Comments on: 5 Minor TV Characters who Hijacked the Show

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:55:34 +0000

I saw a “making of” documentary about Family Ties on PBS many years ago that showed NBC entertainment chief at the time Brandon Tartikoff saying that Michael Fox’s face would never be on a lunch box, not Gary Goldberg the creator.

By: Nathan

Nathan — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:27:16 +0000

I totally agree with adding Sue Ann Nivens (Betty White) and Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page)to the list. I’d also add Jamie Gertz (Muffy Tepperman)from Square Pegs. She was so snobbily funny!

By: Mel

Mel — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:51:08 +0000

posted by byrc on 6-4-2008 at 6:48 pm:
This is a bit late, but M*A*S*H was NOT based on the Viet Nam war – it’s Korea.

Also, how could the list not include Johnny Depp from “21 Jump Street” or ‘Aunt Esther’ from “Sanford and Son”?

By: Sara in AL

Sara in AL — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:43:06 +0000

When “TGIF” would air, my mom always asked “Is Cody on?”

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:45:35 +0000

Gary David Goldberg never made the lunchbox comment about Michael J. Fox — it was Brandon Tartikoff, the head of NBC’s entertainment division at the time, who made the comment to Goldberg at the time Fox was hired.

By: KaiZen

KaiZen — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:37:03 +0000

Also, now that I think about it, you could also put President Josiah Bartlet from The West Wing. Yes, he was the President of the United States, but the show really wasn’t about him, but rather the people around him, the men and women who made up the man. Martin Sheen was supposed to make sporadic, limited appearances of the series, but the writers saw that President Bartlet was a great character.

By: KaiZen

KaiZen — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:27:28 +0000

You can argue that Louise Jefferson and especially her brash husband George kind of hijacked All In The Family for a while. The Jeffersons were a couple that actually stood up to Archie on numerous occasions. Heck, George even convinced his brother-in-law to pretend he was him for a good while. But they moved on up to the East Side and stayed on a good 10 years, still the longest-running series with a predominately Black cast.

And then there’s Maude, Edith’s more-progressive cousin and one of the few people to put Archie Bunker in his place was a one-shot, one-episode character. Audience (and executive) reaction to Bea Arthur’s character was so strong that she was given her own show.

By: Late Again

Late Again — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:30:09 +0000

Betty White as Sue Ann Nivens…The Happy Homemaker on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. So Funny.

By: allysaurus

allysaurus — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 09:07:26 +0000

Jeez hurricane, sensitive much?

By: The Mutt

The Mutt — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:41:32 +0000

This is kind of the opposite of the topic, but when Barney Miller debuted, it was meant to split time between Barney at work and at home.

It only took a few episodes for them to dump the homefront stuff and stay in the squadroom.