7 supporting roles that became recurring/main characters

1. Scott Patterson as Luke Danes in Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls became a popular show in the early 2000s. Scott Patterson who played Luke Danes was the voice of reason in the show for Lorelai Gilmore and a father-figure to Rory Gilmore. He was originally supposed to be a female character named Daisy, as explained by the writer Amy Sherman-Palladino. However, things took a turn when the team and fans noticed Scott Patterson and Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) chemistry off-screen, that it inspired them to make him a much more important role in the show. 

2. Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing and Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay in Friends

Friends was originally supposed to just focus on Rachel, Monica, Joey and Ross. However, Chandler and Phoebe became extremely popular with the fans. he two became ‘central’ to the cast and as the story evolved, the showrunners, Marta Kauffman and David Crane revised the show and focused on the six friends altogether. The viewers ended up loving each and every character individually. 

3. Joe Keery as Steve Harrington in Stranger Things

It was partly the fans who saved the role. He was supposed to be a disposable character but the overwhelmingly positive support made him a regular on the show. It was Joe’s performance that made fans fall in love with him and change his character’s fate.

4. Colin O’Donoghue as Killian Jones/Captain Hook in Once Upon a Time

Captain Hook wasn’t meant to be the main villain on the show and was supposed to be in a few of the episodes. However, the fans and everyone behind the scenes loved his performance. Before the show aired the producer made the character a regular on the show.

5. Ed Helms as Andy Bernard in The Office

There was not even an Andy Bernard role till the show makers  met Ed Helms. He became a regular in the show as his personality matched the character that was envisioned by the writers and he was a great improviser. The Office creator Greg Daniels stated that he had a long conversation with Ed Helms about who he was? and where he was from.

6. Daniel Gillies as Elijah Mikaelson in The Vampire Diaries

Elijah was not only supposed to die in the series but was also almost played by an older actor. TVD creators at the time Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson said killing off Elijah would have been complicated regarding the show’s plot. Kevin Williamson said that he ws a last minute addition to the show. According to various platforms, Elijah, like the other Originals were last minute addition to the storyline.

7. Adrian R’Mante as Esteban Julio Ricardo Montoya de la Rosa Ramirez in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody

Adrian’s character was initially just written for a few episodes, but after the Halloween episodes things took a turn for the good. Esteban was loved by all at the Tipton and according to MTV, the said episode created a safety net which allowed the creators to continue for two more years, taking Esteban from a recurring character to a series regular.