20 TV characters from iconic shows who were never seen on screen

Deputy Barney Fife was often seen making phone calls to set up a date with the unseen Ms. Beasley. She was said to work at a local diner, and it seemed Barney could never really be himself when talking to her. It would be more fun — and great television comedy — to have seen the two together.

The great Lorenzo Music (also the voice of Garfield) voiced the never-seen doorman of one Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper). We regularly heard him saying over Rhoda's apartment intercom, "This is Carlton, your doorman." His dry, drawn-out voice always provided frequent laughs. Viewers did see his arm on occasion but never his face.

Another of the great mysteries of television was the existence of Mrs. Columbo, wife of the gritty Los Angeles homicide detective played by the great Peter Falk. The famed detective was regularly in contact with his wife. Following the end of Columbo's initial run in the late 1970s, the short-lived show initially tabbed Mrs. Columbo (starring the much younger Kate Mulgrew) was not a recognized spinoff of the popular series, at least by Falk, but reportedly a means to catch the viewers' eye.

While Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) was the show's star, his brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce) stole many scenes. Particularly when talking about his wife and eventual ex-wife, Maris. Said to be thin, pasty, frail, and manipulative, Maris was rarely painted in a likable way. We occasionally got a silhouette of her but never the full look. Frasier once described Maris as "like the sun, except without the warmth."    

We never actually met the woman who Juan Epstein credited for writing his notes to Mr. Kotter, getting him out of a homework assignment, or just about anything else he neglected doing. Of course, Epstein, played brilliantly by the late Robert Hegyes, was the true author of those hilarious notes signed "Epstein's Mother."

During the original but brief run of Twin Peaks in the early 1990s, we never saw Agent Cooper's dependable secretary. That's why she made this list, and there are those who believe she was the brains behind Cooper's work. However, when Twin Peaks: The Return popped up on Showtime in 2017, Laura Dern took on the physical role of Diane.

Right up there with Scut Farkus (A Christmas Story) and Buddy Hinton (The Brady Bunch ) when it came to Hollywood bullies, The Gooch was as menacing and intimidating as they come. At least that's how Arnold Jackson (Gary Coleman) described him through the series run of Diff'rent Strokes. Arnold even learned karate to defend himself against his nemesis.

By all accounts, Stuart Hughes was not a good POTUS as he was often referred. Then again, this was coming from his VP Selina Meyer, who was not really good at anything except for being a pain in the most hilarious ways. He struggled with foreign policy and shut down the government. In the Season 2 episode "Hostages," there was a reported sighting of Hughes in a situation room. However, that did not appear to be the case since his identity was still apparently up in the air later in the series. 

Son of Uncle Leo and cousin of Jerry. Though we personally never met Jeffrey, we know a lot about him. He worked for the parks department, which his father boasted about, and devoted his Friday nights to watching the Nature Channel on television. A fan of leopards, Jeffrey was once thought to have had a thing with one of Jerry's girlfriends.

Mary and neighbor/landlord Phyllis (Cloris Leachman), plus fellow friend Rhoda, had a unique friendship. Quite fond of herself and always nosy, Phyllis often spoke of her dermatologist husband. However, viewers never got to see him on screen. In the MTM spinoff Phyllis, the title character and her daughter, Bess, move to San Francisco following Lars' death.

Chris Traeger's often-mentioned therapist was like a godsend to the former Indiana state auditor and eventual Pawnee City Manager. Followers of Nygard refer to themselves as "Nygardians." Traeger (Rob Lowe) visited Nygard as many as 15 times a week. After all, good mental therapy can be hard to find. 

Leave it to the Cheers family to come up with two of the most memorable unseen characters in TV history. Never seen (at least her face) but spoken of fondly and sometimes not so fondly by her husband Norm. Vera (voiced by George Wendt's real-life wife Bernadette Birkett) did not seem to mind that Norm spent most of his time in a bar. We almost saw her at the infamous Thanksgiving dinner party when she accidentally took a pie to the face.

It can be argued that Kramer's mysterious friend should be a regular cast member of the classic sitcom since he's often mentioned by the wacky, hipster doofus. Sacamano once worked in a condom factory and sold replica Russian hats in Battery Park. He also suffered quite a bit, dealing with a hernia and spending time in a mental institution.

The never-witnessed Sinclair was apparently the most popular girl in school — bright, pretty, and nasty as a tiger. That didn't stop some Degrassi regulars from gossiping about the queen bee, such as her biggest rival, Paige. Her nicknames reportedly included Miss Teletubby and the Queen of Evil.

Sure, we've seen the back of Mr. Steinbrenner, ruler of the New York Yankees, and someone who actually took a liking to employee George Costanza, but never the big man's face. Voiced by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, we know that "Big Stein" liked calzones, humming Pat Benatar tunes, and was even willing to meet with the family of a seemingly fallen employee.

By all accounts, Tino was the coolest kid around the My So-Called Life gang. Cooler than Jordan Catalano? Impossible. Too bad we never got to see him. He knew everybody, was somewhat tight with Rayanne, the lead singer of Jordan's band, drove a car, threw great parties, and apparently had easy access to Chinese food. Who wouldn't want to be this guy's best friend?

The great John Forsythe voiced the suave former detective/millionaire-turned-owner of a private investigation agency. Charlie gave the orders, and his Angels followed. As far as it can be told, only Bosley knows what Charlie completely looks like. Of course, plenty of lovely ladies were familiar with Mr. Townsend since we often saw one or more in his office during each episode.

OK, we actually saw one of the most infamous unseen characters in sitcom history, but we never saw his face. Maybe that was a good thing. Who can forget when Ross stripped down and shared some muffins with that overweight man in the buff from the apartment building across from Monica and Rachel's window? We know he liked to dance, lay tile, and even tried to shed a few pounds after buying a Thighmaster.

Easily among the most well-known unseen stars of TV. Karen's presumably obese husband was the butt of endless jokes from his ruthless wife. Stan, though, was hardly innocent. He was busted for tax evasion and insider trading, had a mistress (Lorraine, played by Minnie Driver), and faked his own death.

One of the great side characters from the Big Bang juggernaut was Howard's loud-mouth, New York/New Jersey-accented Ma, who we eventually learned had the first name of Debbie. Voiced by the talented late Carol Ann Susi, Mrs. Wolowitz always seemed to interfere at the wrong time, was nosy, and completely protective of her precious son — in an often hilarious manner.