Who doesn't want to become a "Nygardian"?!
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00:00 Everyone is familiar with that old saying of "what you don't know can't hurt you"
00:04 and whilst that is mostly true, it's also true that things you don't know
00:09 could mean that you're missing out on something great, and that is also true when it comes to TV shows.
00:14 Plenty of shows explore the trope of an unseen figure who only appears in the show through
00:19 mention and sometimes off-screen vocal. It's a unique way to play with humour and can fill a show
00:24 with plenty of mystery. There's so much potential in a mystery character, so we may as well take a
00:29 look and appreciate a few of them. So I'm Amy from WhatCulture and here are the 8 best TV
00:35 characters who you never actually got to see. 8. The Scranton Strangler in The Office US
00:41 The US Office was filled from desk to desk with some of the most likeable characters in sitcom
00:47 history, but it was also filled with some rather mysterious ones. Lurking in the shadows of Scranton
00:53 there was a darker threat than Michael's obnoxiousness or Dwight's obsessive nature.
00:57 This darkness was known as the Scranton Strangler. This unseen character was referenced pretty
01:03 consistently in the show. They made their debut in a newspaper clipping brought by Andy stating
01:07 "Scranton Strangler strikes again" and even acted as the basis for Toby's jury duty. The Strangler
01:13 was a hilarious menace that gave the show a chance to play with darker humour, such as The Office
01:18 practicing neck protection and Dwight dressing as the Strangler for Halloween. Now there actually is
01:22 a chance that viewers caught a glimpse of the dreaded killer, as a popular fan theory suggests
01:27 it was none other than Toby Flenderson. There are a few clues to support this theory, such as Toby's
01:32 absence during the Strangler's car chase, his refusal to enter church and by his own admission
01:38 not being in work at the time that the case was being heard. Oh he was on jury duty was he? Well
01:44 we never confirmed that. As much as we do joke though, there's not really enough evidence to
01:49 make this a solid finding, but it would be funny wouldn't it? Maybe Michael hating him all those
01:55 years was actually for a good reason? 7. God in Good Omens
01:59 Now how can you get any bigger than the big man himself? Or in the case of this show, the big
02:05 woman/person? They always kept it very vague, very changing in terms of the voice, the visuals,
02:12 the appearance, but that kind of only adds to the effect. The lack of clear definition makes them a
02:17 delightful mystery and an alluring presence. Good Omens of course depicts the unlikely friendship
02:22 between an angel and a demon as they attempt to stop the impending apocalypse, and acting as the
02:26 narrator for the story is none other than God. Terry Pratchett's projects are pretty much known
02:31 for their witty writing style, their witty narration in this case, and the voice actor played
02:36 the character perfectly in this, with a dryness that adds plenty of humour whilst keeping the
02:41 plot moving forward. The casting of Frances McDormand in the voice role for this was pretty
02:45 much perfect, because she has this sort of ambivalence about her that really lends the
02:50 character of God this gravitas and charm. We may not be about to see God's face any time soon,
02:55 but just because of this, it doesn't mean that the character is unfulfilling in any way.
02:59 6. Father Bigley in Father Ted
03:03 Father Ted is a blissful look into the type of comedy that doesn't get played around with too
03:07 much these days. The goofiness of these Irish priests living on Craggy Island was a godsend,
03:12 and one of the funniest aspects was the references to other priests. The show was
03:16 dripping with fellow wearers of the cloth beside the beloved Ted, Dougal and Jack. Still, whilst
03:21 plenty of them got a chance to show their faces on screen, the dreaded Father Bigley did not.
03:26 Described as having a blotchy face with puffy fish lips, possibly due to a tea kettle explosion,
03:31 this priest is a somewhat recurring topic of discussion. He's said to have been present in
03:35 working at OJ Simpson's wedding, having had sent arms to Iraq, and he ended up in a home because
03:41 of his slight obsession with starting fires. Yeah, he doesn't sound like a very good guy,
03:46 so maybe it's for the best he stayed away. The idea of a debaucherous and slightly mad priest
03:51 is utterly hilarious, and the fact that he's described as something so monstrous without
03:56 ever being seen makes it all the funnier. 5. Mrs Columbo in Columbo
04:02 Mrs Columbo is quite a unique and very strange, actually, character in TV because,
04:07 despite the fact that we never see her on screen, and we never actually even hear her from off
04:12 screen, she still felt like a pretty fleshed out, well-rounded character that we felt like we knew.
04:17 She had a distinct personality and a full relationship with the titular character,
04:21 and she was also relevant to the plot. Columbo would frequently reference his wife,
04:25 talking about her life and their relationship. She seemed to be an active, healthy woman,
04:30 and often found herself involved in the story, most notably in episodes like Rest in Peace,
04:34 Mrs Columbo, where she became the target of a deranged killer. There is one interesting theory,
04:39 however, that actually Mrs Columbo never existed, and simply she was made up as a way for Columbo
04:46 to help lower the defences of criminals, to make him seem more personable, a family man that loves
04:51 his wife, you can trust him, can't you? The beauty of her unseen presence was that you could decide
04:56 this for yourself whether you believe that or not. It is true that at one point they tried to
05:00 give her a face in this messy flop of a spin-off series, but they later retconned that saying she
05:06 was absolutely of no relation to the titular detective, never mind being the wife, so if we
05:11 just forget about that, it never happened. Four, Dr Richard Nygaard in Parks and Recreation.
05:17 Luckily, as we've moved forward these days with our awareness of mental health issues and trying
05:21 to de-stigmatise things, take the shame out of things, help people get better on their own terms,
05:26 etc, we have started to realise that therapy isn't really a joke. It's not the butt of the joke,
05:32 it's not the punchline, it's actually incredibly helpful for a lot of people, and in Parks and Rec,
05:37 it seems like Dr Richard Nygaard was one of the best therapists out there. He acted as the
05:42 therapist for multiple characters, including Shauna and Craig, but his most important patient of all
05:48 was of course our beloved Chris Traeger. Chris was definitely one of the biggest advocates for
05:52 therapy, I mean it helped him become more than he used to be, it took him out of this crippling
05:58 anxiety-depression ball and made him into a mostly functional human being. He took almost
06:04 every opportunity to accredit that process to his fantastic therapist, Dr Nygaard. It became so that
06:10 Dr Nygaard was a character you felt truly familiar with, he really did become a bona fide character
06:15 throughout the show despite never appearing on screen or even speaking. It seems that Chris in
06:20 fact is so positive he can develop a character you've never even met. Three, Mrs Wolowitz,
06:25 The Big Bang Theory. The Big Bang Theory has thrived by basing its comedy on things that they
06:30 think people will find relatable, and it seems not just in this sitcom but in a lot of them
06:36 that one of the most relatable things is the overbearing mother or mother-in-law. An overbearing
06:41 mother is a harsh reality for some, but it's utterly hilarious in the case of this show.
06:46 Seeing Howard at home with his mom, often getting into silly screaming matches and joking about her
06:51 various health and personality problems was a major reason why his character was entertaining,
06:56 and adding to all of this was the fact that we never got to actually look at her, so we get to
07:01 fill in the gaps in our heads, maybe some people even picturing their own mothers. The disembodied
07:05 voice of Carol Ann Susie yelling "Howard" is seared into the brains of many, giving this character
07:10 a long-lasting legacy. It could be argued that actually seeing her would have spoiled the joke
07:15 because there was no way that any mere actress could have lived up to the huge over-the-top
07:20 persona that was built by that voice, so really it's probably a good thing they kept her secret.
07:26 2. Bob Sacamano - Seinfeld I think almost everybody can say that they've
07:31 got one of those friends, you know, one of those oddball, off-the-wall friends that always seems
07:37 to be doing stuff that gives you a great story to tell. Well, in the sitcom world, that kind of
07:41 friend needs to go beyond even the antics of the leads, which probably explains the wackiness of
07:46 Bob Sacamano. Throughout Seinfeld, Kramer would make references to a friend who seemed to have
07:51 the weirdest life imaginable. These stories ran the gambit from him being in a mental institution,
07:56 to contracting rabies, to selling replica Russian hats. Really, it seemed that Bob had a life well
08:01 lived. Again, the mystery behind this character made the joke even funnier. You never once got
08:05 the chance to see him, which led to a wild, erratic energy that left him feeling like a phantom. His
08:10 grip on the show was hilarious, thanks to how much he seeped into the lives of the other characters,
08:15 and he managed to do all of this without ever showing his face. Larry Charles eventually
08:19 opened up about this character and admitted he was actually based on a real-life friend.
08:23 I would just be interested to see how many of those stories happened in real life too.
08:27 1. Charlie Townsend - Charlie's Angels It sort of feels like Charlie Townsend is
08:33 one of those characters that transcends even this list. He's been around for decades,
08:37 he's been the titular character of a number of films and series, and yet we've never once seen
08:44 him. As the founder of the Townsend Agency, this character is the basis for the kickass show. He
08:50 was the one that founded the Angels, and thanks to that, this awesome girl power team was put on the
08:55 map. He's been a consistent figure in the series since its inception, and throughout that time,
08:59 he's only allowed one person to see his real face, that being the beloved recurring character,
09:04 Bossly. He's also appeared in subsequent reboots, such as the 2011 ABC remake and Charlie's Angels
09:10 2019, albeit with far less significance. Overall, it's the mystery behind this character that made
09:15 him so iconic, and he really is a masterclass in how to do unseen/unknown characters.
09:21 And on that note, actually, we've reached the end of this list. If you've got any more that
09:25 you would have included in the video, then let us know in the comments down below. And remember to
09:29 check out whatculture.com for more lists and articles like this every single day. As always,
09:34 I've been Amy from WhatCulture, and I'll catch you next time.