# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/41 "2008-04-23T02:15:08Z")
Dr. Katz was in an episode of South Park (the one with the giant “snake” thing - those black pellets that you light and they grow and turn into a long tube of ash.) He was Mr. Garrison’s psychiatrist. The animation of him was in the same exact style as the original show, complete with the squiggly outlines. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/42 "2008-04-23T03:38:30Z")
In the short-lived animated series **The Critic** , Jon Lovitz voiced the lead character, Jay Sherman, whose catchphrase was “It stinks.” During the run of the show, Sherman was featured prominently in an episode of **The Simpsons**. But after the show was canceled, he reappeared very briefly as a mental patient whose only line was “It Stinks,” to which a nurse/orderly/doctor replied, “Yes, Mr. Sherman, everything stinks.” I seem to recall another Simpsons episode in which he was one of several characters voiced by Lovitz (Marty, the director of “Streetcar!”, Marge’s art teacher…) who were in Moe’s Tavern simultaneously. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/43 "2008-04-23T04:16:33Z")
[QUOTE=Christopher] Peirce Brosnan as Remington Steel on Moonlighting. [/QUOTE] I have no memory of this and would like a cite. I don’t mean to be snarky. I just hate everyone right now. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/44 "2008-04-23T04:59:31Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] 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).\ [/QUOTE] Don’t forget the episode in which Auschlander, Westphall, and Craig went to the bar Cheers. Carla was tending bar, and Norm (IIRC), was Dr. Auschlander’s accountant. \*EDIT - Although, Cheers was still on the air, so this wasn’t exactly true to the spirit of the OP. ---
**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 23, 2008, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/45 "2008-04-23T05:20:15Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] I have no memory of this and would like a cite. I don’t mean to be snarky. I just hate everyone right now. [/QUOTE] Well [here is a cite](http://imdb.com/title/tt0651096/fullcredits#cast), not much of a cite, but a cite. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/46 "2008-04-23T06:06:22Z")
In an early episode of _Friends_, Rachel and Monica go to a hospital and meet two doctors who were played by George Clooney and Noah Wyle. While the character were not named as Doug Ross and John Carter they were essentially the same characters the two actors played on _ER_. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/47 "2008-04-23T07:28:33Z")
There must be hundreds of spin off shows where characters from the original have made an appearance. And if we list them all we’ll be here all month. Much more interesting, and a lot rarer is when a character shows up in a totally different show. Best example I can think of is the entire cast of Cheers (sans Frasier) making a cameo in The Simpsons. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/48 "2008-04-23T07:33:21Z")
Shame it never actually happened, but there was a plan to have Sam Beckett Quantum Leap into Magnum P.I. It would have been the best cross over ever, if it had come together. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/49 "2008-04-23T08:56:04Z")
[QUOTE=Apocalypso] What show was that? I was not a huge Jay Mohr fan but Action! was brilliant, I picked up the dvd as soon as it came out. Why was it canceled after the first season? [/QUOTE] To answer your first question: Nary a clue. I just remember reading about it in TV Guide some months after **Action** had gotten the axe. As for why it was cancelled, it was a brilliant show and it was on Fox, that’s pretty much the kiss of death. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/50 "2008-04-23T12:54:49Z")
[QUOTE=Peter Morris] There must be hundreds of spin off shows where characters from the original have made an appearance. And if we list them all we’ll be here all month. [/quote] As mentioned earlier, it’s [already been done](http://www.poobala.com/crossoverlist.html). ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/51 "2008-04-23T14:37:54Z")
Phylicia Rashad appeared as Claire Huxtable in a dream sequence on Blossom, where Blossom wishes she had a mom to explain mom-stuff to her and Claire draws a diagram of the female reproductive system on a pink sheet cake with icing. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/52 "2008-04-23T14:52:29Z")
[QUOTE=Telemark] As mentioned earlier, it’s [already been done](http://www.poobala.com/crossoverlist.html). [/QUOTE] I prefer [this version](http://home.vicnet.net.au/~kwgow/crossovers.html). It basically connects almost every show ever with St.Elsewhere, and Homicide: Life on the Street. However, since 99% of St.Elsewhere was merely the made-up world of an autistic boy, then we can therefore conclude that every tv show ever is all inside little Tommy Westphall’s head. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/53 "2008-04-23T15:52:01Z")
[QUOTE=Peter Morris] Shame it never actually happened, but there was a plan to have Sam Beckett Quantum Leap into Magnum P.I. It would have been the best cross over ever, if it had come together. [/QUOTE] You would not believe how freaking hot this sounds to me… **pant, pant, pant** ---
**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:** [April 23, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/54 "2008-04-23T16:38:40Z")
The biggest example, in numbers at least, has to be that third (or fourth - or fifth) Gambler made for TV movie with Kenny Rogers where they had a bevy of former western stars from '60s television appearing in character throughout the program. They had (among others) Brian Keith from _The Westerner_, Gene Barry from _Bat Masterson_, David Caradine from _Kung Fu_, Cuck Conners and Johnny Crawford from _The Rifleman_, James Drury and Doug McClure from _The Virginian_, Jack Kelly from _Maverick_, Hugh O’Brian from Wyat Earp and Clint Walker from _Chyenne_ (and those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head). ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/55 "2008-04-23T16:54:40Z")
[QUOTE=phall0106] You would not believe how freaking hot this sounds to me… **pant, pant, pant** [/QUOTE] Oh boy. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/56 "2008-04-23T16:57:14Z")
Mandy Patinkin’s character, Dr Jeffrey Geiger, from _Chicago Hope_ turned up in _Picket Fences_ when a character from that show took her relative to Chicago for a consultation at the hospital. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/57 "2008-04-23T17:04:17Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] In an early episode of _Friends_, Rachel and Monica go to a hospital and meet two doctors who were played by George Clooney and Noah Wyle. While the character were not named as Doug Ross and John Carter they were essentially the same characters the two actors played on _ER_. [/QUOTE] Except, of course, that \*Friends \* was set in New York and \*ER \* in Chicago. I agree that it was meant to suggest that, though. But the Doug Ross I remember would have had sex with both roomies, then later done Phoebe. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/58 "2008-04-23T17:05:38Z")
[QUOTE=aldiboronti] Mandy Patinkin’s character, Dr Jeffrey Geiger, from _Chicago Hope_ turned up in _Picket Fences_ when a character from that show took her relative to Chicago for a consultation at the hospital. [/QUOTE] Except that this happened while CH was still on the air. Did anyone read the OP? ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/59 "2008-04-23T17:48:47Z")
Carl Reiner appears as Alan Brady from the Dick Van Dyke Show in an episode of Mad About You. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420/60 "2008-04-23T17:59:52Z")
[QUOTE=Christopher] Peirce Brosnan as Remington Steel on Moonlighting. [/QUOTE] I don’t remember this either, and IMDb can be inaccurate. I have the whole series on DVD, so I can check when I get home tonight. Moonlighting’s producer Glenn Gordon Caron had been a writer on _Remington Steele_ before _Moonlighting_ began, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility even though the shows were on different networks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-made-in-character-cameos-after-their-shows-have-ended/446420.md?page=4)