Buzz
No matter how compelling a show's concept or how polished the writing, it’s impossible to predict what will truly catch the audience's eye. Here are 10 beloved TV characters who were never meant to be the stars of their shows.
1. Steve Urkel // Family Matters
Family Matters
was a spin-off from Perfect Strangers (Harriette Winslow worked as an elevator operator at the Chicago Chronicle). The series was intended to focus on the daily life of a department store worker, her cop husband, and their three kids. However, when the nerdy next-door neighbor Steve Urkel (played by Jaleel White) showed up, complete with his huge glasses, suspenders, high-waisted pants, and squeaky voice, things took a turn. Urkel was initially meant to be a one-time character, but after White’s first appearance, the studio audience began chanting “Urkel! Urkel!” during filming. Several episodes from the first season had to be quickly rewritten to accommodate the clumsy, whiny character. Interestingly, Jaleel White, who had been acting since the age of three (mainly in commercials), had almost quit acting before landing the role, deciding he would rather play JV basketball when he entered high school.
2. Alex P. Keaton // Family Ties
Gary David Goldberg originally envisioned Matthew Broderick for the role of Alex in Family Ties, a sitcom about progressive 60s parents raising kids in the 80s. However, Broderick wasn’t keen on leaving New York for a long-term commitment, so Goldberg had to look elsewhere. After a casting director’s recommendation, Goldberg gave a young Canadian actor, Michael J. Fox, a second screen test and reluctantly hired him. NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff famously remarked, “There’s a face you’ll never see on a lunch box” when commenting on Fox. To everyone’s surprise, Michael J. Fox's onscreen charm quickly made him a fan favorite, even delivering absurd comments, like those about women “knowing their place,” with a smile that won laughs rather than groans. Meredith Baxter-Birney, who had initially signed on expecting the parents to be the show’s focus, was a bit frustrated when Alex became the center of attention. Teen magazine covers and posters gave Fox a huge boost in popularity, and soon, many episodes focused on Alex. During the taping of the episode where Alex lost his virginity, the audience’s laughter was so prolonged that it caused the show to run 12 minutes over time. Goldberg, standing backstage with Baxter-Birney, jokingly told her, “If you want to leave the show, I’ll understand.”
3. Daryl Dixon // The Walking Dead
When AMC’s zombie show, The Walking Dead, was being cast, Norman Reedus initially auditioned for the role of Merle Dixon, but the part went to Michael Rooker. However, producers were impressed with Reedus, so they asked the writers to create a younger brother for Merle named Daryl. The redneck bow-hunter was supposed to be just another supporting character alongside Rick, Lori, Shane, and Carl. But Reedus took what could have been a one-dimensional role and, with only a few lines per episode, turned Daryl into a deeply intriguing character. Gruff, anti-social, and tough, yet with a tender, wounded side beneath all the grime, Daryl evolved into a fan favorite. By season three, Daryl, a character not present in the original WD graphic novels, became Rick's right-hand man, and “If Daryl Dies, We Riot” T-shirts became a popular fan slogan.
4. Fonzie // Happy Days
The concept for a sitcom set in the 1950s stemmed from a segment on the 1970s anthology show Love, American Style. A year after “Love and the Happy Days” aired, Ron Howard starred in American Graffiti, a hit film that cemented his image as the quintessential retro-teen. Having previously played “Opie” on The Andy Griffith Show, Howard seemed the obvious choice to lead Happy Days. But to the producers' surprise, Henry Winkler’s Fonzie, initially a secondary character, began gaining massive popularity. Soon, “Ayyyy” was a household phrase, and Fonzie’s thumbs-up gesture could be seen everywhere. ABC even considered renaming the show Fonzie’s Happy Days, but Winkler firmly rejected the idea. He’s always credited the show's success to the entire cast, particularly Ron Howard and Tom Bosley.
5. Ben Linus // Lost
Michael Emerson’s breakthrough role on Lost came after his Emmy-winning performance as a serial killer on The Practice. His initial guest appearance as Benjamin Linus in the episode “One of Them” was so impactful that he was invited back for three more episodes, still listed as a guest star. Linus, initially known as Henry Gale, became a morally complex character who viewers loved to loathe. By season three, Emerson's portrayal was so integral to the show that he was offered a contract and became a series regular, eventually leading the Others.
6. Chrissy // Three’s Company
When casting for Three’s Company began, John Ritter was the only actor with notable recognition, having played Reverend Fordwick on The Waltons. Known for his slapstick comedy, Ritter turned a seemingly one-note role (a man pretending to be gay while living with two women) into something special. While Ritter was the star, Suzanne Somers, who portrayed Chrissy, quickly became the face of the show, gracing magazine covers and selling posters in huge numbers. Eager to grow her career, Somers contacted powerful manager Jay Bernstein, pleading with him to represent her. Though he had doubts about her looks and talent, Bernstein was impressed by her drive, eventually agreeing to take her on. Somers' dedication paid off, and soon every episode of Three’s Company prominently featured Chrissy in revealing outfits, regardless of the plot.
7. Vinnie Barbarino // Welcome Back, Kotter
Alan Sacks, a seasoned comic writer, had seen Gabe Kaplan’s stand-up routine several times and believed there was potential to develop a sitcom based on Kaplan’s tales of his time in remedial high school. During a test screening of Welcome Back, Kotter, network executives noticed that John Travolta (who was originally cast as “Eddie Barbarina”) received enthusiastic, spontaneous cheers from the audience. This unexpected reaction convinced them to greenlight the series, seeing the possibility of a teen heartthrob in addition to Kaplan’s comedic material. Travolta embraced his rising fame but was determined to be recognized as a legitimate actor. He invested much of his Kotter salary into hiring a high-profile agent, which led to bigger film roles, such as in The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, Carrie, and Saturday Night Fever. By the fourth and final season of Welcome Back, Kotter, Travolta was reduced to a “special guest star,” appearing in fewer than half of the season's episodes.
8. Sandra Clark // 227
Marla Gibbs, who starred in the NBC sitcom 227, had already earned a loyal following with her portrayal of the maid Florence on The Jeffersons, a role that gave rise to many Florence-focused episodes. So it wasn’t entirely unexpected when Jackée Harry’s bold and cheeky performance as Sandra Clark took center stage on a show initially meant to highlight Gibbs. However, Gibbs wasn’t thrilled with the growing popularity of Jackée’s character; when Jackée won an Emmy Award in 1987 (over tough competitors like Rhea Perlman of Cheers and Estelle Getty of The Golden Girls), Gibbs didn’t congratulate her, and her character's role in future storylines was significantly diminished.
9. J.J. Evans // Good Times
When Good Times premiered in 1974, the NAACP commended it for depicting a hardworking, tight-knit African-American family. The parents were shown as dedicated and the younger children were portrayed as focused, intelligent students, determined to make their parents proud. However, it was the oldest Evans child who turned into the “problem child,” leading the civil rights group to reconsider their initial praise. Jimmie Walker’s over-the-top, jive-speaking character J.J. began to rub people the wrong way, especially the actors portraying his parents. John Amos complained that the writers were relying too heavily on J.J.’s catchphrase, “dy-no-mite,” instead of crafting meaningful dialogue. Esther Rolle also voiced her displeasure, noting that the storylines started focusing on the jobless, illiterate J.J. at the expense of the more serious and intellectual younger son, Michael. Both Amos and Rolle eventually left the show, and despite attempts to rework J.J.’s character, the series was cancelled in 1979.
10. Mimi Bobeck // The Drew Carey Show
Mimi Bobeck was originally slated to appear in just the pilot episode of The Drew Carey Show, but test audiences reacted so strongly to the scenes featuring Mimi and Drew that Kathy Kinney was brought on as a regular cast member. The addition of a workplace adversary with a deep-seated grudge against Drew provided new creative opportunities for the writers, as Mimi and Drew were constantly engaged in outrageous practical jokes. However, this also meant that the scenes featuring Mimi’s flashy, exaggerated character took away screen time from the other supporting cast members, causing some behind-the-scenes tension.
