Fonzie syndrome: Difference between revisions
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*'''''[[Stargate SG-1]]''''': [[Vala Mal Doran]] ([[Claudia Black]]) |
*'''''[[Stargate SG-1]]''''': [[Vala Mal Doran]] ([[Claudia Black]]) |
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*'''''[[Step By Step]]''''': Cody Lambert ([[Sasha Mitchell]]) |
*'''''[[Step By Step]]''''': Cody Lambert ([[Sasha Mitchell]]) |
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*'''''[[That '70s Show]]''''': Michael Kelso ([[Ashton Kutcher]]) |
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*'''''[[Trailer Park Boys]]''''': Bubbles ([[Mike Smith (actor)|Mike Smith]]) |
*'''''[[Trailer Park Boys]]''''': Bubbles ([[Mike Smith (actor)|Mike Smith]]) |
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Revision as of 23:16, 7 July 2006
 | This section possibly contains original research. |
Fonzie syndrome is a phenomenon on TV programs in which a character that had originally been a one-off character or a supporting cast member becomes a/the central and/or most popular character on the show. [citation needed] The term comes from the American sitcom Happy Days, in which the character of Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli (played by Henry Winkler) started out as a minor, fringe character but quickly evolved into the focal point of the series. Winkler's billing in the credits rose all the way to second (he refused to go before Ron Howard, the star), and at one point, network executives even hoped to call the show "Fonzie's Happy Days." [1]
Fonzie Syndrome is also sometimes known as Urkel Syndrome [citation needed] after the popular (and, at first, one-off) character Steve Urkel from the 1990s sitcom Family Matters.
Cases of supporting characters becoming more prominent than the central characters are sometimes viewed as instances of a series having jumped the shark. Ironically, this is another phrase stemming from the Fonzie character (who literally jumped over a shark in an episode that occurred after Happy Days was widely thought to have declined).
Other television examples
- 227: Sandra Clark (Jackée Harry)
- 77 Sunset Strip: Kookie (Edd Byrnes)
- Beverly Hills 90210: Dylan McKay (Luke Perry)
- Dark Shadows: Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid)
- Dallas J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman)
- Family Matters: Steve Urkel (Jaleel White)
- Family Ties: Alex P. Keaton (Michael J. Fox)
- Good Times: J.J. Evans (Jimmie Walker), Willona Woods (Ja'net DuBois)
- JT Larry: Big Russell Indiana (Anthony Graham)
- Life Goes On: Becca Thatcher (Kellie Martin)
- Melrose Place: Amanda Woodward (Heather Locklear)
- Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Tommy Oliver (Jason David Frank)
- NYPD Blue: Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz)
- The O.C.: Julie Cooper (Melinda Clarke)
- Robin of Sherwood: Nasir (Mark Ryan)
- Stargate SG-1: Vala Mal Doran (Claudia Black)
- Step By Step: Cody Lambert (Sasha Mitchell)
- Trailer Park Boys: Bubbles (Mike Smith)