2022 In Review: 25 Of Our Favorite Scene Stealers From Wednesday, Abbott Elementary, She-Hulk And More

Sure, the stars get all the attention and awards, but we've got a special place in our TV-loving hearts for the supporting characters that help make their shows worth watching.

In the latest entry in TVLine's Year in Review series, we're celebrating our very favorite scene stealers: the side characters who make us sit up and pay attention every time they enter a scene. And 2022 delivered an absolute bumper crop across the world of television, from scheming lords to charming assassins, from cute robots to disembodied hands to — well, whatever you want to call Madisynn. (Just don't call her late for happy hour, heyyyyyyyy!)

Read on as we pay tribute to beloved sidekicks, best friends and minor characters from Abbott Elementary, House of the Dragon, Wednesday, Andor, Better Call Saul, Stranger Things, The White Lotus, Euphoria, The Sex Lives of College Girls and many, many more. But you've got your own personal list of TV's best scene stealers, you say? Well, we want to hear from you, then: Drop your picks in a comment below.

And still to come in TVLine's Year in Review: Quotes of the Year, our Performer of the Year winner, Series Finales Graded, and lots more!

Let's be clear: As a boyfriend, Janine's hopelessly juvenile ex is awful. Terrible. Just the worst. But as a TV character, viewed from afar, he's a delight! The part-time rapper/full-time mooch played by Zack Fox is the kind of guy who'd buy his girl a nice gift... and then borrow money from her to pay for it. But he was funny enough that we could kind of see why Janine dated him in the first place — even if we completely understand and support her cutting things off with him.

Arguably the most horrible boss since The Office's Michael Scott, Payne Motors' new CEO is blessed (?) with a combination of self-centeredness and self-unawareness that makes her a classic "car wreck": awful... yet we can't bring ourselves to look away. If the former pharmaceutical exec has a redeeming quality, it's that with Ana Gasteyer at the wheel, she never fails to steer us toward another uncomfortable laugh. Naturally, without using her blinker.

To be brutally honest, not all of the additions to HBO Max's Sex and the City continuation worked for us, but the ravishing and worldly Seema, played by film and TV veteran Sarita Choudhury, fit like a (very expensive) glove. A fiercely independent single woman with a thriving career in real estate, Seema bonded with Carrie over their love of cigarettes and brought a much-needed dose of glamorous fun, filling the Samantha Jones-sized hole in our hearts.

Just when you thought the Star Wars universe had exhausted its bag of adorable droid tricks, out comes this sad little salvage assist unit. Though inelegantly designed and battery-challenged, Bee (voiced by Dave Chapman) instantly won us over with his excited ch-ch-chittering, oddly emotive "eyebrow" and accordion-like body. Like a loving puppy dog, he welcomed Cassian's every visit while minding Maarva all the while, to her dying day.

Even though it's a half-hour, The Bear is hardly a comedy, with its intense kitchen scenes and harsh emotional truths. Richie definitely brings the laughs, though, as chef Carmy's sleazy coworker who'd always rather be bitching or screwing around than actually cooking. Played with misguided bravado by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Richie is a hardheaded relic from a bygone era, but he's so fiercely loyal, you're glad to have him in your corner.

It's tough to stand out as a villain on a show that also features Gus Fring, but this slickly malevolent cartel gangster did just that, powered by a charming, chilling performance from Tony Dalton. We loved watching Lalo plot his enemies' demise with cunning precision, even as we thanked our lucky stars we weren't on his hit list. If the Breaking Bad producers are considering another spinoff, we sure wouldn't mind seeing a flashback to Lalo's earlier, even more lethal years.

Netflix's eight-episode limited series about a teen ghost flew relatively under the radar, but we remain happily haunted by Zoe Colletti's layered performance as Gia, the bubbly best friend of Lana Condor's Erika. While Colletti's natural charisma and comedic chops made her an ideal sidekick, she also got to flex her dramatic muscles due to a game-changing twist, resulting in a beautiful, heartbreaking and altogether unexpected journey.

He's not exactly a drug dealer with a heart of gold — we've seen him unleash hell on whoever he thinks has crossed him — but Angus Cloud brings unexpected depth to the easy-going stoner. We learned more about Fez's brutal backstory in Season 2 and also saw him strike up an unlikely romance with bookworm Lexi... and as always, his space-cadet observations are a good time, for real, yo.

No ifs, ands or buts about it, Shea Whigham's Liddy was the best part of Starz's retelling of the Watergate scandal. The character's primal instincts and borderline insane rants often raised our eyebrows, but we were beyond transfixed. The fact that the character was in such capable hands only made this iteration of Liddy that much more watchable. We won't soon forget the zealot's nearly comical meltdowns and antics, which were completely unhinged, but in the best possible way.

If she was our coworker, we'd want to pull our own hair out, but watching the clueless Kayla torture poor Jimmy makes us giggle beyond belief. Thanks to Megan Stalter's comedic prowess and timing, Kayla is impossible to ignore (as if we'd ever). Even in scenes with Jean Smart's fiery Deborah, Kayla more than holds her own and always delivers hilarious absurdity.

Sprinkling "older sister magic" throughout Season 1 of Netflix's swoon-worthy smash is Jenny Walser's one-teenager Greek chorus, a character whose sharp gaydar is matched only by her dry wit. Like sibling Charlie, we never know when Tori is going to appear out of nowhere with a glass of diet lemonade and a keen observation. But we're always glad when she does — and not just because she's funny, either. Her love for Charlie is as palpable as his for future boyfriend Nick, and it only makes us adore her more.

Look, we weren't always pleased to see Ser Harwin Strong's brother slink into a scene, knowing what manipulative messiness he tended to unleash. But damned if we weren't captivated by the master of whisperers every time he showed up. (Well, maybe except for that icky exchange in Queen Alicent's quarters. We could've done without that one.)

No one in the Organized Crime Control Bureau deadpans better than its resident tech expert, who never lets propriety or professionalism get in the way of voicing what everyone is thinking. Jet's scenes with Stabler are especially entertaining, but we're also digging it lately whenever she and Det. Whelan share the screen: He got her to admit she was married at 20 (?!) — what other secrets might Det. Slootmaekers offer up next?

As Max Chapman tried to break into the racist, sexist world of professional baseball, she did so with the unending support of best friend Clance, played to comedic perfection by Gbemisola Ikumelo. Clance proved herself time and again to be a loyal BFF (but not so loyal that she'll hold back her honest advice), devoted wife to Guy (she'll stop at nothing to find him fresh seafood) and hilariously blunt movie critic (The Wizard of Oz is problematic, actually!). But it was Clance's spirited, infectious love of comic books that made her especially endearing, elevating the character from a worn-out "funny best friend" trope to a fully realized, multi-faceted woman.

No one delivers a punchline quite like Ron Funches. As Molly's cousin, Arthur helped the newly-in-charge boss lady reconnect with her family using his contagious laugh and good-natured spirit. Funches lit up every scene that he was in, punching up lines with enthusiasm and quirk. While we're glad Howard ditched his atrocious girlfriend, we sure hope he finds someone special next season. He deserves it.

Acid-tongued and intolerant of BS, we could tell Anya's rock-hard exterior was masking her inner pain and vulnerability. And that's what made us love her even more as her multiple layers peeled away like an onion. Thanks to newcomer Ruth Codd's emotionally wicked performance, Anya quickly cemented herself as our No. 1 favorite club member.

If Kamala's no. 1 gal pal has a superpower, it's her hustle. As played by Yasmeen Fletcher, Nakia brought her own modern flourishes to the series' Muslim community, gamely campaigning to join the mosque board and make some changes. Nakia's standout showcase was at the Eid festival, where she wheeled and dealed to get her campaign posters displayed, and also gave viewers the 411 on the mosque's many cliques, including the Illumin-Aunties, the Pious Boys, the Sunday School Teachers and the Mini-Harmi Girls.

Hulu's savagely funny showbiz satire knows its Hollywood clichés, and none were more painfully accurate (or hilarious) than this clueless former child star, played with endearing emptyheadedness by Calum Worthy. Zack is totally stoked to reunite with his old sitcom cast, and he's no cautionary tale, either, enjoying the residuals from straight-to-DVD movies like Teenstronaut ("Buying a house is lit!") and waving to his loving mom in the studio audience. He's just a happy guy in general, which — in a show filled with frustrated and depressed actors and writers — isn't such a bad thing to be.

While there are many wild characters in the res that you've got to see to believe, no one gets our goat more than Gary Farmer's Uncle Brownie. In Season 2, the weed-smoking uncle/brother/cousin thought he was a spirit despite William Knifeman's total objection to his delusions of grandeur. Regardless, Brownie's love for Sonic and willingness to throw down over all sorts of decades-old beef just makes us love this crazy kook that much more.

We can never predict what the unapologetically bawdy Lila is going to say, and that's what makes Kimberly's Sips coworker-turned-manager so exciting to watch. On a show where every character gets sharp punchlines, it's truly impressive how often Lila scores the biggest laugh from us, thanks to her portrayer Ilia Isorelýs Paulino's hilarious line delivery. Lila truly has no filter, and we love her for it.

There's nothing we can say on behalf of the MCU's mightiest party girl that hasn't been said before. Winningly embodied by Patty Guggenheim, she had us at "but it's not where you thiiiink," but then cemented her place in this Marvel-ous world with her clear affection for her soon-to-be binge buddy "Wongers."

Though we'll always question his love of pineapple on pizza, we'll never question our love of Jonathan's stoner BFF. Every scene he's in during Season 4 leaves us as high as if we've partaken in a little Purple Palm Tree Delight. But what makes Eduardo Franco's alter ego more than a half-baked caricature is the sweetness that's as unmissable as his incredible hair. Not only is he utterly devoted to his brochacho, but his twitterpated reaction to Suzie's big sister Eden is adorably shmackin'.

Apologies in advance for the pun, but... yup, we've gotta hand it to Wednesday's sidekick. With Romanian magician Victor Dorobantu letting his fingers do the walking — and, in a way, the talking — the feisty appendage has managed to establish a bond not only with Nevermore Academy's newest student but us, one that we'd be loath to have, um, severed. In fact, we were more upset about its close brush with death in Episode 7 of the Netflix smash's first season than we were Eugene's in Episode 4. (Please don't tell Eugene.)

The hotel guests on HBO's spiky satire are fun and all, but Season 2's secret standouts were this mischievous duo of Sicilian locals played by Simona Tabasco and Beatrice Granno, who brought an enchanting continental flair to all the rich-people drama. They charmed their way into the hotel, with Lucia parlaying her bedroom skills into a handsome payday and Mia picking up some pointers to land a gig playing piano at the bar. If we're naming winners and losers from Season 2, Lucia and Mia definitely top the winners' list.

Although new to the Supernatural universe, the character of Carlos already feels like an old friend. And yet, at the same time, we're mad that we're just getting to know Carlos, because we can't help thinking of all the witty retorts, fabulous outfits and moments of tenderness that we've missed prior to The Winchesters' debut. JoJo Fleites, who portrays the hunter, is just that delightful in the fresh energy that they bring.