The Minimalist Cast happens when the only characters that appear at all onscreen are the main characters. No supporting characters, no extras, no guest stars. There may be ghost characters, who never appear onscreen but still exist for the main characters. Or there may be a Companion Cube, especially if this state of affairs is expected to last an entire series. Examples of Minimalist Cast include:
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| - The Minimalist Cast happens when the only characters that appear at all onscreen are the main characters. No supporting characters, no extras, no guest stars. There may be ghost characters, who never appear onscreen but still exist for the main characters. Or there may be a Companion Cube, especially if this state of affairs is expected to last an entire series. Examples of Minimalist Cast include:
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| - The Minimalist Cast happens when the only characters that appear at all onscreen are the main characters. No supporting characters, no extras, no guest stars. There may be ghost characters, who never appear onscreen but still exist for the main characters. Or there may be a Companion Cube, especially if this state of affairs is expected to last an entire series. This is rarely pulled off successfully in long running serial material. Even Gilligan's Island -- a show whose premise was designed for this -- got guest stars. But sometimes it can be made to work. Serials which ordinarily feature more characters may restrict themselves to a Minimalist Cast for a one-off Bottle Episode. In non-serial material, it is more easily arranged, as then The Law of Conservation of Detail no longer fights against the Rule of Drama or the First Law of Metafictional Thermodynamics. Note that the limited number of characters in no way guarantees their immortality; a Dwindling Party in these situations can be very frightening. The Minimalist Cast is the essence of monologue-plays. Compare with Minimalism. See also Beautiful Void. The inversion is Loads and Loads of Characters. By definition, any work with a Minimalist Cast is also one where The Main Characters Do Everything, but these two tropes are still mutually exclusive. Examples of Minimalist Cast include:
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