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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
00:06mostly 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
00:16trope 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
00:26so much potential in a mystery character so we may as well take a look and appreciate a few of
00:30them.
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 The US office was filled from desk to desk with some of
00:44the most likeable characters in sitcom history but it was also filled with some rather mysterious ones.
00:51Lurking in the shadows of Scranton there was a darker threat than Michael's obnoxiousness or
00:56Dwight's obsessive nature. This darkness was known as The Scranton Strangler. This unseen character was
01:02referenced pretty consistently in the show. They made their debut in a newspaper clipping brought
01:06by Andy stating Scranton Strangler strikes again and even acted as the basis for Toby's jury duty.
01:12The Strangler was a hilarious menace that gave the show a chance to play with darker humour such as
01:18the office practicing neck protection and Dwight dressing as the Strangler for Halloween.
01:22Now there actually is a chance that viewers caught a glimpse of the dreaded killer as a popular fan
01:26theory suggests it was none other than Toby Flenderson. There are a few clues to support
01:31this theory such as Toby's absence during the Strangler's car chase, his refusal to enter church
01:36and by his own admission not being in work at the time that the case was being heard. Oh he
01:42was on
01:42jury duty was he? Well we never confirmed that. As much as we do joke though there's not really enough
01:48evidence to make this a solid finding but it would be funny wouldn't it? Maybe Michael hating him all
01:55those years was actually for a good reason. 7. 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
02:05big woman
02:05slash 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 a
02:17delightful 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
02:27narrator for the story is none other than God. Terry Pratchett's projects are pretty much known for
02:32their witty writing style, their witty narration in this case. And the voice actor played the
02:36character 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 because
02:46she has this sort of ambivalence about her that really lends the character of God this gravitas and
02:52charm. We may not be about to see God's face anytime soon but just because of this it doesn't mean
02:57that the character is unfulfilling in any way. Six, Father Bigley in Father Ted. Father Ted is a
03:04blissful look into the type of comedy that doesn't get played around with too much these days. The
03:08goofiness of these Irish priests living on Craggy Island was a godsend and one of the funniest
03:13aspects was the references to other priests. The show was dripping with fellow wearers of the cloth
03:18beside the beloved Ted, Dougal and Jack. Still, whilst plenty of them got a chance to show their faces on
03:23screen, the dreaded Father Bigley did not. Described as having a blotchy face with puffy fish lips,
03:29possibly due to a tea kettle explosion, this priest is a somewhat recurring topic of discussion. He's
03:34said to have been present and working at OJ Simpson's wedding, having had sent alms to Iraq,
03:40and he ended up in a home because of his slight obsession with starting fires. Yeah, he doesn't
03:45sound like a very good guy so maybe it's for the best he stayed away. The idea of a debaucherous
03:50and
03:50slightly mad priest is utterly hilarious, and the fact that he's described as something so
03:55monstrous without ever being seen makes it all the funnier. Five, Mrs. Columbo in Columbo.
04:02Mrs. Columbo is quite a unique and very strange, actually, character in TV because despite the fact
04:07that we never see her on screen and we never actually even hear her from off screen, she still
04:13felt like a pretty fleshed out, well-rounded character that we felt like we knew. She had a distinct
04:18personality and a full relationship with the titular character, and she was also relevant to
04:23the plot. Columbo would frequently reference his wife, talking about her life and their relationship.
04:28She seemed to be an active, healthy woman and often found herself involved in the story,
04:32most notably in episodes like Rest in Peace Mrs. Columbo, where she became the target of a deranged
04:37killer. There is one interesting theory, however, that actually Mrs. Columbo never existed,
04:43and simply she was made up as a way for Columbo to help lower the defences of criminals, to make
04:49him seem more personable, a family man that loves his wife. You can trust him, can't you?
04:53The beauty of her unseen presence was that you could decide this for yourself whether you believe
04:58that or not. It is true that at one point they tried to give her a face in this messy
05:02flop of a
05:03spin-off series, but they later retconned that saying she was absolutely of no relation to the titular
05:08detective, never mind being the wife, so if we just forget about that, it never happened.
05:13Four, Dr. Richard Nygaard in Parks and Recreation. Luckily, as we've moved forward these days with
05:19our awareness of mental health issues and trying to de-stigmatise things, take the shame out of
05:23things, help people get better on their own terms, etc., we have started to realise that therapy isn't
05:30really a joke. It's not the butt of the joke, it's not the punchline, it's actually incredibly helpful
05:34for a lot of people. And in Parks and Rec, it seems like Dr. Richard Nygaard was one of the
05:40best
05:40therapists out there. He acted as the therapist for multiple characters including Shauna and Craig,
05:46but his most important patient of all was of course our beloved Chris Traeger. Chris was definitely one
05:51of the biggest advocates for therapy, I mean it helped him become more than he used to be. It took
05:56him
05:57out of this crippling anxiety-depression ball and made him into a mostly functional human being. He took
06:03almost every opportunity to accredit that process to his fantastic therapist, Dr. Nygaard. It became
06:09so that Dr. Nygaard was a character you felt truly familiar with. He really did become a bonafide
06:14character throughout the show despite never appearing on screen or even speaking. It seems that Chris in
06:20fact is so positive he can develop a character you've never even met. Three, 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
06:32relatable. And it seems not just in this sitcom but in a lot of them that one of the most
06:36relatable
06:37things is the overbearing mother or mother-in-law. An overbearing mother is a harsh reality for some
06:43but it'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
07:04their own mothers. The disembodied voice of Carol Ann Sousa yelling Howard is seared into the brains of
07:09many, giving this character a long-lasting legacy. It could be argued that actually seeing her would
07:14have spoiled 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
07:25secret.
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
07:41needs to 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
07:52imaginable. These 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. Again,
08:02the mystery behind this character made the joke even funnier. You never once got the chance to
08:06see him, which led to a wild, erratic energy that left him feeling like a phantom. His grip on the
08:11show
08:11was hilarious, thanks to how much he seeped into the lives of the other characters, and he managed to
08:16do all of this without ever showing his face. Larry Charles eventually opened up about this character
08:20and admitted he was actually based on a real-life friend. I would just be interested to see how
08:25many of those stories happened in real life too. One, 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
09:03recurring character, Bossley. He's also appeared in subsequent reboots, such as the 2011 ABC remake and
09:09Charlie's Angels 2019, albeit with far less significance. Overall, it's the mystery behind
09:14this 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 any
09:24more 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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