Most memorable, scene-stealing TV characters

[LynneSin]

Many times these aren't the stars of the sitcom, but a supporting actor/actress that usually ends up stealing the show. Probably two that come to mind for me would be Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld and Samatha Jones from Sex and the City. I'm a big fan of both of these shows, but I don't think either of them would have been as memorable if it wasn't for these strong supporter characters. Michael Richards (Kramer) and Kim Cattrell(Samatha) are both incredibly talented acters, probably more so than the lead of their respective show (Jerry Seinfeld for Seinfeld and Sarah Jessica Parker for (SATC).

So what are some of the most memorable characters from television history. The supporting actor/actress that really makes the show!

[terrya]

1. Megan Mullally should be arrested for grand theft on "Will and Grace"

She really is a big reason why "W and G" has been so popular.

[LynneSin]

3. Hell, I wouldn't even bother with that show if she wasn't on it

Her and Jack make the best couple in Television EVER

[Richardo]

8. Those two make the show

[ronnykmarshall]

25. I hear that!

She can just walk on the set and crack me up.

[mondo joe]

61. Oh honey, yes. Why bother without her?

The rest of the cast are just there as background.

[WeRQ4U]

2. Kosmo Kramer

Hands down.

[ohiosmith]

4. Ed Norton

[acmavm]

14. You beat me to it. Ed Norton was the greatest ever.

.

[NomoBreaks]

73. KOOOL rare pic, nice job

from the mid sixties, note Sheila MacCrae.

[Lannes]

5. Jim on Taxi

Christopher Lloyd

[LynneSin]

6. Reverend Jim: Pssssttt... what does the yellow light mean?

Bobby Wheeler: "Slow down."
"Reverend Jim" Ignatowski: What... does... the... yellow... light... mean?
Bobby Wheeler: "Slow down"!
"Reverend Jim" Ignatowski: Whaaaat... dooooeeees... theeeee... yeeeel-looowwww... liiiiight... meeeeaaan?

[Lannes]

12. That was one of the funniest scenes ever!

:)

[Richardo]

13. Another Rev Jim moment: He and Latka are hunched over a chess board...

None of the pieces have been moved. They appear to have been there for quite a while.

Suddenly, Jim says: "I give up."

Latka: "It's chess" :D

[Nomad559]

20. I recorded that scene

http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=slowdown

:)

[kwassa]

26. I fell out of my chair laughing when I first saw it , still use the phrase

[deutsey]

34. That is one of the best moments in sitcom history

I thought my mother and I were going to have strokes were laughing so hard.

[LynneSin]

43. Best moment still goes to WKRP in Cincinnati...

As God as My Witness, I thought Turkeys could fly

[deutsey]

45. That was another stroke-inducing moment for me and my mom

We must have laughed for a half hour AFTER the show was over.

[VOX]

30. Rev. Jim at the stuffed-shirt party: "I musta had music lessons!"

Jim seats himself at the piano, much to Elaine's embarrassment. Jim fumbles through "Chopsticks," and then, after a brief pause, suddenly begins playing ornate, classical riffs.

He suddenly stops, gives a puzzled look, and blurts out, "I musta had music lessons!" :)

[driver8]

74. That was one of my favorites, also.

Rev. Jim was the best...

[Strawman]

7. Hank on Larry Sanders n/t

[gmoney]

49. I gotta go with Artie...

Hank was SUPPOSED to be Mr Subplot, but Rip Torn as Artie the producer always stole the show for me.

Whatever happened to season 2 of that on DVD?

[Eyeball Kid]

62. Best dialogue...

Artie: Here, have a salty dog.
Larry: Oh no, I don't...
Artie: OH, JUST DRINK IT, YOU PUSSY!

[A-Schwarzenegger]

9. Luigi the Poolman

in Meet the Gottis.
The episode with him and the ducks.
"Here, Ducky, Ducky! Goddamn ducks."
The episode where him and Virginia's gay pal go to
see the therapist together.
"We'rea here for him. He got some issues."
Every episode:
"Look at this crap. I done enough for today."
Utter genius Comicosity.

[WI_DEM]

10. Agnes Moorehead on Bewitched

also from that classic series the late Alice Pearce who played the first Gladys Kravitz

[Toby109]

11. For one episode only

Robin Williams as a space alien on Happy Days.

[sniffa]

15. no question - steve urkLe

did i do that?

[JAbuchan08]

16. You mentioned Kramer, but Jason Alexander as George Costanza

that was a GREAT character he helped create.

[ghostsofgiants]

28. Seinfeld was full of great characters

The entire supporting cast was brilliant. (Just watch the series finale...absolutely hilarious.)

I was always fond of Frank, George's dad.

[JAbuchan08]

64. Sorry, but that series finale disappointed me.

eom.

[ghostsofgiants]

70. I meant the collection of characters was brilliant

The episode tiself was just alright.

[PurityOfEssence]

17. "Angel" in the Rockford Files

Stuart Margolin was the ultimate greasy fuck up; to steal scenes from James Garner is quite an acheivment.

Larry Storch as Corporal Agarn in "F-Troop" is another classic; that was a sitcom with more memorable characters than virtually any one can think of.

Henry Winkler as "the Fonz" MADE that show.

Then, of course, there's "Green Acres", which was a show where the "leads" were nothing more than foils for a whole passel of upstaging varmints. Eb, Fred Ziffel and Mr. Haney were just a few of the regulars; the whole structure of the show was using the leads as straightmen for the zanies.

Ed Norton?

Colonel Klink?

Everybody but Hal Lindon in "Barney Miller".

It's the mark of good sustainable comedy: oddball characters in secondary positions.

[Richardo]

18. I'd throw in the occasional Max Klinger

"What a DUMP!"

[underpants]

19. Ernest T. Bass

The Andy Griffith show

[deutsey]

36. Definitely

He's one of my favorite TV characters.

[Bok_Tukalo]

37. Floyd the barber

That guy was on acid, I swear.

[gmoney]

46. Yep... he passed away recently at a ripe old age...

http://www.ernestt.com/

[LynneSin]

21. BTW - the best of Samantha Jones

Samantha: There's no such thing as bad publicity.
Carrie: Of course you'd say that, you're a publicist.

Samantha: One time I fucked a guy because he had a swimming pool. I came over and he used to bring me Kool-Aid.
Carrie: Kool-Aid?
Samantha: I was thirteen.

Samantha: You dated Mr. Big. I'm dating Mr. Too Big.

Samantha: I'm a "trisexual". I'll try anything once.

Samantha: Until he says "I love you", you're a free agent.
Carrie: What is this? The Rules According to Samantha?
Samantha: See? I'm more old-fashioned than you think.

(Charlotte York has just discovered that Samantha Jones has slept with her brother Wesley)
Charlotte: Is your vagina listed in the New York City guide books? Because it should be - hottest spot in town. Always open.

Samantha: I'm dating a guy with the funkiest tasting spunk...

(Upon seeing a firefighter stripper)
Samantha: Hello, 911. I'm on fire.

Samantha: There isn't enough wall space in New York City to hang all of my exes. Let me tell you, a lot of them were hung.

Samantha: (to her male intern) The bad news is you're fired. The good news is now I can fuck you.

(after oral sex on some guy)
Samantha: Could you shave or something? Blowing you is like getting my teeth flossed.

Samantha: Look at his robe. So "Robin and his Merry Men."

Samantha: You have a lot of nerve telling me to get a wax. If you were in Aruba the natives could bead your back.

(on faking orgasms)
Samantha: I'll admit I have had to polish myself off once or twice, but yes, when I RSVP to a party, I make it my business to come.

(on craving junkfood)
Samantha: Last night I could not stop thinking about a Big Mac. I finally had to get dressed, go out and pick up a guy.

(on relationships)
Samantha: Well, I don't know how you people do it. All that emotional chow-chow. It's exhausting.

(on becoming, temporarily, a lesbian)
Samantha: What am I supposed to say? "Hi, this is my lesbian lover. And p.s.: I'm done with dick"?

(on the internet)
Samantha: You've got to get online, honey. If only for the porn.

Samantha: Sex with an ex can be depressing. If it's good you can't get it anymore, if it's bad you just had sex with an ex.

Samantha: Can we cut the cake? I have to go to a Three-way.

Samantha: Money is power, sex is power, therefore, getting money for sex is simply an exchange of power.

Samantha: The country runs better with a good looking man in the White House. I mean, look what happenedwith Nixon; no one wanted to fuck him, so he fucked everyone.

Samantha: If we could perpetually do blowjobs to every guy on earth, we would own the world. And at the same time have our hands free.

Samantha: You men have no idea what we're dealing with down there. Teeth placement, and jaw stress, and suction, and gag reflex, and all the while bobbing up and down, moaning and trying to breathe through our noses. Easy? Honey, they don't call it a job for nothin'.

Samantha: (to the girls) I think I have monogamy. I caught it from you people.
Carrie: Oh God it's airborne.

Samantha: that one actually works against you. If we wanted to work that hard we'd find ourselves a man, am i right?

[JAbuchan08]

22. I love that show and I don't know why.

I'm constantly finding myself admonishing these women in my mind for bad behavior, but they're so, like, three dimensional. And I never got what Carrie saw in Mr. Big. I liked the furniture guy.

[LynneSin]

23. Oh I have a mega crush on Mr. Big

even though he's toxic - he's so good looking

:bounce:

[JAbuchan08]

31. But she ended up with him! How was that?

John Corbin, that was the furniture guy's name. Granted he bordered on the slobbish in his Sex and the City role, but he just seemed the most centered of all the men she dated.

Personally I always had a thing for Kristin. Not only do I like dark-haired women, but I guess I've always wanted to be the prince charming to a "princess."

Watching Sex and the City and reading Cosmopolitan - my two guilty pleasures.

[LynneSin]

42. Yeah, Carrie did mess it up with Aidan (furniture guy)

But by the beginning of Season 6 we learned that not only had Aiden gotten married but he had a kid (although ironically the partner he has for the bar Scout and the father of Miranda's baby, Steve, never mentioned this to anyone. I found that to be a tiny flaw in the series)

So knowing that Aidan was completely unavailable, Big was definately the better choice that the Russian or Berger (I hated her relationship with Berger - he was all wrong)

[WeRQ4U]

24. Jesse Spano - Especially when she's doing "studying drugs"

"I'm so EXCITED!! I'm so EXCITED! I'm so.... scaaarrreeedd!!"-Classic

I love it when Zach says... "Slater was right... YOU ARE DOING DRUGS!"

[suegeo]

27. Arnold the pig, Green Acres

That was one charming mother-fucking pig.

[MissMillie]

29. Edith Bunker

who can forget the story about the accident w/ the can of cling peaches... in heavy syrup?

[Rowdyboy]

32. She played Esmerelda on Bewitched and Bernice Clifton on Designing Women

The brilliant, hilarious Alice Ghostley steals most every scene she is in...

[MissMillie]

39. "Black Man! Black Man!"

I love Alice Ghostley!

[Rowdyboy]

40. LOL! And I really did laugh out loud! I can still her her with the

"Black man, black man!" and my other favorite, when she modeled her new Christmas tree skirt. She was so delightfully daffy.

[libnnc]

50. I nearly peed myself with the "Black man! Black man!" episode.

funny as hell.

[MissMillie]

59. "What does it mean, this 'someone left the cake out in the rain'?"

She was amazing

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

33. The Lone Gunmen in The X Files (nt)

[gmoney]

47. They briefly had a spinoff...

And the pilot episode was filmed with airlines being flown into skyscrapers six months before 9/11... but nobody could imagine such a thing, eh Condi?

http://thewebfairy.com/killtown/lonegunmen.html

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

51. OK, now let me play devil's advocate a little...

...what if the terrorists (or Osama or whoever actually masterminded the attack) saw the episode and thought, "GENIUS! What a GREAT idea! Any way we can do that for real? Hey, you know what? It's doable!"

[bigwillq]

35. Karen Walker on Will and Grace

Jackie from Roseanne
Estelle Getty from Golden Girls

[HEyHEY]

38. Colonel Flagg on MASH

[Skittles]

48. YOU KNOW IT HEYHEY

Col Flagg: "You took a red commie before a white American and that's pretty pinko."

Hawkeye: "You're even boring in technocolor."

LOL; Colonel Flagg CHEWED UP the scenes EVERY TIME! :thumbsup:

[Goblinmonger]

41. I know I am dating myself, but what about Huggy Bear

[Tyrone Slothrop]

44. Dr. Lilith Sternin on Cheers

Played by Bebe Neuwirth. (Frasier's girlfriend and eventual wife)

She played the hot-and-cold psychologist to a T -- and stole nearly every episode she appeared on.

Best line:
"Frasier, why do you insist on displaying our magazines in that insipid accordion style?"

[yellowdogintexas]

52. Rhoda on Mary Tyler Moore show

Buddy and Sally on Dick Van Dyke
the neighbor across the hall on the first Bob Newhart show
Larry, Darryl and Darryl on the second Newhart show
Ted Knight on Mary Tyler Moore show
Flo on "Alice"
Billy Crystal in "Soap"
Mr Humphries in "Are You Being Served?"
Niles from Frazier
Eddie from Frazier
Janice from "Friends"
the janitor on "Scrubs"
Louie on "Taxi"
Harvey Korman and Tim Conway on the Carol Burnett show
Klinger on MASH

[Dukkha]

53. Ralph Furley

[kodi]

54. Q, star trek next generation

.

[Liberalynn]

55. Cole Turner *aka Julian Mcmahon*

of Charmed. The show no longer has any, charm that is, without him. :)

Cole planning how he is going to break it off with Phoebe:

"I can't see you anymore. Why? Because I have to kill you that's why. Smooth."

[Lisa]

56. The Bartlets in "The West Wing"

Originally the President and First Lady weren't supposed to be key players in the show -- it was supposed to focus on the work done behind the scenes by the White House staff -- but somehow Martin Sheen's character has ended up in most of the episodes.

And speaking of scene-stealing, Oliver Babish (Oliver Platt) and Dr. Stanley Keyworth (Adam Arkin) managed to put in memorable appearances even though they've only been in a few episodes. (Oliver smashing the dictaphone with the gavel, and Dr. Keyworth telling the President that his session is over.)

[KittyWampus]

57. Ed & Marilyn On Northern Exposure

[Chovexani]

58. Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Yeah, I said it. :P Easily the best thing about that show besides Faith, at least until Marti Noxon decided to character assassinate him by using him to work out all her college relationship issues. I even like Soulled!Spike, so nyah.

Spike was also the best thing about Angel's last season (well, and vamped out Puppet Angel in "Smile Time"). The thinly-veiled homoeroticism of the bickering between him and Angel was priceless (I loved when Spike introduced himself as Angel's date in one episode). Especially in the one episode towards the end where they are fighting like an old married couple all over Rome, in search of Buffy. It's like you just wanted to take the two of them aside and tell them to forget about her and just hook up already.

Anya also stole damn near every scene she was in on BtVS. Her social ineptness was comedy gold, and also made for some great moments. My favorite was in "The Body" (IMO one of the best hours of TV ever written), when she was confused and hurt by Buffy's mom's death, and trying to express it in her inept, used-to-be-an-immortal-vengeance-demon way. I cried during that scene.

She and Spike made season 7 watchable (ok, and sexy Principal Wood). I'm still bitter about her death, and the way no one seemed to care, not even Xander. :cry:

[Blue_In_AK]

72. Buffy was undoubtedly one of my favorite TV shows EVER...

You summed it all up nicely. And I agree with you about Spike...a fabulous character. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see Angel up here because we didn't have the WB at the time. We missed a couple of Buffy seasons, too, until she changed networks, but we were able to get all caught up on the reruns.

[dajoki]

60. susie essman

"from curb your enthusiam", also kramer, georde and newman from "sienfeld" and of course, norton.

[AlGore-08.com]

63. Every character on the Mary Tyler Moore show except Murray & Gordy

That and the Bob Newhart Show were the best written sitcoms in history...

[Lindsey]

65. So many of these are great...

I also loved Puddy (? on sp.) on Seinfeld. When he's just staring at the back seat of the airplane and Elaine asks him what he's doing!!!!! One of the funniest scenes I've EVER experienced.

Also RENO 911 - All of them. When the blonde thinks she's pregnanat and the guy who wears the shorts is talking to the camera speculating on who the father is, "Just open up the phone book, it could be anyone." GOD I LOVE THAT SHOW!!!!!!!!!!

[Chovexani]

66. Puddy was awesome

Then again, so were so many of the incidental characters on that show. I think it's one of the reasons Seinfeld was so hilarious.

I mean, think about it...the Soup Nazi...Bizarro Jerry...George's parents (Festivus!)...the show wasn't just about Jerry and his three friends, it was a world full of crazy ass people.

[NeoTraitors]

67. I vote for Ernest T Bass from the Andy Griffith

Show too. Seeing him always makes me want to run around and act all crazy.

While they really weren't my favs, I can't believe that noone mentioned Larry and his brother Darrell and his other brother Darrell from Newhart.

[u4ic]

68. The Choirmaster from Vicar of Dibley

is another great one.

[ccjlld]

69. From Newhart

Larry, Daryl, and Daryl

[Behind the Aegis]

71. Willow on Buffy the Vampire Slayer

She started off as a "nobody," but by the series end, she was the S-H-I-T!

[driver8]

76. Mmmmm....Willow...

Willow was an awesome character! Very cute, too!

[colinmom71]

78. Funny, I was thinking of Spike as the scene stealer...

on BTVS (and season 5 of "Angel"). But yeah, Willow did often wind up stealing quite a few scenes of her own throughout the show...

[Behind the Aegis]

79. They both did, on a few occasions.

But, for me, the ultimate scene stealer was Drusilla!!! Oh how I loved her!! She was soooooo wonderful!

But, Willow, especially when she had her "dark" phase, was a force to be reckoned with! The way she flayed Warren...."I am bored now" (flipped the wrist). AWESOME!!! I did that for months...to people I pissed off with (I didn't want them dead, just gone).

[NMMNG]

81. Yeah, Willow rocked!

:yourock:

[UdoKier]

75. I found Kramer extremely annoying.

But Sue Ann Nivens on the old Mary Tyler Moore show was very funny...

[driver8]

77. The "library cop" on Seinfeld -- was his name "Mr. Bookman"?

That guy definitely stole the show...

[NomoBreaks]

80. Another KAREN WALKER moment

scene: bar

Bartender brings Karen a drink and says:

"Mrs. Walker, I don't mean to be indelicate but..."

Karen: "Oh right, the tab. What was our agreement again?"

Tender: "One month or One thousand dollars, whichever comes first."

Karen: "Oh yes, that's right. Has it been a month already?"

Tender: ".....No, Ma'am."

[China_cat]

82. Everybody's forgetting not only the scene

but the whole show stealer...Fonzie. Happy Days was supposed to be Ron Howard's show.

[Canadian Socialist]

83. Skinner

on the X-Files. So much the alpha male.