It's a strange fact of life that a lot of times when you watch a television show, you'll find yourself drawn to the main character's best friend rather than the lead themselves. Maybe they're funnier, more interesting, more tortured, or more charming, they're just more something. And the simple reason for that is because they don't have to carry the entire story. You can have a character with a huge amount of personality on a show as long as they're in the background and parceled out in small doses, but if they were the linchpin of every story line, they would probably become overwhelming and even a little irritating. (Following this thought to its logical conclusion, the sidekick must be ever vigilant of becoming a caricature of themselves, like Urkel, Flanders, and Sheldon Cooper have done before them.) In genre shows, the main character is usually someone special: they have powers or something that makes them particularly well suited to the life of a hero. Their best friend, on the other hand, is usually more of an audience surrogate. The one who is capable of good deeds, but isn't necessarily the person running into a burning building to rescue a handful of babies and the family cat. This makes them significantly more relatable than your average hero, and infinitely more fascinating.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
