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A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who often and frequently appears from time to time during the series' run.^[1] Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main focus. The character's return is often based on popularity and liking from fans. Recurring characters also appear in less or more than just half of the episodes per season or book, with at five appearances considered a minimum.

Recurring characters usually start out as guest stars in one episode but continue to show up in future episodes if the storylines or actors are compelling enough.^[1] Sometimes a recurring character eventually becomes part of the main cast of characters; such a character is sometimes called a breakout character. Some notable examples of main characters who were originally recurring characters are: Leo Chingkwake on That '70s Show; Oz on Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Marc St. James on Ugly Betty; Vanessa Abrams on Gossip Girl; Summer Roberts, Julie Cooper, Taylor Townsend & Kaitlin Cooper on The O.C.; Zack Allan on Babylon 5; Franklin Mumford on My Wife and Kids; Steve Urkel on Family Matters; Donna Moss on The West Wing;^[2] Michelle Dessler and Chloe O'Brian on 24; Santana Lopez, Brittany S. Pierce & Blaine Anderson on Glee; and Lois Lane & Oliver Queen on Smallville.

In other cases, recurring characters have been given spin-off series of their own, such as Dr. Frasier Crane who originally was a recurring character on Cheers.^[3] Kelsey Grammer, along with fellow recurring actor John Ratzenberger were hired for 7 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 staple. For example, in the sketch comedy series Your Show of Shows, Sid Caesar used the concept frequently:^[4]

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^[5] and Hans and Franz^[6] from Saturday Night Live, the Gumbys from Monty Python's Flying Circus, and Bob and Doug McKenzie from SCTV.^[7] 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.^[8] 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.^[5] 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 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.^[9] 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.

Of course, 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.^[10] 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.^[11] The Sherlock Holmes series of novels by Arthur Conan Doyle featured well-known recurring characters such as Inspector Lestrade and Mrs. Hudson.^[12]

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 day players.

References

^ ^a ^b Epstein, Alex (2006). Crafty TV Writing: Thinking Inside the Box. Macmillan Publishers. pp. 27–28. ISBN 0-8050-8028-7.
^ "Actress joins family at 'The West Wing'". Fresno Bee. 2000-12-21.
^ "Grammer's fame will surpass '15 minutes'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 2001-03-09.
^ Caesar, Sid (2006). Caesar's Hours: My Life in Comedy, with Love and Laughter. PublicAffairs. p. 180. ISBN 1-58648-152-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
^ ^a ^b Harry, Lou (2004). The Encyclopedia of Guilty Pleasures: 1001 Things You Love to Hate. Quirk Books. p. 238. ISBN 1-931686-54-8. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
^ "Critics' choice - a roundup of recommendations". The Denver Post. 2003-12-28.
^ Hiltbrand, David (2004-06-09). "'SCTV's' NBC episodes are now on DVD for posterity". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
^ Whitely, Sandy (2002). On This Date: A Day-by-Day Listing of Holidays, Birthdays, and Historic Events, and Special Days, Weeks and Months. McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 226. ISBN 0-07-139827-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
^ Weintraub, Joanne (1991-04-08). "Add life to legacy of Rander's laughs". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
^ Lorimer, George Horace (1990). Creating America: George Horace Lorimer and the Saturday Evening Post. University of Pittsburgh Press. pp. 81–85. ISBN 0-8229-5438-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
^ Mansour, David (2005). From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 418. ISBN 0-7407-5118-2.
^ Conan Doyle, Arthur (2001). Eight Great Sherlock Holmes Stories. Courier Dover Publications. Note. ISBN 0-486-41777-8. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |nopp= ignored (|no-pp= suggested) (help)

[Crafty-1] Epstein, Alex (2006). Crafty TV Writing: Thinking Inside the Box. Macmillan Publishers. pp. 27–28. ISBN 0-8050-8028-7.

[2] "Actress joins family at 'The West Wing'". Fresno Bee. 2000-12-21.

[3] "Grammer's fame will surpass '15 minutes'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 2001-03-09.

[4] Caesar, Sid (2006). Caesar's Hours: My Life in Comedy, with Love and Laughter. PublicAffairs. p. 180. ISBN 1-58648-152-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

[Guilty-5] Harry, Lou (2004). The Encyclopedia of Guilty Pleasures: 1001 Things You Love to Hate. Quirk Books. p. 238. ISBN 1-931686-54-8. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

[6] "Critics' choice - a roundup of recommendations". The Denver Post. 2003-12-28.

[7] Hiltbrand, David (2004-06-09). "'SCTV's' NBC episodes are now on DVD for posterity". The Philadelphia Inquirer.

[8] Whitely, Sandy (2002). On This Date: A Day-by-Day Listing of Holidays, Birthdays, and Historic Events, and Special Days, Weeks and Months. McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 226. ISBN 0-07-139827-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

[9] Weintraub, Joanne (1991-04-08). "Add life to legacy of Rander's laughs". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

[10] Lorimer, George Horace (1990). Creating America: George Horace Lorimer and the Saturday Evening Post. University of Pittsburgh Press. pp. 81–85. ISBN 0-8229-5438-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

[11] Mansour, David (2005). From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 418. ISBN 0-7407-5118-2.

[12] Conan Doyle, Arthur (2001). Eight Great Sherlock Holmes Stories. Courier Dover Publications. Note. ISBN 0-486-41777-8. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |nopp= ignored (|no-pp= suggested) (help)

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 {{Original research|article|date=April 2008}}
-A '''recurring character''' is a [[Character (arts)|fictional character]], usually in a [[prime time]] [[TV series]], who often and 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=27–28}}</ref> Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main focus. The character's return is often based on popularity and liking from fans. Recurring characters also appear in less or more than just half of the episodes per season or book.
+A '''recurring character''' is a [[Character (arts)|fictional character]], usually in a [[prime time]] [[TV series]], who often and 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=27–28}}</ref> Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main focus. The character's return is often based on popularity and liking from fans. Recurring characters also appear in less or more than just half of the episodes per season or book, with at five appearances considered a minimum.
 Recurring characters usually start out as [[guest star]]s in one episode but continue to show up in future episodes if the storylines or actors are compelling enough.<ref name="Crafty" /> Sometimes a recurring character eventually becomes part of the main cast of characters; such a character is sometimes called a [[breakout character]]. Some notable examples of main characters who were originally recurring characters are: [[Leo Chingkwake]] on ''[[That '70s Show]]''; 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]]''; [[Summer Roberts]], [[Julie Cooper]], [[Taylor Townsend (The O.C.)|Taylor Townsend]] & [[Kaitlin Cooper]] on ''[[The O.C.]]''; [[Zack Allan]] on ''[[Babylon 5]]''; Franklin Mumford on ''[[My Wife and Kids]]'';  [[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> [[Michelle Dessler]] and [[Chloe O'Brian]] on ''[[24 (TV series)|24]]''; [[Santana Lopez]], [[Brittany S. Pierce]] & [[Blaine Anderson]] on ''[[Glee (TV series)|Glee]]''; and [[Lois Lane (Smallville)|Lois Lane]] & Oliver Queen on ''[[Smallville]]''.
@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 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 |authorlink=Lou Harry |coauthors=Sam Stall, 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=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 |coauthors=Sandra Whiteley, 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=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.
-Of course, 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 |authorlink=George Horace Lorimer |coauthors=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 [[Professor Moriarty]] and [[Mrs. Hudson]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Conan Doyle |first=Arthur |authorlink=Arthur Conan Doyle |title=Eight Great Sherlock Holmes Stories |publisher=[[Dover Publications|Courier Dover Publications]] |year=2001 |isbn=0-486-41777-8 |pages=Note |nopp=true}}</ref>
+Of course, 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 |authorlink=George Horace Lorimer |coauthors=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 |authorlink=Arthur Conan Doyle |title=Eight Great Sherlock Holmes Stories |publisher=[[Dover Publications|Courier Dover Publications]] |year=2001 |isbn=0-486-41777-8 |pages=Note |nopp=true}}</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]].