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22 Suuuper Underrated TV Characters From This Year That Deserve Way More Screentime

Stranger Things would be a completely different show if Erica was the lead character, and I would watch the hell out of it.

Jake Farrington
by Jake Farrington

BuzzFeed Staff

2022 gave us a lot of amazing TV shows, and a lot of A+ characters.

characters in "Severance"
Atsushi Nishijima /©Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett Collection

But so often our favorite characters are not even the leads in the show! They're the best friend, or the mom, or a side character who really doesn't get the amount of screentime they deserve.

So, the following is a list of those highly underrated characters featured in shows that either premiered, returned, or ended in 2022.

***some spoilers ahead***

1. Ava Coleman from Abbott Elementary

Ava Coleman sitting in her office and smiling
ABC

Principal Coleman is without a doubt the funniest character of this series. What I wouldn't give to just follow her around for an entire season, watching her internet scams and dating NBA players. She's always got some kind of wild scheme going on, and I think the world needs to see more of them.

2. Nikki Ramos from She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

Nikki Ramos smiling and sitting at a desk
Disney Plus

Nikki is THE ultimate best friend character, and I need to see what she gets up to in her day-to-day life, because every time she graces our screens it is pure GOLD! Pure MAGIC! Pure GOLDEN MAGIC!

3. Erica Sinclair from Stranger Things

Erica Sinclair walking through a hallway
Netflix

No one has one-liners like Erica Sinclair. Give me a whole spinoff show with her taking down the idiots of the world with her brilliant zingers. She's as smart as Nancy and as nerdy as anyone in the Hellfire Club. She can walk between worlds, and I find that COMPELLING.

4. Disa from Rings of Power

Disa smiling in her home
Amazon Prime

Disa was soooooo underutilized in this series. She's married into the royal dwarven family and has bold ideas for a new future! It's actually a lot more compelling than some of the storylines we followed *eyes emoji*.

5. Valentina from White Lotus

closeup of Valentina smiling
HBO

Our resident White Lotus lesbian really GAVE it to us this season, but obviously we could have used even MORE! I want to see her life at home. I want to see Mia and Lucia take her out to the clubs. WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE CATS?! Give us answers!

6. Kayla from Hacks

Kayla shrugging and sitting at a desk
HBO

OK, now I know that having Kayla as a main character would be CHAOTIC AF!! But just think of the fun we would have watching her. She knows essentially nothing about anything, and is kind of just floating through the world without ever touching a foot down to earth, and I would watch the SHIT out of that! More Meg Stalter in everything plz!

7. Jackie Stilton from I Love That for You

Jackie Stilton standing in a dressing room
Showtime

Jackie is such a complicated character, still struggling to stand on her own two feet in middle age, dealing with a hoarding issue, going through a divorce, and was betrayed by someone she came to see as a daughter figure. Seeing the show's story from her POV would be clutch.

8. Ms. Casey/Gemma from Severance

Gemma standing and looking intently at something
Atsushi Nishijima /©Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett Collection

I neeeed to know what's going on with the office's wellness counselor!! What is going on in the basement?! What happened after the car crash?!? What happens when she isn't counseling people??? Is she a robot? Is she undead?! We need to see her perspective IMMEDIATELY!

9. Darcy Olsson and Tara Jones from Heartstopper

teenage girls looking at each other and smiling
Netflix

Ohhh, our sweet little queer ladies from Heartstopper are equally as adorable as Nick and Charlie, and I would love nothing more than to really get to see their love story blossom onscreen. We get to see it a little in the show, but I want a full spinoff plz! Or at least give them an episode in Season 2 (which just finished filming!).

10. Taweret from Moon Knight

Taweret waving
Disney Plus

Ok, a hippo goddess who helps guide people through the land of the dead on a huge ship full of mind tricks?! UH, THAT'S COMPELLING!!! Imagine the people who come through there, and all of the other gods and goddesses she might interact with. SHE'S A STAR!!!

11. Mary and Sarah from Derry Girls

Mary and Sarah at a party
Netflix

OMG, the episode in Season 3 of Derry Girls where we get to see Mary and Sarah when they were in high school was EVERYTHING to me! I want to see a spinoff of them together, cutting back and forth between their lives back then and in the '90s, when Derry Girls is set. They are so funny together, and we really need more from this universe.

12. Cas Wizard from Bee and Puppycat

Cas smiling
Netflix

Cas is a fascinating character! I want to know all about her professional wrestling background and her ongoing (and reluctant) rivalry with Toast, who's married into her family. Why did she leave wrestling? Does she miss it? WHO IS SHE REALLY???

13. Reva Sevander from Obi-Wan Kenobi

closeup of Reva Sevander with stormtroopers in the background
Disney Plus

Reva was, without a doubt, the most engaging character in the Obi-Wan series. I want to see more of her backstory. I want to watch as she rises through the ranks of the dark side while still processing the events of her childhood as a young Padawan. 

14. Tina from Minx

closeup of Tina smiling
HBO

Tina is the backbone of our favorite little porno empire, and she handles her erratic business partner with such grace. I want to know more about the inner workings of her life. How does she handle the pressure? How does she navigate this complicated relationship with Doug? What is it like for her to be a Black woman succeeding in business in the 1970s? Even though the show just got retroactively canceled, LET US SEE THIS!  

15. Mei Lin from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Mei Lin looking surprised
Amazon Prime

She comes from an immigrant family who *definitely* doesn't have ties to the mafia, and she has to walk between worlds trying to please her family, while also pursuing her own life and navigating an interracial/interfaith relationship with a divorced father of two in the 1960s. Kind of more interesting than stand-up comedy I hate to say!

16. Jim from Our Flag Means Death

Jim sitting and smiling
HBO

We need more JIM! Their Mulan-esque story of hiding their true identity from a bunch of misguided but well-meaning men is a classic one, but this one has a nonbinary twist. I really think their story deserves to be at the forefront! Running from their past, plotting revenge, their budding romance with Oluwande — it's a show all in of itself. 

17. Shirley Cohen from A League of Their Own

Shirley Cohen looking disturbed
Amazon Prime

OK, Shirley is a wild character to have as a lead, I will admit, haha. But Kate Berlant is a comedic genius, and every single time Shirley was onscreen I was LOL'ing. And what a journey she goes on! I would love to see her screentime bumped up in a Season 2.

18. Nakia Bahadir from Ms. Marvel

Nakia Bahadir standing at a doorway
Disney Plus

Nakia is honestly such a badass character, and I would lovvvvvvve to see more of her. She's a young woman who runs for a seat on the board for her mosque and is running shit in her life. Breaking down boundaries and stereotypes all while serving LOOKS. I'd watch her show in a heartbeat.

19. Sarah Squirm on Saturday Night Live

Sarah Squirm on SNL
NBC

OK, while technically Sarah isn't a character, she does play a lot of them on SNL! She is one of the best additions to the cast in a longgggg time, and I need more of her immediately! And if she, like, wanted to do her own little show during hiatuses, I'd be very OK with that!! 

20. Suga Mama in The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder

Suga Mama blowing on her cane
Disney Plus

Suga Mama has always been a larger-than-life character, and her portrayal in the Proud Family reboot is no exception. She's a brassy woman who takes no bullshit, loves wrestling, and is looking for love with her neighbor, Papi. I'd like to see Suga Mama travel the world and offer her hot takes from sea to shining sea.

21. Chantal Witherbottom from Search Party

Chantal Witherbottom looking shocked
HBO

CHANTAL!!! Lololol. This is one of the funniest and wildest characters to grace our screens in years. There is nobody less self-aware or annoying in the BEST way, and I could watch her all day. The episodes that do focus on her are some of my favorite of the series, and her turn into a zombie-killing badass by the end was a true joy. Let's see her whole journey there!

22. Madisynn from She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

Madisynn smiling and putting her hand out
Disney Plus

She's an icon, she is a legend, and she IS the moment! LOL. I know She-Hulk is on here twice, but I couldn't in good conscience leave this woman off the list. I would watch Madisynn and "Wongers" travel the multiverse together forever. Give me 10 seasons now!

Who were some of your favorite characters from TV this year? Let me know in the comments!

Author's note: I fully didn't intend to make a list that was only female characters (except for one), but it just happened. Let's face it: Women are more interesting than men (myself included, LOL). Somebody had to say it!

The year is almost over, and we're looking back on 2022. Check out more from the year here!