While TV characters tend to be introduced to shows organically for narrative reasons, some of the most iconic only come into existence due to sheer circumstance. With so many moving parts in the industry, anything from poor ratings to actor availability can shake up a show’s formula — and this includes the cast. Some characters introduced in this manner can fall a little flat, as it’s sometimes very obvious what the studio is doing by bringing someone new into the fold. That said, even when the audience is aware of what’s going on, it’s impossible to deny the upside of a forced newcomer’s presence.
Oftentimes, the best characters who enter the fray for behind-the-scenes reasons are written so masterfully that it’s impossible to separate them from their planned-out counterparts. If a character works, then they work, and their real-world origins become immaterial. In fact, some figures within this very specific category have gone on to become fan favorites and even returned in other corners of the franchise where they’re introduced. Of course, this isn’t always a possibility, but it doesn’t mean the characters in just one project are any better or worse.
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Winston Bishop in ‘New Girl’
Played by: Lamorne Morris
Winston appeared in every season of New Girl, but his total of 145 episodes didn’t include the sitcom’s pilot. Morris’ character was never part of the show’s original roadmap. Instead, he was written as a replacement for Damon Wayans Jr.’s Ernie “Coach” Tagliaboo. Coach was intended to be one of the three male leads on New Girl, with Schmidt (Max Greenfield) and Nick (Jake Johnson) being the other two. Then, Coach disappears for a while after the pilot. It took time for Morris’ character to come into his own, but when he did, he was often capable of carrying an episode.
He Became an All-Time Great ‘New Girl’ Character
Beginning the story as a minor league basketball player returning home from Latvia and finding his footing, the New Girl writers were clearly trying to install some of the sportiness of Coach into Morris’ character. Wayans Jr. was forced to duck out of New Girl after the pilot episode to reprise his role as a series regular on Happy Endings, which was unexpectedly renewed.
However, when Happy Endings was eventually canceled, Coach came back and factored into New Girl‘s story in a big way. He became a core member of the cast for Seasons 3 and 4, but only appeared sporadically after that when the character moved from Los Angeles to New York. If Morris had simply taken over the role of Coach rather than having a new character written for him, Wayans Jr.’s comeback wouldn’t have been possible.
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Scrappy-Doo in ‘Scooby-Doo & Scrappy-Doo’
Played by: Lennie Weinrib (Then Various Others)
The Scooby-Doo franchise is such a pop culture touchstone these days that it seems unthinkable that its success was almost far shorter than it could have been. Facing cancellation due to plummeting ratings, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! was forced to reimagine itself or else accept its fate. The show itself ended, but teaming the show’s title character with his previously unseen nephew resulted in Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo getting the green light.
Scrappy Is Iconic, Even if He Is Divisive
Scrappy’s immense feistiness was summed up in his catchphrase: “Let me at ’em!” It was a trait that dominated his personality, making him the polar opposite of his cowardly uncle. Although Scrappy kept the franchise alive, he was an incredibly divisive character among fans and remains so to this day. Some find him interesting; others think he’s unnecessary and annoying. Regardless, that hasn’t stopped him from showing up consistently since his 1979 franchise debut.
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Castiel in ‘Supernatural’
Played by: Misha Collins
For Supernatural‘s first three seasons, the show focused on demon-based storylines, and angels weren’t in the picture. However, with demon lore close to exhaustion, showrunner Eric Kripke decided it was time to introduce a character who would open up the world of Supernatural. As an angel, Castiel allowed Kripke and the show’s writers to delve into Christian mythology. Collins was initially brought in as a short-term guest star, but fans loved Castiel so much that he became a central figure and remained one after his debut in the Season 4 premiere.
Collins Contributed to ‘Supernatural’s 15-Season Run
It’s a generally held belief that Supernatural lasted way too long and that its 15-season run meant it massively overstayed its welcome, despite being constantly renewed. However, it could be argued that the chemistry among the show’s core cast, which Collins helped catalyze to make it even more immense, is a big reason why Supernatural refused to die. While the storylines continued to decline, it was still a fun show to watch, thanks to the interactions among Collins and his co-stars.
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Chris Traeger & Ben Wyatt in ‘Parks and Recreation’
Played by: Rob Lowe & Adam Scott
It would be unfair to separate these two characters, as they come as a pair. Besides, they were introduced to Parks and Rec at the same time, and for the same reason. The show’s first season wasn’t especially well-received, with many fans believing creator and showrunner Michael Schur was trying too hard to recreate the same formula that had worked so well during his time working on The Office. The Parks and Rec cast had chemistry in Season 1, but something was missing, and the storyline of an inept branch of government wasn’t all that entertaining.
‘Parks and Rec’ Needed a Boost
The show enjoyed a soft reboot in Season 2, making the characters more likable than just comically unprepared. Still, Ben (Adam Scott) and Chris (Rob Lowe) were introduced in the second season’s final two episodes and had been sent by the higher-ups in the US government to whip Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and her team into shape. They were the missing pieces the show had desperately been seeking, and without them, Parks and Rec would probably have limped along into cancellation.
3
The War Doctor in ‘Doctor Who’
Played By: John Hurt
Introduced just ahead of Doctor Who‘s 50th anniversary, the War Doctor came as a shock to the entire fan base. Retroactively installed as a previous version of the Time Lord, John Hurt’s War Doctor now canonically exists between Paul McGann’s Eighth and Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth. His only substantial appearance came in 2013’s “The Day of the Doctor,” the anniversary special that saw him team up with David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor and Matt Smith’s Eleventh.
However, then-showrunner Steven Moffat was forced to create the War Doctor as a workaround when Eccleston declined the offer to return and reprise his role. If Nine had shown up, he would have been the Doctor who fought in the Time War, not Hurt’s version of the character.
A Satisfying Character Arc
While fans would surely have preferred to see a crossover among the modern era’s first three Doctors, Hurt’s version was well-received. He was also folded into the continuity very nicely in two ways. Firstly, McGann returned as Eight for a Doctor Who short in 2013, which ended with his regeneration into the War Doctor. Then, at the end of “The Day of the Doctor,” the special included the beginnings of Hurt’s transformation into Eccleston. There was never any real need for Hurt to return as the War Doctor in the show, with his arc all but wrapped up by the time of his exit. That said, various Doctor Who media have featured the character, such as comics and audio plays.
2
Seven of Nine in ‘Star Trek: Voyager’
Played by: Jeri Ryan
Star Trek experienced a boom in the late 1980s when The Next Generation premiered, which was the first live-action TV show within the franchise since The Original Series‘ cancellation in the 1960s. Deep Space Nine continued the saga, and Voyager after that. Time has been very kind to Voyager since, but when it was on the air, it didn’t always receive stellar ratings. That’s where Seven of Nine comes in. Jeri Ryan was introduced to the Voyager cast in the Season 4 premiere, and her journey from a Borg drone to a liberated human being was one of the highlights of the rest of the show’s run, which ended with Season 7 in 2001.
Jennifer Lien’s ‘Voyager’ Exit
Ryan’s debut meant the gradual exit of Jennifer Lien, who had played Kes since Voyager‘s 1995 debut. She left as part of the main cast in Season 2, Episode 2, “The Gift.” Behind-the-scenes issues reportedly made Lien unreliable on set, but her return for a guest appearance in Season 4 suggests there was no bad blood between Lien and the Voyager showrunners. Still, the fan reaction to Seven proves this exchange paid off. Ryan returned to reprise her role in 2020 when Star Trek: Picard came into existence, and was one of the few members of the original Picard cast to appear in all three seasons.
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Mike Ehrmantraut in ‘Breaking Bad’
Played by: Jonathan Banks
Breaking Bad never moves away from the central pairing of Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), as the toxic dynamic between those two characters is what makes the show what it is. However, showrunner Vince Gilligan did need other figures in the story to give Walt and Jesse various obstacles and advantages along the way. Among the most prominent was Bob Odenkirk’s Saul Goodman, who first showed up in Season 2, Episode 8, “Better Call Saul.” Saul was an immediate hit, but the scheduling conflicts resulted in his temporary unavailability.
Bob Odenkirk’s Scheduling Conflict Introduced an All-Time Great Character
Breaking Bad wrote around Saul’s absence by introducing Mike in Season 2, Episode 13, “ABQ,” as a stand-in for Odenkirk’s character while he was busy shooting How I Met Your Mother. Thankfully, AMC struck gold with Saul’s replacement as well, and the two characters became woven into the larger storyline together. Both of them returned for all six seasons of Better Call Saul, receiving even more central roles in the Breaking Bad prequel show than they did in the parent show. Mike remains a fan favorite today, making Odenkirk’s busy schedule feel like a blessing in disguise.