| Name | Description | Portrayer | Seasons |
| Gary Hobson | Hobson, who grew up in the state of Indiana, lived and worked in Chicago as a stockbroker until his wife Marsha left him. After this dramatic event, Gary began receiving The Paper, and subsequently left his job. As he kept encountering more and more opportunities to help people and prevent tragedies using The Paper, he proved himself to be a person of high integrity and upstanding morals. Gary had difficulty finding another love interest, and at the conclusion of the series still remained single. | Kyle Chandler | 1–4 |
| Marissa Clark | Blind since the age of 16 months after contracting meningitis, she was formerly a receptionist at the stock brokerage firm Hobson formerly worked at. She too left the brokerage firm, ultimately helping Gary Hobson manage McGinty's Bar later in the series. During the first season, Gary uses horse-track winnings to help her purchase a guide dog named Spike, who remained with her until the show's end. Similar to Gary, Marissa was never married during the series. | Shanésia Davis-Williams | 1–4 |
| Chuck Fishman | Fishman, a friend of Gary's, is a former fellow stockbroker. He would like to make profit out of The Paper, besides helping people. | Fisher Stevens | 1–2, 3–4 |
| Erica Paget | Paget works at McGinty's. She is the mother of Henry Paget and is divorced from her husband, Michael. She briefly dated Gary. | Kristy Swanson | 3 |
| Henry Paget | Son of Erica Paget, who loves to hang around Gary | Myles Jeffrey | 3 |
| Patrick Quinn | Bartender at McGinty's | Billie Worley | 3–4 |
