The genius that was Amy Ryan's Holly beatboxing on The Office last week got me thinking about other cast additions that have made shows better. The first that came to mind was actually another Amy Ryan role -- Beadie on season two of The Wire. It took awhile for me to get into the whole dockworkers storyline, but it was Beadie that helped me through.
If a show plans to stay on air for awhile, it needs fresh blood -- but the process of introducing new characters isn't easy (witness how reviled Maya was on Heroes). The best new additions combine great actors with well-written characters.
Here are seven other (fairly recent) new characters that succeeded.
1. Desmond on Lost: His and Penny's love story always brings a tear to my eye, and 'The Constant' was the best episode of Season 4. And I'm not gonna argue with adding even more man candy to Lost.
2. Ben on Lost: I didn't want to highlight more than one character from a show, but it's impossible to leave Ben (Michael Emerson) off this list. Ben Linus is one of the creepiest, most manipulative and fascinating characters on TV. He's basically the reason I watch mindless reality TV after Lost (so as not to have bad dreams).
3. Amber AKA "Cutthroat Bitch" on House: Yeah, they killed her off, but before (and after) she died, Amber shook things up between House and Wilson -- much needed on a long-running procedural.
4. Archie Morris on ER: Scott Grimes came on as an inept resident who provided some comic relief to all the bloody drama. But he stuck around and became the heart, if not the lead, of the show. His reaction to Pratt's death last week proved it.
5. Katharine Mayfair on Desperate Housewives: We can all agree the show was circling the drain after the failed Applewhite mystery. But Dana Delany brought a breath of fresh air to Wisteria Lane -- and made a great foil for Marcia Cross. I can't wait to see them continue to cross knives.
6. Mahone on Prison Break: He started off as Michael Scofield's nemesis in season two and turned into an uneasy ally. And Mahone's infinitely more interesting than Lincoln, Sucre, Bellick, etc. William Fichtner rocks.
7. Callie on Grey's Anatomy: If nothing else, Sara Ramirez's ortho doc helped break up the incestuous sludge that was George/Meredith/Alex/Izzie/Cristina -- at least for a little while. But we'll have to wait and see on the Callie/Hahn hook-up.
Promising additions this season (but too soon for a final judgment)
Major Hunt (Kevin McKidd) on Grey's Anatomy
Daphne (Brea Grant) on Heroes
Who do you think were the most successful TV cast additions recently?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
9-30-2008 @ 2:26PM
Jimmy said...
A few that come to mind:
The Shield: Forest Whitaker was incredible two seasons ago!
It's Always Sunny: Danny DeVito (I didn't care for him at first, but he seems to fit in better now.)
L&O CI: Eric Bogosian is pretty good, though his role is pretty expendable.
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9-30-2008 @ 2:33PM
Dorv said...
I've been suprised how much I've liked Daphine thus far on Heroes... While its obviously way to early to tell, so far so good.
(I don't know why I found it so funny, but her causally jogging when the Hatian had stopped her powers had me in stitches)
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9-30-2008 @ 2:35PM
penguendedektif said...
It may be not as recent but Danny DeVito (Frank) on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the guy is amazing...
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9-30-2008 @ 2:36PM
penguendedektif said...
Oops, Jimmy was faster than me, sorry :)
9-30-2008 @ 2:37PM
Kelly Woo said...
DeVito's a good one ... he'd be up there with Ben. He adds so much to 'Philly.'
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9-30-2008 @ 2:38PM
Dorv said...
Oh, and FWIW, I love Morris, and he would most certianly be the one from ER I'd pick if I had to choose one. However, ER's been on so long that they've had a couple. I really, REALLY warmed to Pratt in the last season and a half (as his character matured). Romano and Weaver also jump to mind (though, as long as the show went, they had some bad spots, too).
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9-30-2008 @ 2:54PM
Nick said...
I'd like to say Kristen Bell in Heroes...but I think the writers let Bell down. Bell is capable of so much more and they've been writing crap for Elle.
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9-30-2008 @ 2:53PM
John Howard said...
I know you didn't want to overload on one show, but I don't see how you could possibly leave Nikki and Paolo off the list.
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9-30-2008 @ 3:48PM
Robert said...
Because these are additions that made the show better. :)
9-30-2008 @ 3:04PM
Matt said...
Not exactly recent, but you can't possibly talk about new characters that worked in a show without mentioning Buffy... More specifically Anya, Tara, Spike, and Dawn (her addition was freakin pure genius). Oh how I miss the Scoobies.
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9-30-2008 @ 3:14PM
Zack said...
Something interesting is that most of the characters mentioned here weren't intended as long-term. For example, Desmond and Ben were both introduced as recurring characters in the same season that added the Tailies...how long did they last?
And Morris was more or less another disposable doctor coming through the ER (another doc played by SUNNY's Glen Howerton was brought in with him, and seemed to be groomed for the long-term role).
It often seems to be the case that new characters INTENDED for long-term roles don't last, while short-term characters wind up taking over the show.
Why does this happen? Obviously, a good, charismatic actor plays a role in this, but it might also have to do with the fact that many new characters are often isolated from existing storylines, take away from the characters we already know, and bring a wealth of backstory and exposition with them.
New characters often work best if they're not only introduced through existing characters, but they're also introduced gradually. A new character can open up new storylines and reveal new aspects of existing characters...but done incorrectly, you just get Cousin Oliver on THE BRADY BUNCH. And who wants that?
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9-30-2008 @ 5:37PM
Joe L. said...
it's weird to think back to Lost S2 when they first first captured Ben/Henry Gale and we, the audience, were completely torn as to if he was bad or if they really did have the wrong guy. Crazy how that turned out....
9-30-2008 @ 3:13PM
nattyff said...
Amy acker in angel, mr. sark in alias, cote de pablo in ncis... there's so many!!!
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9-30-2008 @ 3:29PM
Erika said...
How about Addison Mongomery (Kate Walsh) on Grey's Anatomy? - definitely caused more chaos than Callie.
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9-30-2008 @ 7:30PM
tv junkie said...
totally agree on Addison, in fact, she was better when she was a supporting cast...before moving to socal that is.
i'd also add Juliet on Lost.
9-30-2008 @ 3:46PM
Carissa said...
Agreed with so many of your characters....comments, as well. The Buffy additions added so much depth to the characters already on the show. Such great writing.
I think adding one more character to Heroes will cause the house of cards to crumble. It's too much. Too many.
Its been a while...but what about the addition of Alan to The Practice? It spawned Boston Legal, which worked even better.
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9-30-2008 @ 3:46PM
Wallflower said...
Thanks for recognizing Morris. I couldn't stand him for the first couple of seasons, and he has really endeared himself since. I hope Scott Grimes continues to find work after ER.
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9-30-2008 @ 3:51PM
pure drivel said...
Daphne on Heroes is easily the most annoying new character on that show. I keep hoping she'll trip over something and smash face-first into a wall at super speed. The idea of contrasting her speed against Hiro's time-stoppage is great, but the character is just awful.
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9-30-2008 @ 4:10PM
cashew_76 said...
I vote Andy Bernard from The Office.
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9-30-2008 @ 4:30PM
jim said...
There are way too many current shows on this list. What about:
Cheers - Frasier Crane, Woody, Rebecca, et al
MASH - Col. Potter, BJ Hunnicut, et al
Law & Order - cast of thousands
Love Boat - Stubing's daughter
Cosby Show - Rudy
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