Some of TV's best supporting characters.
You don't have to be the star of the show to have an impact. Sometimes, telly's best characters are found on the fringes of a show.
Supporting characters bring colour, quirk and humour to series - allowed to say and do the things their leading co-stars never could.
They can be rude, crude and downright offensive, which is why we love them so.
Here's a look at some of our favourite supporting characters from over the years:
Jacqui has been working punishing 16-hours-a-day, 5-days-a-week shifts at The IV for a staggering eight years now. As one of Ferndale's only hospitality workers she's there from the early morning rush on bowl lattes to TK's late night round of sambuca shots, holding down the bar with a disconcertingly vacant stare. Jacqui speaks on average three words every week, and yet she is by far Shortland Street's most enigmatic and intriguing character. What are her hopes and dreams? Will she ever leave the IV (to work at the Penlington)? Or will the final shot of the final scene of the last ever episode of Shortland Street be her, dourly cleaning the tables as all the show's stars wander off into the sunset.
- Calum Henderson
Merritt Weaver, who plays Zoey on Nurse Jackie, may be one of the most under-rated comedic actors of our time. At times naive-bordering-on-simple, there is a joyful exuberance that spills out of this character and makes you feel better about life. I want her to be real and sitting next to me at all times.
- Joanna Hunkin
It seemed like very shrewd casting when David Marciano, a perennial 'That Guy!' who has appeared in everything from Nash Bridges to The Shield, showed up as laconic freelance surveillance expert 'Virgil' in the first two seasons of Homeland. His ubiquity as an actor with one 'those' faces made him perfect for such a shadowy, discreet character. Also he once memorably describes American soldier-turned-latent terrorist Brody (Damian Lewis) as 'The Red Menace'.
- Dominic Corry
Mad, bad and dangerous to know, Paulie was also brim full of hilarious neuroses and superstitions. And he was dumber than a bag of hammers. Typical quote: "The amazing thing about snakes is that they reproduce spontaneously."
- Greg Dixon
Peggy Hill's live-in niece Luanne drives Hank crazy and is sweetly absent-minded. Episodes featuring her Manger Babies biblical puppet show are some of the best in the series.
- Eli Orzessek
We may not know what his real first name is, but Stiles - played by Dylan O'Brien - wins as the goofy, witty sidekick to his brooding werewolf BFF, Scott McCall. His quips not only break the tension on the supernatural teen drama, but they make the show worth watching. Even when he turned evil that one time, Stiles is still the best.
- Rachel Bache
I couldn't tell you anything about this woman. In fact, I had to Google "woman who says 'mmmm' a lot" just to find out her name. She's not even in the middling TV comedy show Episodes that much anyway. But my God I love this woman. She does one thing, and she does it well: as the head of comedy at a fictional TV network, Haggard's Myra is incapable of laughing, but lights up the screen every time she arches her eyebrows and says 'Mmmm hmmm' in her scratchy 'just smoked two packs and swallowed a mouthful of gravel' voice. I love her. And I would watch compilations of her doing this for hours.
- Chris Schulz
Warrior, tough guy and a real Klingon's Klingon, the guy would lose his temper if you said hello to him. Typical quote: "I AM WORF, SON OF MOGH!' or 'Klingons do not pursue relationships, they conquer what they desire.'
- Greg Dixon
He could well be the most frustrating, infuriating yet weirdly endearing character on television today. Louis Litt began life on Suits as an outright douche. After four seasons, he still has strong douche tendencies but they're interspersed with more likeable moments. He's really kinda great.
- Joanna Hunkin
Thrones probably has the biggest total cast of characters of any show in history, yet no one stands out more than Brienne of Tarth - and not just for her height. Bold, reserved, fiercely loyal, Brienne is simply the best character on the show. From her permanent scowl to her ability to cut down anyone who comes her way no matter how popular they are, Brienne is the perfect mix of ruthless edge, bitter humour and the occasional glimpse of humanity. Criminally underused, actress Gwendoline Christie has used the show to launch into big, high profile franchises like Star Wars and Hunger Games, and it is down to the Thrones writers to give her more to do least we use this truly grand character.
- Ethan Sills
Although it centered on larger than life characters, The Sopranos excelled at artfully highlighting the minor foibles of social interaction that plague us all. Uncle Junior, played by Dominic Chianese, was a consistently hilarious vehicle for many of these observations - his natural response to any situation was petty and self-serving, but you couldn't ever really judge him for it because the character was so well-realised. It only made his later decline all the more heart-wrenching.
- Dominic Corry
While it may now be known as the show that launched such big names as James Franco and Seth Rogen, Freaks & Geeks' best and funniest actor was in fact Stephen Lea Sheppard as the zen geek philosopher Harris. Every scene where Harris dispenses his sage and world-weary wisdom to the younger geeks, like a sort of high school Yoda, is perfect. A Harris spinoff would have been the funniest and probably darkest show ever made, but apart from a small role as Dudley in The Royal Tenenbaums Sheppard never acted again. He now writes Dungeons & Dragons role playing games, i.e. exactly what Harris would have ended up doing.
- Calum Henderson
Okay, yeah, the roly-poly army obsessive Mike Watt rocks the camo look non-stop - a fashion crime more heinous than even the dreaded 'double denim' - but that doesn't stop him from being the best best friend you could ever hope for.
During the course of two absolutely classic seasons of the massively influential, British cult comedy Spaced, Mike did the following for his best friend Tim:
1) Selflessly and quite unnecessarily offered to work security on the flat house party 2) Dived into the line of fire, sacrificing himself and taking a paintball bullet to the gut in order to allow Tim to get his revenge over a rival and C) stole a tank from the British army in order to provide the required "something bloody spectacular" so Tim wouldn't lose his flat.
That he did all this while quoting Star Wars, dropping wisdom and one-liners and, on one occasion at least, leading ravers at a dance party, pretty much makes him the best sidekick ever.
- Karl Puschmann
• Who are the characters that keep you tuning in? Join the conversation below!
- nzherald.co.nz
The Australian site cited a 'heightened threat level' as the issue.