The secret to creating one of the greatest TV shows of all time seems to be pretty simple: add a character audiences will never see.
OK, so there's probably more to it than that, but every single programme on this list has been considered the best in their field at some point in their run, and they all feature a character (or two) who's invisible to audiences.
But who are these characters? Let's take a look (or not, as the case may be)...
1. Maris – Frasier
Introduced to viewers as Niles Crane's wife / major obstacle to his romance with Daphne, Maris is never glimpsed on screen (outside of a shadow or two) by viewers, with audiences encouraged to imagine her via the medium of several characters' vivid descriptions.
And what descriptions. Super-thin (she's described as failing her ambition to become a ballerina, because she couldn't get her weight up), super-pale and super-mean, Maris became an impossible character to cast, so producers didn't bother.
You can see them explaining the decision in the video above.
2. Bob Sacamano – Seinfeld
One of Kramer's crazy friends, Bob Sacamano often felt like a regular supporting character on the show, even though he was never actually seen.
His presence came in the form of a series of increasingly insane anecdotes from Kramer about his buddy who contracted rabies, worked in a condom factory, sold replica Russian hats and much more besides.
Bob was reportedly named after one of Larry David's real-life friends, but they fell out after the first reference to him was broadcast.
3. Diane – Twin Peaks
Agent Dale Cooper's secretary, described by the FBI agent as being an "interesting cross between a saint and a cabaret singer", mainly existed on the show when she was being dictated to, on tapes Cooper records for later transcription.
Now, she did turn up eventually – in the 2017 revival, played by Laura Dern. But we still think it counts.
4. Richard Nygard – Parks & Recreation
State auditor Chris Traeger seems to be fairly well-adjusted (well, aside from the odd blip – see the video above). Cheerful, optimistic and able to conduct healthy relationships, a lot of the credit for Traeger's good nature has to go to his therapist, Richard Nygard. If only we could meet the genius shrink, we'd shake his hand.
That is, if he's real... There's a pretty strong (in-show) theory that Nygard doesn't exist, and his words of wisdom are as a result of Traeger talking to himself in the mirror.
5. Fernando – I'm Alan Partridge
Potentially the most tragic entry on this list, Alan Partridge's son Fernando appears to hate his dad – not that the self-obsessed BBC / Radio Norwich / North Norfolk Digital star would ever notice.
The unseen nature of the character adds to the sadness – despite Alan's desperation to meet up, we get the sense that Fernando is constantly avoiding his father, and we will never see the two of them together.
Partridge made an art out of off-screen characters, with Alan's wife, her lover, and even Bond icon Roger Moore (after failing to turn up for an interview) being the subject of off-camera hilarity.
6. Mrs Columbo – Columbo
"Well, my wife, she says I'm second best but, uh, she claims there are 80 fellas tied for first," so says Columbo – arguably the greatest TV detective of all time.
It's one of many references to Mrs Columbo, a character who seemed to lead such a rich and varied off-screen life, there's several strong fan theories that suggest she never actually existed, and was a construct that allowed our hero to lower killers' defences.
The theory is so good, it was instantly accepted as canon by Columbians (a term for Columbo fans that we've just made up).
But, there's just one more thing... in 1979, a TV show called Mrs Columbo was broadcast, which kind of ruined, well, everything.
Once the Mrs Columbo creators realised what they'd done, they changed the title of the show to Kate Loves a Mystery, tweaked Kate Columbo's surname to "Mrs Callahan", stood back and hoped no-one would notice. The show was cancelled soon after. You can see the horrific credit sequence above.
Mrs Columbo serves as a warning to future spin-off doctors, firm evidence that every other entry on this list made the right choice to keep their unseen characters as mysterious as possible.
Freelancer writer
Sam is an entertainment writer with NCTJ accreditation and a twenty-year career as a film journalist.
Starting out as a staff writer at Total Film, moving up to Deputy Online Editor, Sam was responsible for Total Film’s YouTube channel, where he revolutionised the magazine’s approach to video junkets, creating influential formats that spread to other outlets.
He’s interviewed a wide range of film icons, including directors such as David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Sofia Coppola, Ridley Scott, Michael Bay and Sam Raimi, as well as actors such as Meryl Streep, Nic Cage, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Anne Hathaway, Margot Robbie, Natalie Portman, Kermit the Frog, all of the Avengers and many more.
Sam has also interviewed several comic creators, including Stan Lee, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, and he has a zombie cameo in The Walking Dead comic.
In 2014, Sam went freelance, working directly for film studios including Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox and Disney, as well as covering red carpet events for film marketing company PMA Productions.
Sam is the co-host, producer and editor of the Arrow Video podcast, which has seen year-on-year growth since its creation in 2017, gaining over half a million listens in that time.
His byline has appeared in outlets such as Yahoo, MTV, Dazed, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Good Housekeeping among others.
In 2012, Sam made it to the final of the Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of the Year competition, and went on to become a filmmaker himself, directing three features that have all played major festivals, and secured distribution – starring in two of them.
Jim Carrey once mistook Sam for Johnny Cash, and John Carpenter told him to ‘Keep up the good work.’ He promises to try his best.
