8 Best TV Characters Who You Never Actually Got To See

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00:00Everyone is familiar with that old saying of what you don't know can't hurt you and whilst that is

00:05mostly true, it's also true that things you don't know could mean that you're missing out on

00:10something great and that is also true when it comes to TV shows. Plenty of shows explore the

00:15trope of an unseen figure who only appears in the show through mention and sometimes off-screen

00:20vocal. It's a unique way to play with humour and can fill a show with plenty of mystery. There's

00:25so much potential in a mystery character so we may as well take a look and appreciate a few of them.

00:31So I'm Amy from WhatCulture and here are the 8 best TV characters who you never actually got to see.

00:378. The Scranton Strangler in The Office, US

00:41The US office was filled from desk to desk with some of the most likeable characters in sitcom

00:47history but it was also filled with some rather mysterious ones. Lurking in the shadows of Scranton

00:53there was a darker threat than Michael's obnoxiousness or Dwight's obsessive nature.

00:57This darkness was known as The Scranton Strangler. This unseen character was referenced pretty

01:03consistently in the show. They made their debut in a newspaper clipping brought by Andy stating

01:07Scranton Strangler strikes again and even acted as the basis for Toby's jury duty. The Strangler was

01:13a hilarious menace that gave the show a chance to play with darker humour such as The Office practicing

01:18neck protection and Dwight dressing as the Strangler for Halloween. Now there actually is a chance

01:23that viewers caught a glimpse of the dreaded killer as a popular fan theory suggests it was

01:27none other than Toby Flenderson. There are a few clues to support this theory such as Toby's absence

01:33during the Strangler's car chase, his refusal to enter church and, by his own admission, not being

01:38in work at the time that the case was being heard. Oh, he was on jury duty, was he? Well, we never confirmed

01:44that. As much as we do joke though, there's not really enough evidence to make this a solid finding,

01:51but it would be funny, wouldn't it? Maybe Michael hating him all those years was actually for a good reason.

01:577. God in Good Omens

01:59Now, how can you get any bigger than the big man himself? Or in the case of this show, the big woman

02:06slash person? They always kept it very vague, very changing in terms of the voice, the visuals,

02:12the appearance, but that kind of only adds to the effect. The lack of clear definition makes

02:17them a delightful mystery and an alluring presence. Good Omens, of course, depicts the unlikely

02:22friendship between an angel and a demon as they attempt to stop the impending apocalypse, and

02:26acting as the narrator for the story is none other than God. Terry Pratchett's projects are pretty much

02:31known for their witty writing style, their witty narration in this case, and the voice actor played

02:36the character perfectly in this, with a dryness that adds plenty of humour whilst keeping the plot moving

02:41forward. The casting of Frances McDormand in the voice role for this was pretty much perfect,

02:46because she has this sort of ambivalence about her that really lends the character of God this

02:51gravitas and charm. We may not be about to see God's face any time soon, but just because of this,

02:57it doesn't mean that the character is unfulfilling in any way.

03:006. Father Bigley in Father Ted

03:03Father Ted is a blissful look into the type of comedy that doesn't get played around with too much these

03:08days. The goofiness of these Irish priests living on Craggy Island was a godsend, and one of the

03:13funniest aspects was the references to other priests. The show was dripping with fellow wearers

03:18of the cloth beside the beloved Ted, Dougal and Jack. Still, whilst plenty of them got a chance to

03:22show their faces on screen, the dreaded Father Bigley did not. Described as having a blotchy face with

03:28puffy fish lips, possibly due to a tea kettle explosion, this priest is a somewhat recurring topic of

03:34discussion. He's said to have been present and working at O.J. Simpson's wedding, having had sent

03:38arms to Iraq, and he ended up in a home because of his slight obsession with starting fires. Yeah,

03:44he doesn't sound like a very good guy, so maybe it's for the best he stayed away. The idea of a

03:49debaucherous and slightly mad priest is utterly hilarious, and the fact that he's described as

03:54something so monstrous without ever being seen makes it all the funnier.

03:595. Mrs. Columbo in Columbo

04:02Mrs. Columbo is quite a unique and very strange, actually, character in TV, because

04:07despite the fact that we never see her on screen, and we never actually even hear her from off screen,

04:12she still felt like a pretty fleshed out, well-rounded character that we felt like we knew.

04:17She had a distinct personality and a full relationship with the titular character,

04:21and she was also relevant to the plot. Columbo would frequently reference his wife,

04:25talking about her life and their relationship. She seemed to be an active, healthy woman,

04:30and often found herself involved in the story, most notably in episodes like Rest in Peace,

04:34Mrs. Columbo, where she became the target of a deranged killer. There is one interesting theory,

04:39however, that actually Mrs. Columbo never existed, and simply she was made up as a way for Columbo to help

04:46lower the defences of criminals, to make him seem more personable, a family man that loves his wife.

04:52You can trust him, can't you? The beauty of her unseen presence was that you could decide

04:56this for yourself, whether you believe that or not. It is true that at one point they tried to

05:00give her a face in this messy flop of a spin-off series, but they later retconned that, saying

05:06she was absolutely of no relation to the titular detective, never mind being the wife, so if we

05:11just forget about that, it never happened. 4. Dr. Richard Nygaard in Parks and Recreation

05:17Luckily, as we've moved forward these days with our awareness of mental health issues,

05:21and trying to destigmatise things, take the shame out of things, help people get better on their

05:25own terms, etc., we have started to realise that therapy isn't really a joke. It's not the butt of

05:31the joke, it's not the punchline, it's actually incredibly helpful for a lot of people. And in

05:36Parks and Rec, it seems like Dr. Richard Nygaard was one of the best therapists out there. He acted as

05:42the therapist for multiple characters, including Shauna and Craig, but his most important patient of all was

05:48of course our beloved Chris Traeger. Chris was definitely one of the biggest advocates for

05:52therapy. I mean, it helped him become more than he used to be. It took him out of this crippling

05:58anxiety-depression ball and made him into a mostly functional human being. He took almost every

06:04opportunity to accredit that process to his fantastic therapist, Dr. Nygaard. It became so that Dr. Nygaard

06:10was a character you felt truly familiar with. He really did become a bona fide character throughout the

06:15show despite never appearing on screen or even speaking. It seems that Chris in fact is so

06:20positive he can develop a character you've never even met.

06:24Three, Mrs. Wolowitz, The Big Bang Theory. The Big Bang Theory has thrived by basing its

06:29comedy on things that they think people will find relatable. And it seems, not just in this sitcom,

06:34but in a lot of them, that one of the most relatable things is the overbearing mother or mother-in-law.

06:40An overbearing mother is a harsh reality for some, but it's utterly hilarious in the case of this show.

06:46Seeing Howard at home with his mum, often getting into silly screaming matches and joking about her

06:50various health and personality problems, was a major reason why his character was entertaining.

06:56And adding to all of this was the fact that we never got to actually look at her,

07:00so we get to fill in the gaps in our heads, maybe some people even picturing their own mothers.

07:04The disembodied voice of Carol Ann Sousa yelling Howard is seared into the brains of many,

07:09giving this character a long-lasting legacy. It could be argued that actually seeing her

07:14would have spoiled the joke because there was no way that any mere actress could have

07:18lived up to the huge, over-the-top persona that was built by that voice.

07:22So really, it's probably a good thing they kept her secret.

07:26Two, Bob Sacamano, Seinfeld.

07:29I think almost everybody can say that they've got one of those friends. You know, one of those oddball,

07:35off-the-wall friends that always seems to be doing stuff that gives you a great story to tell.

07:39Well, in the sitcom world, that kind of friend needs to go beyond even the antics of the leads,

07:44which probably explains the wackiness of Bob Sacamano.

07:47Throughout Seinfeld, Kramer would make references to a friend who seemed to have the weirdest life

07:52imaginable. These stories ran the gambit from him being in a mental institution,

07:56to contracting rabies, to selling replica Russian hats. Really, it seemed that Bob had a life well lived.

08:01Again, the mystery behind this character made the joke even funnier.

08:04You never once got the chance to see him, which led to a wild, erratic energy that left him

08:09feeling like a phantom. His grip on the show was hilarious, thanks to how much he seeped into the

08:14lives of the other characters, and he managed to do all of this without ever showing his face.

08:18Larry Charles eventually opened up about this character and admitted he was actually based on a

08:22real-life friend. I would just be interested to see how many of those stories happened in real life, too.

08:271. Charlie Townsend in Charlie's Angels

08:31It sort of feels like Charlie Townsend is one of those characters that transcends even this list.

08:36He's been around for decades, he's been the titular character of a number of films and series,

08:41and yet we've never once seen him. As the founder of the Townsend Agency, this character is the basis

08:48for the kick-ass show. He was the one that founded the Angels, and thanks to that, this awesome

08:53girl power team was put on the map. He's been a consistent figure in the series since its inception,

08:58and throughout that time he's only allowed one person to see his real face, that being the

09:03beloved recurring character, Boss Lee. He's also appeared in subsequent reboots, such as the 2011

09:08ABC remake and Charlie's Angels 2019, albeit with far less significance. Overall, it's the mystery

09:14behind this character that made him so iconic, and he really is a masterclass in how to do unseen,

09:20unknown characters. And on that note, actually, we've reached the end of this list. If you've got

09:24any more that you would have included in the video, then let us know in the comments down below,

09:28and remember to check out whatculture.com for more lists and articles like this every single day.

09:34As always, I've been Amy from WhatCulture, and I'll catch you next time.

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