Who doesn't want to become a "Nygardian"?!
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00:00Everyone is familiar with that old saying of what you don't know can't hurt you.
00:04And whilst that is mostly true, it's also true that things you don't know
00:09could mean that you're missing out on something great.
00:11And that is also true when it comes to TV shows.
00:14Plenty of shows explore the trope of an unseen figure,
00:17who only appears in the show through mention and sometimes off-screen vocal.
00:21It's a unique way to play with humour and can fill a show with plenty of mystery.
00:25There's so much potential in a mystery character,
00:27so we may as well take a look and appreciate a few of them.
00:31So I'm Amy from WhatCulture and here are the 8 best TV characters
00:35who you never actually got to see.
00:378. The Scranton Strangler in The Office US
00:41The US Office was filled from desk to desk with some of the most likeable characters
00:46in sitcom history, but it was also filled with some rather mysterious ones.
00:51Lurking in the shadows of Scranton,
00:53there was a darker threat than Michael's obnoxiousness or Dwight's obsessive nature.
00:57This darkness was known as the Scranton Strangler.
01:01This unseen character was referenced pretty consistently in the show.
01:04They made their debut in a newspaper clipping brought by Andy stating
01:07Scranton Strangler strikes again, and even acted as the basis for Toby's jury duty.
01:13The Strangler was a hilarious menace that gave the show a chance to play with darker humour,
01:17such as The Office practising 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,
01:25as a popular fan theory suggests it was none other than Toby Flenderson.
01:29There are a few clues to support this theory,
01:32such 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.
01:41Oh, he was on jury duty, was he? Well, we never confirmed that.
01:45As much as we do joke though, there's not really enough evidence to make this a solid finding,
01:51but it would be funny, wouldn't it?
01:53Maybe Michael hating him all those years was actually for a good reason.
01:577. God in Good Omens
01:59Now, how can you get any bigger than the big man himself?
02:03Or in the case of this show, the big woman slash person?
02:07They always kept it very vague, very changing in terms of the voice,
02:11the visuals, the appearance, but that kind of only adds to the effect.
02:15The lack of clear definition makes them a delightful mystery, and an alluring presence.
02:20Good Omens, of course, depicts the unlikely friendship between an angel and a demon as
02:24they attempt to stop the impending apocalypse,
02:26and acting as the narrator for the story is none other than God.
02:29Terry Pratchett's projects are pretty much known for their witty writing style,
02:33their witty narration in this case, and the voice actor played the character perfectly in this,
02:37with a dryness that adds plenty of humour whilst keeping the plot moving forward.
02:42The casting of Frances McDormand in the voice role for this was pretty much perfect,
02:46because she has this sort of ambivalence about her that really lends the character of God
02:51this gravitas and charm.
02:52We may not be about to see God's face any time soon, but just because of this,
02:57it doesn't mean that the character is unfulfilling in any way.
03:006. Father Bigley in Father Ted
03:03Father Ted is a blissful look into the type of comedy that doesn't
03:06get played around with too much these days.
03:08The goofiness of these Irish priests living on Craggy Island was a godsend,
03:12and one of the funniest aspects was the references to other priests.
03:16The show was dripping with fellow wearers of the cloth beside the beloved Ted, Dougal and Jack.
03:20Still, whilst plenty of them got a chance to show their faces on screen,
03:24the dreaded Father Bigley did not.
03:26Described as having a blotchy face with puffy fish lips,
03:29possibly due to a tea kettle explosion,
03:31this priest is a somewhat recurring topic of discussion.
03:34He's said to have been present and working at OJ Simpson's wedding,
03:38having had sent arms to Iraq,
03:40and he ended up in a home because of his slight obsession with starting fires.
03:44Yeah, he doesn't sound like a very good guy, so maybe it's for the best he stayed away.
03:48The idea of a debaucherous and slightly mad priest is utterly hilarious,
03:53and the fact that he's described as something so monstrous
03:56without ever being seen makes it all the funnier.
03:595. Mrs Columbo in Columbo
04:02Mrs Columbo is quite a unique and very strange, actually, character in TV,
04:06because despite the fact that we never see her on screen,
04:09and we never actually even hear her from off screen,
04:12she still felt like a pretty fleshed-out, well-rounded character that we felt like we knew.
04:17She had a distinct personality and a full relationship with the titular character,
04:21and she was also relevant to the plot.
04:23Columbo would frequently reference his wife,
04:25talking about her life and their relationship.
04:28She seemed to be an active, healthy woman,
04:30and often found herself involved in the story,
04:32most notably in episodes like Rest in Peace, Mrs Columbo,
04:35where she became the target of a deranged killer.
04:38There is one interesting theory, however,
04:40that actually Mrs Columbo never existed,
04:43and simply she was made up as a way for Columbo to help lower the defences of criminals,
04:48to make him seem more personable, a family man that loves his wife.
04:52You can trust him, can't you?
04:53The beauty of her unseen presence was that you could decide this for yourself,
04:57whether you believe that or not.
04:59It is true that at one point they tried to give her a face in this messy flop of a spin-off series,
05:04but they later retconned that,
05:05saying she was absolutely of no relation to the titular detective,
05:09never mind being the wife,
05:10so if we just forget about that, it never happened.
05:134. Dr Richard Nygaard in Parks and Recreation
05:17Luckily, as we've moved forward these days with our awareness of mental health issues
05:21and trying to de-stigmatise things,
05:22take the shame out of things,
05:24help people get better on their own terms, etc,
05:27we have started to realise that therapy isn't really a joke.
05:31It's not the butt of the joke, it's not the punchline,
05:33it's actually incredibly helpful for a lot of people.
05:36And in Parks and Rec,
05:37it seems like Dr Richard Nygaard was one of the best therapists out there.
05:41He 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.
05:50Chris was definitely one of the biggest advocates for therapy,
05:53I mean it helped him become more than he used to be,
05:56it took him out of this crippling anxiety-depression ball
06:00and made him into a mostly functional human being.
06:03He took almost every opportunity to accredit that process
06:06to his fantastic therapist, Dr Nygaard.
06:09It became so that Dr Nygaard was a character you felt truly familiar with,
06:13he really did become a bona fide character throughout the show
06:15despite never appearing on screen or even speaking.
06:18It seems that Chris in fact is so positive,
06:21he can develop a character you've never even met.
06:27The Big Bang Theory has thrived by basing its comedy
06:30on things that they think people will find relatable,
06:32and it seems, not just in this sitcom, but in a lot of them,
06:36that one of the most relatable things is the overbearing mother or mother-in-law.
06:40An overbearing mother is a harsh reality for some,
06:43but it's utterly hilarious in the case of this show.
06:46Seeing Howard at home with his mum, often getting into silly screaming matches
06:50and joking about her various health and personality problems
06:53was a major reason why his character was entertaining.
06:56And adding to all of this was the fact that we never got to actually look at her,
07:00so we get to fill in the gaps in our heads,
07:02maybe some people even picturing their own mothers.
07:04The disembodied voice of Carol Ann Susie yelling Howard
07:07is seared into the brains of many, giving this character a long-lasting legacy.
07:12It could be argued that actually seeing her would have spoiled the joke,
07:15because there was no way that any mere actress could have lived up
07:19to the huge over-the-top persona that was built by that voice.
07:22So really, it's probably a good thing they kept her secret.
07:262. Bob Sacamano
07:28Seinfeld
07:29I think almost everybody can say that they've got one of those friends,
07:33you know, one of those oddball, off-the-wall friends
07:36that always seems to be doing stuff that gives you a great story to tell.
07:39Well, in the sitcom world, that kind of friend needs to go beyond
07:43even the antics of the leads,
07:44which probably explains the wackiness of Bob Sacamano.
07:47Throughout Seinfeld, Kramer would make references to a friend
07:50who seemed to have the weirdest life imaginable.
07:53These stories ran the gambit from him being in a mental institution,
07:56to contracting rabies, to selling replica Russian hats.
07:59Really, it seemed that Bob had a life well lived.
08:01Again, the mystery behind this character made the joke even funnier.
08:04You never once got the chance to see him,
08:06which led to a wild, erratic energy that left him feeling like a phantom.
08:10His grip on the show was hilarious,
08:12thanks to how much he seeped into the lives of the other characters,
08:15and he managed to do all of this without ever showing his face.
08:18Larry Charles eventually opened up about this character
08:20and admitted he was actually based on a real-life friend.
08:23I would just be interested to see how many of those stories happened in real life too.
08:271. Charlie Townsend in Charlie's Angels
08:31It sort of feels like Charlie Townsend is one of those characters
08:34that transcends even this list.
08:36He's been around for decades,
08:37he's been the titular character of a number of films and series,
08:41and yet we've never once seen him.
08:45As the founder of the Townsend Agency,
08:47this character is the basis for the kick-ass show.
08:50He was the one that founded the Angels,
08:51and thanks to that, this awesome girl power team was put on the map.
08:55He's been a consistent figure in the series since its inception,
08:58and throughout that time he's only allowed one person to see his real face,
09:02that being the beloved recurring character Bosley.
09:05He's also appeared in subsequent reboots,
09:07such as the 2011 ABC remake and Charlie's Angels 2019,
09:11albeit with far less significance.
09:13Overall, it's the mystery behind this character that made him so iconic,
09:17and he really is a masterclass in how to do unseen, unknown characters.
09:21And on that note, actually, we've reached the end of this list.
09:24If you've got any more that you would have included in the video,
09:26then let us know in the comments down below.
09:28And remember to check out whatculture.com
09:30for more lists and articles like this every single day.
09:34As always, I've been Amy from WhatCulture,
09:36and I'll catch you next time.