Sidekick Morris ("Saved by the Bell"), Major Roger Healey to Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson ("I Dream of Jeannie"), or even a group of people such as the Sweathogs to Mr. Kotter ("Welcome Back, Kotter"). Duos of equal importance on TV such as Kate McArdle and Allie Lowell ("Kate & Allie"), Oscar Madison and Felix Unger ("The Odd Couple"), Bret Maverick and Bart Maverick ("Maverick"), or Laverne De Fazio and Shirley Feeney ("Laverne & Shirley"), are sometimes both called sidekicks to each other, although the usual sense of the term denotes inequality. Many television talk shows make use of a sidekick as
The Odd Couple (1970 TV series) Rooney and Martin Balsam were also considered for the part of Oscar and Dean Martin and Art Carney for Felix (Carney had originated the role on Broadway). Eventually Tony Randall (as Felix) and Jack Klugman (as Oscar) were hired. Both had starred in different productions of the play. Randall, who was hired first, had still wanted Mickey Rooney to play Oscar. The show's co-executive producer, Garry Marshall, had to lobby hard to get Klugman successfully hired. Once the casting was in place, the show's writers (Marshall, Jerry Belson, Jerry Paris, Bob Brunner, Mark Rothman and Lowell Ganz, among others) came