Who was the greatest recurring off-screen television character?

Maris.

We eventually saw Mrs. Colombo -She got her own series.

Others not included in the poll:

the ever-tedious Wilson, Home Improvement

"The Fat One" (Mason Walker), Will & Grace

Chuckles the Clown, The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Sam the secretary, from Richard Diamond, Private Detective

The Queen (or Prince Philip), The Windsors

Maris Crane.

Carlton the Doorman and Charlie (Charlie's Angels) had voices, distinctive voices. IMO, they're in a different category than the others.

I always assumed Maris was a tranny or just male

There was also Mr. Mooney’s wife, Irma, from “The Lucy Show”. Apparently 7 feet tall, bowlegged and bald. Sort of a prototype Maris in that the descriptions of her were crazy.

Ugly Naked Guy

R8 - Oh my eyes!

We see parts of Ugly Naked Guy.

r9, read the original post again.

My vote is for Dr Lars Lindstrom

Why so much love for Maris? Given Frasier’s origin story, the humor comes from the repeated joke (Vera being the OG)

While I understand the stinging barbs, stories and travails of Maris may have been well-written, Vera’s pie-in-the-face appearance was the ultimate knowing wink to comedy.

Maris was a better character than Vera because the truth about Vera is that she isn’t as bad as how Norm describes her. There’s a tinge of sadness about Norm’s jokes, because we know that she isn’t the problem, he is. The Frasier writers had no problem making Maris into a monster, and the jokes are funnier because of that.

Although if Maris did appear on Frasier, David Hyde Pierce’s wife in The Powers That Be, Valerie Mahaffey, would have been the only person who could do her justice.

I just could never buy Niles being married to a woman. So I interpreted her as down low mystery.

Sarah, the lone telephone operator in all of Mayberry AND Hooterville. Who MUST have been the OG WFH operator in America, because she worked 24/7.

Bitch was stockpiling all that overtime and K-time like a refinery process operator with 2 ex-wives, 5 kids and a bigass bass boat to pay for.

I like to think finally she cursed out Andy, Barney, Clara, Oliver, and Mr. Haney, pissed on her switchboard, shorting it out; and doughnutted out the parking lot, picked Eb up, and fucked him right in front of the Mendelbright Memorial Trough. While taking a pinch of snuff.

90s kid here…

Wilson the neighbor from “Home Improvement” was the dad we all deserved.

R15 “Nita! Jua-Nita!”

Wilson is a different variation of these characters because although you don't ever really see him he has dialogue in every episode. These others are all completely offscreen or you only see parts of them but never hear them.

Aunt Esther, Sanford and Son, and also Julio and his goat. All of the Guest starring cast on Bewitched. Especially Paul Lynde's character and the Lady who played Mrs. Kravitz.

R15- Our Sarah wrote a scathing tell -all and revealed all of the bitchy, back- stabbing, domestic violence, affairs , and closet queens in Mayberry. She was last seen speeding towards Raleigh NC, where she had a name change and plastic surgery . Aunt Bea was a secret drinker and the biggest gossip in the town. She would get tipsy and tell everyone that Andy was a sexual sadist and into S&M. Clara was a lesbian and had an unrequited sexual obsession for Aunt Bea, and little Opie liked to torture small animals, Barney loved to wear women's lingerie and was suspected of stealing women's clothing from their backyard on laundry days. He also abused prescription amphetamines and laxatives. Floyd the barber was a glue sniffer and shoplifter who collected stolen porcelain cat figurines. Thelma Lou and Helen liked to sneak off to Raleigh every few months and roll drunk men just for the hell of it. They kept his underwear as a trophy. Otis the town drunk was actually a vicious mid level marijuana dealer. Never actually intoxicated, Otis was in reality a teetotaler.

R13, interesting take, thanks.

Valerie Mahaffey played characters on both Cheers and Frazier already. I thought she played Norm’s secretary but i misremembered that. Apparently she played the daughter of the restaurant owner instead.

Instead, she played Frasier’s secretary for the episode when he returns to private practice.

R19 You're not very bright.

Maris, the only imaginary character who makes anorexia funny.

Maris - you never actually see or hear her, but she's a fully developed character.

Most of the others you actually hear their voices and their character comes from the voice actor's portrayal.

r19 completely misunderstood the assignment.

R2 Yes, and that Kate sure did love a mystery.

The “voice” on Mission Impossible.

(Robert Cleveland Johnson is probably best known as the "voice behind the scenes", who gave Special Agents Dan Briggs and Jim Phelps their recorded mission briefings on both incarnations of the Mission: Impossible television series. The "Voice" was never identified by name, title or position, and was only heard in recordings, but nevertheless became one of the most iconic features of the show.)

R25 He did misunderstand. I’m surprised he did not mention Bebe from Frasier.

Ann Sothern in My Mother the Car

George Steinbrenner - Seinfeld

Kay Cheeseman - "Mama's Family."

The episode where Niles adopts the dog that “resembles” Maris is just genius. This never seen character is so well developed you can recognize it in a DOG. Still leaves me in stitches when I see that.

Diane - original Twin Peaks

Charlie Townsend was a egotistical, male chauvinistic, pig-ape.

Roselle Huplander on Mama's Family.

Are you suggesting Mrs Wolowitz doesn’t have a distinctive voice R5? I had never heard, or seen, Carol Ann Susi, the actress who voiced that character until Big Bang Theory. One day I had the TV on with some sitcom rerun playing in the background and I heard the voice of Howard’s mother. I watched a few seconds then Googled the episode of whatever show it was (sorry, I don’t remember which show it was) and sure enough it was the same actress. That said, if you wanna nitpick about offscreen characters meaning you also never hear them, start you own damn poll…have a nice Sunday!

You forgot me, CUNTY.

Iola's mother on "Mama's Family."

The Gooch

[quote] Why so much love for Maris?

This is still one of the funniest moments on television:

[quote] Roz : I don’t see Maris. Maybe she went back out.

[quote] Roz : Oh, wait. I see her coat on a hatrack.

[quote] Frasier : Look closer. Is the hatrack moving?

[quote] Roz: Oh my GOD!

[quote] Although if Maris did appear on Frasier, David Hyde Pierce’s wife in The Powers That Be, Valerie Mahaffey, would have been the only person who could do her justice.

Yes! Maris has always been played by Valerie Mahaffey in my mind, R13.