Watching summer crime TV for the characters: King and Maxwell

I love summer TV. Usually, the good scifi is on then, and TNT rocks the crime shows I like.

Sure, the plots aren't always the most complicated (I'll often spot the dunnit five minutes in), but it's fun. Someone usually chases a bad guy down a fire escape and into an alley. Or in a commercial kitchen, or a fruit stand at a market, sending apples rolling down the street.

This isn't to say I like cliches, but series crime shows can be comforting in their format. And I tune in for the characters anyway. So when this new show King and Maxwell came on, I started watching. But it took some time to get going. Sure, there was a good crime. But the characters weren't really coming to life for me. I haven't read the David Baldacci series it's based on, but I imagine the characters are good, or people wouldn't be reading the books, right?

I almost gave up on the show, when they threw in a supporting character: Edgar. He's different, interesting. Pleasantly weird. Much like Walter on Fringe, come to think of it. So I stuck around. A few episodes in, the other characters are getting a little better too. But Edgar does it for me.

Have you ever watched a TV show that had a strong supporting cast you stuck around for?
Seinfeld was another one I liked better for the nutty friends than Jerry (sorry, man...).