16 One-Off Characters Who Got Promoted
Spike (James Marsters, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel)
Introduced during Buffy’s second season as the Sid Vicious half of the Sid & Nancy-inspired vampire duo Spike and Drusilla, Angelus’s former partner-in-bloodsucking was originally earmarked for a quick dusting at the hands of the Scooby Gang. But his cynical humor and punk rock fashion sense made him an instant hit with fans, so he survived and went solo the following year. By Season 4, he was a staple in Sunnydale, eventually following in Angel’s footsteps by embarking on a romance with the Slayer and recovering his soul. And when Buffy ended, he moved to L.A. to spend one final year working — and snarking — with his vampire rival.
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Anya (Emma Caulfield, Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Anya and Xander’s always-rocky relationship got off on the wrong foot in Season 3 when she used her supernatural powers to grant his then-girlfriend Cordelia’s wish to live in a world where Buffy had never come to Sunnydale. Although she was eventually vanquished, Anya didn’t make like a typical demon and leave. Instead, she kept showing up in Xander’s life until he sealed their attraction with a marriage proposal in the fifth season. Unfortunately, their relationship died with Sunnydale…
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Ben Linus (Michael Emerson, Lost)
Neither Lost’s fanbase, nor its creators, were aware of just how important Ben would become to the show’s mythology when he was introduced as potential Other “Henry Gale” midway through Season 2. But the showrunners quickly realized what a talent they had in actor Michael Emerson, extending his three-episode arc to five episodes, and then making him the center of the Island’s many mysteries when the series returned for Season 3. Unlike the other characters (or the writers for that matter), Ben always seemed to know exactly what was going on.
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Steve Urkel (Jaleel White, Family Matters)
In the B.U. (“Before Urkel”) era, Family Matters was a routine family sitcom. But once the calendar switched to A.U. (“After Urkel”), it became a pop culture phenomenon, fueled by Urkel’s geeky catchphrases and zany behavior. He made being a nerd cool decades before those big brains of The Big Bang Theory.
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Dean Pelton (Jim Rash, Community)
Most college deans don’t seek to involve themselves in the personal lives of their students. But then, Craig Pelton isn’t like most college deans. Greendale’s unlikely leader cares deeply — probably too deeply — about his pupils. Specifically one study group. Specifically one handsome, well-coiffed member within said study group. The Dean’s understandable, if sadly unrequited infatuation with Jeff is one of many reasons why Dan Harmon promoted him from adjunct character to full-time faculty member.
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Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer, Cheers)
The smooth-talking psychiatrist walked through the door of Boston’s favorite watering hole to serve as another obstacle blocking Sam and Diane’s path towards romantic coupledom. But he stuck around because his prickly personality made him a great foil for the bar’s regulars, eventually becoming their friend. A few of those drinking buddies even came to visit him when he moved to his own city — and series — when Cheers closed up shop.
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Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch, Glee)
A last-minute addition to the McKinley High teaching staff, Sue was only going to bedevil the Glee Club in the series premiere because of Jane Lynch’s prior commitment to another potential series. That other gig never went beyond the pilot stage, though, so the cheerleading dynamo became a regular thorn in the New Directions’ sides. Bad news for them, great news for us.
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Sylar (Zachary Quinto, Heroes)
The singular Joker to the Heroes’ collective Batman, Sylar’s wickedly charismatic personality earned him a reprieve from his Season 1 defeat as the recurring Big Bad. He alternated between foe and friend for the next three years, pursuing his own agenda in the face of successive, less interesting villains. Fortunately, Syler realized that returning for the dud revival, Heroes Reborn, would be too dastardly even for him.
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T-Bag (Robert Knepper, Prison Break)
Fox River’s scariest white supremacist wasn’t supposed to break out alongside the Scofield siblings, but as a character, he was too much fun to keep locked up. On the strength of Robert Knepper’s portrayal, T-Bag’s prison sentence was extended beyond his second episode guest spot, and he became a fan favorite despite his disturbing views on race. One imagines that he’s organized his own “Convicts for Trump” organization from inside his jail cell.
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The Janitor (Neil Flynn, Scrubs)
Heart’s nameless janitor was officially made a flesh-and-blood character during Season 2. Even after being hired on full-time, though, the writers rarely bothered giving him dialogue, mainly because Neil Flynn could improvise funnier jokes that they could write.
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Helo (Tahmoh Penikett, Battlestar Galactica)
Having cut his creative teeth on the Star Trek franchise, BSG mastermind, Ronald D. Moore, intended to treat Helo just like any Starfleet redshirt, leaving him to die on the surface of a Cylon-conquered Caprica at the end of the revival-launching miniseries. Fortunately, the character made enough of an impression on Moore — not to mention skin-job Sharon (later Athena) — that he returned for all four seasons of the ensuing series. And as the father of the Cylon/human hybrid Hera, Helo is basically the patriarch of all modern mankind.
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Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks, Breaking Bad)
When Bob Odenkirk’s Saul Goodman could only appear in three out of his four planned Breaking Bad guest spots, the writers quickly added his enforcer Mike as a way to impart necessary information to Jesse in the Season 2 finale. In his brief appearance, Mike proved himself as such a competent right-hand man it only made sense to have him back again and again. And the more viewers have gotten to know Mike on Breaking Bad and now Better Call Saul, the harder it is to imagine the Albuquerque landscape without him.
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Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies, ER)
In Michael Crichton’s original ER pilot script, Carol’s suicide attempt was going to be successful. But executive producer Steven Spielberg intervened, and County General’s nurse manager lived to see another episode, followed by six more seasons. Doug and Carol ‘shippers have Spielberg to thank for the lovers’ eventual happy ending.
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Chiana (Gigi Edgley, Farscape)
Slated for a quick death at the end of her first episode, this skillful Nebari thief survived to become a popular part of Moya’s ragtag crew. She’s also arguably the most fun Farscape character for cosplayers.
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Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins, Justified)
Raylan and Boyd’s complex relationship became a defining part of Justified, but it almost ended in the pilot, when the lawman fired what was supposed to be a fatal bullet through the crook’s chest. But the creators wisely commuted Boyd’s sentence from “death” to “life,” and reaped the dramatic benefits over the course of the show’s six-season run.
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Crazy Ex-Girlfriend started off as the story of the unrequited romance between high-strung, rhyme-spitting lawyer Rebecca (Rachel Bloom) and laid-back, breakdancing dude-bro, Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III). But the show’s funniest — and most emotionally healthy — love story is the one that’s currently blooming between Rebecca’s hopelessly dorky boss, Darryl Whitefeather (Pete Gardner), and Josh’s fitness-obsessed best buddy, White Josh (David Hull). Their mutual attraction has been handled with lots of humor and heart, and is poised to only grow stronger as the cult series nears its first season finale.
That storyline also has the added benefit of promoting White Josh from a background character who seemed destined for a one-shot cameo into an important member of the show’s ensemble. His elevated profile has delighted the show’s fanbase; scan the comments sections of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend recaps and you’ll see plenty of love for White Josh. Should the show come back for Season 2, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Hull featured in the opening credits alongside the other regular cast members. Here’s a look back at some of the other one-shot fan favorite characters who went on to join their respective shows full-time.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on The CW
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