10 TV Shows That Chose The Wrong Main Character
7. Happy Days - Richie Cuninngham
Who It Was
Poor Richie Cunnigham. Unlike the rest of this list, the only thing he did to deserve a place here was star alongside an obviously cooler character.
A lot of people reading this probably weren't even aware that Richie was the original protagonist of Happy Days. However, when the show started, it was all about the wholesome All-American teen and episodes revolved around his school-life and attempts to pick up girls.
Who It Should Have Been
In a particularly meta case of "nice guys finish last" though, the clean-cut Richie's popularity paled in comparison to that of a another minor character. That character was of course, the high-school drop out, leather jacket wearing Fonzie.
Interestingly, Happy Days is one of the few shows that actually recognised it was focusing on the wrong character and the Fonz began to get a larger and larger role. As the show progressed, he was established as Richie's best friend and even moved into the Cunnigham's spare room.
Eventually, his role got so big that Henry Winkler's name appeared at the top of the credits alongside Ron Howard's. When Howard left the show to become a film director (and, more importantly, the narrator on Arrested Development), Fonzie became the main character of the show.
Now, he's pretty much the only thing people know about Happy Days.