Scene Stealers 2020

The best new TV & movie characters of 2020

These scene stealers are what's great about streaming.

by Jake Kleinman
Updated: 
Originally Published: 

Star Wars was always about the Skywalkers, but in 2020, The Mandalorian confirmed something we probably already knew: the most interesting characters are usually the ones in the background.

It's not alone. In a year where many of us felt more isolated than ever, stories from Umbrella Academy to Star Trek: Discovery reminded fans that the only thing better than being the hero of your own story is having someone to go with you. The Sam to your Frodo. The Alma Wheatley to your Beth Harmon.

At Inverse, we put our heads together and came up with a list of the best scene-stealing characters in streaming this year; the sort of characters who deserve their own series. Their own stories might be smaller, or with smaller stakes, but the writing and performances that bring those characters to life have a wonderfully sticky quality to them.

We also asked you, the Inverse community, to vote on your favorites. (Love charts? Check out the data for yourself.) We even teamed up with artist Chris Barker to bring together our favorite scene stealers with this Sgt. Pepper's-inspired work.

Inverse/Chris Barker
Inverse/Chris Barker

We ended up with:

  • 32 official selections (Why 32? Why not?)
  • 10 write-in candidates who were too good to ignore
  • 5 additional iconic objects included in the art

Depending on how you want to do the math, that comes to 32, 42, or 47 fan-favorites in total. But because the chessboard from Queen's Gambit probably isn't getting a spinoff anytime soon, let's call it a grand total of 42.

The full list offers a unique look back at a turbulent year, not through the eyes of the Luke Skywalkers of the world, but through the sidekicks, parents, and weird-looking aliens who have just as great a story to tell if given the chance.

Here's your guide to the Inverse Scene Stealers of 2020.

32. Go Nan-do My Holo Love, Yoon Hyun-min

Netflix

In My Holo Love, a decidedly K-Drama take on stories like Her, Yoon Hyun-min pulls double duty as Holo, the cheerful A.I. personal assistant, and Go Nan-do, the misanthropic genius behind the tech. While Holo may have the romantic chops, Go Nan-do is so full of yearning and tension, it reminds us all why the sci-fi K-drama is here to stay. Watch it on Netflix.

Also read:

  • 7 sci-fi K-dramas on Netflix worth watching

31. “Tim Heidecker" An Evening with Tim Heidecker, Tim Heidecker

YouTube

The Tim and Eric comedian's first standup special isn't what you'd expect. Instead of doing actual ... comedy, Heidecker channels the persona of a bad stand-up comic ready to call out "cancel culture." Ladies and gentlemen, meet "Tim Heidecker." Watch it on YouTube.

Also read:

30. Elizabeth "Bess" Levin The Plot Against America, Zoe Kazan

HBO

HBO’s miniseries, based on Philip Roth’s alternate history novel, dropped like a bomb with its portrayal of the simmering fascism living just under the surface of our everyday lives. Big names like Winona Ryder might draw you in, but Zoe Kazan (playing her married sister, Bess), gave the series the dose of grounded realism that made its vision of American Nazism all the more terrifying. Watch it on HBO/HBO Max.

Also read:

29. Herman Judd Avenue 5, Josh Gad

HBO

As the follow-up effort from Veep creator Armando Iannucci, Avenue 5 might feel like a letdown, but there’s no denying the genius of Josh Gad’s Herman Judd, an idiot CEO trapped aboard his own doomed space cruise. In a year with far too many Trump parodies, this subtle take on America’s 45th president was one of the best. Watch it on HBO/HBO Max.

Also read:

28. Marker Woke, J.B. Smoove

Hulu

J.B. Smoove plays a talking marker that only a hallucinating cartoonist (Lamorne Morris, above) can hear. What else do you need to know? Watch it on Hulu.

27. Stewart Devs, Stephen McKinley Henderson

FX/Hulu

It’s mind-boggling that we’re still not talking about Devs, a staggering FX miniseries from Alex Garland (Annihilation) starring Nick Offerman as a bizarre Silicon Valley genius with a terrible secret. The entire show deserves more credit, mostly because it gave us Stewart, the warmest computer engineer in a room full of cold and calculating geniuses who also delivers Devs’ most powerful moment by reciting a poem. Watch it on Hulu.

Also read:

26. Joey Sasso The Circle

Netflix

Does winning a reality show make you the star? We’d argue every contestant on Netflix’s made-for-coronavirus reality show The Circle was a background actor just waiting to shine. The fact that this momma’s boy from upstate New York managed to win makes him the ultimate scene stealer in our book. Watch it on Netflix.

25. Misha Popov Away, Mark Ivanir

Netflix

Meet Misha, the arrogant cosmonaut engineer who hides his space blindness (yes, it’s a real thing) from the rest of the crew until it’s almost too late. The Netflix space epic was canceled after Season 1, but Mark Ivanir deserves a spinoff. Watch it on Netflix.

Also read:

  1. Our review of Away
  2. What Away had planned for Season 2

24. Hong Warrior, Chen Tang

Cinemax

Strutting into 1870s San Francisco is the killer hatchetman Hong, played by Chen Tang, who brought much-needed comedy and fun to a period action drama about American Chinese racism based on Bruce Lee’s rejected series. Coming to HBO Max in 2021.

Also read:

23. Caliban Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Sam Corlett

Netflix

In a series filled with memorable antagonists, Caliban carved out a space for himself. His introduction in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Season 3 fulfilled the role of potential love interest and nemesis to Sabrina Spellman’s claim to Lucifer’s throne. Sam Corlett brought a lot of energetic charm to this character while simultaneously portraying Caliban as petulant and spoiled. Somehow, Corlett makes the combination work to great effect. Watch it on Netflix.

Also read:

22. Brad Bakshi Mythic Quest, Danny Pudi

Apple

For Community fans, it’s hard to look at Danny Pudi and not see the geeky pop culture-obsessed college student Abed, but in Mythic Quest, Pudi managed to break that mold despite his relatively minor role. Brad is everything Abed is not: mean, petty, and money-obsessed. And we love him for it. Watch it on Apple TV+

Also read:

21. Jet Sky Guy Tiger King, James Garretson

Netflix

In a docu-series full of larger-than-life characters, it’s really saying something that the most memorable of them all became famous for silently riding a jet ski. Ride on, James Garretson. Watch it on Netflix.

Also read:

  1. Joel McHale's Tiger King Netflix episode reveals an ugly truth about him, and us
  2. 6 months after Tiger King, Joe Exotic's tigers face a precarious future

20. Ingrid Upload, Allegra Edwards

Amazon

It’s hard to craft a villain’s transformation into a hero that looks believable, but Allegra Edwards makes it seem effortless. In Upload, she plays Ingrid, a spoiled, rich, young woman in the not-too-distant-future who pays to have her dying boyfriend uploaded to the cloud. Throughout Season 1 of the Amazon show, Ingrid evolves from a controlling GF to a caring partner. And after that big finale twist, we can’t wait to see where she goes in Season 2. Watch it on Amazon Prime.

Also read:

19. Liam Novak I Am Not Okay With This, Aidan Wojtak-Hissong

Netflix

Netflix’s greatest crime of 2020 was probably canceling I Am Not Okay With This, a supernatural coming-of-age thriller from Jonathan Entwistle (previously The End Of The F***ing World; next Power Rangers). The one-season series solidified young actors Sophia Lillis and Wyatt Oleff as future stars, but the real hero is the irrepressible Liam Novak, Sophia’s younger brother and an irrepressible ray of joy in this otherwise angsty saga. Watch it on Netflix.

Also read:

18. Seraphim Blood of Zeus, Elias Toufexis

Netflix

While Heron was the everyman hero of Netflix’s surprise hit anime Blood of Zeus, the half-demon Seraphim was its real star. His ugly, scarred eye made you thankful Blood of Zeus wasn’t live action, and, based on what we know about Season 2, his escape from the underworld will get us back to binge-watching when the series returns. Watch it on Netflix.

Also read:

17. Holly Gibney The Outsider, Cynthia Erivo

HBO

The best character in HBO’s blood-curdling whodunnit didn’t show up until Episode 3. Stephen King’s recurring character has already appeared in various books and adaptations, but Cynthia Erivo brought new life to Holly Gibney, the obsessive-compulsive detective in The Outsider. Watch it on HBO/HBO Max.

Also read:

16. Roy Palm Springs, J.K. Simmons

Hulu

Palm Springs already had a winning formula: a time loop rom-com starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti. The only thing that could have possibly made it better? An unhinged performance from J.K. Simmons, who really does steal the show while hunting down Samberg before delivering the movie’s most emotional scene. Watch it on Hulu.

Also read:

15. Mindy Markowitz Hunters, Carol Kane

Amazon

In an ensemble cast that features Al Pacino and Josh Radnor, Carol Kane somehow manages to steal the show as everyone’s favorite Nazi-hunting bubbe. You probably recognize Kane as the loopy landlord from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, but after 2020, she’ll always be Mindy Markowitz to us. Watch it on Amazon.

Also read:

14. Dr. Kevin Christie Utopia, John Cusack

Amazon

“What have you done to earn your place in this world?” No longer the lovestruck boy with a boombox in Say Anything, John Cusack achieved real villain status as Dr. Kevin Christie in Gillian Flynn’s remake of the UK thriller Utopia. A cross between Elon Musk and Thanos, Dr. Christie made an otherwise so-so sci-fi show into must-see TV. Watch it on Amazon Prime.

Also read:

13. Sister Agatha Van Helsing Dracula, Dolly Wells

Netflix/BBC

It would have been easy to cast another dude as Van Helsing in Dracula, the three-episode miniseries from Sherlock showrunners Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat. Instead, they put Dolly Wells in this crucial role as an unflappable nun with the guts to stand up to the prince of darkness. Watch it on Netflix.

Also read:

12. Campion Raised by Wolves, Winta McGrath

HBO Max

Ridley Scott returned to the director chair to launch HBO Max’s original sci-fi series Raised by Wolves, and while Amanda Collin may have stolen the show in the lead role of Mother (a killer robot reprogrammed to raise human children), it was her adopted child, Campion, who brought the warmth and humanity that anchored this intergalactic sci-fi thriller. Watch it on HBO Max.

Also read:

11. Owen Sharma The Haunting of Bly Manor, Rahul Kohli

Netflix

Horror master Mike Flanagan really knows how to pick an ensemble cast. The Haunting of Hill House set a high bar in 2018, but Flanagan raised it in 2020 by adding Kohli to his roster in Bly Manor. As house chef Owen Sharma, Kohli provided the warmth that was absent from the spooky manor where the miniseries took place. We can’t wait to see what he does next in Flanagan’s upcoming Midnight Mass. Watch it on Netflix.

Also read:

10. Mycroft Holmes Enola Holmes, Sam Claflin

Netflix

Henry Cavill may have stolen the show as swaggering Sherlock Holmes, who’s just a little too handsome, but it’s hard to understate the brilliance of Sam Claflin as his brother Mycroft. As the unofficial antagonist of the film, Claflin offered fans perhaps the most detestable version yet of this perennially unhappy member of the Holmes clan. Watch it on Netflix.

Also read:

9. Pat Dugan Stargirl, Luke Wilson

The CW

Popular culture likes to have stepparents be the bad guy. But in the wonderfully fun DC series Stargirl, Luke Wilson’s square stepdad was the hero we all needed. With a sleek robot suit, Pat Dugan juggled between caring for Courtney Whitmore (aka Stargirl) and getting her ready to take on supervillains. But no matter what, you knew he loved Courtney above all else. Watch it on The CW.

Also read:

8. Tutar Sagdiyev Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Maria Bakalova

Amazon

Nothing encapsulates the chaotic nature of 2020 quite so well as the Borat sequel that materialized out of nowhere and introduced the world to Maria Bakalova. This unknown Bulgarian actress proved to be Sacha Baron Cohen’s secret weapon in the sequel that no one expected but everyone secretly needed. Watch it on Amazon Prime.

Also read:

7. Raffi Musiker Star Trek: Picard, Michelle Hurd

CBS

Throughout the 50+ year history of Star Trek, we’re used to thinking of the Federation as the unequivocal good guys of the galaxy. It’s through the eyes of Raffi, Jean-Luc Picard’s deeply skeptical post-TNG bestie, that we begin to see the degradation of a powerful institution grown far too pleased with itself. Hurd’s performance gives us a fascinating critical look at a familiar sci-fi monolith. Watch it on CBS All Access.

Also read:

6. Gray Tal Star Trek: Discovery, Ian Alexander

CBS

Even since the first season of Star Trek in 1966, the iconic sci-fi franchise has been a pioneering cultural force for diversity and inclusion. The third season of Discovery introduced the series’ first non-binary and transgender characters, the latter of whom is Alexander’s otherworldly, cello-playing sweetheart. Watch it on CBS All Access.

Also read:

5. Space Beth Rick and Morty, Sarah Chalke

Adult Swim

Sarah Chalke already stars in Rick and Morty as Beth Smith, an alcoholic mother struggling to keep her family together despite a string of inconceivable sci-fi adventures. In its Season 4 finale, the Adult Swim series confirmed a popular fan theory by revealing Space Beth, a badass clone (or was regular Beth the clone?) who represents everything her Earth-bound doppelganger is afraid to be. Watch it on HBO Max.

Also read:

4. Alma Wheatley Queen's Gambit, Marielle Heller

Netflix

In late 2020, sales for chess sets soared as interest in the game spiked on Google. The reason wasn’t quarantine-induced boredom; it was Queen’s Gambit, a stylish new Netflix miniseries about a young female chess prodigy at the height of the Cold War. Anya Taylor‑Joy stars as chess savant Beth Harmon, but the show’s unsung hero is Alma Wheatley, her drug-addicted adoptive mother, played with tragic humor by Marielle Heller, the accomplished director behind 2018’s Can You Ever Forgive Me? Watch it on Netflix.

3. Stormfront The Boys, Aya Cash

Amazon

How did The Boys top its shocking first season? By adding a Nazi to its superhero squad. Aya Cash plays Stormfront, a racist “supe” who stirs up anti-immigrant sentiment with political speeches and Facebook memes. Cash delivers the perfect performance, winning over audiences before pulling the rug out from under us in a clever indictment of modern American fascism. Watch it on Amazon Prime.

Also read:

2. Frog Lady The Mandalorian, Misty Rosas and Dee Bradley Baker

Lucasfilm

The Mandalorian is all about taking background characters and elevating them into starring roles, from Nick Nolte's grouchy alien rancher Kuiil to Amy Sedaris as a scrappy ship mechanic. But in Season 2, Disney+ introduced us to the greatest seat-filler in Star Wars history, an amphibian alien on a mission to reunite with her husband. Also known to the internet as Frog Lady. Watch it on Disney+

Also read:

1. Lila Pitts Umbrella Academy, Ritu Arya

Netflix

Netflix’s bombastic superhero series was already a great time in Season 1, but the show got even better in Season 2 thanks to a new setting (Texas in the ‘60s) and the addition of Ritu Arya to the ensemble cast as Lila Pitts. Ritu’s scene-stealing character starts off as a romantic interest before evolving into so much more with a climactic twist we never saw coming. Watch it on Netflix.

Also read:

Honorable mentions

As suggested by our readers, these are the scene stealers we forgot to mention. In a year full of great TV, forgive us for forgetting a few instant classics like Lovecraft Country and The Midnight Gospel — and for limiting our initial list to just a single Mandalorian character:

Eddie Space Force, Chris Gethard

Coach Beard Ted Lasso, Brendan Hunt

Lilah "LJ" Folger Snowpiercer, Annalise Basso

George Freeman Lovecraft Country, Courtney B. Vance

Ash James Westworld, Lena Waithe

Gratitoad Big Mouth, Zach Galifianakis

Charlotte The Midnight Gospel

Ahsoka Tano The Mandalorian, Rosario Dawson

Bo-Katan The Mandalorian, Katee Sackhoff

Captain Philippa Georgiou Star Trek: Discovery, Michelle Yeoh

Scene Stealers is a celebration of the best supporting TV and movie characters in 2020. Chosen by us and ranked by you.

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