My Favorite Recurring TV Characters

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For the purposes of this list, a recurring character has appeared on more than one episode of a television series, but was not a regular on the series. You should know that you are probably going to see a lot of characters from the show that was the king of recurring characters, Seinfeld. These are my favorite, and remember, this list is my opinion and my opinion only, recurring television characters.

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75.
Harry the Hat, Cheers

http://i.imgur.com/WsPf5.jpg?1

Before he played the judge on Night Court, Harry Anderson used to pop into the bar where everyone knows your name as a slick con man who always managed to walk out of there with somebody's money.

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74.
Otis Campbell, The Andy Griffith Show

http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450F/kxrb.com/files/2014/01/Hal-Smith.jpg

Otis Campbell (Hal Smith) was the harmless town drunk who spent the majority of his time in the Mayberry drunk tank (which was actually one of the two cells in Andy Taylor's office). If the truth be told, Otis seemed more comfortable behind Andy's bars than he did in the real world.

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73.
Tim Whatley, Seinfeld

http://www.halfassedproductions.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/sein1.jpg

Bryan Cranston created another memorable character here...a slightly smarmy dentist who allegedly became Jewish so that he could tell Jewish jokes and invited Elaine to accompany him to the Superbowl but took the invitation back when he realized she wasn't going to have sex with him.

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72.
Ed Cooper, One Day at a Time

http://home.f05.itscom.net/kota2/image/onedayatatime_110.jpg

Despite limited appearances on the show, Joseph Campanella made an impression as Ann Romano's ex-husband the father of daughters Julie and Barbara. It was fun the way Ed used the fact that his daughters were crazy about him to drive his ex Ann crazy.

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71.
Myrna Turner, The Odd Couple

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/photopost/data/730/pm1.JPG

Penny Marshall garnered major laughs as Oscar's love-starved secretary who put up with a lot of crap from her boss until she finally found love with boyfriend Sheldon (Marshall's real-life husband at the time, Rob Reiner.)

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70.
Hymie the Robot, Get Smart

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/2c/33/4d/2c334d2f3503a77582154ee0de9439fb.jpg

Definitely my favorite non-human recurring character, perfectly played by Dick Gautier.

[gbgoodies]

75. Harry the Hat, Cheers

http://i.imgur.com/WsPf5.jpg?1

Before he played the judge on Night Court. Harry Anderson used to pop into the bar where everyone knows your name as a slick con man who always managed to walk out of their with somebody's money.


Harry the Hat was hysterical on Cheers. I would have rated him much higher than this.

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69.
Kenny Banya, Seinfeld

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/seinfeld/images/0/0d/Bania.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120108145313

Though he did garner his share of laughs, Stephen Hytner created a character here that you wanted to punch in the face most of the time. Kenny was a second rate stand-up, who was always working to get out of Jerry's shadow and in deep denial about his second rate status. His most obnoxious appearance on the show centered around him asking Jerry to buy him dinner in exchange for a suit he gave Jerry and when the opportunity presented itself, Banya ordered soup and wanted to save his dinner for another time.

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68.
Mrs. McGee, The Cosby Show

http://40.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lu79b0UHHB1qlw12eo1_500.png

Elaine Stritch always had me on the floor as Rudy and Kenny's favorite teacher...my personal favorite Mrs. McGee scene was when she chewed out Cliff (Bill Cosby) for doing Rudy's homework for her.

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67.
Janice, Friends

http://www.seriemaniacos.tv/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Janice.jpg

Actress Maggie Wheeler definitely earned her fifteen minutes as the on again off again girlfriend of Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) with the horrible laugh...nails on a chalkboard had nothing on this laugh.

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66.
Bobbi Adler, Will & Grace

https://41.media.tumblr.com/e631d1286065ce9b51a173a0dc6a685f/tumblr_n8h03eFLTR1re0fh8o3_500.png

Debbie Reynolds was a laugh riot as Grace Adler's self-absorbed mother, whose every entrance was a Broadway opening number and every word to her daughter was criticism or "I told you so." She even had an "I told you so" dance.

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65.
Sam Franklin, The Brady Bunch

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/thebradybunch/images/5/5c/Sam_Franklin.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130109213330

Allen Melvin made an impression as the Brady family butcher and the commitment-shy boyfriend of their housekeeper Alice (Ann B. Davis). Even though the guy was definitely marriage-shy, it was clear he cared about Alice. He also used to come up with the stupidest jokes/puns centered on the subject of meat.

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64.
Dr. Linda Freeman, Two and a Half Men

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/twohalfmen/images/1/18/Dr._Freeman.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20131110151617

Long before Sue Sylvester began terrorizing the students of McKinley High, Jane Lynch was very funny as Charlie Harper's therapist, who, surprisingly, was not shocked by Charlie's sexual shenanigans, but always told Charlie exactly what he needed to hear, even if he didn't want to hear it.

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63.
Jackie Chiles, Seinfeld

http://41.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5vqg7UdZU1qaz0qto1_1280.jpg

Phillip Morris carved himself a place in show biz history as the slick talking attorney who had a nose for million dollar lawsuits, but unfortunately didn't have the skill to win them. I don't think the fact that most of these lawsuits involved Kramer (Michael Richards) helped matters, but the leads did call on Chiles to defend them from the myriad of charges they faced in the brilliant series finale.

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62.
Bulldog, Frasier

https://dailyhumorpix.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/vlcsnap-2011-12-22-04h48m42s66.jpg

Dan Butler nailed this obnoxious character...Bulldog was the sexist host of a sports radio show at the same station where Frasier worked and never missed an opportunity to remind him that his show was more popular than Frasier's...nor did he ever miss the opportunity to get his hand up a woman's skirt. What I loved more than anything was the fact that the actor who played this unabashed skirt-chaser was gay IRL.

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61.
Aunt Clara, Bewitched

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgwolvbXQd1qcdvnro1_500.jpg

Veteran character actress Marian Lorne was absolutely adorable as Samantha's dotty Aunt Clara, an aging witch who doesn't have full control of her fading powers. Clara usually entered the Stephens home through the fireplace and had a tendency for casting spells that, thanks to certain wording, often conjured up historical figures. One memorable episode Clara wanted to help Samantha with an electrician and ended up conjuring up Benjamin Franklin.

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60.
Danielle Melnick, Law & Order

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/lawandorder/images/d/df/Danielle_Melnick.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080525182826

Tovah Feldshuh created a character who was alternately funny and a little pathetic in Danielle, a well-intentioned, bleeding-heart attorney who was always 100% percent sure that she had an airtight case when she faced off with Assistant DA Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston), but NEVER won...on one particular episode, one of her alleged innocent clients resulted in Danielle getting shot.

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59.
Esther Clavin, Cheers

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/photopost/data/1024/fs1.JPG

Veteran character actress Frances Sternhagen was wonderful as Cliff Clavin's deceptively manipulative mother...the woman had a talent for manipulating her son without him actually realizing she was doing it.

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58.
Burt Hummel, Glee

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/glee/images/8/8e/Tumblr_lmdbloIR0J1qeb6y2.png/revision/latest?cb=20140118150731&path-prefix=de

This character also made my "Favorite TV Dads" list, so see that list for details.

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57.
Carolyn Appleby, I Love Lucy

https://41.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6cyzx5cbI1r39ye0o2_500.jpg

Carolyn (Doris SIngleton) was Lucy and Ethel's extremely near-sighted girlfriend who Lucy and Ethel could get a lot of things past just by getting their hands on her glasses.

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56.
Ellis Gray, Gray's Anatomy

http://www.tribute.ca/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Ellis-Grey.jpg

Kate Burton was riveting playing a character who we became acquainted with primarily through flashbacks. Ellis Gray is the mother of Dr. Meredith Gray (Ellen Pompeo), a driving and ambitious surgeon from whose shadow Meredith has been struggling to escape from for years. Ellis drove Meredith hard when her daughter decided to become a doctor as well and was never above informing her daughter that she was not special enough to become a doctor. Ellis also had a serious affair with Meredith's current mentor, Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) and though it has been denied up to this point, I am still hoping against hope that before the show comes to an end, we learn that Richard is really Meredith's father.

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55.
William Lewis, Law & Order SVU

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1466135!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/nup-157498-0435-jpg.jpg

Pablo Schreiber should have won an Emmy for his riveting work in this particular SVU story arc...William Lewis was a psychotic sexual predator who was into raping older women and had become teflon regarding prosecution because he knew everything he needed to do to cover his tracks, including changing his identity, seducing his attorneys, and burning his fingertips so that his prints can't be identified. After raping and killing a witness (Judith Ivey) who was prepared to testify against him, he then broke into the apartment of Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and took her to another location where he held her prisoner and tortured her for two days, but, inexplicably, never raped her. Schreiber created a bone-chilling character, devoid of conscious and dripping with venom.

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54.
Poppie, Seinfeld

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_KmsK3ertkM/hqdefault.jpg

Reni Santoni was very funny as an immigrant restaurant owner who Jerry discovered leaving the restroom and returning to the kitchen without washing his hands, attempted to open a pizza parlor with Kramer where the customer would make his own pizza, and after being released from the hospital, pissed on Jerry's sofa.

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53.
Nick Moore, Family Ties

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/photopost/data/1008/Nick_pic1.jpg

Scott Valentine stole more than his share of scenes as the not-too-bright on again off again boyfriend of Mallory Keaton (Justine Bateman).

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52.
Colleen Donaghy, 30 Rock

http://40.media.tumblr.com/19ed1b893a748029bcac2554fc63f7ee/tumblr_n7cl5fMMjV1rawb5do1_400.png

As she always did, Elaine Stritch stole every scene she did on the sitcom as Jack Donaghy's insensitive mother...and stealing scenes from Alec Baldwin was no easy feat.

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51.
Jeannie 2, I Dream of Jeannie

https://eatingfastfood.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/jeannies-sister.jpg

Even though the character was also played by star Barbara Eden, Jeannie 2 was nothing like Jeannie 1. She spent the majority of her screentime making Jeannie's life a living hell, ridiculing her goody goody existence, but even though she wouldn't admit it to anyone, she was just as attracted to Major Nelson (Larry Hagman) as her sister was and spent most of her screentime trying to steal him from her sister.

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50.
Alan Brady, The Dick Van Dyke Show

http://www.yourememberthat.com/files/69eab39c39be160c.jpg

The character was originally just a voice, but even then the voice belonged to the show's creator, comic icon Carl Reiner, who created the first real comic TV boss.

[honeykid]

I don't know most of these characters, but of the ones I do know, I've liked most of them. Keep up the good work, Gideon. :up:

[Gideon58]

Thank you honeykid, I'm hoping my descriptions might motivate you to check some of them out.

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49.
DeeDee Pritchett, Modern Family

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When the show first announced that they were bringing the first wife of Jay Pritchett and mother of Mitchell and Claire on the show, fans were clamoring for the stunt casting of Katey Sagal, since Ed O'Neill was playing Jay. Thank God, the casting Gods for the show had the sense not to go the stunt casting route and instead went with Shelley Long, who nailed the neurotic character who never really got over the divorce and made quite the scene at Jay's wedding to the much younger Gloria (Sofia Vergara). She also tried to get Jay's goat by bringing a guy (Matt Dillon) who used to date her daughter, as a dinner date to Claire's house last season.

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48.
Louis Canning, The Good Wife

https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/dm-goodwife.jpg

Michael J. Fox created a truly unique character in Canning, an opportunistic lawyer who uses anything he can, including his own health issues, to get what he wants. The writers of the show made Fox's Parkinson's disease a part of the character as well (though it's not referred to as Parkinson's) and I'm pretty sure that Fox did a lot of scenes without his medication to add authenticity to the character.

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47.
Stretch Cunningham, All in the Family

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/photopost/data/703/jc2.JPG

My first exposure to actor James Cromwell was as this character, Archie Bunker's buddy and co-worker at Prendergast Tool & Dye, who Archie thought was the funniest human on the planet. The quickest way to start a fight with Archie Bunker was to say something bad about his buddy, Stretch Cunningham.

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46.
Adele Webber Grey's Anatomy

http://images.tvfanatic.com/iu/t_full/v1371136178/adele-webber.png

Loretta Devine won an Emmy for her work as the long suffering wife of Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.), who somehow found a way to forgive Richard's affair with Ellis Gray, but started losing him to his other wife: his job. Eventually, Adele later contracted Alzheimers and tragically succumbed to the disease.

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45.
Tina, Will & Grace

http://www.durfee.net/will/images/Tina.jpg

Lesley Ann Warren had me on the floor playing the bubble-headed mistress of Will's father George (Sydney Pollack). Like she did playing Norma Cassidy in Victor/Victoria, Warren has the ability to play dumb in a realistic context that is both funny and believable.

[gbgoodies]

50.
Alan Brady, The Dick Van Dyke Show

http://www.yourememberthat.com/files/69eab39c39be160c.jpg

The character was originally just a voice, but even then the voice belonged to the show's creator, comic icon Carl Reiner, who created the first real comic TV boss.


Alan Brady from "The Dick Van Dyke Show" is my favorite from your list so far. Carl Reiner was so funny every time we saw him on the show. I can't think of anyone who would rate higher than him on my list.

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44.
Stan Zbornak, The Golden Girls

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/goldengirls/images/0/07/ZMan.png/revision/latest?cb=20100731090607

Herb Edelman always brought laughs to the table when he was on the scene as the loser ex-husband of Dorothy (Beatrice Arthur) and son-in-law of Sophia (Estelle Getty). There was a part of Stan that always loved Dorothy, but not enough to control his wandering eye, stay away from get-rich-quick schemes, or drop in on our girls for the occasional free dinner and slice of cheesecake. There was a brief story arc where Dorothy actually considered remarrying Stan, but she came to her senses. Even Rose (Betty White) didn't like Stan.

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43.
Leon Carp, Roseanne

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NDQCD-tVVpk/U6zqE3m3fKI/AAAAAAAAB3M/0T76cByiJeA/s1600/Leon.png

Mull's dry delivery was perfect for this character, first introduced as Roseanne's new boss at the diner where she worked and eventually becoming one of her business partners when she opened her own restaurant. Leon was one of the few characters in Roseanne's orbit who gave as good as he got from Roseanne. He was one of several openly gay characters Roseanne brought on the show.

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42.
Judy Geller, Friends

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjQwMjJhNDMtOGFhMC00MTQ0LWFkNjgtNjg0MmIzZjFkYmY3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTE2MzcwMDQ@._V1_.jpg

Christina Pickles was wonderful as the manipulative mother of Ross (David Schwimmer) and Monica (Courtney Cox) who, even though it was hard to tell whether or not it was intentional, always made Monica feel that nothing she did was ever good enough and that she loved Ross more than she loved Monica.

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41.
J. Peterman, Seinfeld

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_JYXQabSCcA/hqdefault.jpg

John O'Hurley created one of the show's most memorable characters as Peterman, the pompous, slightly dotty publisher of a fashion catalog who impulsively hires Elaine (Julia Louis Dreyfuss) to work for him after meeting her walking down the street in a rainstorm.

[honeykid]

I think Judy did it both intentionally and unintentionally. Usually the latter, though and Jack is completely unaware, both that he does it too (too a far lesser extent) or that Judy does it.

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40.
Nora Huntington, Desperate Housewives

http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/desperate/images/1/1d/Nora_is_working_on_it.png/revision/latest?cb=20120516005734

Kiersten Warren created a character we loved to hate in Nora, the grasping and vindictive ex-lover of Tom Scavo (Doug Savant) who arrived in Wisteria Lane with Tom's illegitimate daughter and used that daughter to try and destroy Tom's marriage to Lynette (Felicity Huffman). The drama ended with Nora losing her life in a hostage situation in a supermarket in the single best episode of the show ever called "Bang."

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39.
Robin Colcord, Cheers

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/photopost/data/1024/CheersRogerReesRColcord.jpg

Roger Rees played a slick multi-millionaire whose on again off again romance with Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley) drove her to distraction because Rebecca could not get the guy to commit to her...ever. At one point, Rebecca learned that Robin was also sleeping with a French tootsie and encouraged Rebecca to compete with the woman for him. Robin was a sleaze who shamelessly used Rebecca but she allowed it because he had more money than God.

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I think Judy did it both intentionally and unintentionally. Usually the latter, though and Jack is completely unaware, both that he does it too (too a far lesser extent) or that Judy does it.
I never got the impression that Jack did it intentionally, but that's just me.

[honeykid]

That's what I said. He was completely unaware that he did it or that Monica felt Judy did it.

I always liked to see Robin Colcord on Cheers because it meant Kirstie Alley wasn't far away. :randy:

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38.
Bunny McDougal, Sex and the City

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/doblaje/images/3/31/Bunnysatc.png/revision/latest?cb=20130617232132&path-prefix=es

Frances Sternhagen strikes again as the wealthy dowager doing whatever she can to come between her son Trey (Kyle MacLachlin) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis). Charlotte found their mother/son relationship a little too intimate to take sometimes...Charlotte once walked into the bathroom where Trey was taking a bath and found his mother sitting on the edge of the tub.

[honeykid]

I loved Bunny. Makes sense as I wasn't much of a Trey fan.

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37.
Angel Martin, The Rockford Files

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4ymYEhgq01U/hqdefault.jpg

Stuart Margolin created a memorable character here, who caused more than his share of headaches for our hero, Jim Rockford (James Garner).

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36.
Arthur Frobisher, Damages

https://directvnews.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/lg__ted_danson_2.jpg

Ted Danson proved he had the chops to play something other than an empty-headed bar owner with this deliciously complex and severely flawed character. Arthur Frobisher was a troubled billionaire who did a lot of horrible things for all of the right reasons, the primary being the covering of his own ass, when demanding what had to be done in order to accomplish this and yet not want to know what details were involved in doing it. He tried to take care of the people who were loyal to him, but could only do it to a point without putting his own ass on the line, which he refused to do.

[honeykid]

I never got around to watching Damages. It's something I thought I might like.

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35.
David Healy, Roseanne

https://tv-fanatic-res.cloudinary.com/iu/s--ixjUk392--/t_xlarge_p/cs_srgb,f_auto,fl_strip_profile.lossy,q_auto:420/v1512132883/attachment/johnny-galecki-roseanne.png

Johnny Galecki, he of the "sad eyes and puppy dog hair", took adorable to a new and entertaining level with the character of David Healy, the severely introverted, on again off again boyfriend of Darlene Conner (Sara Gilbert), who would eventually become her husband and father of her daughter, Harris. You could serve the guy on pie Darlene had him so whipped, but you couldn't help but love the kid. Even Roseanne once told him that she and Dan liked him more than they liked Darlene. Roseanne junkies probably already know this, but when the character appeared on the show for the first time, his name was Kevin, an appearance that was originally slated to be a one time thing. When the character came back to the show for more appearances, he was suddenly named David.

[honeykid]

David was a great character. He really did become part of the core group, something which rarely happens to reoccurring characters regardless of how long they're around.

[Camo]

Arthur was a great character. Probably the best thing Damson ever did. I also really liked Tim and Poppie from Seinfeld as well as Louis Canning who would be much higher on my list.

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I never got around to watching Damages. It's something I thought I might like.
I watched Damages marathon style last summer and was blown away...superb writing and scorching performances.

[Gideon58]

Arthur was a great character. Probably the best thing Damson ever did. I also really liked Tim and Poppie from Seinfeld as well as Louis Canning who would be much higher on my list.
Totally agree with you regarding Danson...I think he should have won an Emmy for his work on Damages.

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34.
Beverly LaSalle, All in the Family

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/27/7a/2f/277a2f630370981ab582571d2a8b4f62.jpg

Lori Shannon was memorable as a female impersonator who fainted in the back of Archie's cab and was revived by Archie via mouth-to-mouth. Needles to say, Archie's bigotry and homophobia reared its ugly head, but Beverly and Edith became great friends. During Beverly's third appearance on the show, she and Mike (Rob Reiner) went out together for something, I don't remember what. On the way home on the subway, Mike and Beverly were attacked and beaten by some homophobic thugs...Mike suffered minor injuries but Beverly died. Edith was so devastated by Beverly's death that she actually started questioning her belief in God. Beverly's three appearances on the show touched on a lot of subjects that had been taboo on network television. I went to his IMDB page because I realized I never saw Shannon anywhere else. He only appeared in one other TV movie and passed away in 1984.

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33.
Felicia Tillman, Desperate Housewives

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/desperateh/images/b/b5/F%C3%A9liciaT.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110102171750&path-prefix=fr

One of prime-time television's creepiest and most bone-chilling characters brought to life by one of the best actresses in the business. Harriet Sansom Harris literally made my skin crawl as the sister of Martha Huber, who supposedly arrives at Wisteria Lane to handle the affairs of her dead sister, but had a few other agendas on her plate as well. This woman was so nuts she actually cut off two of her fingers in order to frame someone she hated for her murder.

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32.
David Puddy, Seinfeld

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/67/e3/07/67e3071cbf641684f604f6bb4ab64bb7.png

Patrick Warburton stole every scene he was in as Elaine's not-too-bright-but-apparent-sexual-god, on again off again boyfriend, David Puddy. David liked to paint his face for hockey games and thought dip should be served as a main course.

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31.
Uncle Arthur, Bewitched

https://40.media.tumblr.com/9919bf9276d972e42ccd63f6fbc5ae31/tumblr_nk2t1jSHPV1sofyc6o1_500.jpg

Paul Lynde brought major laughs to the show as Samantha's crazy Uncle Arthur. Unlike Endora and Maurice, Arthur didn't hate Darrin with the same venom that Samantha's parents did, but he definitely caused his share of trouble for the Stephens household.

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30.
Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c2/f9/21/c2f9212335a18e183e45b6a4d009ae4f.jpg

This might seem an odd choice to some, but I LOVED this character played by Leslie Hendrix...Rodgers was the medical examiner and even though she rarely had more than five minutes of screen time in any episode in which she appeared, she established a three-dimensional character who commanded the screen and always got at least one chuckle out of me. Rodgers had a strong stomach, she had to...she talked about the most gruesome elements of a death with a sometimes creepy matter of fact quality that was sometimes quasi-amusing. She was also revealed to be a lover of gourmet food and opera and was almost always a solid witness for the prosecution, who rarely was revealed to have made a mistake in her work and was NEVER rattled on the stand. I especially loved every scene she shared with Lenny Briscoe (Jerry Orbach).

[Camo]

:up: for David

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29.
Nathan, Will & Grace

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Yes, Nathan was sexy and funny and Woody Harrelson had mad chemistry with Debra Messing, but this character was a lot more than what appeared on the surface. Despite what transpired between Nathan and Grace during their first meeting, Nathan was smart and passionate, a bit of a man whore, a bit sexist, but not homophobic, I loved the evolution of his relationship with Will...an episode that addressed Nathan constantly having to compete with Will for Grace's attention was wonderful. I loved this character and in all the years the show was on the air, this was the one relationship Grace had that I was completely behind and was crushed when it ended, and that includes Leo (Harry Connick Jr.). Even though I loved them as a couple, the way the relationship ended made perfect sense and was acceptable.

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28.
Colin Sweeney, The Good Wife

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0rtz6gXMP1qcy93co1_500.gif

Dylan Baker, an actor who specializes in playing characters we love to hate, hit the mother lode with Colin Sweeney...this guy is such a slime that he has had to keep Lockhart & Gardner on retainer and a fictional TV show within the TV show actually based an episode on one of his crimes.

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27.
Beverley Leslie, Will & Grace

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nNyfe7ZK83M/hqdefault.jpg

Leslie Jordan was hysterically funny as sort of a male version of Karen Walker (Megan Mullally)...Beverley was an in the closet homosexual who was married to a woman because she supported him in the lifestyle to which he aspired. He harbored a secret crush on Will (Eric McCormack) and once challenged Karen to a game of pool with the prize being Karen's maid, Rosario (Shelley Morrison).

[Camo]

Colin Sweeney is a great choice. The Good Wife is full of great recurring characters, personally I'd have Louis Canning higher but both are great anyway. :up:

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26.
Vice President Sally Langston, Scandal

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b8/7f/2d/b87f2df7511d63623d9de02519e1cd14.jpg

Kate Burton created another memorable character for Shonda Rhimes in Langston...a political pariah who spits nails for breakfast and is a breath's hair away from the # 1 job in the world who wanted it more than anything and was willing to throw President Fitzgerald Grant (Tony Goldwyn) under the bus whenever the opportunity presented itself, but found her dreams derailed when she learned the truth about her closeted homosexual husband and murdered him in the heat of passion.

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25.
Councilman Jamm, Parks and Recreation

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RI0i3JDobg0/VU0Gp_UF8oI/AAAAAAAACuM/gTMJWlciO9Q/s1600/Jeremy%2BJamm%2Brandom%2Bquote%2Bgenerator.jpg

This guy was a constant thorn in Leslie Knope's side who liked karoake and in one episode actually sang "Summer Nights" from Grease, but he sang Sandy.

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24.
Kenny, The Cosby Show

http://images3.cliqueclack.com/tv/files/2012/06/bud-425x327.png

Deon Richond did more than his share of scene-stealing as Kenny, the first boyfriend of Rudy Huxtable (Keisha Knight Pulliam) who was pretty much bullied into the relationship...Kenny was so whipped that he allowed Rudy to rename him "Bud". While Claire (Phylicia Raschad) had a talk with Rudy about her treatment of "Bud", Cliff (Bill Cosby) had a talk with "Bud", where he quietly revealed that his real name was Kenny. The relationship eventually ended and Kenny and Rudy remained friends but any guy who sniffed around Rudy had to answer to Kenny at some point, who never stopped caring about Rudy even though they were no longer a couple. Kenny apparently learned everything he knew about relationships from his older brother, a character we never actually met.

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23.
Eddie LeBec, Cheers

http://41.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_me5xeq3b941rl88ado1_1280.jpg

Jay Thomas was funny and sweet as third rate professional hockey player who had a whirlwind romance with Carla (Rhea Perlman) , but the relationship came to an abrupt end when Eddie was crushed by a zambone machine.

[Gideon58]

22.
Lemonde Bishop, The Good Wife

http://thegoodwifefan.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/lemonbishop.jpg

Mike Colter oozes charisma and sex appeal in creating one of network television's most fascinating villains...an insanely wealthy drug dealer whose association with Lockhart & Gardner has been one tangled web after another. Not what you immediately think of when you hear the phrase "drug dealer", Bishop is sophisticated, intelligent, well-spoken, and cares about his son Dylan more than his millions.

[Camo]

I had a feeling Bishop was coming up. I do like him, but I prefer both Louis and Sweeney.

[honeykid]

I really must get back into watching The Good Wife. They switched the channel it was on over here and I lost it, so I've only seen the first two seasons and a few episodes of season 3. :(

[Camo]

Season 6 is on More 4 right now, so maybe they'll repeat the earlier seasons onced it's finished.

[Gideon58]

I really must get back into watching The Good Wife. They switched the channel it was on over here and I lost it, so I've only seen the first two seasons and a few episodes of season 3. :(
I really wouldn't recommend jumping in if you've missed entire seasons, this is a show I really think requires to be watched in order.

[Gideon58]

21.
Nancy Bartlett, Roseanne

https://i.insider.com/5a56799d7101ad2873787065?width=600&format=jpeg&auto=webp

Sandra Bernhard was very funny as Roseanne and Jackie's bisexual gal pal who married and divorced Dan's best friend Arnie (Tom Arnold) and became a partner in The Lunch Box, Roseanne's restaurant. Nancy was so flighty and self-absorbed that every word that came out of her mouth that had something to do with anyone but herself just didn't register.

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20.
Leonard Winstone, Damages

https://tv-fanatic-res.cloudinary.com/iu/s--JKzw66dH--/c_scale,f_auto,h_1068,q_auto,w_696/v1371135459/martin-short-on-damages

Martin Short blew me away with his work on this extremely layered character, a shady lawyer who has skeletons in his closet but still manages to make his wealthy clients, the Tobins, his # 1 priority. Short was amazing in this role.

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19.
Marilyn Truman, Will & Grace

https://deecrowseer.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/wag6bd01.jpg

One of my absolute favorite actresses who I think can do no wrong, Blythe Danner was charming and hilarious as Marilyn Truman, mother of Will (Eric McCormack). This character graciously dealt with the fact that husband George (Sydney Pollack) was having an affair with a bimbo (Lesley Ann Warren), found brief solace in the arms of her personal trainer, but always made sure Will knew that she loved him and to make fun of Grace's makeup and eating habits.

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18.
James Novak, Scandal

http://static.parade.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/dan-bucatinsky-scandal-ftr.jpg

Dan Bucatinsky, an actor and writer who has toiled in this business for years with little acclaim, was finally given a juicy role by Shonda Rhimes and made the most of it as a DC investigative reporter married to presidential aide Cyrus Beane (Jeff Perry) and found his marriage and job constantly getting in the way of each other and eventually resulting in his own demise. I know this entry is probably a surprise to some, but I really enjoyed this character's tenure on the show.

[Gideon58]

17.
Detective Brian Cassidy, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/lawandorder/images/b/b5/CassidyMunchSophomoreJinx.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080205170348

Around the same time he was still playing Ryan O'Reilly on the HBO series OZ, Dean Winters was also introduced on this show as Detective Cassidy, a hot-headed detective who made no qualms about his attraction to Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), who fought him for the longest time, but eventually gave in and was even living with him for awhile. Cassidy's recent return to the show being deep undercover was a bit messy, but the chemistry with Benson was still there.

[Gideon58]

16.
Daniel Purcell, Damages

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/511gP2uDn9L._AC_SX466_.jpg

Oscar winner William Hurt did an impressive turn as a scientist whose betrayal of his employers led to his being framed for the death of his wife (Paige Turco). The character was also revealed to be the biological father of Patty Hewe's son.

[gbgoodies]

I watched the first season of Damages marathon style when it was released on DVD, and I liked it a lot, but for some reason, I never got back to it. I have the 2nd and 3rd seasons on DVD, so I'll have to dig them out one weekend and have another marathon.

[honeykid]

I really wouldn't recommend jumping in if you've missed entire seasons, this is a show I really think requires to be watched in order.

I agree. That's why I've stayed away from it for so long. I have season 3 and I've yet to watch it.

[Gideon58]

15.
George Truman, Will & Grace

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/images/sydney-pollack.jpg

This character also made my favorite TV dads list, so please see that list for details.

[Gideon58]

I watched the first season of Damages marathon style when it was released on DVD, and I liked it a lot, but for some reason, I never got back to it. I have the 2nd and 3rd seasons on DVD, so I'll have to dig them out one weekend and have another marathon.
The third season is AMAZING!!

[Camo]

+1 for the two Damages characters. Also agreed Gideon Season 3 was my favourite.

[Gideon58]

14.
Jake Ballard, Scandal

https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2013/02/scandal_scott_foley.jpg

Scott Foley lights up the screen and creates mad chemistry with Kerry Washington as the only guy who could come between Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) and the President (Tony Goldwyn).

[Gideon58]

13.
Henry Grubstick, Ugly Betty

https://globalnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/cgorham.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&w=720

This was definitely the one that Betty (America Ferrera) let get away...these two had MAD chemistry...I hadn't rooted for a couple to get together so enthusiastically since Nathan and Grace on Will & Grace.

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12.
Helen Seinfeld, Seinfeld

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/photopost/data/615/tp7.JPG

Liz Sheridan cracked me up as Jerry's mom, whose pride in her son seemed to depend on the current situation. When things were going great for Jerry, she would send out smoke signals to make sure everyone knew, but when Jerry didn't work for awhile, Helen was the first one to suggest that he enroll in a sales training course so he would have "something to fall back on." Helen also knew hubby Morty and Jerry's father, better than he knew himself.

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11.
Pepper Saltzman, Modern Family

http://40.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m81b6zxOhg1rosfz0o1_500.jpg

Talk about a perfect marriage between actor and character...Nathan Lane always brings sparkle to the party as Pepper Saltzman (GREAT character name), a gal pal of Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cam (Eric Stonestreet), who they hired to plan their wedding, which, like most great TV weddings, was memorable, but didn't go off anything like it was planned.

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10.
Rowan Pope, Scandal

http://s3.amazonaws.com/posttv-thumbnails/Mortonweb1.jpg

He's not a household name yet, but Joe Morton, an actor who has been toiling in Hollywood for decades, finally won an Emmy for his breathtaking realization of this deeply complex character. Rowan Pope neglected daughter Olivia (Kerry Washington) as a child, lying that he worked for the Smithsonian when, in reality, he was behind an extremely powerful criminal organization in DC called B613, who have had a secret stronghold on DC and white house affairs for decades and were also responsible for separating Olivia from her mother (Candy Brown), also no candidate for parent of the year. The character of Rowan brings up a myriad of emotions every time he appears...sometimes he just seems to be pure evil, sometimes I think he would walk through fire for Olivia and sometimes I don't...I do know that he hates her relationships with Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) and Jake (Scott Foley) and would have either of them taken out if it would keep them out of Olivia's life. I've been watching this character for a few years now and am still not sure where his allegiances fall and that's what makes him so fascinating.

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9.
George Williams, Desperate Housewives

http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120323155055/desperate/images/a/a1/George_Williams.png

Roger Bart created a deceptively chilling character in George, a mild-mannered pharmacist whose obsession with Bree Van de Camp (Marcia Cross) overwhelms the man to the point where he actually takes the beginning steps in a process that would eventually kill Bree's first husband, Rex (Steven Culp). George was fascinating because the outer George gave no clue to the sociopath inside and was so full of himself, when he realized Bree would never love him, initiated a suicide attempt that he was certain Bree would prevent...she did not.

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8.
Uncle Leo, Seinfeld

https://stumptownblogger.typepad.com/.a/6a010536b86d36970c0147e2a28d3d970b-pi

Len Lesser brightened up many an episode as Jerry's Uncle Leo who demanded, but rarely received, Jerry's undivided attention.

[Camo]

Uncle Leo and Pepper :up: .Leo would make my own top 10 most likely and even though I'm not a massive fan of Modern Family, Pepper would be my third favourite character after Phil and Manny even though he isn't in it too much. I also gave you + rep for the Desperate Housewives character. I only watched the first season of that show and I don't remember it too well but as soon as I saw the picture I remembered that he creeped me out.

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7.
Gladys Kravitz, Bewitched

http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/3400000/Gladys-Kravitz-1-bewitched-3437535-473-355.jpg

https://travsd.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/0fb681c461605b97e092388c92ecd385.jpg

Mrs. Kravitz (first Alice Pearce, replaced by Sandra Gould after Pearce's death) lived across the street from the Stephens family and spent the majority of her life with her nose pressed up against the nose of her living room window trying to figure out what crazy things were going on at the Stephens house and trying to get her husband Abner (George Tobias) to believe her, but to no avail. During one episode, Mrs. Kravitz got a little too close to the house and wound up going back to the time of the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving with Samantha. I may be in the minority here, but I preferred Gould to Pearce...her annoyance factor was way higher and much more effective for the character.

[Gideon58]

6.
Chris Keller, Oz

https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHLc.WqA8~2eefa/w:auto/h:auto/q:75/https://bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ChristopherMeloni.jpg

Before he became Detective Elliott Stabler, Christopher Meloni created this memorable character, a bisexual career criminal whose instinct for prison survival was only surpassed by his own carnal needs. His obsession with fellow prisoner Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen) led to a steamy love affair. Keller was so obsessed with Beecher that when Beecher was released from prison, Keller had him framed so that he was re-arrested a few days later.

[Camo]

Woah didn't really expect to see Keller so high. Must say he wasn't one of my favourites from OZ.

[Gideon58]

5.
Jill Bennett, Knots Landing

http://www.birman.com/maureen/3609jill1.jpg

The evolution of this character, brilliantly played by Teri Austin, was quite the journey. Originally brought on the canvas as a legal assistant to Mack Mackenzie (Kevin Dobson), she was soon revealed to be the long lost sister of Peter Hollister (Hunt Block), whose death appeared to initiate a psychotic break in Jill, which coincided with the beginning of her affair with Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford). When Jill realized that Gary would always be in love with the mother of his twins, Valene (Joan Van Ark), Jill actually put on a dark wig, broke into Valene's house and forced her to swallow a bottle of pills to make it look like she was killing herself. When that didn't work, Jill killed herself and attempted to frame Gary for the crime by somehow tying herself up and inserting herself in the trunk of Gary's car. Jill was a hot mess and everyone on the cul-de-sac breathed a little easier when word of her death spread.

[Gideon58]

4.
Serena, Bewitched

http://40.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lbcquxehAU1qd9o48o1_1280.jpg

Serena was Samantha's cousin (also played by Elizabeth Montgomery) who caused endless confusion in the Stephens household, especially when she would pretend to be Samantha. Unlike Jeannie 2 though, Serena had NO interest in Samantha's husband, Darrin, she just wanted to bust Samantha out of this hum drum mortal life. Montgomery appeared to be having a ball playing Serena, a character created out of Montgomery becoming bored with Samantha. William Asher initially tried to fool audiences into thinking another actress played Serena by having the credits list Serena as being played by "Pandora Spocks", but they fooled no one and the charade was dropped.

[Gideon58]

3.
Beverly Harris, Roseanne

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7c/07/ba/7c07ba199ca93106d9171bd462bb235c.jpg

Estelle Parsons won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress of 1967 for Bonnie and Clyde but decades later, created an entirely new fan base when she accepted the role of Beverly Harris, Roseanne Conner's dotty, manipulative, domineering mother. Like most TV moms, Beverly had issues with daughters Roseanne and Jackie (Lauri Metcalf) and the way they led their lives, but she had a habit of complaining to Roseanne about Jackie and complaining to Jackie about Roseanne. We watched Beverly's world rocked when she learned that her husband has been having an affair with another woman for the past 20 years and took hubby to the cleaners when she divorced him, which allowed Beverly to give her daughters $20,000 which they used to start their own restaurant. It turned out that $20,000 wasn't enough so Beverly chipped in some more and became their not-so-silent-partner. In the final seasons of the show, Beverly was revealed to be a lesbian, which explained a lot about why her marriage didn't work and that she only married the guy because she was pregnant with Roseanne. Beverly was even given a romantic interest later, played by MGM contract player and game show perennial Ruta Lee.

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2.
Elliott Carlin, The Bob Newhart Show

https://www.thewrap.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/jack-riley.jpg

Jack Riley always provided solid laughs as Dr. Bob Hartley's number one patient. If there was a psychotic condition or neurosis out there, Mr. Carlin suffered from it...or at least he thought he did. The funniest thing about Mr. Carlin was that, as dependent as he was on Dr. Hartley, in the company of strangers, he was the first one to tell anyone who would listen how incompetent Dr. Hartley was.

And as has become my custom, I would now like to list some honorable mentions that didn't make the cut, but deserve mention as memorable recurring characters:

Dr. Melinda Warner, Law & Order Special Victims Unit

Dr. Emil Skoda, Law & Order

Dylan, Modern Family

Kimberly Shaw, Melrose Place

Howard T. Erickson, Damages

Morty Seinfeld, Seinfeld

Peter Holister, Knots Landing

Schillinger, Oz

Randolph Dworkin, Law & Order

OK...My Number one Favorite Recurring TV Character is...

[Gideon58]

1.
Newman, Seinfeld

https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2020/10/931/524/Wayne-Knight-Mailman-SEINFELD-2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1

Whether he was enjoying the joy of allegedly low-fat yogurt, leaving chunky candy wrappers all over Jerry's apartment, sneaking into Jerry's apartment so he could cheat on a marathon game of Risk with Kramer (Michael Richards), trying to get a sample of Jerry's hair to prove that Jerry has been cheating on his barber (Antony Ponzini), or being the best customer of the Soup Nazi, Wayne Knight created the ultimate character you loved to hate and brought hours upon hours of laughter to this canvas. Newman was a low life and a loser who thought he was all that and a bag of chips, which is what made him so funny...OK, let's say it all together: "Hello Newman.."



Hope you enjoyed the list.

[Camo]

Newman is a fantastic #1 he'd be right up there for me. Congrats on finishing your list :)

[honeykid]

I've liked this list. :) Well, the ones from the programmes I've watched anyway. :D