Davis Hyde Pierce.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Justified wouldn't have deserved more than two seasons without Boyd

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

The Vampire Diaries- Elena's alright but she's the halfway point between Buffy and Elena. The Salvatore and the Mikaelsons were why most people were tuning in.

[Steel Inquisitor]

The Vampire Diaries- Elena's alright but she's the halfway point between Buffy and Elena. The Salvatore and the Mikaelsons were why most people were tuning in.

The Salvatore School from the last seasons of The Originals, and the Originals from Vampire Diaries. The School, and Hope Michaelson, went on to have its own tv show. Which is Vampire Diaries Hogwarts with vampires, werewolves and witches.