How Can We Miss You If You Won't Leave

TV shows have breakout characters--Fonzie, Larry-Darryl-and-Darryl, Benjamin Linus--characters not considered important (or even existing) at the beginning of the series who become big fan favorites, and so also get more screen time.

But there are others, sometimes even more to the side, who may be favorites but still don't get a lot of air time.  Often this is wise.  Certain characters become more powerful merely by the fact they're not overused.  (One of my favorite side-characters is Magnitude in Community, simply because almost all he says is his inane catch phrase "pop pop!" You simply can't do too much with the character unless you want to change him, which will likely mean he becomes weaker.)

This is a roundabout introduction to some questionable picks at The A.V. Club for "TV characters we want more of." Right off the bat there's trouble in how the question's asked:

Sometimes when you watch a TV show you love, there are great characters that you think should be used more often, and could really bring something to the show. For me, it’s Rose and Bernard from Lost. Their flashback episode showed what great chemistry they had, and the way they interacted with the other characters was sharp, witty, and often poignant. What is the one character from a show you love (or hate, for that matter) whom you wish was utilized more often?

This is pretty odd.  Being a huge Lost fan, I wasn't aware that many wanted more Rose and Bernard.  People didn't hate them, like Nikki and Paulo, but many wondered if they even needed their own flashback.  They seemed best served as background characters occasionally coming forward to speak their mind.

Some of the responses the A.V. crew give seem just as weird.  One would like to see more Chalky White (the black bootlegger) in Boardwalk Empire.  I'm not that big a fan of the show to begin with, but even though Michael K. Williams was charismatic as Omar in The Wire doesn't make him worth watching here.

Another person wants to see Andy Dwyer's alter-ego Burt Macklin more on Parks And Recreation.  Really?  Burt seems a one-off sort of bit that shouldn't be repeated too often, if ever.

One guy complains that Alexei Sayle's appearance on The Young Ones always left him wanting more.  Well that's a good thing, isn't it?  As it is, in all 12 episodes of the series, Alexei Sayle gets to come on, do his comedy bit, and leave.  The perfect sort of role for him, and even then I hardly found him the highlight of the show.  More would be a huge mistake.

Another guy wants more J. B. Smoove as Leon in Curb Your Enthusiasm.  Actually, Leon's become sort of a breakout character.  He was introduced, people loved him, and Larry kept him as a regular.  But it's not his show, and letting him do his bits works, while letting him take over more would probably make him tiresome.

One guy wants more from the writers and Pete in 30 Rock.  I agree the writers are underused, but Pete?  His character has never really worked.  He essentially plays the same part as Liz--the sensible person stuck amidst craziness.  You only need one of those.  Perhaps Tina Fey likes the actor, but there's not much reason artistically to keep him around, much less give him more to do.

Another person wants more Jean-Ralphio from Parks And Recreation.  Once again, this is the sort of odd character who works best in small doses.

Finally, we get Miguel Ferrer's Albert Rosenfield on Twin Peaks.  This was another breakout character who came in late and became a fan favorite.  It was never my impression they didn't give him enough to do.