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"Caroline in the City's" Richard
Karinsky another appealing second banana
Every TV season brings a talented sitcom second banana who ends up stealing the show most weeks. The best recent examples include the frenzied Kramer, the fastidius Dr. Niles Crane and the fatuous Dennis Dupree from "Hope and Gloria."
Only one supporting player from this season appears to have a chance at joining this esteemed group: "Caroline in the City's" uptight colorist and aspiring Richard Karinsky. (We could possibly add "The Single Guy's Manny to the list, but that would have more to do with the sentimental value of seeming Ernest Borgnine again than the quality of the character).
Admittedly, Richard, played by Malcolm Gets, is the scene stealer from the quietest hit of the season. "Caroline", which follows "Seinfeld" on NBC's Thursday-night schedule, has been dismissed as merely a "time slot hit." It's true that few are re-hashing the previous night's "Caroline" over morning coffee the way the "Seinfeld" rye episode from this season likely was replayed by fans. And the buzz was so bad for "Caroline" earlier this season that it was rumored that star Lea Thompson was going to be replaced. While there is no question the show benefits enormously from its cushy time slot and huge guaranteed audience, the growing frame of Richard is well-deserved and, along with the snarky maitre-d', about the only thing to recommend about the sitcom.
Gets, a graduate of the Yale School of Drama with an impressive list of theater credits, said his own life hasn't changed too much with the success of the show, but he has proof that Richard is getting through. "People say to my sisters things like, 'Is he really like that'?" said Gets in an interview.
Gets does not share his character's dark, brooding personality, and as a theater actor he is more used to playing leading men. Richard is undeniably more fun. "I've felt a lot of freedom in Richard, which is odd because he's so repressed," says Gets. "It's been a blessed relief to play Richard and I only want to do character parts. I think they're vastly more interesting."
It is the wise producer who uses his hot second banana sparingly-before he became a pop culture phenomenon, Kramer popped in and out in a hurry. Gets knows that with Richard, less is always more.
"I think I'm the only person on my show who's always saying, 'less, less, less.' The writers were generous enough at first and almost inevitably I would take a speech this big and say, 'You guys, all I need is three words."
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