# Actors as regulars on multiple series at the same time **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 13, 2005, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909 "2005-08-13T23:08:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909/1 "2005-08-13T23:08:23Z")
Inspired by a mention in a Veronica Mars thread that Alyson Hannigan’s VM character may come back in a more prominent role this season. Which would make AH a regular on one show (“How I Met Your Mother”) and a semi-regular or regular on another. Who else has been a regular or semi-regular on more than one series at the same time? I don’t mean someone who was brought on for one or two episodes and then never re-appeared. In fact, let’s make it a requirement that they have to appear in the opening credits of at least one of the shows. OTTOMH I know Armin Shimerman, who was Quark on DS9 and for a couple of years was also Principal Snyder on BtVS. Also Heather Locklear, who was Stacy on TJ Hooker and also Sammi Jo on Dynasty. If we _must_ go the reality route, Omarosa is about to qualify for being on VH1’s The Surreal Life and as of Wednesday Bravo’s Battle of the Reality Stars or whatever the title is. I’m not sure if The Gastineau Girls is still on the air but if it is then one of the wretched Gastineau girls is also on E!'s Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909/2 "2005-08-13T23:19:57Z")
There was that guy who played on both the Six Million dollar man and the Bionic Woman. That’s the only one I can think of right now. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909/3 "2005-08-13T23:22:44Z")
I’ve never watched The West Wing, but it ran concurrently with Sportsnight, and I know Joshua Malina was in both. Was Malina a regular or semi-regular in the first two seasons of The West Wing? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909/4 "2005-08-13T23:51:54Z")
Ian Gomez was a semi-regular on The Norm Show, Drew Carrey and Felicity…all at the same time. Chris Marquette was up until one got cancelled on both Joan of Arcadia and Strong Medicine both. ---
**Author:** ![Burrido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Burrido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burrido)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909/5 "2005-08-14T00:14:13Z")
Only one I can think of right now would be Khandi Alexander. She was on Newsradio and ER at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909/6 "2005-08-14T00:19:12Z")
Lisa Kudrow was not only on _Friends_, but she played her identical twin sisters on both _Friends_ and _Mad About You_. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909/7 "2005-08-14T00:24:23Z")
If you throw in improv, then Drew Carey and Ryan Stiles were regulars on both \*The Drew Carey Show \* and _Whose Line Is It Anyway?_ ---
**Author:** ![davmilasav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@davmilasav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davmilasav)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909/8 "2005-08-14T00:24:37Z")
Wayne Knight was on 3rd Rock and Seinfeld at the same time. Here’s a really long link since I don’t know how to make those cool, short links [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001431/](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001431/) ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909/9 "2005-08-14T01:34:45Z")
[Aisha Tyler](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0878768/) had recurring roles on both CSI and 24. Psst, **davmilasav** : To make links. {url=whateverthewebpageaddressis}what you want the link to appear as{/url} Just replace the fancy brackets with square brackets. Voila! ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909/10 "2005-08-14T01:42:07Z")
> [@Garfield226](#): > > I’ve never watched The West Wing, but it ran concurrently with Sportsnight, and I know Joshua Malina was in both. Was Malina a regular or semi-regular in the first two seasons of The West Wing? no. ---
**Author:** ![PaperBlob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@PaperBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaperBlob)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909/11 "2005-08-14T01:53:16Z")
[**Emy Coligado**](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1028458/) played Francis’ wife Piama on Malcolm in the Middle and Emmy (a secretary or something) on Crossing Jordan. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909/12 "2005-08-14T01:54:41Z")
Goldie Hawn was on both **Laugh-in** and **Good Morning World** in 1968. The latter premiered in the fall of 1967, and was still on the air when “Laugh-In” started. Jim Backus was on both **Gilligan’s Island** and **The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo** during the 1964-65 season. At one point, the two shows were in the same time slot. If we count shows on one network, there’s Arthur Godfrey, who was on both **Arthur Godfrey and His Friends** and **Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts** for many years. For a brief time in 1950, he was also on **Arthur Godfrey and His Ukelele**. Note that he was the host of all these shows, though they were variety shows, not dramatic shows. Bob Saget was on **Full House** and **American’s Funniest Home Videos** at the same time. In 1956, Walter Cronkeit was host of **You Are There** and was appearing regularly on **Two For the Money** and also was the narrator of **Air Power**. The next year, after “Air Power” ended his run, he became host of **The 20th Century** along with the others. In 1954, he also was on two series: **You Are There** and **It’s News to Me**. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909/13 "2005-08-14T01:59:39Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > There was that guy who played on both the Six Million dollar man and the Bionic Woman. That’s the only one I can think of right now. Richard Anderson who played Oscar Goldman? ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909/14 "2005-08-14T03:23:28Z")
Robert Picardo - China Beach and semi-regular on The Wonder Years. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909/15 "2005-08-14T03:24:55Z")
In the late '50s early '60s, Adam West (yes, the same Adam West who later played Batman and more recently has been doing the cartoon circuit) played Doc Holiday on three or four Western TV shows at the same time all produced by the same company. You would see him on the Lawman, then Sugarfoot, then Bronco Lane, then Cheyenne, etc. TV ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909/16 "2005-08-14T03:37:54Z")
IIRC, Victoria Rowell was in _Diagnosis Murder_ at the same time she had a role on _The Young and the Restless_ ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-as-regulars-on-multiple-series-at-the-same-time/316909/17 "2005-08-14T05:09:09Z")
The cop (Christopher Meloni, I think) from L&O: SVU also was prominently featured in Oz