# Actors who have made "in character" cameos after their shows have ended **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 22, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420 "2008-04-22T17:39:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/1 "2008-04-22T17:39:59Z")
I’m not talking about reunion movies but on other sitcoms. It most often happens when the TV series they guest on is a spin-off; for example: Woody Harrelson (Woody), Ted Danson (Sam), John Ratzenberger (Cliff), Rhea Perlman (Carla), and others reprised their _Cheers_ characters several years later in guest spots on _FRASIER_. (I count Lilith as a recurring Frasier character.) Katherine Helmond played Jessica Tate’s ghost (or spirit, or whatever) on an episode of _Benson_ after SOAP ended and even gave a bit of closure to the cliffhanger that ended the series (revealing Jessica was in a coma in a South American hospital after her firing squad). I vaguely remember the Kravitzes appearing on an episode of the sorta-kinda spinoff _Tabitha_. (I say sorta-kinda because even though it was a spin-off, they changed the character’s age and back-story from _Bewitched_). But some have guest starred on completely different shows after their own have ended: Jack Riley played patient Elliott Carlin on an episode of _Newhart_ (where the crowd went wild of course, especially when his psychotherapist mentioned that the man’s mind had been messed up by a hack in Chicago.) Bob Newhart himself played Bob Hartley on an episode of _Murphy Brown_ on an episode where her secretarial problems had finally been solved by wunder-secretary Carol (Marcia Wallace) who also guest starred in character. Speaking of _Bewitched_, Bernard Fox has appeared as Dr. Bombay on episodes of the soap opera _Passions_ and _Sabrina_. Any others? ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/2 "2008-04-22T17:46:57Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] Jack Riley played patient Elliott Carlin on an episode of _Newhart_ (where the crowd went wild of course, especially when his psychotherapist mentioned that the man’s mind had been messed up by a hack in Chicago.) [/QUOTE] You forgot the best [Newhart cameo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSuN4kYt6Sg) ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/3 "2008-04-22T17:48:58Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] Jack Riley played patient Elliott Carlin on an episode of _Newhart_ (where the crowd went wild of course, especially when his psychotherapist mentioned that the man’s mind had been messed up by a hack in Chicago.) [/QUOTE] Don’t forget Suzanne Pleshette. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/4 "2008-04-22T17:54:07Z")
There was that Family Guy episode where they revealed that it was all a dream, and Patrick Duffy and Victoria Principal were standing in the shower together and slowly looked at the camera. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/5 "2008-04-22T17:54:40Z")
Besides playing Det. John Munch on “Homicide: Life On The Streets” and “Law and Order: SVU”, Richard Belzer has also played the character in cameos on several series, including “The X-Files” and “Arrested Development”. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/6 "2008-04-22T17:59:55Z")
[QUOTE=Morbo] There was that Family Guy episode where they revealed that it was all a dream, and Patrick Duffy and Victoria Principal were standing in the shower together and slowly looked at the camera. [/QUOTE] I haven’t seen that one. Was it live action or animated? ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/7 "2008-04-22T18:02:48Z")
[QUOTE=Shoeless] Besides playing Det. John Munch on “Homicide: Life On The Streets” and “Law and Order: SVU”, Richard Belzer has also played the character in cameos on several series, including “The X-Files” and “Arrested Development”. [/QUOTE] And on an episode of **The Wire**. > [@](#): > > I haven’t seen that one. Was it live action or animated? Live action. It’s at the end of the Y2K episode. I’m trying (unsuccessfully) to find it on YouTube… ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/8 "2008-04-22T18:04:32Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] I haven’t seen that one. Was it live action or animated? [/QUOTE] Live action. It was pretty hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/9 "2008-04-22T18:10:33Z")
The main characters in Empty Nest and Golden Girls were neighbors and appeared numerous times on each others show in character. Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley and Mo Gaffney played their Absolutely Fabulous characters on an episode of Roseanne. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/10 "2008-04-22T18:15:27Z")
Reuben Kincaid made a guest appearance on “Married With Children.” ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/11 "2008-04-22T18:23:42Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] Jack Riley played patient Elliott Carlin on an episode of _Newhart_ (where the crowd went wild of course, especially when his psychotherapist mentioned that the man’s mind had been messed up by a hack in Chicago.) [/QUOTE] He also according to Wikipedia played Eliot Carlin on an episode of St. Elsewhere, in which he made a similar crack about his Chicago therapist. Indeed, St. Elsewhere was quite the hub of crossovers and in-jokes, both other shows’ characters appearing on it and their characters appearing on other shows. Which only makes sense, seeing as how [all television is a figment of a St. Elsewhere character’s imagination](http://home.vicnet.net.au/~kwgow/crossovers.html). Several cast members from The Brady Bunch appeared as their Brady characters in an episode of a show called Day by Day. Speaking of The Brady Bunch, Ann B Davis played a character named “Schultzy” in the first Brady Bunch movie, which is the same name as her character from The Bob Cummings Show. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/12 "2008-04-22T18:24:18Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] The main characters in Empty Nest and Golden Girls were neighbors and appeared numerous times on each others show in character. Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley and Mo Gaffney played their Absolutely Fabulous characters on an episode of Roseanne. [/QUOTE] _Roseanne_ also had June Cleaver, Louise Jefferson, Marion Cunningham, and Carol Brady in an episode on mothering. Jenna Elfman played Frankie, a Dharma like character, on an episode of 2 1/2 Men. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/13 "2008-04-22T18:30:21Z")
The principal on _Boston Public_ appeared as a defendant on _Boston Legal_. Betty White’s character from a three-parter on _The Practice_ also appeared on _Boston Legal_ and was popular enough that she appeared about a dozen times. I’d list Shatner and Spader too but they’re the centerpieces of _Boston Legal_, not just cameo characters. Let’s not forget Robert Patrick reprising his role as the T-1000 in _Wayne’s World_. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/14 "2008-04-22T18:31:40Z")
Going back to the Cheer’s crew. Norm and Cliff appeared on Wings on a fishing trip. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/15 "2008-04-22T18:37:09Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] I’m not talking about reunion movies but on other sitcoms. It most often happens when the TV series they guest on is a spin-off; for example: Woody Harrelson (Woody), Ted Danson (Sam), John Ratzenberger (Cliff), Rhea Perlman (Carla), and others reprised their _Cheers_ characters several years later in guest spots on _FRASIER_. (I count Lilith as a recurring Frasier character.) [/QUOTE] Just a nitpick, I usually think of a “cameo” as a short appearance thats usually incendental to the plot (and wikipedia appears to back me up). A lot of the Cheers characters that appeared on Fraiser had episodes based around them, I don’t think that they count as “cameos”. Mine would be DeForest Kelly on the first episode of ST:TNG ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/16 "2008-04-22T18:38:19Z")
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] Don’t forget Suzanne Pleshette. [/QUOTE] 😃 gotcha ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/17 "2008-04-22T18:45:16Z")
characters in _Ally Mcbeal_ and \*The Practise \* had appeared in one of each other’s episode. one is a sitcom while the other is a drama. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/18 "2008-04-22T18:50:52Z")
On an episode of _Scrubs_, although unnamed, they had four of the doctors from \*St. Elsewhere \* playing doctors suffering from Legionnaire’s Disease and being treated by JD. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/19 "2008-04-22T18:57:01Z")
Jay Mohr as the character Peter Dragon from the brilliant but shortlived Fox show (is there any other kind?) _Action!_ had a rather hysterical cameo on another show from what I understand. He showed up on a golf course, began one of his typical rants, and then promptly dropped dead of a heart attack. The doctor on the scene declares him dead and says, “Time of death: Thursdays at nine PM.” which was a jab at the time slot Fox put the show in. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/20 "2008-04-22T18:57:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Let’s not forget Robert Patrick reprising his role as the T-1000 in Wayne’s World. And in **The Last Action Hero** , but those two are movies, not TV shows. How about Diana Rigg showing up almost subliminally on an episode of **The New Avengers**? Or DeForest Kelly showing up in the first episode of **Star Trek: The Next Generation**? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420.md?page=2)