TV Shows Where the Main Character is so Bad They Focus on Another Character

I don't think Rob Lowe was bad by any stretch, they just cast a *really* strong ensemble. Some of whom weren't as well known at the time and knocked it out of the park. They apparently also found the chemistry between Donna and Josh pretty organically.

Also responsible for coining the phrase “going to mandyville” to explain when a character disappears with zero explanation.

Mandy was Josh's ex and foil, but then he had better chemistry with Donna, and Mandy didn't really fit the story. But you can see elements of her character recycled into Josh's girlfriend Amy a few seasons later.

Mandy was Josh’s foil/love interest. Not Sam’s. And it was always intended as an ensemble piece, Lowe was just the most famous and the way to sell the show out the gate. Though they did pivot to more Bartlett than originally intended. Donna was also meant to be a day player who we rarely saw. She walked in day one and made the choice she was in love with her boss and the show shifted to incorporate it cause it was so great.  But back to Moira/Mandy - she couldn't hang with the rhythm of Sorkins dialogue, thats why she got the boot. Literally couldnt do the job. Wild that she was ever cast. My theory has always been that Amy/Mary Louise Parker was basically the same character, recast with someone who could actually make the role work. Same dynamic with Josh. Same outsider to insider arc. 

For real that cast was stacked. 

And this is how they were written in the books. William was always sad and annoying about being a vampire and Eric was excited and only saw opportunity.

SOOKEH

Eric and Pam were the best parts of TB throughout the series, Russell Edgington also did a lot of heavy lifting

Skarsgård was so freaking s*** and funny as Eric. The scene where he and Bill are trying to cover up killing the King of Louisiana's beau was hysterical: Bill on the phone; Eric *zooming* around behind him, vacuuming and wiping. Or the episode where Eric comes out with foil highlights on his hair.

I think the show did Sookie's character dirty. So many times they made her act and think like a child when she was really a stronger heroine in the books. Also, Lafayette was only in the first book. Seems no explanation needed for why he stayed the entire series.

The Mandalorian already was what people wanted from a Boba Fett show, they just didn't use that name.

I think Boba Fett could have been amazing in his own show if they’d actually kept him as the most ruthless and borderline insane bounty hunter around. Instead we got whatever the f*** it was

The fact that he was only on screen for maybe 10 minutes in ESB and ROTJ is what made him such an intriguing character.

With Grogu gone after the end of Season 2, S3 should've been Mando teamin up with Boba Fett and going down a dark path while helping him get revenge on the crime syndicates. Then S4 is him finding redemption by teaming up with Bo-Katan to help retake Mandalore. EDIT: And meanwhile Grogu appears instead in "Ahsoka", after training with Luke he goes to help her and Sabine in their quest to find Ezra.

Temeura literally guest starred with no lines in his self named show.

I was somehow okay with this.

IIRC, originally the chapter numbers for BoBF were going to continue where Mando season 2 left off and be chapters 17-24.

I agree, this little story line was the highlight of the show. When he got to the town with the cyberpunk biker kids it went downhill.

I also figured that it was so they could use the characters as examples of inequalities in the system. Piper's ultimately able to leave prison within a few years and resume a relatively normal life (albeit not the one she'd had in the beginning, as her fiance had moved on) despite having done more shit on the inside. But a lot of the other less privileged women whose crimes were of the same or lesser level of severity never got out - they were killed by a guard, ended up with a life sentence for something they didn't do, were deported, or spiraled into drug addiction and violence despite not having been like that on the outside.

I acknowledge that they wanted Piper to be annoying and completely out of touch, but, I think the writers did their job a little bit *too* well.

I think to a certain extent. But they really did stop focusing so much on Piper and I think that was mostly based on feedback. For example they got rid of the focus on her life outside and family (fiancé, etc.) and moved it to her eventual romance with Alex (who was a much more compelling character than Piper - for awhile) and really focused on the ensemble of characters. That all made it better for awhile (I think it went downhill as a show in later seasons).

for Jenji shows, your best bet is the first 1-2 seasons then don't watch again until the finale where she seems to nail it even if the show went to shit prior

Nancy was just Walter White before Walter White. By the end of the show, she is unequivocally the bad guy.

The only show where this isn’t true is *Boston Legal* because William Shatner has the charisma to hold his own.

James Spader was always the star. That’s why he was No 1 on the call sheet/top billing. Megan Boone’s character was just the entry point into the story. If I had to point to a more scene-stealing “weird Spader” performance, it would be his turn on THE PRACTICE. It was his reintroduction to a lot of us who’d forgotten about him and he was great.

He walked into The Practice, a show with a cast that has been together for 7 seasons, and just took over it so seamlessly.

He is the lizard king, after all.

He even has first billing on IMDB. It’s pretty obviously his show. OP has an interesting post question, but it was inspired by a terrible example.

Which is infuriating because Ultron is the prime example of a villain who could return after being defeated with little explanation needed

Something has gone awry with the writing when an Imperial Japan trade minister is a more interesting character than someone leading an insurrection against an Axis controlled America

He always is. Man is a good get in most shows, great actor.

My goodness, I don’t even remember where I stopped watching. Kinda all just blurs

The first 3-4 episodes of Season 4 felt like the writers were cornered and had no idea on how to proceed with the original story.

I just finished watching it on Netflix. Which is weird in itself seeing amazon studios pop up at the start. I always thought it was only 2 seasons. Then I saw why. I thought it ended in a good spot at the end of the second season and then the next 2 just seemed a cash grab. They had so many pointless stories and I swear at some point (although I'd lost some interest) the main character was alive in a universe with herself even though no one else could be. Then there was so much stuff that just wasn't needed or just abrupt changes. Like starting the resistance and then randomly getting caught and his head chopped off.

A single 240 page novel isn't a ton of material for a multi-season TV series.

Yea, it was good the first few seasons but once it changed it found its voice a little better. As much as I hate to admit it the show improved once Violet and Roscoe just kinda disappeared. Violets actress played the part of the angry daughter a little too well imo. It was 100% true to life but that really didnt work in a comedy series, even if the subject matter was serious. I feel bad for her to be honest, played the part so well she was written out. Then fast forward and we get Tammy, who is absolutely hilarious. This scene never fails to make me laugh until it hurts. https://youtu.be/8KSasyUeR34?t=46

Pretty much. Jess still got several main stories throughout the whole series.

My wife and I joke that half of the New Girl episodes follow the plot line of: - Roommates asks Jess not to do a thing - Jess does the thing anyway - Everyone works together to get them out of the mess caused by Jess doing that thing

Yeah Mark felt like too much of a straight man. When they brought in Ben and found someone who could be a straight man but also could play someone neurotic they hit a grand slam

I think Mark Brendanawicz’s actor simply didn’t feel like he fit in with where the show was going by season 2’s end and left because Mark felt out of place with the other characters. It’s quite awkward too rewatching season 1 after seeing how Leslie is written in later seasons, seeing how she’s still weirdly into Mark after sleeping with him one time. It seems so out of place compared to how Leslie is in later seasons, like Season 3 when the show really starts to hit its stride.

Chris Pratt's character was written to be pretty insufferable in season 1, just fully taking advantage of Ann taking care of him due to his broken legs. But when the writers saw how naturally funny and appealing Chris Pratt was (he sometimes improved better lines than what was written for him), he went from not even going to be in season 2, to a main character.

Season 2 was still somewhat serious with the Legion of Doom but much more fun, interesting and less contrived. Wayyyyyy better than S1 in every regard. It's really S3 where they said f*** it

And that made it the best arrow verse show

POND!

Arthur Darvill was not the problem with Rip Hunter

I knew about Dawson's Creek back when it was airing on television, but, I never had any interest in tuning in. I decided to give it a try not long ago and found Dawson himself to be insufferable. It's like he thought real life was a movie that was meant to move by the script that was comfortable for him and only him.

Especially back when it aired. All of the actors were basically no names at the time. Jake Johnson had been in a few indie films and Max Greenfield was doing bit parts in other TV shows. They had to build the show around her to get it made.

Yea i actually looked the guy that got the role, but the choreography and script were so bad

Season 2 wasn't perfect, but Danny was a lot better than s1.

That’s 100% true. And it’s not like Bart became less funny, in fact he just got better. But so did the rest of the show and Homer is like a top 5 tv character all time. While he’s clearly number one, any family member can carry an episode by themselves if they have to.

Made funnier by the fact that actress didn't last the whole show.

Yeah the main characters were great and all likeable. Urkel just took on a life of his own

Even in the books they improve once the story moves away from Holden's POV. He's not a bad character per se, but he is a bit of a one-dimensional everyman since that is kinda just his role in the story. He's the normal guy who is nothing special, but he stands up and does the right thing when he needs to

It's kind of a Sherlock and Watson vibe - Spader plays the super connected genius guy, the... Other lady whose name I can't remember... Plays a relatively flat foil who keeps him moving forward.

He is. In TBBT he starts off an ass and your supposed to watch him get "better" as the show goes on. In YS, he kinda of annoying as a kid, but its ignorable because he's a kid. You're supposed to hope he gets better as the show goes on, but if anything he has to regress for the original to make sense.