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 that
01:23viewers caught a glimpse of the dreaded killer as a popular fan theory suggests it was none other than
01:28Toby Flenderson. There are a few clues to support this theory such as Toby's absence during the
01:33Strangler's car chase, his refusal to enter church and by his own admission not being in work at the
01:39time that the case was being heard. Oh he was on jury duty was he? Well we never confirmed that.
01:45As much as we do joke though there's not really enough evidence to make this a solid finding but
01:52it 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 them
02:17a delightful mystery and an alluring presence. Good Omens of course depicts the unlikely friendship
02:22between an angel and a demon as they attempt to stop the impending apocalypse and acting as the
02:26narrator for the story is none other than God. Terry Pratchett's projects are pretty much known for their
02:32witty writing style, their witty narration in this case and the voice actor played the character perfectly in this
02:38with a dryness that adds plenty of humour whilst keeping the plot moving forward. The casting of
02:42Frances McDormand in the voice role for this was pretty much perfect because she has this sort of
02:47ambivalence about her that really lends the character of God this gravitas and charm. We may not be about
02:53to see God's face any time soon but just because of this it doesn't mean that the character is
02:58unfulfilling 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
03:07much these days. The goofiness of these Irish priests living on Craggy Island was a godsend
03:12and one of the funniest aspects was the references to other priests. The show was dripping with fellow
03:17wearers of the cloth beside the beloved Ted, Dougal and Jack. Still, whilst plenty of them got a chance
03:22to show 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
03:33topic of discussion. He's said to have been present and working at OJ Simpson's wedding,
03:38having had sent alms to Iraq and he ended up in a home because of his slight obsession with
03:43starting fires. Yeah, he doesn't sound like a very good guy so maybe it's for the best he stayed away.
03:48The idea of a debaucherous and slightly mad priest is utterly hilarious and the fact that he's described
03:54as something so monstrous without ever being seen makes it all the funnier.
03:59Five, Mrs. Columbo in Columbo. Mrs. Columbo is quite a unique and very strange,
04:05actually, character in TV because despite the fact that we never see her on screen
04:09and we never actually even hear her from off screen, she still felt like a pretty fleshed out,
04:14well-rounded character that we felt like we knew. She had a distinct personality and a full relationship
04:20with the titular character and she was also relevant to the plot. Columbo would frequently
04:24reference his wife, talking about her life and their relationship. She seemed to be an active,
04:29healthy woman and often found herself involved in the story, most notably in episodes like
04:34Rest in Peace Mrs. Columbo where she became the target of a deranged killer. There is one
04:38interesting theory, however, that actually Mrs. Columbo never existed and simply she was made up as a
04:45way for Columbo to help lower the defences of criminals, to make him seem more personable,
04:50a family man that loves his wife. You can trust him, can't you? The beauty of her unseen presence
04:55was that you could decide this for yourself whether you believe that or not. It is true that at one
05:00point they tried to give her a face in this messy flop of a spin-off series but they later retconned that
05:05saying she was absolutely of no relation to the titular detective, never mind being the wife,
05:10so if we just forget about that it never happened. Four, Dr. Richard Nygaard in Parks and Recreation.
05:17Luckily as we've moved forward these days with our awareness of mental health issues and trying to
05:21de-stigmatise things, take the shame out of things, help people get better on their own terms etc,
05:27we have started to realise that therapy isn't really a joke. It's not the butt of the joke, it's not the
05:32punchline, it's actually incredibly helpful for a lot of people and in Parks and Rec it seems like Dr.
05:38Richard Nygaard was one of the best therapists out there. He acted as the therapist for multiple
05:43characters including Shauna and Craig but his most important patient of all was of course our beloved
05:49Chris Traeger. Chris was definitely one of the biggest advocates for therapy, I mean it helped him
05:54become more than he used to be, it took him out of this crippling anxiety depression ball and made him
06:01into a mostly functional human being. He took almost every opportunity to accredit that process to his
06:06fantastic therapist Dr. Nygaard. It became so that Dr. Nygaard was a character you felt truly familiar
06:12with, he really did become a bonafide character throughout the show despite never appearing on
06:17screen or even speaking. It seems that Chris in fact is so positive he can develop a character you've
06:22never even met.
06:243. Mrs. Wolowitz The Big Bang Theory
06:27The Big Bang Theory has thrived by basing its comedy on things that they think people will find relatable
06:32and it seems not just in this sitcom but in a lot of them that one of the most relatable things
06:38is the overbearing mother or mother-in-law. An overbearing mother is a harsh reality for some but
06:43it's utterly hilarious in the case of this show. Seeing Howard at home with his mum often getting
06:48into silly screaming matches and joking about her various health and personality problems was a major
06:54reason why his character was entertaining. And adding to all of this was the fact that we never got to
06:59actually look at her so we get to fill in the gaps in our heads maybe some people even picturing their
07:04own mothers. The 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 would have
07:14spoiled the joke because there was no way that any mere actress could have lived up to the huge
07:20over-the-top persona that was built by that voice. So really it's probably a good thing they kept her secret.
07:252. Bob Sacamano. Seinfeld. I think almost everybody can say that they've got one of
07:32those friends. You know one of those oddball off-the-wall friends that always seems to be
07:37doing stuff that gives you a great story to tell. Well in the sitcom world that kind of friend needs
07:42to go beyond even the antics of the leads. Which probably explains the wackiness of Bob Sacamano.
07:47Throughout Seinfeld Kramer would make references to a friend who seemed to have the weirdest life imaginable.
07:53These stories ran the gambit from him being in a mental institution, to contracting rabies,
07:57to 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. You never once got the
08:05chance to see him, which led to a wild erratic energy that left him feeling like a phantom.
08:10His grip on the show was hilarious thanks to how much he seeped into the lives of the other
08:14characters and he managed to do all of this without ever showing his face. Larry Charles eventually
08:19opened up about this character and admitted he was actually based on a real life friend.
08:23I 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 girl
08:53power team was put on the map. He's been a consistent figure in the series since its inception and
08:58throughout that time he's only allowed one person to see his real face, that being the beloved recurring
09:04character Bossley. He's also appeared in subsequent reboots such as the 2011 ABC remake and Charlie's Angels
09:102019, albeit with far less significance. Overall it's the mystery behind this character that made
09:15him so iconic and he really is a masterclass in how to do unseen unknown characters. And on that note
09:22actually we've reached the end of this list. If you've got any more that you would have included
09:26in the video then let us know in the comments down below and remember to check out whatculture.com
09:30for more lists and articles like this every single day. As always I've been Amy from WhatCulture and I'll catch you next time!
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