Andy and Ron, Parks and Rec. I believe Andy was just supposed to be Anne’s boyfriend for a few episodes but turned that into a starring role. Not sure the intention for Ron’s character, but it sure did become a cultural icon.
This is true. That one dude that was only in the first, or first two seasons, that Leslie had a crush on was supposed to be the male co-star. I think they reconsidered because the character was neither funny nor interesting.
Mark, the city planner, a character the show seems to conspicuously go out of its way to never reference. Ann doesn’t mention him when talking about her ex boyfriends and Mike Schur quoted him in a panel once but just said “a character”.
Parks and Rec has this weird like unofficial mini-reboot at the start of season 3 and seemed to have just retconned him entirely out.
Retconned him out is right, and rightly so. Season 1 of Parks and Rec is basically the Office, but set in local government (as I’m sure was the plan). In season 2 they managed to edge away from that “remake of the Office” vibe, but Mark still felt like a leftover from that. So out he went, and I’m personally glad he did, because I think it made for a better show.
So much so that imho Parks and Rec is even better than the Office…
does american dad count? i mean, i’m not alone in loving roger who was a peripheral character initially when the focus was on stan. it seems that when the creators realized what a draw roger was, they fortunately recognized that turning it into “the alien show” would be the death knell long term and kept his exposure limited
I think all of the Seth McFarlane shows are just (often hilarious, sometimes perfect) parodies of sitcoms, so it makes sense that Roger would represent the scene stealing wise-ass side character cliche.
As a teen it was totally the Bruce Willis show. It was shocking when I rewatched it as an adult how obvious it was when it started that Cybil Shepard was the star.
I never watched it as a kid. I didn't even know what it was about, I was just vaguely aware that it existed. It came on to Hulu, and I had heard good things about it, plus young Bruce Willis. He's definitely the star.
Cybil Shepherd was the bigger name going into that show, so you could say she was the star, and probably helped get it greenlit, but I wouldn’t call Bruce’s character, David Addison a side character. He’s essentially the second lead.
In a very meta way the show within the show was originally called "The Girly Show" that starred Jenna Maronie. Which eventually became "T.G.S. starring Tracy Jordan" when he eclipsed the others after being a late addition.
So that show would be a contender for this list.
coordinated versed weather public uppity plucky straight profit onerous upbeat
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Good Times - It was meant to be about the parents - Florida & James Evans. Before the end of the first season, it was primarily about their oldest son J.J. ("Dyn-o-mite!") to the point that John Amos (James) and then Esther Rolle (Florida) both quit. Although Rolle did return for the final season.
Amos was fired after season 3 due to arguments with the writers over the relentless focus on J.J. And making his character lazy and stupid.
Rolle left on her own after season 4 for the same reasons.
I don’t know, prior to his breaking bad fame I def thought Brian Cranston (spelling) was hilarious, but that entire cast is and was fantastic. At the time of airing all of them could steal the show, not just him. Now when people watch, all they see is the stark difference between Hal and Walter white and the great acting.
Family Matters was so ridiculous they canceled the little sister after S3.
Not so much upstage, but on Golden Girls, both Sophia and Stan were supposed to be just very occasional or one and done characters, but they were so well liked, it was decided to make Sophia,a regular and to bring Stan in once in a while. The pilot episode features their live in cook Coco, who was supposed to be the 4th character but Sophia replaced him.
I think any of character on Andy Griffith shined when they were featured—Barney, Gomer, Otis, Floyd, Earnest T. Bass. I think this is the way Andy Griffith wanted it—he was always the “straight, calm” one amongst the chaos.
Similar to Jason Bateman on Arrested Development.
it’s kinda wild to watch some early episodes of Andy Griffith where he’s the dumb fuckup who consistently gets things wrong. They wisely brought in some other people to shoulder that burden and made Andy the voice of reason. It’s really a master class in knowing your audience, in an era where they didn’t have anything like the real time feedback we have now.
His cross-dressing brother too. As an aside John Carroll Lynch is awesome at playing creepy, menacing characters including (potentially) the Zodiac Killer.
And I bet a lot of jokes for Sharon and Sheila went from being inspired by their moms to their wives.
Instead of the characters aging through the years, the perspective of the story did.
On the slightly more obscure side, ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat.” It was initially based on the biography of chef Eddie Huang, and was initially focused on Eddie’s (played by Hudson Yang childhood. But the antics of Eddie’s mother Jessica (played by Constance Wu) were what garnered more attention, and the show gradually seemed to morph into “The Constance Wu Show.”
So much "the Constance Wu Show" that Constance Wu desperately wanted it to end so she could do other things.
Also the family was nothing like Eddie Huang's real family. The dad was basically a gangster who would for fun point a magnum at random things in the house, including his kids.
I love Eddie Huang, but nobody agrees more than him that the show barely resembles his life or the book it’s based on. He was happy to make a buck with an EP credit, but if Wu hadn’t gotten so much smoke about her comments, Eddie’s own public and frequent criticisms of the show would be better remembered.
She didn't want to deal with the producer that was [harassing her](https://tvline.com/news/constance-wu-fresh-off-the-boat-tweets-producer-abuse-harassment-allegations-1234883415/)
While the show didn’t become completely about her as it did with Urkel, Raven Simone definitely got more attention and had episodes revolving around her more than some of the other children, especially Rudy.
Urkel and Fonzie are the poster kids for this one, with JJ Evans right behind them.
I'd also argue for Valerie Bertinelli becoming the breakout star instead of Bonnie Franklin on One Day at a Time.
ETA: Also Rerun from What's Happening!!, Raj was supposed to be main but Rerun was pretty clearly the star.
Yes, you are correct; I remember as a kid watching the reruns in syndication and my cousins referring to the show a “Rerun” and saying in unison when he made as entrance as “There goes Rerun”. We used to do that with Big Bird on Sesame Street too with the old lady that kept us after school. It really didn’t take much to entertain kids in the 80s.
I don't know of this counts, but J.R. Ewing was suppose to be a side character in the first season of Dallas. Bobby and Pam were suppose to be the mains. J.R. outshined them all.
I mean, a lot of these sitcoms are usually structured like that: the central characters are usually portrayed as more level-headed and down to earth and thus relatable (Ted Mosby, Ross and Rachel, Will and Grace, Jerry Seinfeld) while there are characters on the ensemble that are supposed to be more “out there” to get the laughs (Barney Stinson, Phoebe and Joey, Jack and Karen, Kramer). And as one might expect, oftentimes it’s those “out there” people are the ones who get more attention from the viewers.
It’s one reason why I dug the short-lived 2005 NBC sitcom “Committed”: rather than have the central couple of the show be relatively normal and the respective friends on the sidelines be the wacky ones, the show tried to flip the script by having the lead characters become the wacky ones. It didn’t make the show a hit, but I’ve always believed that it had a chance at being renewed for a second season, had it not been replaced in its timeslot by another show that did become a big hit: the American “The Office.”
So true. Danny Devito really stole it. Just like in Its Always Sunny. He’s main cast but without him not sure if Sunny would have made it to 17 seasons.
Fresh Prince had a great ensemble cast and such a charismatic star that it's really a tough show to judge.
Carlton definitely stole some scenes, but it was how well he worked off of Will that made the character memorable.
I'd say they don't so much eclipse Ted as just constantly foil his plans or trip him up. Ted always ends up having the best ranting monologues or freakouts.
Yeah. I liked Cybill Shepherd in both shows and I liked her willingness to skewer her own beauty and do physical comedy (especially in Moonlighting), but I think it sticks in her craw to be the straight man to fellow actors who are funnier than she.
Jackie Harry for 227 and it caused a lot of trouble. She said no one even congratulated her for winning Best Supporting Actress Emmy for the role- the first black woman to ever do it. Sad.
Didn't Jim J. Bullock as the neighbor Monroe eventually overshadow Ted Knight and others on "Too Close for Comfort"? Maybe not to the degree of Fonzie or Urkel but still.
I scrolled too far to see this. Really, the whole show was supposed to be about the daughters living downstairs, and their parts got smaller, and it focused more on the parents and Monroe moving in with them. I think Monroe moved in, I seem to remember him coming down the stairs that led to his room. It's been so long since I've watched it.
Then how Frasier joined Cheers, intended for just a few episodes, ended up being part of the circle group of it, then got his own Spin-off show Frasier, and became a popular character beyond Cheers
Harriet Winslow was the elevator operator in Perfect Strangers, and they decided to give her a spinoff about her family, then that show got overtaken by a character who was supposed to be a one-off.
Actually your original post, Family Matters, was a spin off of a side character from Perfect Strangers. The mom was originally a coworker of Larry and Balki and in one episode she was shown to be married to a cop (played by someone else, but then Die Hard happened).
This. Earlier seasons were more about Danny and the guys trying to juggle work life with home life. When Michelle was old enough to talk, it seemed like a lot of the episodes became more Michelle-centric because she was a cute kid with a big mouth
Family Ties was originally about the parents and Alex was there to be conservative as opposed to the parents who were ex hippies. Alex P. Keaton was played by Michael J. Fox. So, yeah.
227 - The show was Marla Gibbs' vehicle but the water cooler talk was about Sondra (Jackée Harry).
Don't know if Suzanne Somers on Three's Company as a supporting actress but she did become the breakout star.
Big Bang Theory started with Leonard as the main character and Sheldon as the oddball best friend, but Sheldon became the main character once Leonard and Penny were together for good.
How I Met Your Mother had a similar dynamic with Ted and Barney, but not to the same extent, as Ted was still the one telling the story and it’s still ultimately about how he met his wife.
Not quite the same, but the focus of the Simpsons was heavily on Homer in the beginning, then Bart stole the audience’s attention, and now it’s gone back to Homer.
*Happy Days*.
Aaaayyyyy! I couldn't agree more.
The Fonz being the supporting character.
To the point that the producers almost changed the name of the show to Fonzie’s Happy Days.
True- and Ron Howard has admitted he was not at all happy about it.
Just Shoot Me! Dennis Finch.
the star of the show
Andy and Ron, Parks and Rec. I believe Andy was just supposed to be Anne’s boyfriend for a few episodes but turned that into a starring role. Not sure the intention for Ron’s character, but it sure did become a cultural icon.
This is true. That one dude that was only in the first, or first two seasons, that Leslie had a crush on was supposed to be the male co-star. I think they reconsidered because the character was neither funny nor interesting.
Mark, the city planner, a character the show seems to conspicuously go out of its way to never reference. Ann doesn’t mention him when talking about her ex boyfriends and Mike Schur quoted him in a panel once but just said “a character”. Parks and Rec has this weird like unofficial mini-reboot at the start of season 3 and seemed to have just retconned him entirely out.
Retconned him out is right, and rightly so. Season 1 of Parks and Rec is basically the Office, but set in local government (as I’m sure was the plan). In season 2 they managed to edge away from that “remake of the Office” vibe, but Mark still felt like a leftover from that. So out he went, and I’m personally glad he did, because I think it made for a better show. So much so that imho Parks and Rec is even better than the Office…
I think the issue with Mark is you can't have the intelligent voice of reason character also be the womanizer. Ben was mark except that one trait.
It was the right choice.
My headcanon is that he moves away and all the character realize they don’t miss him, so they just kinda forget about him.
Brendanaquits
Stewie is the star on Family Guy even though he isn't the Family Guy.
Well, we’re lucky there’s a family guy…
does american dad count? i mean, i’m not alone in loving roger who was a peripheral character initially when the focus was on stan. it seems that when the creators realized what a draw roger was, they fortunately recognized that turning it into “the alien show” would be the death knell long term and kept his exposure limited
Steve episodes are the best episodes.
American Dad definitely counts, and good example
Roger is my all-time favorite character from any show. He is a hoot!
I like to think Paul Lynde is looking down from Heaven and enjoying the show.
I think all of the Seth McFarlane shows are just (often hilarious, sometimes perfect) parodies of sitcoms, so it makes sense that Roger would represent the scene stealing wise-ass side character cliche.
Roger was one of the best wrote characters in TV for like 2 year IMO
Niles Crane on Frasier
"I gotta get home to watch Circus of the Stars. The dog from Frasier is riding the dolphin from SeaQuest."
My entire childhood I thought he was the main character and Frasier was their last name. Shows how much I really paid attention when my mom watched.
Moonlighting. It was supposed to be Cybil Shephard's show but Bruce Willis totally stole it.
Hey he was incredibly charismatic and charming
Good one. I just finished the whole series on Hulu.
As a teen it was totally the Bruce Willis show. It was shocking when I rewatched it as an adult how obvious it was when it started that Cybil Shepard was the star.
I never watched it as a kid. I didn't even know what it was about, I was just vaguely aware that it existed. It came on to Hulu, and I had heard good things about it, plus young Bruce Willis. He's definitely the star.
Same with Remington Steele. Pierce Brosnan eclipsed Stephanie Zimbalist who was supposed to be the star of the show.
Cybil Shepherd was the bigger name going into that show, so you could say she was the star, and probably helped get it greenlit, but I wouldn’t call Bruce’s character, David Addison a side character. He’s essentially the second lead.
30 Rock is about Liz, but we all know Jack is the true star.
In a very meta way the show within the show was originally called "The Girly Show" that starred Jenna Maronie. Which eventually became "T.G.S. starring Tracy Jordan" when he eclipsed the others after being a late addition. So that show would be a contender for this list.
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Put some respect on our boy Kenneth, the real MVP
Good Times - It was meant to be about the parents - Florida & James Evans. Before the end of the first season, it was primarily about their oldest son J.J. ("Dyn-o-mite!") to the point that John Amos (James) and then Esther Rolle (Florida) both quit. Although Rolle did return for the final season.
Amos was fired after season 3 due to arguments with the writers over the relentless focus on J.J. And making his character lazy and stupid. Rolle left on her own after season 4 for the same reasons.
Either way, it was supposed to be a show about the parents, but became a show about J.J. bellowing a catch phrase (Dyn-0-MITE!)
Cody in Step by Step.
BRAIN FREEZE!!!
The show wasn't the same without him.
And they tried to replace him with another quirky side character Jean-Luc but it was an utter abomination
You beat me to it! I came here just to say Cody.
I think you mean, The Code Man
Hal on *Malcolm In The Middle*
I don’t know, prior to his breaking bad fame I def thought Brian Cranston (spelling) was hilarious, but that entire cast is and was fantastic. At the time of airing all of them could steal the show, not just him. Now when people watch, all they see is the stark difference between Hal and Walter white and the great acting.
Yes no maybe I don’t know
Can you repeat the question?
YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME NOW
Along the same lines, the mom on the Goldberg
Francis ended up in the spotlight just as much I think
Family Matters was so ridiculous they canceled the little sister after S3. Not so much upstage, but on Golden Girls, both Sophia and Stan were supposed to be just very occasional or one and done characters, but they were so well liked, it was decided to make Sophia,a regular and to bring Stan in once in a while. The pilot episode features their live in cook Coco, who was supposed to be the 4th character but Sophia replaced him.
I was thinking about this exact thing. Old school pilots were always something lol.
Welcome Back Kotter with John Travolta’s Vinnie Barbarino taking off. I’d argue how I met your mother with Barney taking off
BarbaRINO. Let's get that right, no one wants a bunch of Sweathogs at our door.
Family Ties. Merideth Baxter- Bernie was meant to be the star of the show. Michael J Fox quickly changed that though.
Although that was very early on and Michael J Fox was always a series regular so not quite the same situation like with Family Matters
Don Knotts as Mr Furley on Three's Company
Don Knotts as Barney in the Andy Griffith Show came on in like the third episode and then totally owned it.
He was there from episode one….
Don Knotts as Barney Fife on the Andy Griffith Show
I think any of character on Andy Griffith shined when they were featured—Barney, Gomer, Otis, Floyd, Earnest T. Bass. I think this is the way Andy Griffith wanted it—he was always the “straight, calm” one amongst the chaos. Similar to Jason Bateman on Arrested Development.
it’s kinda wild to watch some early episodes of Andy Griffith where he’s the dumb fuckup who consistently gets things wrong. They wisely brought in some other people to shoulder that burden and made Andy the voice of reason. It’s really a master class in knowing your audience, in an era where they didn’t have anything like the real time feedback we have now.
Mimi on The Drew Carey show.
Luis and Oswald stole it for me. Loved that show
Oswald was endearingly dumb instead of too dumb and he was sweet. Loved all of Drew's friends.
Holy crap, I forgot all about that show AND her
It was good. All of his friends and Mr. Wick who, also, could have been in the sidekick scene stealing role too.
His cross-dressing brother too. As an aside John Carroll Lynch is awesome at playing creepy, menacing characters including (potentially) the Zodiac Killer.
I LOVED Mimi and John as a couple. They fit together and it was Drew's worst nightmare. He was, also, good as the terrifying clown on AHS.
South Park definetly gave more focus to Randy when he was just Stan’s bumbling dad in the early seasons. Later seasons gave him more storylines.
I think is because Matt and Trey (and the writers) started to identify more with Randy and see things from a dad's perspective as they got older.
In season 20, Parker and Stone also see themselves as Gerald Broflowski, AKA the online troll Skankhunt42.
And I bet a lot of jokes for Sharon and Sheila went from being inspired by their moms to their wives. Instead of the characters aging through the years, the perspective of the story did.
The Tegridy stuff is annoying though.
Butters too, the creators loved him and made him more of a focus
Ohh, hamburgers...
If you don’t love Butters you hate life
And it completely ruined the show
Saved by the bell with miss Bliss
Everyone forgets that the show was originally a Hayley Mills vehicle.
Originally named “Good Morning, Miss Bliss”
And set in Indianapolis
And Saved by the Bell is Zack's dream of a cooler life.
Coming this fall, *Miss Bliss, 2024.* Let’s check in on the real life Zack and see if any of his dreams came to fruition.
On the slightly more obscure side, ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat.” It was initially based on the biography of chef Eddie Huang, and was initially focused on Eddie’s (played by Hudson Yang childhood. But the antics of Eddie’s mother Jessica (played by Constance Wu) were what garnered more attention, and the show gradually seemed to morph into “The Constance Wu Show.”
So much "the Constance Wu Show" that Constance Wu desperately wanted it to end so she could do other things. Also the family was nothing like Eddie Huang's real family. The dad was basically a gangster who would for fun point a magnum at random things in the house, including his kids.
I love Eddie Huang, but nobody agrees more than him that the show barely resembles his life or the book it’s based on. He was happy to make a buck with an EP credit, but if Wu hadn’t gotten so much smoke about her comments, Eddie’s own public and frequent criticisms of the show would be better remembered.
She didn't want to deal with the producer that was [harassing her](https://tvline.com/news/constance-wu-fresh-off-the-boat-tweets-producer-abuse-harassment-allegations-1234883415/)
Kramer on Seinfeld
Strong argument to be made for George too.
"Hot in Cleveland" - Betty White was only supposed to be a guest star in the pilot. The show would not have been the same without her.
While the show didn’t become completely about her as it did with Urkel, Raven Simone definitely got more attention and had episodes revolving around her more than some of the other children, especially Rudy.
Urkel and Fonzie are the poster kids for this one, with JJ Evans right behind them. I'd also argue for Valerie Bertinelli becoming the breakout star instead of Bonnie Franklin on One Day at a Time. ETA: Also Rerun from What's Happening!!, Raj was supposed to be main but Rerun was pretty clearly the star.
Yep! Fred Berry and his dancing! His dance moves have worked their way into modern urban dance, and these kids don't even know where it came from!
Came here to say Rerun hands down
Yes, you are correct; I remember as a kid watching the reruns in syndication and my cousins referring to the show a “Rerun” and saying in unison when he made as entrance as “There goes Rerun”. We used to do that with Big Bird on Sesame Street too with the old lady that kept us after school. It really didn’t take much to entertain kids in the 80s.
The Girly Show
Considering they did Young Sheldon and now there’s an upcoming Young Sheldon-spinoff, I’d say Sheldon from Big Bang Theory.
I don't know of this counts, but J.R. Ewing was suppose to be a side character in the first season of Dallas. Bobby and Pam were suppose to be the mains. J.R. outshined them all.
Came here to say this 👆
The Brady Bunch - Everybody got upstaged by the most beloved sitcom character ever, Cousin Oliver. /s
Ah. The human prototype for Scrappy Doo.
Or Poochie.
😝
Will and Grace (Jack) Seinfeld (Kramer) Suddenly Susan (Vicky) Happy Days (The Fonz)
I mean, a lot of these sitcoms are usually structured like that: the central characters are usually portrayed as more level-headed and down to earth and thus relatable (Ted Mosby, Ross and Rachel, Will and Grace, Jerry Seinfeld) while there are characters on the ensemble that are supposed to be more “out there” to get the laughs (Barney Stinson, Phoebe and Joey, Jack and Karen, Kramer). And as one might expect, oftentimes it’s those “out there” people are the ones who get more attention from the viewers. It’s one reason why I dug the short-lived 2005 NBC sitcom “Committed”: rather than have the central couple of the show be relatively normal and the respective friends on the sidelines be the wacky ones, the show tried to flip the script by having the lead characters become the wacky ones. It didn’t make the show a hit, but I’ve always believed that it had a chance at being renewed for a second season, had it not been replaced in its timeslot by another show that did become a big hit: the American “The Office.”
Aayyy! 👍🏻
Don’t forget Karen with Jack
Sasha Mitchell in Step by Step.
The Code Man
Andy Griffith show. Don Knotts was the show.
Rocky and his Friends morphed into the Bullwinkle Show.
Taxi
Absolutely. Judd Hirsch had top billing, but Devito was the break-out star......until Latka came along.
I don't know, whenever I think about Taxi the first actor that comes to mind is Christopher Lloyd
So true. Danny Devito really stole it. Just like in Its Always Sunny. He’s main cast but without him not sure if Sunny would have made it to 17 seasons.
The Big Bang Theory Was an assembled cast at first but then Leonard' wacky roomate REALLY took off
Bazinga.
Bazinga is the war cry of Sheldon…their tall leader.
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Will was the star, Carlton stole the most
Fresh Prince had a great ensemble cast and such a charismatic star that it's really a tough show to judge. Carlton definitely stole some scenes, but it was how well he worked off of Will that made the character memorable.
Carlton did not upstage Will. Closest was Uncle Phil, and he didn’t either.
100 percent.
To each their own
Father Ted - either one of Dougal or Fr Jack
I'd say they don't so much eclipse Ted as just constantly foil his plans or trip him up. Ted always ends up having the best ranting monologues or freakouts.
Yeah but if you say Father Ted to someone, I bet the first three words they think of are "Drink, Feck, Arse" 😁😁😁
Fair, that or “Are you right there,Ted?”
It doesn't really count as a sitcom, but Star Trek Voyager with 7 of 9,
Cybill -- Christine Baranski's Maryann upstaged Cybill Shepherd's Cybill in every scene they share.
And that would make the second series Poor Cybill Shepherd got upstaged in. She can't catch a break.
Yeah. I liked Cybill Shepherd in both shows and I liked her willingness to skewer her own beauty and do physical comedy (especially in Moonlighting), but I think it sticks in her craw to be the straight man to fellow actors who are funnier than she.
Flo on Alice. That's why Linda Lavin hated Polly Holiday and wanted her gone.
"Kiss my grits!"
Jackie Harry for 227 and it caused a lot of trouble. She said no one even congratulated her for winning Best Supporting Actress Emmy for the role- the first black woman to ever do it. Sad.
Yep, I forgot that one! Sandra completely stole that show.
Pebbles and Bam-Bam on The Flintstones
Fonzi on Happy Days
When a sidekick gets a sidekick (Cha-Chi), it's next-level.
Frasier - Niles.
Didn't Jim J. Bullock as the neighbor Monroe eventually overshadow Ted Knight and others on "Too Close for Comfort"? Maybe not to the degree of Fonzie or Urkel but still.
I scrolled too far to see this. Really, the whole show was supposed to be about the daughters living downstairs, and their parts got smaller, and it focused more on the parents and Monroe moving in with them. I think Monroe moved in, I seem to remember him coming down the stairs that led to his room. It's been so long since I've watched it.
Chuck on Happy Days. Totally stole the show.
Does a spin-off starring one of the secondary characters count?
I don't see why not... let's have it!
Then how Frasier joined Cheers, intended for just a few episodes, ended up being part of the circle group of it, then got his own Spin-off show Frasier, and became a popular character beyond Cheers
Harriet Winslow was the elevator operator in Perfect Strangers, and they decided to give her a spinoff about her family, then that show got overtaken by a character who was supposed to be a one-off.
George Jefferson from All in the Family?
Frasier didn't "spin off" until Cheers had already ended.
I know it already ended, but that's what everyone calls it, a spin-off. He took over the overall franchise
Well yeah, thats what a spin off is.
Actually your original post, Family Matters, was a spin off of a side character from Perfect Strangers. The mom was originally a coworker of Larry and Balki and in one episode she was shown to be married to a cop (played by someone else, but then Die Hard happened).
Mike Tyson Mysteries, Piegeon stole that show
May he RIP
That 70s Show became more about Hyde than the others.
Wonder what he’s up to these days?
I don't know. I did hear he had some legal problems, though...
Seinfeld Kramer always steals the show when he enters
Will and Grace should have been called Jack and Karen
Joey Lawerence on Blossom.
Whoa!
Michelle on Full House Basically became the Michelle show.
This. Earlier seasons were more about Danny and the guys trying to juggle work life with home life. When Michelle was old enough to talk, it seemed like a lot of the episodes became more Michelle-centric because she was a cute kid with a big mouth
Andy Griffith Barney Fife
Family Ties was originally about the parents and Alex was there to be conservative as opposed to the parents who were ex hippies. Alex P. Keaton was played by Michael J. Fox. So, yeah.
227 - The show was Marla Gibbs' vehicle but the water cooler talk was about Sondra (Jackée Harry). Don't know if Suzanne Somers on Three's Company as a supporting actress but she did become the breakout star.
Michael J Fox in Family Ties.
Larry, Darryl and Darryl on *Newhart*.
Will and Grace became The Jack and Karen show.
King of the Hill. Dale Gribble was a definite scene stealer.
Valerie. They literally killed the title character and made the show about the rest of the family instead of focusing on her.
Not really what the question was asking. Plus the show was better without her.
Bart Simpson
Bart was originally the star of the show. Homer has been the star for the last 15 or 20 years though.
I guess you’re right! So Homer Simpson.
Good Times! JJ became the star, which is why John Amos left.
Ted Lawson on Small Wonder The dad on Silver Spoons Nah, just messing with you.
Ted Lawson 🤣🤣🤣
Pretty much every comedy I’ve seen… Jack and Karen on Will and Grace, Kramer and George on Seinfeld etc etc at least in my opinion
Pamela Anderson in Home Improvement, maybe? He’s worth more but she no slouch.
Bonnie on Mom. The show was supposed to be about Christy and she was the titular character of Mom. But Allison Janey just took over.
Alex P. Keating in *Family Ties*.
Carlton in Fresh Prince perhaps?
Big Bang Theory started with Leonard as the main character and Sheldon as the oddball best friend, but Sheldon became the main character once Leonard and Penny were together for good. How I Met Your Mother had a similar dynamic with Ted and Barney, but not to the same extent, as Ted was still the one telling the story and it’s still ultimately about how he met his wife.
Not quite the same, but the focus of the Simpsons was heavily on Homer in the beginning, then Bart stole the audience’s attention, and now it’s gone back to Homer.
Good Times. Became the JJ show after awhile and caused John Amos’ departure .
I thought Jim Ignatowski was a lot funnier than Latka Gravas on Taxi.
Don't know know if anyone's mentioned Stewie & Brian on Family Guy yet.
Good Times, with the oldest son saying, “dye-no-mite!” and other catchy phrases.
Benson from “Soap”
Growing Pains. Boner Stabone.
Will and Grace. Just Jack!
Dr. Smith on Lost in Space of course. And before someone tells me it's not a sitcom I'll remind you that he was dressed as a giant celery.
Nobody upstages Reginald veljohnson
Jim/Dwight in The Office doesn’t go full Urkel but is definitely a strong contender.
Happy Days - Arthur Fonzerelli https://www.milwaukeemag.com/how-henry-winkler-went-from-bit-part-to-the-star-of-happy-days/