Five Times Sitcoms Introduced a New Character That Everyone Ended Up Loving
Usually, when an established sitcom suddenly adds a new character, it’s a sign of desperation — and one most viewers can see right through. This, in turn, provokes them to attack without mercy. Just think of poor Cousin Oliver, the cute kid brought in for Season Five of The Brady Bunch who is still blamed for the show’s cancellation. Scooby-Doo fans similarly still revile Scrappy-Doo, and even Andy from The Office has his share of haters.
On the other hand, sometimes new blood is exactly the injection of energy a show needs. Here are five examples of new additions that actually made a series much, much better…
Frank Reynolds on ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’
Season One of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, while pretty rough, had an undeniable spark. The only problem? No one watched it. That’s why the head of FX insisted the show bring in bona-fide legend Danny DeVito as a cast member. While creator Rob McElhenney fought against it, DeVito’s Frank Reynolds became an instant hit with his verbose, disgusting and all-around insane personality. The lesson here: If your show needs a new cast member, make sure it’s Danny DeVito.
Jim Ignatowski and Simka Gravas on ‘Taxi’
Speaking of DeVito, the sitcom that turned him into a star, Taxi, had two major cast additions that only made things funnier. The first was the addition of Christopher Lloyd as burnt-out hippie Jim Ignatowski. He appeared as a guest star in Season One, but he was so funny that the producers brought him back as a permanent member of the Sunshine Cab Company, where he would eventually provide some of the show’s most memorable moments.
Then there was Simka, played by Carol Kane, who played the high-strung love interest of Andy Kaufman’s lovable foreigner Latka. By giving Latka a love life, his sometimes one-note character received a little more dimension. And, who better to play opposite Kaufman than Kane, who would go on to have unforgettable comedic moments in everything from Scrooged to The Princess Bride?
Leon Black on ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’
Twelve seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm aired over the course of 25 years, although it’s pretty safe to say that without J.B. Smoove’s Leon Black, the show would have ended much sooner. In Season Six of Curb, a family of Louisiana hurricane victims moved in with Larry in L.A. Along with them came Leon, a fast-talking, sex-addicted swindler who was already living in L.A. and was unaffected by the hurricane; he just needed a place to crash.
From that point on, Leon took over a good portion of the show, and no one on Earth complained about it. His rapport with David was so funny and spontaneous that he rose to the show’s third — and sometimes even second — biggest character. Still, you have to wonder if the character has yet to live up to its full comedic potential; many Curb fans — and Smoove himself — want to see a Leon spin-off series.
Ben Wyatt and Chris Traeger on ‘Parks and Recreation’
Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope was pretty perfect from the start of Parks and Recreation, but many of the other characters were underutilized while one in particular was given too much attention: Mark Brendanawicz (played by Paul Schneider). There was simply no spark between him and Leslie, his supposed love interest. The Mark and Leslie storyline languished for two years as the show stalled, but then, at the end of Season Two, Adam Scott entered the scene as nerdy town auditor Ben Wyatt. Thankfully, he and Leslie clicked right from the start. As a bonus, we also got Rob Lowe’s hyperactive health-nut Chris Traeger who quite literally gave the show the energetic shot in the arm it needed.
Frasier Crane, Woody Boyd, Lilith Sternin and Rebecca Howe on ‘Cheers’
Cheers added new cast members seemingly every season without ever missing a beat. Frasier Crane arrived first in Season Three. Originally, it was just for six episodes, but Kelsey Grammer was so good in the role that he became a permanent fixture both at the bar and on television — his spin-off Frasier still holds the title of the most decorated comedy in television history.
Then there was Woody Boyd. Stepping in for the beloved, dim-witted character of Coach (Nicholas Colasanto, who died in Season Three), Woody, whom Woody Harrelson played impeccably, was a similarly simple-minded bartender for the rest of the cast to play off of.
Meanwhile, Bebe Neuwirth’s Lilith Sternin, a serious, tightly-wound love interest for Frasier, was the perfect foil for Grammer.
All that said, Kirstie Alley’s Rebecca Howe was probably in the toughest spot. Cheers began as a show starring both Ted Danson and Shelley Long — they even shared a title card — but when Long left after Season Five, the show smartly replaced her with an entirely different type of character that had all of her own quirks and personality.
While Danson’s Sam Malone would still hit on her, of course, Rebecca wasn’t a primary love interest in the same way Diane was. For the most part, she had her own love life and so did Sam. In fact, by pivoting away from the will-they-won’t-they dynamic of Cheers’ first five years — which had probably run its course by Season Five anyway — it allowed the show to last for six more seasons.