Five-Man Band/Live Action TV-A-F
24: Season 7
The Hero and The Big Guy | Jack Bauer |
The Lancer | Renee Walker |
The Smart Guy | Chloe O'Brien |
Sixth Ranger | Tony Almeida |
The Mentor | Bill Buchanan |
Token Evil Teammate | Tony Almeida |
The Hero | Sydney Bristow |
The Lancer | Michael Vaughn |
The Big Guy | Marcus Dixon (sometimes The Lancer) |
The Smart Guy | Marshall Flinkman, Rachel Gibson |
The Chick | Will Tippin |
The Mentor | Jack Bristow, Arvin Sloane |
'Allo, 'Allo (The Resistance)
The Hero | Rene |
The Lancer | Edith |
The Big Guy | Officer Crabtree |
The Smart Guy(s) | LeClerc (subverted in that he's terrible at it) and Michelle |
The Chick(s) | Yvette and Maria, later Mimi |
Tagalong Kid(s) | Fairfax and Carstairs |
The Load | Fanny |
Team Dad | Monsieur Alphonse |
'Allo, 'Allo (The Germans, who would be a Five-Bad Band if they didn't SUCK at it!)
The Hero / The Big Guy | Colonel Von Strohm |
The Lancer | Captain Geering, later Captain Bertorelli |
The Smart Guy / Token Evil Teammate | Herr Flick (Yes, he's the bad guy in a Five Man Axis Band!) |
The Chick(s) | Lieutenant Gruber (Camp Gay) and Helga (Ms.Fanservice) |
Team Dad | General Von Klinckerhoffen |
The Hero | Dylan Hunt |
The Lancer | Beka Valentine |
The Big Guy | Tyr Anasazi, later Telemachus Rhade |
The Smart Guy | Seamus Harper |
The Chick | Trance Gemini |
The Mentor | Rev Bem |
Action Girl | Rommie |
Angel (Seasons 1-4)
The Hero | Angel |
The Lancer | Doyle (first 10 episodes), Wesley Wyndam-Pryce |
The Big Guy | Charles Gunn |
The Smart Guy | Wesley for Magic/Demon related research and Fred Burkle for science and technology |
The Chick | Cordelia Chase |
Tagalong Kid | Connor (also a Sixth Ranger after a plot-relevant age-up) |
Angel (Season 5)
The Hero | Angel |
The Lancer | Spike (also the Sixth Ranger due to his past history with Angel) |
The Smart Guy | Wesley Wyndam-Pryce for Magic/Demon research, Fred Burkle for science and technology and Charles Gunn for his legal skills |
The Chick | Lorne |
Sixth Ranger/Token Evil Teammate | Illyria |
The Aquabats! Super Show!
The Hero | MC Bat Commander |
The Lancer | Eaglebones Falconhawk, although Crash is second in command, Eaglebones fits the trope more closely, and Crash fits the big guy trope |
The Big Guy | Crash Mc Larson |
The Smart Guy | Jimmy the Robot |
The Chick | Ricky Fitness, with his Adorkable OCD |
Are You Being Served?
The Hero | Captain Peacock (in his own mind, of course; Mr. Lucas would also qualify as this in earlier episodes) |
The Lancer(s) | Mr. Humphries (Ensemble Darkhorse) and Mr. Lucas, later Mr. Spooner |
The Big Guy | Mrs. Slocombe |
The Smart Guy | Mr. Rumbold (again, in his own mind) and Mr. Mash, later Mr. Harman |
The Chick | Miss Brahms |
Sixth Ranger(s) | Mr. Grainger, Mr. Tebbs, Mr. Goldberg (any of the senior salesmen, really) |
Team Dad | Young Mr. Grace, later Old Mr. Grace |
The Hero | Gene Hunt |
The Lancer | Alex Drake (Rarity in that Alex is the viewpoint character) |
The Big Guy | Ray Carling |
The Chick | Sharon 'Shaz' Granger |
The Kid | Chris Skelton |
The Hero | Hannibal |
The Lancer | Face |
The Big Guy | B. A. Baracus |
The Smart Guy | Murdock (if anything for his skills in infiltration and being an aircraft pilot) |
The Chick | Amy (first two seasons) |
Sixth Ranger | Frankie Santana (season five) |
Babylon 5 - Command Staff
The Hero | Sheridan |
The Lancer | Ivanova |
The Big Guy | Garibaldi |
The Smart Guy | Franklin |
The Chick | Delenn |
Band of Brothers - Roles vary depending on episode
The Hero | Maj. Winters |
The Lancer | 1st Sgt Lipton/Lt. Compton |
The Big Guy | Capt. Speirs |
Intelligence Officer | Cpt. Nixon |
The Chick (The Medic) | Cpl. Roebuck |
The Hero | Barney |
The Lancer | Yemana, later Harris |
The Big Guy | Wojo |
The Smart Guy | Harris, later Dietrich |
The Chick | Liz (Barney's wife), later (while both Yemana and Dietrich were on the squad) Harris |
Tagalong Kid | Levitt |
The Mentor | Luger (subverted in that he's terrible at it) |
Battlestar Galactica (among the pilots specifically)
The Hero | Apollo (leads the pilots) |
The Lancer / The Smart Guy | Helo (most intelligent, strongest morality) |
The Big Guy | Starbuck (most aggressive) |
The Chick | Boomer, later Athena (most emotional) |
Sixth Ranger | The new pilots, notably Hot Dog and Racetrack |
And the Final Five Cylons:
The Hero | Saul Tigh |
The Lancer | Ellen Tigh |
The Big Guy | Samuel Anders |
The Smart Guy | Galen Tyrol |
The Chick | Tory Foster |
The Hero | Ted |
The Lancer | Veronica |
The Smart Guy(s) | Lem and Phil |
The Chick | Linda |
Tagalong Kid | Rose |
The Hero | Lionel |
The Lancer | Cleo |
The Big Guy | Theo |
The Smart Guy / The Chick | Leona |
Team Pet | Click the Mouse |
The Big Bang Theory - Sheldon seems to have his own version in his mind (not counting The Hero and The Lancer). When asked why he has to carry the heavy things, Sheldon tells Howard: "In our ragtag team of scientists with nothing to lose,"
The Smart Guy | Sheldon ("I'm the smart one") |
Kid Appeal Character | Howard ("Wolowitz is the funny one") |
Token Minority | Raj ("and Koothrappali is the lovable foreigner who struggles to understand our ways and fails.") |
The Big Guy | Leonard ("That leaves you, by default, as the muscle.") |
Blackadder Most obvious in Blackadder goes Forth, but if you think about it, the five principle actors fall into these roles as well.
The Hero | Rowen Atkinson as Blackadder |
The Lancer | Tony Robinson as Baldrick |
The Big Guy | Stephen Fry as Melchet |
The Smart Guy | Tim McInnerny as Darling |
The Chick | Hugh Laurie as George, and obviously Miranda Richardson as Nurse Mary |
Sixth Ranger | Rik Mayall as Flashhart |
The Hero | Josie |
The Lancer | Lucas |
The Big Guy | Vaughn |
The Smart Guy | Marshall |
The Chick | Corrine |
The Mentor | Professor Z |
Blakes Seven
The Hero | Blake |
The Lancer | Avon |
The Big Guy | Gan, until his death |
The Smart Guy | Vila |
The Chick | Jenna series 1, Cally series 2 |
The Sixth Ranger | Cally series 1 |
The Mentor | Zen |
Team Pet | Orac |
In series 3 and 4,
The Hero | Avon |
The Lancer | Tarrant |
The Big Guy | Dayna |
The Smart Guy | Vila |
The Chick | Cally in series 3, Soolin in series 4 |
The Mentor | Zen series 3 |
Team Pet | Orac |
The Hero | Denny Crane (in his own mind, at least. Rotates in this role with Alan.) |
The Lancer | Alan Shore (rotates in The Hero role with Denny), Claire Simms (was The Lancer to everyone else) |
The Big Guy | Brad Chase, later Whitney Rome (Coho tried to usurp Brad's role as this.) |
The Smart Guy | Paul Lewiston, later Carl Sack and Jerry Espenson |
The Chick(s) | Clarence Bell (only male example), Tara Wilson, Sally Heep, Lori Colson, Denise Bauer, Katie Lloyd |
Tagalong Kid(s) | Garrett and Sara (the junior associates from the second season) |
Sixth Column | Jeffrey Coho |
Team Mom / Only Sane Man | Shirley Schmidt |
Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future
The Hero | Captain Jonathan Power |
The Lancer | Major Matthew 'Hawk' Masterson |
The Big Guy | Lieutenant Michael 'Tank' Ellis |
The Smart Guy | Sergeant Robert 'Scout' Baker |
The Chick | Corporal Jennifer 'Pilot' Chase |
Carrusel - La Patrulla Salvadora
The Hero | Daniel |
The Lancer | Pablo |
The Big Guy | Jaime |
The Smart Guy | David |
The Chick | Cirilo, Mario |
The Sixth Ranger | Adrian, Kokimoto |
Sixth Ranger Traitor | Jorge |
Carrusel - The Girls
The Hero | Valeria |
The Lancer | Maria Joaquina |
The Big Guy | Laura |
The Smart Guy | Carmen |
The Chick | Margarita, Marcelina |
The Sixth Ranger | Alicia, Bibi |
The Hero | Piper Halliwell |
The Lancer | Phoebe Halliwell |
The Smart Guy / Big Sister Mentor | Prue Halliwell (seasons 1-3) |
The Chick | Paige Matthews (seasons 4-8) |
Sixth Ranger | Leo Wyatt |
The Obi-Wan(s) | Patti and Penny Halliwell |
El Chavo del Ocho - The Kids
The Hero | Chavo |
The Lancer | Quico |
The Big Guy | Nono |
The Smart Guy | Chilindrina |
The Chick | Popis |
The Sixth Ranger | Godinez |
El Chavo del Ocho - The Adults
The Hero | Don Ramon...though he's more of an Anti-Hero |
The Lancer | Dona Florinda |
The Big Guy | Senor Barriga |
The Smart Guy | Profesor Jirafales |
The Chick | Dona Clotilde |
The Sixth Ranger | Jaimito |
Chef!
The Hero | Gareth (No, really!) |
The Lancer | Everton |
The Big Guy | Gustave |
The Smart Guy | Lucinda, later Alphonse |
The Chick | Janice (Subverted in that she's an extremely capable businesswoman) |
Chuck - In later seasons.
The Hero/The Smart Guy | Chuck |
The Lancer | Sarah |
The Big Guy | Casey |
The Chick | Morgan |
The Hero | Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson |
The Lancer | Sgt. Gabriel |
The Big Guy(s) | Lts. Provenza and Flynn, Det. Sanchez |
The Smart Guy(s) | Lt. Tao, Det. Sanchez |
The Chick | Det. Daniels |
The Mentor | Chief Pope |
Sixth Ranger | FBI Agent Fritz Howard |
- Varies A Lot: Detective Sanchez knows the streets and and the ins and outs of gang activity; he switches between The Big Guy and The Smart Guy depending on the case.
- Provenza and Flynn are not dumb; however, they do have a habit of getting themselves into trouble.
The Hero | Cher |
The Lancer | Dionne |
The Big Guy | Murray |
The Smart Guy | Sean |
The Chick | Amber |
Coach
The Hero | Hayden |
The Lancer | Luther |
The Big Guy | Dauber |
The Smart Guy | Howard (By process of elimination) |
The Chick | Christine (The only female character that lasted the whole run of the show) |
The Hero | Jeff |
The Lancer | Britta/Pierce |
The Smart Guy | Abed |
The Big Guy | Troy |
The Chick | Annie/Britta |
Team Mom | Shirley |
Token Evil Teammate | Pierce |
The Hero | Aaron Hotchner |
The Lancer | Jason Gideon, followed by David Rossi |
The Big Guy | Derek Morgan |
The Smart Guy | Spencer Reid and Penelope Garcia |
The Chick | Jennifer "JJ" Jareau |
The Sixth Ranger | Elle Greenaway, followed by Emily Prentiss |
- Varies A Lot: The Big Guy, Smart Guy, and Chick roles on this show get traded around more often than you'd expect, and there's generally a whole lotta subvertin' goin' on, but the pattern does hold more often than not.
- A further subversion is that Hotch and Gideon (and later Rossi) trade The Hero and The Lancer roles back and forth. Hotch is, after all, the Unit Chief.
- Actually, Hotch is The Hero pretty straight since he is the unit cheif. Even when Morgan is chief he's more of a figure head. Gideon and Rossi are the scruffy more laid back contrast to Hotch's uptight straightforward leading which is right inline with The Lancer. Reid is far too useful to be The Chick.
The Hero | Nick Stokes |
The Lancer | Sara Sidle |
The Big Guy | Warrick Brown |
The Smart Guy | Greg Sanders |
The Chick | Catherine Willows |
The Mentor | Gil Grissom |
CSI: After Season 8, had cast members leaving or dying, which lead to quite a shuffle.
The Hero | Catherine Willows |
The Lancer | Riley Adams, now Morgan Brody |
The Big Guy | Nick Stokes |
The Smart Guy | Ray Langston or Sara Sidle,sometimes DB Russell |
The Chick | Greg Sanders |
The Mentor | DB Russell |
- This will likely keep changing, since more cast shake ups are happening.
The Hero | Mac Taylor |
The Lancer | Danny Messer, sometimes also either Don Flack,Jo Danville or Stella Bonasera |
The Big Guy | Don Flack or Danny Messer |
The Smart Guy | Stella Bonasera and Lindsay Messer used to trade off between this and The Chick, now it's Jo Danville and Lindsay Messer. Sometimes also Hawkes |
The Chick | See above, also Aiden Burn sometimes in first season |
The Sixth Ranger | Sheldon Hawkes |
A Polish tv series: Czterej Pancerin i Pies (in english, it would sound Four tank-men and a dog)
The Hero | Janek |
The Lancer | Gregoriy |
The Big Guy | Gustlik |
The Smart Guy | Olgierd |
The Chick | Marusia |
Sixth Ranger | Tomus |
The Hero | Tucker |
The Lancer | Jackson |
The Big Guy | Ilsa |
The Smart Guy | Claire |
The Chick | Pierre |
Degrassi: The Squatch
The Hero | Craig |
The Lancer | Jimmy |
The Big Guy | Spinner |
The Smart Guy / The Chick | Marco |
Sixth Ranger | Ashley |
Dads Army: Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard
The Hero | Mainwaring |
The Lancer | Wilson |
The Big Guy | Jones and Fraser |
The Smart Guy | Walker |
The Chick | Pike and Godfrey |
Doctor Who Season 1
The Hero/The Smart Guy | The Doctor |
The Lancer | Ian Chesterton |
The Big Guy | Barbara Wright |
The Chick | Susan Foreman |
Doctor Who: The 12-episode mammoth The Dalek's Master Plan (the only episode to actually get there - The Chase got rid of Barbara and Ian before adding Steven, so it doesn't really count)
The Hero | The Doctor |
The Lancer | Bret Vyon |
The Smart Guy | Steven |
The Chick | Katarina |
The Big Guy | Sara Kingdom |
The Electirc Company (2009 series)
The Hero/The Big Guy | Hector |
The Lancer | Jessica |
The Smart Guy | Keith |
The Chick | Lisa |
The Hero | Elmo |
The Lancer | Shade |
The Big Guy | Door |
The Smart Guy | Drawer |
The Chick | TV |
The Sixth Ranger | Computer (in Season 32) |
Team Pet | Dorothy |
Eureka: At least in Season 4, in which these five characters become separated from the group for a big reason.
The Hero | Jack Carter |
The Lancer | Allison Blake |
The Big Guy | Jo Lupo |
The Smart Guy | Henry Deacon |
The Chick | Douglas Fargo |
Sixth Ranger | Trevor Grant (after he gets brought back from 1947) |
Fantastic Journey
The Hero | Varian (also aspects of The Smart Guy and The Medic) |
The Lancer | Willaway (also aspects of The Smart Guy) |
The Big Guy | Fred (also aspects of The Smart Guy and The Medic) |
The Smart Guy | Lianna (also aspects of The Chick) |
The Chick | Scott (also Tagalong Kid) |
Team Pet | Sil-El |
Firefly - before the series began:
The Hero | Mal |
The Lancer | Zoe |
The Big Guy | Jayne |
The Smart Guy | Wash and Kaylee |
The Chick | Inara |
Sixth Ranger | River, Simon, Shepherd Book |
The Hero | Gobo |
The Lancer | Wembley |
The Big Guy | Boober |
The Smart Guy | Mokey |
The Chick | Red |
Frasier
The Hero | Frasier |
The Lancer | Roz |
The Smart Guy | Niles |
The Chick | Daphne |
The Mentor | Martin |
Team Pet | Eddie |
The Hero | Kiki (also The Chick) (Guitarist and Violinist) |
The Lancer | Marina (Drummer) |
The Smart Guy | Shout (Keyboardist) |
The Big Guy | Twist (Turntable and Beat Box) |
The Mentor | Their teacher |
The Hero | Olivia Dunham |
The Lancer | Peter Bishop |
The Big Guy | Charlie Francis (before his death in Season 2.) |
The Smart Guy | Walter Bishop |
The Chick | Astrid Farnsworth |