8 Amazing Side Characters Who Should've Gotten More Screentime On Famous TV Shows, And 9 Whose Minimal Screentime Was Wayyy Too Much

    "This may have escaped your keen notice, but I'm kind of a brat." Um, it certainly didn't escape MY notice, Kennedy.

    Hannah Marder
    by Hannah Marder

    BuzzFeed Staff

    I tend to have strong opinions about TV shows, even when it comes to side characters or guest stars. TBH, I think even the non-main characters can make or break the show. Here are eight I love (who should've gotten more screentime) and nine I loatheeee (meaning they never should have appeared).

    1. Too much screentime: Mutt on Schitt's Creek (played by Tim Rozon).

    Mutt and Alexis having a conversation about talking less and listening more
    Pop!TV

    I feel as if their breakup scene was meant to be profound, but I hated it. I thought it was so immature that Mutt couldn't at least meet Alexis halfway and try to communicate verbally with her — even if just to break up with her. It's this weird battle of wills he puts her through, and I think it's messed up. It's on par for Mutt's character, though: sort of immature while also being superior, and overall pretty boring. I wish he'd left the show earlier.

    2. Not enough screentime: Oberyn Martell from Game of Thrones (played by Pedro Pascal).

    Oberyn telling Tyrion Lannister about the reception to his birth, when his sister Cersei described him as a freak
    HBO

    Game of Thrones really had a penchant for introducing great characters with fully fleshed-out backstories and interesting goals, then killing them off. While this made the show unpredictable, I'd argue that it came at the expense of some great potential storylines (that actually may have been better than the ones they ended up with). The show did this especially with those who rose against the Lannisters — I so badly wanted one of these cunning characters who truly seemed a match for them (like Margaery with Cersei) to actually outmaneuver them — but it was as if they had a weird plot armor. 

    Oberyn is a great example — he was such a charming and engaging character, and his tension with the Lannisters led to some really interesting moments, like the amazing scene where he agrees to fight for Tyrion. Oberyn's death is brutal, even for Game of Thrones, and frankly, I think it went a bit too far. Overall, can you really blame me for wanting more Pedro Pascal on my screen? 

    3. Too much screentime: Alice in Only Murders in the Building (played by Cara Delevingne).

    Mabel telling Alice that she likes her but she doesn't trust her
    Hulu

    I feel like she only got so much screentime because she was played by Cara Delevingne, and it was kind of frustrating. I loved Mabel this season, and I thought it was great that she had a new love interest — and I even thought Alice was fine at first. But after the whole weird murder-reenactment thing, I was just done with her. I didn't get why Mabel forgave her and kept working with her, and I felt that she was just pretentious and annoying, and I'd rather have taken time spent on her and used it on other things (namely, Mabel, Oliver, and Charles hanging out).

    4. Not enough screentime: Chrissy from Stranger Things (played by Grace Van Dien).

    Chrissy remembers Eddie's band, Corroded Coffin, and says how could she forget with a name like that — Eddie calls her a freak and she smiles
    Netflix

    Chrissy was such a sweetheart, and it felt as if we were only just getting started with her. She had an easy chemistry with Eddie and genuinely got you to love her and feel for her in a single episode. Her death was so horrible, and it mainly served as inspiration for her boyfriend to become one of the most hated characters of the season. I gotta say, anytime a woman dies so that some guy has motivation to turn evil, I'm not a fan. Chrissy deserved better.

    5. Too much screentime: Aaron Rose from Gossip Girl (played by John Patrick Amedori).

    Serena and Aaron having a conversation about his posse and why Tamara was in his apartment
    The CW

    Aaron Rose has got to be one of the worst minor characters in the history of minor characters. I don't know how someone so boring managed to also be so infuriating to watch, but Aaron achieved this goal. I don't know why Serena ever dated this guy, and I'm glad they wrote him off early, though I think it's kind of hilarious that his father, Cyrus Rose, married Eleanor and was in the rest of the show with no mention of Aaron ever again. How someone raised by the lovable Cyrus could be this awful, I do not know.

    6. Not enough screentime: Bianca on Wednesday (played by Joy Sunday).

    Bianca telling Wednesday how hard it is not knowing if people like you for you
    Netflix

    The whole thing about Bianca's powers making it hard for people to trust her — and, conversely, for her to ever believe that anyone really loves her — made her such an interesting character. The sirens overall felt shortchanged, and I feel that the show set them up to be mean girl rivals to Wednesday and then didn't quite commit to it. The time wasted on the stupid "love triangle" could've been better used on exploring Bianca a lot more. Xavier got way too much screentime, and it was all really repetitive — I wish Bianca had gotten it instead.

    7. Too much screentime: Felix from One Tree Hill (played by Michael Copon).

    Anna and Felix arguing over his writing "dyke" on Peyton's locker and Anna calls it a hate crime
    The WB

    Homophobic, misogynistic character? Yeahhhh, that's gonna be a major pass from me. They started out by going for the asshole-with-a-secret-heart-of-gold thing, which frankly was a little tired, considering we just got that in Season 1 with Nathan. I was already ready for Felix to leave at that point, but then they went and made him an actual villain, and I was REALLY ready for him to leave. It always made me sad that Anna would've still had to deal with him after all that, though.

    8. Not enough screentime: Samara from Pretty Little Liars (played by Claire Holt).

    Emily and Samara laughing over earrings Emily tries on in a store
    Freeform

    Maybe I just love Claire Holt, but I always thought Samara was one of Emily's best girlfriends. I liked Maya a lot, but I didn't always feel that they were the best fit for each other — and then Paige was absolute garbage and infuriated me every time she was onscreen. Samara and Emily were so cute together, and I was upset their relationship was so short-lived. I would've taken five more seasons of Samara and Emily in a heartbeat if it meant getting rid of Paige forever.

    9. Too much screentime: Councilman Jamm from Parks and Recreation (played by Jon Glaser).

    Councilman Jamm talking about his car and how Pawnee's cavity problem allows him to afford it
    NBC

    Some characters' whole point is to be annoying, and TBH, I rarely like these characters and feel like it's kind of lazy writing, even in sitcoms (make villains that are engaging, even in comedy!). Jeremy Jamm really had no redeeming qualities — he was just slimy and gross, and he was super racist about Asian people to boot. 

    10. Not enough screentime: Danny from Teen Wolf (played by Keahu Kahuanui).

    Danny says he can't date a werewolf, and Ethan replies "you knew?" Danny says "dude, it's Beacon Hills"
    MTV

    What happened to Danny??? He was such a great side character, with some hilarious comedic moments, and then he had such a sweet relationship with Ethan. He disappeared for absolutely no reason, and even before that, it never felt as if he got to be fully fleshed out (Ethan, a guest villain coming in for a half season, got more focus than he did). Instead, the show reduced him to a token character, then booted him off — right after revealing that he knew about werewolves!!! Justice for Danny.

    11. Too much screentime: Nicky and Paolo from Lost (played by Kiele Sanchez and Rodrigo Santoro).

    Nicky and Paolo are confronted by a spider
    ABC

    I'm obviously not the only one who feels this way. Lost had so many great flawed characters, but they all also had redeeming qualities. Nicky and Paolo just...sucked. They were bad people, and even worse, they were uninteresting bad people. They also are the cause of one of my most hated TV deaths, when they're mistaken for dead and buried alive. I would've preferred the show just never mentioned them again, TBH. Just say the Others or a polar bear or the Smoke Monster got them or something.

    12. Not enough screentime: Ruby from Once Upon a Time (played by Meghan Ory).

    Ruby saying she wants a job doing something that makes her happy
    ABC

    Once Upon a Time did such a good job of putting interesting twists on fairy tales in Season 1, and my favorite example is Ruby — who is not only Red in the story of Little Red Riding Hood but also the wolf. I never got why she appeared in seasons 2 and 3 but as such a tiny part, because she was clearly a fan favorite with so much potential. I know Ruby came back for some of Season 5, but TBH, at that point it was too little, too late. 

    13. Too much screentime: Kennedy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (played by Iyari Limon).

    Kennedy saying that she's kind of a brat and always gets her way
    UPN

    Frankly, I thought it was a bit too soon to have Willow dating someone new after Tara died. It didn't help that Kennedy was entitled, annoying, and pushy. She very much acted like a teenager, which made her and Willow's age difference really awkward and obvious. Willow's love interests, Tara and Oz, were actually very similar in that they were sort of quiet, nerdy, insightful wallflowers who saw something special in Willow and, in turn, blossomed around her...Kennedy just did NOT feel like Willow's type, and it didn't feel as if they had any chemistry.

    14. Not enough screentime: Jayme from The Umbrella Academy (played by Cazzie David).

    Jayme spits venom on Diego and then blows him a kiss, and he starts dancing to "Footloose"
    Netflix

    I felt like none of the Sparrows really got enough screentime — it was all given to Alternate Timeline Ben (who, TBH, I could've done without) and Sloane, who was fine but a little boring. This is a shame because some of the Sparrows had really interesting powers — my favorite being Jayme's. I mean, when you have a character with venomous spit that results in trippy dream sequences that include incredible dance numbers, you don't kill her off!! Especially on a show like The Umbrella Academy, where that kind of thing fits right in. I was curious about her relationship to the other siblings, and I feel like she died way too early.

    15. Too much screentime: Robby from New Girl (played by Nelson Franklin).

    On New Girl, Jess tells Robby she thinks they're related, then lightning flashes and they both scream
    Fox

    Robbie was such a random character who had no chemistry with any of the other characters except for Schmidt — which was kind of fun, but it also felt as if the show couldn't go very far with it, with them both competing for Cece. I have no idea why they decided to bring him back, but he was SO boring to watch with Jess, especially compared with her past love interests. Them finding out they were cousins was really the cherry on top and was really more gross than funny. 

    16. Not enough screentime: Sarah from Heartstopper (played by Olivia Coleman).

    Nick tells Sarah that Charlie is his boyfriend but he likes girls too, and she hugs him and tells him she loves him
    Netflix

    Look, I get it. They can't afford to have Olivia Coleman in every episode. But...I'd like her to be. Not only is she a phenomenal actor, but her character really helps us understand why Nick is the sweetheart he is, and his scene where he comes out to her is one of my favorite in the whole series. I love how Heartstopper portrays queerness as something to be celebrated, and having supportive parents like NIck's is so important — especially, IMO, because Nick is bisexual and there's a lack of media where parents understand that.

    17. And finally, too much screentime: Shane from The Vampire Diaries (played by David Alpay).

    Bonnie getting upset at Shane and starts a fire, and Shane tells her father that she's a prodigy and could be one of the greatest witches, but without his guidance, she's a time bomb
    The CW

    Bonnie was such a consistently strong character, so it was disappointing and out of character to see her manipulated by some random man who didn't even have an ounce of charm. This is my least favorite season for Bonnie, and it's this dude's fault. He also got a copious amount of screentime, considering that he wasn't even the main villain of the season (though to be fair, the season's villains were a little muddled). TVD had sooo many fun, charismatic, interesting villains — this guy was not only dull but annoying in comparison.

    Which side characters do you love and hate? Let us know in the comments!