The hole in the middle: 16 shows whose lead characters are their least interesting

Ron Howard’s character on the classic ’50s-set sitcom had two personality quirks that were played for laughs: He liked to sing “Blueberry Hill” when things got romantic, and he liked to call people “Bucko” when he got angry. Other than that, though, the every-boy Milwaukee high-school student was more or less written as an unfailingly nice, responsible young man, and his point of view was what Garry Marshall wanted to focus on when the show first started in 1974. But it quickly became apparent that Richie was kind of boring, and the folks around him, like his wiseass sister Joanie, and mischievous friends Ralph and Potsie, were much more interesting, as was a mostly quiet greaser with a motorcycle and (back then) poplin jacket. Before long, the Fonz ditched the poplin, donned the leather, and became the center of what turned out to be an 11-year run.