8 Amazing TV Characters That Were Only Supposed To Appear In One Episode

8. Bobby Singer - Supernatural

By design, Supernatural wasn't intended to have many recurring cast members. Unlike most shows, for years the horror series only had two regulars in the form of leads Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, with most of the characters they interacted with on their hunts being treated as one-and-done appearances.

That changed over time though, and the likes of Castiel - who was originally only supposed to appear in a small three-episode stint - ended up hanging around for years, even after dying.

In the same vein, Bobby Singer, Sam and Dean's daddy replacement, was only initially envisioned as a one-off character, born due to a scheduling conflict with another actor who was supposed to reprise her role from a former episode.

In the Season 1 finale, Sam and Dean's father has been kidnapped and they're in desperate need of help. They call up Bobby - an apparent long-time friend who hasn't been mentioned previously - to help them out.

The great work of actor Jim Beaver, and especially his paternal chemistry with the two leads, made him a hit with audiences, and the writers brought Bobby back for a few episodes in Season 2. From there he became one of the most popular characters to ever grace the show, and stuck around on and off (both dead and alive) until the show wrapped up in Season 15.