20 TV characters who deserved more screen time

Creed Bratton could say and do absolutely anything, and it’d make total sense. That was the charm of his character. He was ultra-mysterious and incredibly weird, and every moment he was on screen was hilarious. Just a few more minutes of screen time per season would’ve been all we needed, but we were robbed, nevertheless. 

Sure, Michael Schur, the genius behind Mose Schrute, might have been too busy producing The Office to give this epic character more love on screen, but the extra time spent would’ve been well worth the effort. Every scene with Mose was bizarre and hilarious, and there was so much more we could’ve learned about Dwight’s odd cousin. 

Some might say that Adrian Pimento was on Brooklyn Nine-Nine for just the right amount of time, but we think he could’ve used a few more episodes. Adrian always added the perfect blend of psychotic and endearing. A strange mix, yes, but it was unique to him, and we loved him for it. 

Seeing Fred Armisen in one of the very first episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine gave viewers hope that he might be a recurring character. Though he technically was, we would’ve been happy to see him pop up in a few more episodes to deny he knew anyone on the force. No one plays a weirdo better than Fred Armisen. 

Remember what we said about weirdos and Fred Armisen? He’s unbelievably good at playing one, and his character duo with Carrie Brownstein on Portlandia, The Weirdos, were among their best on the series. Watching The Weirdos go to the beach will forever be burned into our brains, and we could’ve used more juxtaposing bits from our favorite soft-hearted goths. 

Michel was technically on every episode of Gilmore Girls, but this list isn’t about how much these characters were on screen. It’s about the fact that they should’ve been on more. And Michel deserved more. His snobby asides were beyond funny, and we were always left wanting to know more about his personal life. A few more scenes would’ve solved that. 

You could argue that every Stars Hollow townsperson featured in Gilmore Girls deserved more screen time (except for Taylor, of course), and you’d have a legitimate case, but none of them were quite as deserving as Kirk. Kirk’s quirks were every bit as hilarious as Lorelai’s diatribes. 

Parks and Recreation was full of odd characters who popped in and out far too infrequently. One of our favorites, who was in talks to get his spin-off, was Jean-Ralphio Saperstein. Tom’s best friend and co-founder of e720, Jean-Ralphio, had some of the show's best lines, and his spin-off would’ve been incredible. 

Jean-Ralphio wasn’t the only Saperstein who didn’t get enough screen time. His sister, Mona Lisa, was every bit as ridiculous, and every storyline she was a part of was made infinitely better by her presence. Begging anyone and everyone for money and throwing a tantrum until you get it when you already have enough is the behavior of an icon. 

Greg Serrano was the best of all of Rebecca Bunch’s romantic interests. He was kind and levelheaded, and he genuinely cared about Rebecca. Greg was on screen quite a bit while in the show, but he left far too soon. And don't mention the casting change when Greg returned to the story. This is strictly dedicated to Santino Fontana. 

Superstore is an incredibly underrated sitcom, and Bo is an incredibly underrated character. Not only was he a riot, but he also grew from an irresponsible teenager to a caring husband and father. He was the perfect match for Cheyenne, and although he was goofy as they come, you couldn’t help but love him. 

Cece and her modeling career were not the focus of New Girl, but we could’ve used more screen time from some of her model friends, particularly Nadia. Her date with Schmidt was one of the best scenes of the entire series, and watching those two interact more would’ve been welcomed.

Watching Lucille Bluth interact with anyone was great comedy, but watching her interact with Annyong, her adopted son, was particularly amusing. Weaponizing your adopted son to make your grown, emotionally-stunted son jealous? Absurd and demented. And we could’ve gotten more of it from Lucille had Annyong had more scenes. 

Once again, this list is about characters we wanted to see more. Richard Splett had a fair amount of screen time on Veep, but he could’ve been in more, and the show would’ve been better for it. Richard’s lines were ones that only got funnier with time, and he was never not cracking up the audience. 

Plenty of fans think Haley should’ve ended up with Andy. And while there’s a strong case for that argument, we’re on Team Dylan. He complemented Haley, and the two of them grew up together. Dylan was always an idiot, but he was a loveable idiot, and we couldn’t help but want more from him. 

If you hated Georgina Sparks, you watched Gossip Girl for all the wrong reasons. The show thrives on drama, and no one created it like Georgina. Yes, she did lots of dark, deplorable things to her friends, but it made the show more interesting. There’s a reason she was the only original character to reprise her role in the reboot. Justice for Georgina. 

While most of the characters on Schitt’s Creek were absolutely bonkers, Twyla was a calm, sweet presence who was a genuinely good friend to the Roses. She listened to their issues and gave them solid advice. Twyla deserved some storylines that didn’t revolve around the bits we learned about her tragic family life. 

Maya Rudolph is perfect in every role she plays, and her time as the Judge on The Good Place was perfect, too. Her demeanor and dialogue were hilarious, and she brought a little bit of clarity to the show when we needed it most. And we would totally binge-watch Deadwood with her if given the chance.  

Nearly every character on Girls was insufferable. And sure, that was intentional. Although Laird had his own slew of issues, he seemed to be one of the only ones actively trying to do better, at least toward the end. Laird was a breath of fresh air and was on the show far too little. 

Of all the government departments in Pawnee, Indiana, Animal Control was certainly the most ineffective. The town was teeming with raccoons thanks to the poor efforts of Brett and Harris, the two bureaucrats who never had a dull moment on screen. The two of them applying for the jobs they were just fired from? Peak comedy.