The Truth Behind TV's Most Iconic Side Characters
“There are no small roles, just small actors.” This famous quote—used to make an actor feel good about having only a few lines—can also refer to the character that shows up from time to time on our favorite TV shows.
They are the mortar to the bricks who are the stars of the series. But once in a while, we enter a backward universe where these recurring characters become more of a draw than the main ones.
You look forward to their appearance on your favorite show, but honestly, you have no clue what their name is. These are the recurring characters of popular television, and it’s time you got to know them.
1. She Owned These Three Words
One of the most famous of all recurring characters on TV is the one that precedes almost all of her entrances with three, sometimes soul-destroying, words: “Oh My God”. Of course, I'm talking about Janice on Friends. Actor Maggie Wheeler had a difficult task—making a very needy woman with an incredibly annoying nasal voice actually likable.
Well…let’s define likable. She was the one you had to love disliking.
2. She Came Through Loud And Clear
Audiences, and the creators of Friends, seemed to love Janice and they just kept bringing her back. It’s hard to define Janice's best moment: her nasal version of “My Funny Valentine,” her outrageous reaction to her pet hair allergy, or Janice in labor—wow, that was loud. Janice, with all the regular characters avoiding her, still somehow managed to bed both Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Ross (David Schwimmer).
When she nasally announced that Joey (Matt LeBlanc) was next, for some morbid reason, I really hoped it was true. Aside from playing Janice on Friends, Maggie Wheeler’s career sounds like a study in missed opportunities.
3. She Missed Out
Wheeler obviously nailed the audition for Janice, but she actually missed out on playing some pretty unforgettable characters. Wheeler tried out for both Debra Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond and the Kathy Griffin role on Suddenly Susan. She also lost her job on Ellen after just one season. Wheeler recently admitted on TikTok her one complaint about her time on Friends: she thinks Janice and Chandler should’ve walked off into the sunset together.
Here’s another recurring romantic partner who probably walked off into the sunset very much alone.
4. He Was The Beeper King
Liz Lemon, Tina Fey’s character in 30 Rock, had her share of man trouble, but no one caused her more grief than on-again-off-again boyfriend Dennis Duffy, AKA the Beeper King. It seemed that once a year, Duffy, played by Dean Winters, would surface with a new scheme to make money that was more ridiculous than the one before.
He once even tried to throw Liz under a subway train for a completely selfish reason—to reap the rewards of being a hero. This, however, wasn’t the first time Winters had played a bad boyfriend.
