{"id":608660,"date":"2026-04-16T19:49:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T19:49:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/608660\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T19:49:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T19:49:13","slug":"these-10-tv-episodes-focused-on-a-side-character-were-10-10-classics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/608660\/","title":{"rendered":"These 10 TV Episodes Focused On a Side Character & Were 10\/10 Classics"},"content":{"rendered":"

The strength of every great TV show is rooted in its pilot episodes. These first looks at the story and characters end up becoming the guidebook for the rest of the series, introducing not only the world and narrative threads that will be explored but a larger structure that almost every episode afterward will follow. This has been the function of television shows for decades now, which makes surprise deviations from the formula of any given show all the more interesting. Even more exhilarating than a change to the show\u2019s style is when they shift focus entirely, putting the main characters to the side and letting a fan-favorite take the spotlight.<\/p>\n

Not every show is built for this to happen, with ensembles and procedurals having little room for a shift in the main POV to account for, meaning supporting characters have to stay that way. Others, however, not only make time for letting the side roles take center stage, but in the end deliver an episode that stands out as one of the very best of the show entirely. These are not only some of the best examples of TV episodes where side characters took over, but they\u2019re some of the best of their respective shows period.<\/p>\n

10) \u201cTeddy Perkins\u201d \u2013 Atlanta<\/p>\n

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Throughout its many wild episodes, LaKeith Stanfield\u2019s Darius has always been along for the ride or often gone on his own bizarre adventure as the B or C plot. With Season 2\u2019s Emmy-winning \u201cTeddy Perkins,\u201d though, Darius was put front and center in what may be Atlanta\u2018s most unusual episode of all time, which is no small feat. The episode not only deviates from the norm by putting Darius as the main character, but it also makes him the only major character in the series to have relevant screentime at all (Brian Tyree Henry\u2019s Paper Boi briefly appears after Darius calls him, and Donald Glover stars only as the titular and murderous \u201cTeddy\u201d). Furthermore, \u201cTeddy Perkins\u201d has a distinct tone from other Atlanta episodes as it\u2019s never predictable and descends into horror territory throughout.<\/p>\n

9) \u201cThe Man Who Killed Batman\u201d \u2013 Batman: The Animated Series<\/p>\n

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Batman: The Animated Series routinely moves the spotlight around in favor of just following the Caped Crusader solving a crime, but this usually takes the form of a villain being the center of attention. What \u201cThe Man Who Killed Batman\u201d does differently is introduce a brand new character to be the focal point, telling the tale of Sid the squid, a wannabe gangster whose nebbish qualities immediately make him a target for the actual hardened criminals of Gotham.<\/p>\n

Despite being mocked at every turn, Sid finds himself in a surprising turn of events, when it\u2019s believed that not only has Batman been killed but he was the man responsible. The episode delivers a twist on the idea with some big surprises, like how the \u201cdeath\u201d of Batman ruins the fun of crime for the Joker. In the end, Sid may be in jail, but he also finally gets his wish, the respect of his criminal peers.<\/p>\n

8) \u201cHoneydew\u201d \u2013 The Bear<\/p>\n

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Season 2 of The Bear is almost entirely made up of episodes that could appear on this list, and while \u201cForks\u201d may be one of the most iconic of the series, \u201cHoneydew\u201d actually takes a side character and puts them at the forefront. Marcus (Lionel Boyce) has been tasked with formulating the dessert menu for The Bear, the restaurant, and is sent to Copenhagen by Carmy to figure it out under the tutelage of another chef, Will Poulter\u2019s Luca.<\/p>\n

A defining trait of The Bear as a series is the chaos and turmoil at the heart of the entire thing, exacerbated by the fact that the lead character is relatively unstable at times. That being the bedrock for the series is what makes this episode itself so distinct and welcome; it\u2019s a breath of fresh air in a hurricane. Not only do we get the chance to really know Marcus as a character and watch Lionel Boyce deliver a subtle and perfect performance, but we also see how he can thrive under a different kind of pressure. Learning under Luca proves to be a challenge for Marcus, where the result of failure isn\u2019t the screaming match he\u2019d find at The Bear, but one where opportunity is found. It\u2019s one of the most distinct episodes of the show on the whole, on top of one of the best about a side character.<\/p>\n

7) \u201cHermanos\u201d \u2013 Breaking Bad<\/p>\n

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Though there are a handful of brief moments in \u201cHermanos\u201d that feature Bryan Cranston\u2019s Walter White, the episode is largely about Giancarlo Esposito\u2019s Gus Fring, the mysterious antagonist of the series who haunted Heisenberg\u2019s dreams. Not only does the episode catch up with Gus in the present day, showing how he successfully navigates interrogation from the DEA using his wits and iconic unshakeable persona, but it also explores his larger backstory. <\/p>\n

Not only does this extended flashback, one of the few times in the series this is deployed, reveal how Fring got involved with the Mexican cartels and used that as a springboard for his own drug empire, but it also acts as an origin story for his restaurant chain, Los Pollos Hermanos. It\u2019s a heartwrenching moment, but one that sets up the confrontation with Don Eladio just two episodes later.<\/p>\n

6) \u201cLong, Long Time\u201d \u2013 The Last of Us<\/p>\n

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The Last of Us TV series has a slavish devotion to the video game that it\u2019s based on, which makes sense given its largely cinematic language. Adapting the game into this medium meant there was precious little time for wiggle room or deviations, but the one that Season 1 was allowed that detour, it delivered its best episode ever. Though it does feature Pedrp Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie, the episode is largely about the relationship of Nick Offerman\u2019s Bill and Murray Bartlett\u2019s Frank, revealing a story that was only implied in the games and one with a distinctly different outcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cLong, Long Time\u201d is important to the larger The Last of Us not only for telling the story that it does, which stands out from an already spectacular first season, but because it\u2019s an important piece on the journey of its lead characters. During their trek across the United States, Joel and Ellie routinely encounter pairs of people who all suffer different fates as a result of the world they live in, giving the two characters an example of how their stories could end. What separates \u201cLong, Long Time\u201d from all the others is that it shows how there is still beauty to be found in love and the simplicity of life.<\/p>\n

5) \u201cFlaming Moe\u2019s\u201d \u2013 The Simpsons<\/p>\n

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Given the extent of the roster of characters in The Simpsons, there are countless episodes that follow side characters. Arguably one of the best is \u201cFlaming Moe\u2019s,\u201d all about everyone\u2019s favorite suicidal bartender and the time he steals Homer\u2019s recipe for a new mixed drink. Featuring a hilarious riff on Cheers that\u2019s all about Moe\u2019s, an appearance by Aerosmith, and a twist on Bart\u2019s iconic crank calls, \u201cFlaming Moe\u2019s\u201d is a classic Simpsons episode that never slows down and always pivots just when you think you\u2019ve figured out where it\u2019s headed. <\/p>\n

4) \u201cMr. Ruggerio\u2019s Neighborhood\u201d \u2013 The Sopranos<\/p>\n

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For a series that fully redefined dramatic television for the era, it\u2019s especially telling that the Season 3 premiere of The Sopranos would reinvent the format of the show itself. Though James Gandolfini\u2019s Tony Soprano is seen throughout the episode, he is largely relegated to the side. Instead, the FBI agents who have been slowly building a case against Tony take the spotlight, with the episode showing how they\u2019re trying to navigate their case, including how they monitor the family\u2019s home and even plant bugs inside to try and learn new info.<\/p>\n

In classic The Sopranos fashion, though, the episode has plenty of surprises up its sleeve. Not only does it reveal characters with distinct feelings about Tony from within the family, but reveals that the FBI\u2019s careful planning is largely for naught thanks to elements fully out of their control. \u201cMr. Ruggerio\u2019s Neighborhood\u201d also features the iconic remix of \u201cEvery Breath You Take\u201d and the \u201cTheme From Peter Gunn,\u201d an amazing piece of music from the series that will earworm its way into your mind.<\/p>\n

3) \u201cButters\u2019 Very Own Episode\u201d \u2013 South Park<\/p>\n

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A background character across the series in its early seasons, Butters would finally become a bigger piece of the South Park cast in Season 5, leading to an episode that\u2019s all about him and his family. In the episode, the optimistic and often gullible character is, of course, thrust into a dark and very adult storyline. After learning that his father is a closeted bisexual and revealing the news to his father, though Butters believes it all to be innocent fun, his mother goes on to try to kill him by drowning, and later tries to take her own life. On the whole, the episode is a hilarious mix of very dark comedy, which works because it\u2019s juxtaposed with the innocence at the heart of Butters as a character.<\/p>\n

2) \u201cMake It Stop\u201d \u2013 Star Wars: Andor<\/p>\n

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Andor distinguishes itself from other Star Wars shows by putting the spotlight on characters and stories that are somehow not big enough for the grandiose space opera, but which nonetheless must be told in order for the idea of a rebellion to make sense in the slightest. One of the final episodes of Season 2 not only puts the series in motion toward its conclusion, which aligns it with the plot of Rogue One, but does so by taking one of its biggest characters off the board entirely. <\/p>\n

Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd\u2019s Luthen may appear throughout the episode, but he spends most of it in a coma before dying, with the majority of dramatic heavy lifting falling on Elizabeth Dulau\u2019s Kleya Marki, who is forced to enact the backup plan that she never wanted to face. The episode also details the origin of these two characters, not only how they met, but how they were able to create the network of spies that became the bedrock for the rebellion itself. It has a touching final moment, one that brings the whole series together in a bow, even without its title character.<\/p>\n

1) \u201cMusings of a Cigarette Smoking Man\u201d \u2013 The X-Files<\/p>\n

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One of the biggest lingering threats across The X-Files is the mysterious Cigarette Smoking Man, played by William B. Davis. Present from the very beginning of the series, CSM and his clear influence to keep the truth from getting out into the world is well documented but it\u2019s not until the fourth season that we actually learn more about him. In Season 4\u2019s \u201cMusings of a Cigarette Smoking Man,\u201d the origin story of the character is revealed, detailing not only his involvement in the JFK assassination, the death of Martin Luther King Jr, but the Bay of Pigs, and even an early friendship with none other than Bill Mulder, Fox\u2019s father<\/p>\n

Though Davis does play the character at the start and end of the episode, guest star Chris Owens appears as the younger version of the character, with a powerful performance that clearly lays all the breadcrumbs to the Davis version of the iconic character. Even more distinct about the nature of this episode about a side character is that by the end, it\u2019s not clear how much of it is even true. Given the nature of The Cigarette Smoking Man\u2019s ability to manipulate and distort reality, it may all be fake, something to throw off Melvin Frohike, the Lone Gunmen, and even Mulder himself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The strength of every great TV show is rooted in its pilot episodes. These first looks at the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":608661,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[43265,199348,124758,49,48,75,28401,16652,229563,16166,348],"class_list":{"0":"post-608660","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-andor","9":"tag-batman-the-animated-series","10":"tag-breaking-bad","11":"tag-ca","12":"tag-canada","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-list-feature","15":"tag-south-park","16":"tag-the-last-of-us-tvshow","17":"tag-the-x-files","18":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}