The 22 best minor characters on TV right now
Sadly this is the new AV Club layout...BUT the content is interesting...
To the protagonists go the TV spoils: The spotlight scenes, the attention of award-giving bodies, the premium paychecks. And while a well-realized main character might hook you in to a TV show, that show isn't worth sticking with unless its world is also populated by equally well-realized characters who support, challenge, or complement the lead. These are the ancillary players who strengthen any scene they're in, be they a lovable second banana, a feared adversary, or the anchor of sanity in an increasingly insane world—and it's time they were recognized as such.
1-2. Senator Furlong and Will, Veep
3. Arthur, Difficult People
4. Artie Lange, Crashing
5. Aunt Lydia, The Handmaid's Tale
Aunt Lydia is one of the most fascinating characters of The Handmaid's Tale: She really seems to care for the girls she zaps with an electric cattle prod. Tasked with training incoming handmaids at the Red Center, Aunt Lydia (played with equal amounts of compassion and menace by Ann Dowd), pummels these young women into obedience with both torture and fleeting tenderness. She seems to have the closest bond with the girl whose eye she ordered removed, Janine, giving the girl her sympathy when she's turned away from a rare dinner party for the handmaids. Of all the characters, Aunt Lydia appears to be the most loyal to the Gilead society, fervently clinging to the patriarchal religious claptrap she's spouting, even when it results in Janine's almost-execution, stopped only by the rebellion of the handmaids, as they walk away from Lydia en masse at the end of season one. If any season-two episode includes a backstory for Aunt Lydia, it's bound to be fascinating. [Gwen Ihnat]
6.6. Claire Temple, Daredevil/Jessica Jones/Luke Cage/Iron Fist/The Defenders
Rosario Dawson first appeared on Daredevil treating Matt Murdock's wounds after she found him beaten and bloodied in a dumpster outside her apartment building. She gets kidnapped by Russian mobsters as thanks for her efforts, but after Matt rescues her, they decide it's a bit too dangerous for her to be involved in his world. Oops. Four series later, Claire Temple has become the Samuel L. Jackson of the Marvel Netflix universe, the suture point through which the heroes' stories are threaded into one another's lives. But it's more than that: Dawson has increasingly played a larger role in these stories, injecting heart and humor (with a dose of headstrong badass) into Claire as she deals with these flawed but well-intentioned protagonists. By the time of Iron Fist, she's kicking ass in her own right and lending a much-needed grounding to the supernatural goings-on. If The Defenders were serious about operating as a cohesive team, they might want to look to Claire, and not one of their own ranks, as the best option for a leader. [Alex McLevy]
7. Darius, Atlanta
8. Denise, Master Of None
9. Gina Linetti, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
It's hard to play the most eccentric character on a show full of eccentric characters, but as Gina Linetti, Chelsea Peretti manages to pull it off. A dance enthusiast and cellphone aficionado who, like Parks And Rec's April Ludgate, thrives on doing as little work as possible, Linetti is both sharply wry and fiercely loyal. She'll lay into her step-cousin and co-worker Charles for being a total nerd, but when push comes to shove, she's proud to be a Boyle—even if it means getting a thoroughly lame daily email about family business. (She's so proud, in fact, that she's even having a baby with a black-sheep Boyle cousin played by Ryan Phillippe.) Gina's full of heart and zest, and though she's most often seen behind her desk in the nine-nine's bullpen, she still manages to swoop in from time to time and become a central—and perfect—part of the action. [Marah Eakin]
10. Janet, The Good Place
11. Kevin Keller, Riverdale
The token gay character who's anything but, Kevin Keller is Riverdale's unheralded secret weapon. Wry and quick with a joke, Kevin might not be at the center of the show's biggest plot lines, but he's got dramatic B-stories all his own, from his relationship with Southside Serpent Joaquin to his other relationship with closeted jock Moose. As Kevin, Casey Cott is charming and kind, but not too sappy, making him the perfect foil to both Betty and Veronica. The only drawback is that Kevin was merely a guest character on a few eps of Riverdale season one; fortunately, Cott's been made a recurring actor for season two. [Marah Eakin]
12. Kyle, I'm Sorry
13. Mimi Kanasis, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
14. Oliver Bird, Legion
We hear a lot about Oliver Bird before he actually shows up on Legion: Raised to almost mythical status, he's Melanie Bird's long-lost husband, a brilliant scientist, and a powerful mutant. Legion has a multitude of trippy characters, but Oliver is one of the trippiest. When he first appears, in the luscious form of Jemaine Clement in a breathtaking leisure suit, it's to tell a fourth-wall-breaking story about Frizzy-Top and the Ocean. He then introduces his astral-plane prison by way of alarming, discordant jazz and makeshift cocktails. Clement solidly personifies Bird's stuck-in-the-retro-era self, an aging hipster who oozes cool as he orchestrates reality from his realm, manipulating letters to save his Summerland team. Though, given the way the first season ends, saving his fellow mutants might not be a top priority for him anymore—a development that will only add further dimensions to Clement's freaky dream. [Gwen Ihnat]
15. Peridot, Steven Universe
16. Polly, Claws
17. Russ Hanneman, Silicon Valley
Where would the guys of Pied Piper be without Russ Hanneman, the man who put the radio on the internet? Probably roughly in the same place, since their arrangement broke down. Scratch that—Richard Hendricks and company would've won the bake-off if he hadn't set that bottle of tequila on a MacBook in season two, thereby deleting a fuck-ton of the internet's precious porn reserves. But all those ones and zeroes are nothing to this member of the Three Commas club. The designer-denim-clad embodiment of having more money than common sense, Russ has been swaggering in and out of Richard's life for three seasons, offering up little of discernible value (if you don't count revealing that Jared is the guy doing all the fucking in the house). But while we could certainly watch Chris Diamantopoulos slam car doors that open like this and not like this all day, Silicon Valley has added dimension to this walking Axe Body Spray ad. Russ is equal parts tech bro and tech ghost, a man riding high off a 20-year-old accomplishment, unable to innovate. We'd feel bad for him if he weren't so inclined to blast Live and Crazy Town all over the Valley. [Danette Chavez]
18. Teddy, Bob's Burgers
19. Thirsty Rawlings, Empire
20. Tormund Giantsbane, Game Of Thrones
Tormund Giantsbane was introduced as one of the Free Folk traveling with—but not bending the knee to—King-Beyond-The-Wall Mance Rayder in season three of Game Of Thrones, but in the four seasons of daring escapes and bloody battles that followed, he's become one of the gang. As much as he ever will be, anyway: Having been born and bred on the frozen steppes beyond the Seven Kingdoms, Tormund will always view Westerosi politics and customs with a skeptical eye. He's a true outsider, one that brings some much-needed comic relief when the rest of the characters get weighed down by their knightly codes of honor. That's not to say that Tormund doesn't have any values: He's a brave fighter and a loyal friend. He just doesn't see what all these kings and queens and fealty oaths are good for. Until recently, we didn't know much about Tormund besides the fact that he's very handy with an ax—or a sword, or a club, or whatever deadly weapon might be lying around—but then season six brought the lusty glance that sparked a thousand 'ships. Tormund's endearing crush on Brienne of Tarth might be all in his head (for now), but in season seven's ”Beyond The Wall," Tormund makes another fanfic-worthy statement: That beyond the wall, pansexual coupling is essential for survival. As his nickname ”Husband to Bears" implies, even a she-bear will do for Westeros' most sexually liberated ginger. [Katie Rife]
21. White Josh, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
22. Whiterose (BD Wong), Mr. Robot
In the first season of Mr. Robot, the mysterious Whiterose, supposed leader of the hacking collective the Dark Army, appears in just one pivotal scene (not counting a season-ending reveal), but they became one of the more talked-about characters of the entire show. This was in large part thanks to BD Wong's soulful portrayal, which humanized an enigmatic and elusive persona. In season two, the character began to be revealed, a deeply interconnected power broker who also happens to be a trans woman still forced to put on suits and pretend to be a man in certain circumstances. As Whiterose took on an increased role in the story, Wong's performance added layers and nuanced shading to the ostensible villain, suggesting there may be further complications still to a fascinatingly complex role. [Alex McLevy]
More write ups at the link.
