Duos or Trios?

A

aurorasreddawn

New member
I've noticed something when it comes to the main characters of a show. They usually come in either duos or trios.

Which do you prefer? I think duos are better, for they allow for more interaction with minor characters.
 
I don't really have a preference. It's whatever number that particular series seems to call for, although I tend to enjoy seeing twin characters (being an identical twin myself!)

The average TV series usually focuses on 1, 2, 3 or 4 central characters. Sometimes it may be 5 or occasionally 6 main characters, but usually, it's between 1 and 4. A series or a series of shorts featuring more than 5 central characters would be expensive, as the writers would have to concentrate on many major characters to begin with, not to mention any guest stars that might appear. Even the best theatrical shorts were usually the ones that focused on just a couple of characters, like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd, or sometimes just Bugs & Daffy or Tom Jerry.
 
As long as it works for the story, I do not really have a preference for any particular number of main characters.

Although I'm more inclined to be fond of shows with a number of main characters like if they were in some team or something.
 
I admire cartoons that can juggle 4 characters or more. In the stories I make, it's usually one and a sidekick, duos, or trios. The more there are the harder it is to write for all of them.
 
I don't have a preference overall, although I tend to prefer smaller sets of central characters to large groups. As a writer, I have an easier time writing for only 1-4 main characters, and as a viewer I have an easier time getting into, keeping track of and picking favorites among smaller main casts.
 
Trios. Why? I have no idea, it just seems better in my mind. xD

But seriously, I can't really think of many shows that just has two lead characters, so yeah. :\
 
I'm partial to the setup of Spongebob, where the number of characters in one episode isn't set in stone (There've been Spongebob episodes with duos, trios, quartets, and almost literally the entire main cast plus several background characters)
 
Trios. No particular reason. Maybe it's because there's usually two polar opposites and one middle guy, making more interesting interactions.
 
Trios. Three characters are just more fun becuase conversations/activies can just bounce all over the place, rather than just back-and-forth like in duos. More personalities to deal with, more chances for interruptions and assides, and in general more options. Writing for trios is just a blast.

That said, I'm not too fond of how some trios are portrayed: the main character and two sidekicks, where one sidekick is (essentially) always right or competant, and the other is always wrong or incompetant. Its really annoying to see characters who are nothing but liability tagging along just to provide comedy relief.
 
I'm working on a couple of projects right now, and I'm kind of divided by that very subject.

In one of my stories, it begins with a duo, a pair of twin brothers on a road trip. Early on in the story, the duo becomes a trio when another character, a female, joins them. I enjoy playing with the personalities myself, seeing how similar and dissimilar they are. By the middle of the first year, the main cast reverts to a duo, where they have more time together and discovering their strengths, weaknesses, and quirks. Fun stuff.
 
From what I've seen, in both animation and live action, action teams work best in fives while comedy teams work best in twos.

But seriously, setting up one specific formula and saying that all stories must abide by it is just asking for monotony. So to heck with what I prefer, writers should do what's best for the show.
 
I think that I like Trios the most. The more the merrier I guess. I think that two is good for other character interactions, but three is fun, because you can do more with just them AND have them interact with other characters.
 
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