And people wonder why he didn't get more airtime? You know, this is bad to say about a kid, but Richie really annoyed me. There was a smugness about him-- he couldn't even refrain from grinning when he delivered his lines. It was as if he was saying "Yeah, I suck, but I got the job!" But whether he was good or bad, it was a wise choice to not make him central in most episodes. As has been said, TDVDS was *not* about kids. It didn't need that kind of cuteness factor; it was enough to have them allude to a child (making the family complete) without making him the centerpiece.
The only episode that I believe used him to best effect was the one where Richie and Freddie were to be on a commercial Rob directed. They were both horrible, and it seemed kind of a tongue in cheek thing that they were acknowledging that yes it was true, the kids really weren't that good, but it wasn't any big deal because you didn't see them much.