“Cousin Oliver syndrome” occurs when a television show introduces a new character, usually someone young and adorable, to increase ratings. However, this often results in the opposite.
That doesn’t mean every character introduced in an already established show is a failure. Some new characters are just what a show needs, injecting a breath of fresh air into a struggling show.
Here are ten characters whose introduction improved a TV show.
Eddie Munson – Stranger Things
The debut season of Stranger Things was a breakout success for Netflix. It combined the nostalgia of the 1980s with the same charm and storytelling we love about a classic Stephen Spielberg movie.
Subsequent seasons, however, failed to live up to the hype. By the time the fourth season was released, fans were hoping for a turn of events.
Enter Eddie Munson, played by Joseph Quinn, who stole the show from his first scene. On the back of his introduction, Stranger Things 4 is the best season since the original.
Chris Traeger and Ben Wyatt – Parks and Recreation
The debut season of Parks and Recreation felt like a spin-off of The Office. While the two shows share creators (Greg Daniels and Michael Schur) and a documentary style of production, they are entirely unrelated.
Eventually, Parks and Recreation found its own rhythm and arguably became the better show. While Chris Pratt’s breakout helped, he had been on the show since the beginning. The introduction of Rob Lowe and Adam Scott, who played Chris Traeger and Ben Wyatt, respectively, helped elevate the show and make it become its own thing.
Gus Fring – Breaking Bad
How do you make the greatest television show in history even better? Introduce one of the greatest television antagonists of all time.
Debuting in the second season of Breaking Bad, actor Giancarlo Esposito has an unmatched screen presence.
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Ramsey Bolton – Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones excelled at constantly introducing new characters, which was necessary given its eagerness to kill off established ones.
The one thing that makes Ramsey Bolton’s inclusion here interesting is how he grows from a minor antagonist to a full-blown villain. He rises to become one of the show’s major antagonists through the sixth season, filling in tremendously while the story waits for the final act to begin in the final seasons.
Woody – Cheers
It’s tough not to choose the Cheers character who got his own spin-off, but Fraiser Crane was never as popular as Woody.
Woody Boyd did the impossible: He replaced Coach Ernie Pantusso and established himself as one of the show’s most popular characters. Woody’s small-town charm, personality, and humor helped make him a loveable character.
Trinity Killer – Dexter
For as great as the first season of Dexter was, the second, and particularly third, seasons struggled. Removing Lt. Doakes turned out not to be the smartest of moves; his screen presence is unmatched, and his loss is felt immediately by the time season three begins.
Enter John Lithgow’s Trinity Killer as the season four antagonist. His presence not only brings back Special Agent Frank Lundy, establishing Trinity as a legitimate threat but also is the perfect foil for Dexter Morgan. Lithgow rightfully earned his Golden Globe and Emmy, perfecting balancing the loveable nature of Lithgow’s characters alongside an essence of pure evil.
Frank Reynolds – It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
The first season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a great debut, but it certainly feels rough around the edges. The main cast already has incredible chemistry, but introducing Danny DeVito’s Frank Reynolds in season two helps elevate the show to top-tier status.
DeVito meshes so well with the main cast that it’s easy to forget he wasn’t originally in the series.
Steve Urkel – Family Matters
Urkel was initially intended to be a minor character, as Family Matters was supposed to be more about the Winslow family.
Thanks to his popularity, Urkel became the show’s star, often overshadowing most of the Winslow family.
Soldier Boy – The Boys
Soldier Boy’s introduction in Season 3 of The Boys does more than deliver a worthy antagonist for the entire cast.
It helps us dive deeper into the show’s backstory and history, learning more about Vought and providing Homelander with an adversary on an equal playing field.
Best of all, the Season 4 finale suggests that Soldier Boy isn’t a one-and-done character, and we’re excited to see how he plays in the show’s final season.
Leon Black – Curb Your Enthusiasm
As great as the original seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm are—and they are indeed great television—the inclusion of J.B. Smoove’s Leon Black is so seamless that it feels like he’s been working alongside Larry David the entire time.
Leon Black is the perfect co-star for Larry David, with both characters providing over-the-top humor that plays extraordinarily well against each other. Black also has the honor of having some of the best lines in the entire show, stealing virtually every scene he’s in.
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