Random Greatest TV Characters Who Weren't in Season 1 (19 items)

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  (#1) Frank Reynolds

  • It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

  Wait, you mean Frank Reynolds wasn't always there? It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia existed without him?

  It's true. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia had a seven-episode first season where there was no Danny DeVito to be found. He joined the gang at the start of Season 2 in "Charlie Gets Crippled" and has been deplorable and hilarious ever since.
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  (#2) Butters Stotch

  • South Park

  Aw, Butters. Sweet, happy, wholesome Butters Stotch had been a friend of Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman on South Park for years, but he was never actually introduced (or allowed to speak) until midway through Season 3 in an episode called "Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub." Even when he's (poorly) planning destruction as his alter ego "Professor Chaos," you just can't help but root for the lovable little guy.
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  (#3) Brienne of Tarth

  • Game of Thrones

  Has there ever been a more loyal and fully realized female character than Brienne of Tarth? Gwendolyn Christie brings a touching humanity and a sly sense of humor to this powerful warrior, though we don't get to meet her until the third episode of Season 2, "What Is Dead May Never Die." Game of Thrones is not short on powerful women, to be sure. But Brienne has a true heart (and a great sword) that elevates her above all around her.  
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  (#4) Ben Wyatt

  • Parks and Recreation

  What is Leslie Knope without Ben Wyatt? Parks & Recreation had a shaky start and a lot of early characters (like Paul Schneider's Mark Brendanawicz) didn't make it out alive. But the show found its footing when Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) and Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe) came to Pawnee late in Season 2 in "The Master Plan." The relationship that followed between Leslie and Ben truly gave Parks & Rec the heart that balanced out the comedy which made the show so special.
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  (#5) Saul Goodman

  • Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul!

  Saul Goodman puts the "criminal" in "criminal lawyer." Bob Odenkirk's pitch-perfect portrayal of the sleazy attorney didn't actually appear in Season 1 of Breaking Bad. He swooped in halfway through Season 2 in the episode "Better Call Saul" to help get one of Jesse's buddies out of a tight spot and remained a fixture from that point on.
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  (#6) Maggie Greene

  • The Walking Dead

  It's hard to imagine the post-apocalyptic world of The Walking Dead without Maggie Greene. But long-time fans will remember we didn't get to meet her until early the second episode of Season 2, "Bloodletting," when the survivors end up on Herschel's farm. Lauren Cohan's Maggie and her relationship with Glen provide a glimpse of a promising future in an otherwise desolate world.
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  (#7) Woody Boyd

  • Cheers

  Cheers had a good thing going with Nicholas Colasanto as "Coach" Ernie Pantusso, the sweet old bartender of the Boston bar. But in 1984, Colasanto left the show. Cheers needed to find someone equally lovable and dim-witted to fill Coach's shoes. Luckily, they found Woody Harrelson. Relatively unknown at the time, Harrelson played Woody Boyd as a naive hayseed from Indiana and instantly fit in with the cast from his first appearance in the Season 4 opener, "Birth, Death, Love, and Rice."
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  (#8) Mike Ehrmantraut

  • Breaking Bad

  Just like Saul Goodman, Mike Ehrmantraut is an indispensable Breaking Bad character who did not appear in season one. Mike first appears as a "fixer" in the Season 2 finale, "ABQ." 
  
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  (#9) Margaery Tyrell

  • Game of Thrones

  "I don't want to be a queen. I want to be the queen."

  With those words, Natalie Dormer introduced us to Margaery Tyrell early in "What Is Dead May Never Die," the third episode of Season 2 of Game of Thrones. For those who don't know Margaery, here's a brief history: she married a king. He died. She married another king. He died. She married another king. Then the real trouble started.

  Beautiful and cunning, it's hard to imagine Westeros without her.
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  (#10) Chris Traeger

  • Parks and Recreation

  Relentlessly cheerful, ridiculously healthy, riotously funny. Rob Lowe was made to play Chris Traeger. He and Adam Scott's Ben Wyatt joined the Parks & Rec crew in the penultimate episode of Season 2, "The Master Plan," and helped turn the show into must-see TV.
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  (#11) Newman

  • Seinfeld

  The ultimate arch-nemesis to Jerry on Seinfeld, Newman (never a first name, by the way, just Newman) was expertly brought to life by Wayne Knight. Although it may seem like Newman was always hanging around Jerry's apartment, he wasn't mentioned until halfway through Season 2 in the episode "The Revenge." Even then, we only heard Newman's voice. The character didn't appear onscreen until the Season 3 episode "The Suicide." 
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  (#12) Jack McCoy

  • Law & Order

  It's hard to think of another actor so deeply connected to one show. Sam Waterson's Jack McCoy seemed to be the one constant on Law & Order amid an ever-changing roster of cops and lawyers. But even he was not there in the beginning. He debuted in the Season 5 opener, "Second Opinion," as the Executive Assistant District Attorney and there he stayed for the remaining 368 episodes, a monumental achievement.
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  (#13) Andy Bernard

  • The Office

  It's hard to believe that someone could appear in 147 episodes of a show and not be there from the beginning, but that's Andy Bernard. We met Ed Helms' "Nard Dog" in The Office's Season 3 opener, "Gay Witch Hunt," as part of the Stamford crew. He came to Scranton shortly after as part of the merger, and Dunder-Mifflin was never the same. 
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  (#14) Benjamin Linus

  • LOST

  Michael Emerson, who portrayed the devious, brilliant, scheming Ben Linus on Lost, holds the distinction of being one of the only actors in TV history who did not appear in his show's first season but still went on to win an Emmy for his performance in later seasons. Ben Linus first appeared as a mysterious "survivor" who showed up on the island in the Season 2 episode "One of Them." But the audience soon learns he is much, much more than he appears. 
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  (#15) Ralph Cifaretto

  • The Sopranos

  Joe Pantoliano did an amazing job creating one of the most despicable characters in TV history on The Sopranos. He even managed to win an Emmy for his performance even though he only appeared in 21 episodes! Ralphie showed up in the second episode of Season 3, "Proshai, Livushka," and remained awful throughout Season 4.
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  (#16) Lady Rose MacClare

  • Downton Abbey

  Lady Rose brought a youthful air to the stuffy old Downton House on Downton Abbey with her very first appearance. Lily James was perfect as Violet's great niece, joining the cast in Season 3, episode eight. She managed to bring nothing but trouble almost immediately, but isn't that why people watched the show in the first place?
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  (#17) Marlo Stanfield

  • The Wire

  Chilling. Ice cold. Ruthless. Jamie Hector brought all this and more to the role of Marlo Stanfield on HBO's The Wire. Marlo wasn't the first bad guy, but he was the last, and he was definitely the baddest. He shows up in the Season 3 opener "Time after Time" and slowly and confidently begins his reign of terror over the streets of Baltimore.
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  (#18) Megan Draper

  • Mad Men

  Jessica Paré joined Mad Men in the Season 4 episode "Christmas Comes But Once a Year" as Megan Calvert, a secretary at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. But it didn't take long for her to become the next Mrs. Draper. During her time on the show, Megan brought a youthfulness to Don Draper's life that he sometimes had a hard time dealing with. She challenged him, and eventually, she left him. But not before leaving a big mark on one of the all-time great TV shows.

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