A show is not a show if the main character doesn’t had a sidekick, squad or foe that brings a different vibe to the screen. Whether it’s a Miranda bringing Carrie back to Earth or Ethan Craft driving Lizzie into a thirteen-year-old flirting frenzy, there are certain characters we sometimes come to follow more than the star. Here are ten that are just as important as their lead counterparts, and in many cases loved more than them, too:
1. Fiona from Shameless
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2. Dwight from The Office
Sure, Jim and Pam forever, but Dwight K. Schrute for always.
3. Peggy and Joan from Mad Men
The women who some would say had more sense than Don for the entire series. And let’s not forget Roger Sterling, the one who brought the laughs in at just the right time.
4. Tom from Parks and Recreation
Oh, Tom. King of the one-liners and an inspiration to the business mogul in all of us. When we were introduced to Tom and Dona’s Treat Yo’ Self Day, our lives got a little brighter.
5. Claire from House of Cards
In season one we thought she was just cool, but now Claire Underwood is proving just how shrewd, focused and a match she is for HoC’s antihero, Frank. If you made it through one of Claire’s scenes without the chills, I would at least hope your jaw dropped a little.
6. Tami Taylor from Friday Night Lights
Move over Mrs. George, this is the original cool mom. Perhaps the only thing more amazing than Tami’s personality and marriage with Coach Eric Taylor were her ~effortless~ waves. Seriously, how did they stay in the hell-like Texas summers?
7. Black Cindy from Orange is the New Black
There’s always one line in Orange is the New Black that makes you have to pause and rewind, and it’s generally at the hands of Black Cindy. Would it be too much to ask for a compilation of her and her squad’s repartees? I think not.
8. Sookie from Gilmore Girls
The ever-smiling, ever-joyful, bandana-wearing chef that pulled off pigtails better than anyone we’ll ever know. If there ever was a tag team, it was Sookie and Lorelei. And if there ever was a culinary match made in heaven, it was Sookie and Jackson—there are only so many husbands that will sleep with the vegetable their wife needs to be ripened overnight.
9. Lafayette from True Blood
Through the brooding stares and throaty, fake Southern accents, there is the wit of Lafayette that makes Bill Compton’s pronunciation of “Sookie” bearable. Lafayette had a snarky comeback for every situation and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t try and use them for yourself.
10. Schmidt from New Girl
Schmidt quotes could be motivational posters—in fact, they are. Without Schmidt we would be without rants, the douchebag jar and an understanding that losing your driving moccasins is the truest tragedy.
