Some characters are written to develop, change, and carry the load of a present’s emotional arc.
Others are written to… stand close by. Quietly. Perhaps throw in a response shot or a one-liner.
These are the characters I name tactical wallpaper — those who’ve been on our screens for years however one way or the other nonetheless really feel like strangers.
They’re not visitor stars. They’re not day gamers. They’re a part of the ensemble. And but, we all know nothing about them.
They get no story arcs, deep emotional beats, or perhaps a imprecise point out of life exterior the job. They only exist. All the time there, by no means seen.
Let’s begin with Chicago Fireplace. It’s one of many worst offenders, and I say that with love.
Capp and Tony have been a part of Firehouse 51 for over a decade. They’ve entered burning buildings, backed up their crew in rescue after rescue, and proven up shift after shift.
And but, what will we find out about them? Have they ever had a storyline of their very own? A flashback episode? A love curiosity? A second of non-public triumph or loss? At this level, I’d accept an episode the place certainly one of them misses a shift and somebody feedback on it.
This isn’t only a Chicago Fireplace factor. SEAL Staff bumped into the identical problem. You’ve obtained an elite army unit the place solely three or 4 members are ever given actual storylines, and the remaining exist to pad out the formation.
They’re known as a brotherhood, however most of that brotherhood would possibly as effectively be standing behind a cardboard cutout of David Boreanaz.
And don’t get me began on Yellowstone and 1923, the place total herds of Dutton-adjacent ranch fingers or siblings are trotted out for press day and group interviews however hardly ever get greater than a grunt and a saddle scene within the precise episodes.
It occurs throughout TV.
Consider the nurses on Gray’s Anatomy. Each surgical procedure has them, and each affected person is attended to by them, however I can’t consider a single nurse who ever had a big surgical procedure. It’s not known as Gray’s Anatomy Docs, but you wouldn’t understand it.
This phenomenon is greater than only a quirk of writing. It displays how TV handles ensemble casts when the showrunners already know who they need the viewers to spend money on. The others turn into filler.
They’re there for familiarity and continuity, however they’re not a part of the emotional backbone of the present. They’re wallpaper — tactical, useful, and forgettable.
What’s wild is how typically these actors are utilized in advertising and marketing.
They present up for junkets and seem in solid pictures. Typically they’re even teased in preview clips as in the event that they’re lastly getting their second, solely to fade proper again into the backdrop.
It’s inclusion with out narrative substance. And whereas I’m positive it’s regular work for the actors, it’s obtained to be irritating to be a part of a present for ten years and by no means get a single scene that claims, “That is who I’m.”
The flip facet? Now and again, a present does promote certainly one of these background gamers to essential character standing, and we get magic.
Take a look at Carver on Chicago Fireplace. He didn’t are available in with a giant backstory or built-in chemistry. However the writers gave him emotional house, let him spiral, and now he’s delivering one of many strongest arcs of the season.
That’s the facility of stepping exterior the main-character consolation zone: you uncover new layers of the present you didn’t even know you wanted.
So why not do extra of it?
I’m not saying each character wants a six-episode arc or a long-lost sibling reveal. However after ten years of loyal presence, a man like Capp deserves greater than a close-up throughout a hallway explosion.
Throw us an episode that provides him some weight.
Let Tony have a foul name that shakes him. Let the actors who’ve been displaying up day in and time out do one thing. They’re already a part of the material, why not give them some story thread, too?
There’s one thing oddly haunting about these background regulars. They’re all the time there… and but they’re not. When the collection ends, they’ll vanish as quietly as they lived. No farewell episodes. No last arc. Only a lower to black, and that’s it.
And perhaps, in some twisted approach, that’s becoming — as a result of they’ve by no means actually been a part of the story in any respect. Simply the partitions holding it up.
Prime 5 Tactical Wallpaper MVPs
The background regulars we salute, even when the writers don’t.
1. Capp & Tony (Chicago Fireplace)
At this level, they’re principally one character with two helmets. They’ve been at 51 for over a decade, braving explosions, collapses, and kitchen shenanigans — but we don’t know if both of them owns a sofa, a cat, or a favourite sandwich.
They’re loyal, succesful, and utterly underdeveloped. It’s a sort of tragedy, actually.
2. Ryan (Yellowstone)
Ian Bohen had main man power on Teen Wolf, so it’s baffling that Yellowstone turned him right into a saddle decoration. He’s been with the bunkhouse crew for the reason that early days, but we all know extra in regards to the model on his chest than something about his private life.
Does he have household? A previous? A final identify? It’s embarrassing how little they gave him to work with, and it was even odder once they gave him a cheerful ending, which in the end took time away from tales that had been developed.
3. Nurse BokHee (Gray’s Anatomy)
Nurse BokHee has appeared in 266 episodes of Gray’s Anatomy, which is astounding. Much more outstanding is how little we find out about her. She hardly ever speaks and makes her presence identified largely above the fold of a surgical masks.
Kathy C. An is an precise scrub-nurse by commerce, and fell into this facet hustle by chance. Nonetheless, it could be enjoyable to discover her character. Perhaps in a flashback so An can stay silent if that’s her choice.
4. Leon Vance (NCIS)
He’s the director of NCIS, however you’d by no means understand it from the storytelling. Vance is current, authoritative, and sometimes the one delivering the intel, however when was the final time he had a private arc with actual emotional weight?
Perhaps as soon as, years in the past. These days, he’s extra of a glorified mission-control voice. All the time there, however hardly ever felt.
5. Brock and Trent (SEAL Staff)
You’d assume an elite unit would require all members to be well-developed, however nope. There’s Bravo 1, Bravo 2, after which… another guys. They have been all the time locked and loaded, able to breach, however they by no means breached the principle storyline. You would possibly see them die earlier than you ever hear their full names.
We see you, wallpaper crew. You could by no means get a subplot, however you’ve earned your home within the background corridor of fame.
What little-known collection common do you want had an expanded story? Shoot me a remark under, and don’t overlook so as to add your favourite character if I missed them!