Arecurring characteris a fictional character, usually in aprime timeTV series,who frequently appears from time to time during the series' run.[1]Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main focus. They may be contrasted with "regular" characters, who typically appear in every or almost every episode of a series. Recurring characters appear less frequently than regulars, but more frequently thanguest starcharacters, who may appear in only one, two or more episodes without being expected to return.
Recurring characters sometimes start out as guest stars in one episode, who then reappear in future episodes because creators or audiences found the actors or storylines compelling enough to revisit.[1]Sometimes a recurring character eventually becomes part of themain castof characters; such a character is sometimes called abreakout character.Some notable examples ofmain characterswho were originally recurring characters are: Eli Gold onThe Good Wife;Leo ChingkwakeonThat '70s Show;AngelandOzonBuffy the Vampire Slayer;Marc St. JamesonUgly Betty;Vanessa AbramsonGossip Girl;Zack AllanonBabylon 5;Steve UrkelonFamily Matters;Donna MossonThe West Wing;[2]Steve HarringtononStranger Things;andFelicity SmoakonArrow.[3]
In other cases, recurring characters have been givenspin-offseries of their own, such asDr. Frasier Cranewho originally was a recurring character onCheers.[4]Kelsey Grammer,along with fellow recurring actorJohn Ratzenbergerwere hired for seven episodes, to play Frasier Crane and Cliff Clavin respectively. Cliff was scheduled to recur during the 1982–1983 season, Frasier to recur during 1984–1985 season. Both actors were subsequently upgraded to the main cast, and Crane continued in his own series following the end ofCheers.
Onsketch comedyprograms, recurring characters are generally astaple.For example, in the sketch comedy seriesYour Show of Shows,Sid Caesarused the concept frequently:[5]
As we were building and evolving our sketch comedy, we would look for new types of sketches that had legs (not caterpillar legs). We liked the idea of recurring characters and themes. It gave us something we could start with and something the audience could connect with.
— Sid Caesar,Caesar's Hours: My Life in Comedy, with Love and Laughter
Usually they appear in their own sketch and the sketch itself can become a regular part of the show. Some notable examples include theChurch Lady[6]andHans and Franz[7]fromSaturday Night Live,the Gumbys fromMonty Python's Flying Circus,andBob and Doug McKenziefromSCTV.[8]However, the characters are not always limited to their own sketches. Sometimes, characters from a recurring sketch go on to appear in other sketches, or develop into their own TV shows. For example, whenThe Carol Burnett Showwas canceled the central character of a popular recurring sketch calledThe Family,Thelma "Mama" Harper,went on to have her own showMama's Family.[9]Also, recurring characters in sketch comedy shows can go on to have their own movies. This is especially true withSaturday Night Livewhich has had many recurring characters turn into movies such asStuart Smalley,Wayne and Garth ofWayne's World,The Blues Brothers,andThe Ladies Man.[6]Recurring characters may even revisit shows long after the actor who played them has left the cast, for example, the characterMary Katherine Gallagherwas portrayed byMolly Shannonwhen she hostedSaturday Night Livein 2007, six years after she left the cast. Sometimes a recurring character from one show appears on another show, such as whenDave ThomasandRick MoranishostedSaturday Night Livein 1983 and portrayed Bob and Doug MacKenzie, or whenEmily Litella(portrayed byGilda Radner) fromSaturday Night Liveappeared onThe Muppet Showin 1978.[10]Sacha Baron Cohen's characterAli Gis another example, originating on theChannel FourseriesThe Eleven O'Clock Show.The character was such a huge success that Cohen got his own show as the original show was cancelled.
Recurring characters are not limited to television. In the early 20th century, theSaturday Evening Postfrequently had recurring characters in their cover art, such asBaby New Year.[11]TheShmoowas a recurring character in the comic stripLi'l Abner,which eventually went on to appear in the TV cartoon seriesFred and Barney Meet the ShmooandThe New Shmoo.[12]TheSherlock Holmesseries of novels byArthur Conan Doylefeatured well-known recurring characters such asInspector LestradeandMrs. Hudson.[13]
In American daytimesoap operas,recurring characters are ones played by actors who do not have a contract. They are not obligated to play the role and have no guarantee of work. Actors on recurring status used to be referred to asday players.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^abEpstein, Alex (2006).Crafty TV Writing: Thinking Inside the Box.Macmillan Publishers.pp.27–28.ISBN0-8050-8028-7.
- ^"Actress joins family at 'The West Wing'".Fresno Bee.2000-12-21.
- ^Hibberd, James (March 24, 2017)."'Supergirl' evolving as 'Flash' crossover deadline looms ".Entertainment Weekly.Archivedfrom the original on August 13, 2019.RetrievedAugust 14,2019.
- ^"Grammer's fame will surpass '15 minutes'".St. Louis Post-Dispatch.2001-03-09.
- ^Caesar, Sid;Eddy Friedfeld (2006).Caesar's Hours: My Life in Comedy, with Love and Laughter.PublicAffairs.pp.180.ISBN1-58648-152-5.
- ^abHarry, Lou;Sam Stall; Julia Spalding (2004).The Encyclopedia of Guilty Pleasures: 1001 Things You Love to Hate.Quirk Books.pp.238.ISBN1-931686-54-8.
- ^"Critics' choice - a roundup of recommendations".The Denver Post.2003-12-28.
- ^Hiltbrand, David (2004-06-09)."'SCTV's' NBC episodes are now on DVD for posterity ".The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^Whitely, Sandy; Sandra Whiteley; H. C. Whiteley (2002).On This Date: A Day-by-Day Listing of Holidays, Birthdays, and Historic Events, and Special Days, Weeks and Months.McGraw-Hill Professional.pp.226.ISBN0-07-139827-9.
- ^Weintraub, Joanne (1991-04-08)."Add life to legacy of Rander's laughs".Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- ^Lorimer, George Horace;Jan Cohn (1990).Creating America: George Horace Lorimer and the Saturday Evening Post.University of Pittsburgh Press.pp. 81–85.ISBN0-8229-5438-9.
- ^Mansour, David (2005).From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century.Andrews McMeel Publishing.p. 418.ISBN0-7407-5118-2.
- ^Conan Doyle, Arthur(2001).Eight Great Sherlock Holmes Stories.Courier Dover Publications.Note.ISBN0-486-41777-8.