View source for Recurring character

{{Short description|Character, usually in a prime time TV series, who often and frequently appears during a series' run}}
{{For|the daytime equivalent|Recurring status}}

A '''recurring character''' is a [[Character (arts)|fictional character]], usually in a [[prime time]] [[TV series]], who frequently appears from time to time during the series' run.<ref name="Crafty">{{cite book |last=Epstein |first=Alex |title=Crafty TV Writing: Thinking Inside the Box |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers]] |year=2006 |isbn=0-8050-8028-7 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/craftytvwritingt00epst/page/27 27–28] |url=https://archive.org/details/craftytvwritingt00epst/page/27 }}</ref> Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main focus. They may be contrasted with "regular" characters, who typically appear in every or almost every episode of a series. Recurring characters appear less frequently than regulars, but more frequently than [[guest star]] characters, who may appear in only one or two episodes without being expected to return. 

Recurring characters sometimes start out as guest stars in one episode, who then reappear in future episodes because creators or audiences found the actors or storylines compelling enough to revisit.<ref name="Crafty" /> Sometimes a recurring character eventually becomes part of the [[ensemble cast|main cast]] of characters; such a character is sometimes called a [[breakout character]]. Some notable examples of [[protagonist|main character]]s who were originally recurring characters are: Eli Gold on ''[[The Good Wife]]''; [[Leo Chingkwake]] on ''[[That '70s Show]]''; [[Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Angel]] and [[Oz (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Oz]] on ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''; [[Marc St. James]] on ''[[Ugly Betty]]''; [[Vanessa Abrams]] on ''[[Gossip Girl (TV series)|Gossip Girl]]''; [[Zack Allan]] on ''[[Babylon 5]]''; [[Steve Urkel]] on ''[[Family Matters (TV series)|Family Matters]]''; [[Donna Moss]] on ''[[The West Wing (television)|The West Wing]]'';<ref>{{cite news |work=[[Fresno Bee]] |date=2000-12-21 |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=FB&p_theme=fb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAE7E4D786BB2D7&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D |title=Actress joins family at 'The West Wing'}}</ref> [[Steve Harrington]] on [[Stranger Things|''Stranger Things'']]; and [[Felicity Smoak (Arrowverse)|Felicity Smoak]] on ''[[Arrow (TV series)|Arrow]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ew.com/article/2016/01/10/supergirl-crossover/ |title='Supergirl' evolving as 'Flash' crossover deadline looms |last=Hibberd |first=James |date=March 24, 2017 |website=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813142454/https://ew.com/article/2016/01/10/supergirl-crossover/ |archive-date=August 13, 2019 |access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

In other cases, recurring characters have been given [[Spin-off (media)|spin-off]] series of their own, such as [[Frasier Crane|Dr. Frasier Crane]] who originally was a recurring character on ''[[Cheers]]''.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]] |date=2001-03-09 |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SL&p_theme=sl&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB053146AC5BE77&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D |title=Grammer's fame will surpass '15 minutes'}}</ref> [[Kelsey Grammer]], along with fellow recurring actor [[John Ratzenberger]] were hired for seven episodes, to play Frasier Crane and Cliff Clavin respectively. Cliff was scheduled to recur during the 1982–1983 season, Frasier to recur during 1984–1985 season.  Both actors were subsequently upgraded to the main cast, and Crane continued in his own series following the end of ''Cheers''. 

On [[sketch comedy]] programs, recurring characters are generally a [[wikt:staple#Noun|staple]]. For example, in the sketch comedy series ''[[Your Show of Shows]]'', [[Sid Caesar]] used the concept frequently:<ref>{{cite book |last=Caesar |first=Sid |author-link=Sid Caesar |author2=Eddy Friedfeld |title=Caesar's Hours: My Life in Comedy, with Love and Laughter |publisher=[[PublicAffairs]] |year=2006 |isbn=1-58648-152-5 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/caesarshoursmyli00caesrich/page/180 180] |url=https://archive.org/details/caesarshoursmyli00caesrich/page/180 }}</ref>

{{quote|As we were building and evolving our sketch comedy, we would look for new types of sketches that had legs (not caterpillar legs). We liked the idea of recurring characters and themes. It gave us something we could start with and something the audience could connect with.|Sid Caesar|''Caesar's Hours: My Life in Comedy, with Love and Laughter''}}

Usually they appear in their own sketch and the sketch itself can become a regular part of the show. Some notable examples include the [[Church Lady]]<ref name="Guilty">{{cite book |last=Harry |first=Lou |author-link=Lou Harry |author2=Sam Stall |author3=Julia Spalding |title=The Encyclopedia of Guilty Pleasures: 1001 Things You Love to Hate |publisher=[[Quirk Books]] |year=2004 |isbn=1-931686-54-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofgu0000stal/page/238 238] |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofgu0000stal/page/238 }}</ref> and [[Hans and Franz]]<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Denver Post]] |date=2003-12-28 |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DP&p_theme=dp&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0FFC38FD449B3CB2&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D |title=Critics' choice - a roundup of recommendations}}</ref> from ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', the Gumbys from ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'', and [[Bob and Doug McKenzie]] from ''[[Second City Television|SCTV]]''.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |date=2004-06-09 |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-7096938_ITM |title='SCTV's' NBC episodes are now on DVD for posterity | first=David | last=Hiltbrand}}</ref> However, the characters are not always limited to their own sketches. Sometimes, characters from a recurring sketch go on to appear in other sketches, or develop into their own TV shows. For example, when ''[[The Carol Burnett Show]]'' was canceled the central character of a popular recurring sketch called ''The Family'', [[Thelma "Mama" Harper]], went on to have her own show ''[[Mama's Family]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Whitely |first=Sandy |author2=Sandra Whiteley |author3=H. C. Whiteley |title=On This Date: A Day-by-Day Listing of Holidays, Birthdays, and Historic Events, and Special Days, Weeks and Months |publisher=[[McGraw-Hill Professional]] |year=2002 |isbn=0-07-139827-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/onthisdatedaybyd0000unse/page/226 226] |url=https://archive.org/details/onthisdatedaybyd0000unse/page/226 }}</ref> Also, recurring characters in sketch comedy shows can go on to have their own movies. This is especially true with ''Saturday Night Live'' which has had many recurring characters turn into movies such as [[Stuart Smalley]], Wayne and Garth of ''[[Wayne's World]]'', [[The Blues Brothers]], and ''[[The Ladies Man (2000 film)|The Ladies Man]]''.<ref name="Guilty" /> Recurring characters may even revisit shows long after the actor who played them has left the cast, for example, the character [[Mary Katherine Gallagher]] was portrayed by [[Molly Shannon]] when she hosted ''Saturday Night Live'' in 2007, six years after she left the cast. Sometimes a recurring character from one show appears on another show, such as when [[Dave Thomas (actor)|Dave Thomas]] and [[Rick Moranis]] hosted ''Saturday Night Live'' in 1983 and portrayed Bob and Doug MacKenzie, or when [[Emily Litella]] (portrayed by [[Gilda Radner]]) from ''Saturday Night Live'' appeared on ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' in 1978.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]] |date=1991-04-08 |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MWSB&p_theme=mwsb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB8268337D7C28D&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D |title=Add life to legacy of Rander's laughs | first=Joanne | last=Weintraub}}</ref> [[Sacha Baron Cohen]]'s character [[Ali G]] is another example, originating on the [[Channel Four]] series ''[[The Eleven O'Clock Show]]''. The character was such a huge success that Cohen got his own show as the original show was cancelled.

Recurring characters are not limited to television. In the early 20th century, the ''[[Saturday Evening Post]]'' frequently had recurring characters in their cover art, such as [[Baby New Year]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Lorimer |first=George Horace |author-link=George Horace Lorimer |author2=Jan Cohn  |title=Creating America: George Horace Lorimer and the Saturday Evening Post |publisher=[[University of Pittsburgh Press]] |year=1990 |isbn=0-8229-5438-9 |pages=81–85}}</ref> The [[Shmoo]] was a recurring character in the comic strip [[Li'l Abner]], which eventually went on to appear in the TV cartoon series ''[[Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo]]'' and ''[[The New Shmoo]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mansour |first=David |title=From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century |publisher=[[Andrews McMeel Publishing]] |year=2005 |isbn=0-7407-5118-2 |pages=418}}</ref> The [[Sherlock Holmes]] series of novels by [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] featured well-known recurring characters such as [[Inspector Lestrade]] and [[Mrs. Hudson]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Conan Doyle |first=Arthur |author-link=Arthur Conan Doyle |title=Eight Great Sherlock Holmes Stories |publisher=[[Dover Publications|Courier Dover Publications]] |year=2001 |isbn=0-486-41777-8 |pages=Note |no-pp=true |url=https://archive.org/details/eightgreatsherlo00doyl_0 }}</ref>

In US daytime [[soap operas]], recurring characters are ones played by actors who do not have a contract. They are not obligated to play the role and have no guarantee of work. Actors on recurring status used to be referred to as [[Supporting actor|day players]].

==See also==
* [[Supporting character]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

[[Category:Television terminology]]
[[Category:Fictional characters by role in the narrative structure]]