# American TV show with no Americans in starring roles? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 11, 2015, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863 "2015-07-11T16:55:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/1 "2015-07-11T16:55:56Z")
Does such a show exist? Either now or in the past. Right now True Detective has 4 main actors and only Vince Vaughn is US born. The others are 1 from Ireland and 2 from Canada. And a costar is British. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/2 "2015-07-11T18:09:14Z")
I can’t think of any shows with NO American actors in primary roles, but your point is valid anyway. There are MANY shows these days where much or most of the cast is Non-American. I think of \*\*\*Without a Trace \*\*\* in which you had two Australians (Anthony LaPaglia and Poppy Montgomery) and a black Englishwoman (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) in the main cast playing Americans. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/3 "2015-07-11T18:15:57Z")
The Affair - both leads were Brits. Ruth Wilson was astonishingly good. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/4 "2015-07-11T18:38:12Z")
98% of the cast of _Game of Thrones_ is from the UK (plus Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime) from Denmark, Sibel Kekilli (Shae) from Germany, and Carice van Houten (Melisandre) from Netherlands). Peter Dinklage is the only American in a major role that I can think of, out of like 30+ major characters. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/5 "2015-07-11T18:59:14Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > 98% of the cast of _Game of Thrones_ is from the UK (plus Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime) from Denmark, Sibel Kekilli (Shae) from Germany, and Carice van Houten (Melisandre) from Netherlands). Peter Dinklage is the only American in a major role that I can think of, out of like 30+ major characters. Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand Some extras? Bueller? Plenty of Irish actors as well. It also seems to have a dearth of Canadian and AU/NZ actors. ETA: I know you only want TV shows but I was amused that the cast of _Horns_ was mostly British. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/6 "2015-07-11T19:38:47Z")
I remember someone asking why almost all the bad guys in Star Wars had British accents. The answer was it was filmed there. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/7 "2015-07-11T19:42:52Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > I remember someone asking why almost all the bad guys in Star Wars had British accents. The answer was it was filmed there. That doesn’t explain Carrie Fisher, though… ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/8 "2015-07-11T19:58:16Z")
Fisher had a British accent? News to me. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/9 "2015-07-11T21:09:27Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Fisher had a British accent? News to me. It kind of came and went. (Listen to her first few scenes as Leia, sometime.) ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/10 "2015-07-11T22:41:39Z")
True Blood had British, Australian, and New Zealand. The Walking Dead have an awful lot of Brits! ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/11 "2015-07-13T05:21:28Z")
_[Reign](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2710394)_. One of my favo(u)rite shows ever. The top roles are all Australian, British, Canadian. I’m not sure if they even have any Americans in any significant roles. Adelaide Kane—Australian Caitlin Stasey (_swoon!_)—Australian Anna Popplewell—English Celina Sinden—English Jenessa Grant—Canadian Toby Regbo—English Megan Follows—Canadian Torrance Coombs—Canadian Sean Teale—English Yael Grobglas—Israeli Craig Parker—New Zealand Rose Williams—English Rachel Skarsten—English ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/12 "2015-07-13T05:35:09Z")
I know some of the shows mentioned are “American” but Game of Thrones and Reign don’t take place here, so Im not sure why viewers would be surprised so much of the cast is not from here. The Wire doesn’t qualify but it does star 3 non-American actors, a bit remarkable considering it takes place in inner city Baltimore: Dominic West (McNulty)- British Idris Elba (Stringer Bell)—British Aiden Gillen (Carcetti aka Littlefinger in GOT)— Irish ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/13 "2015-07-13T05:39:47Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > True Blood had British, Australian, and New Zealand. > > The Walking Dead have an awful lot of Brits! I can think of three----Andrew Lincoln, the Gov and Lenny James. Michone (sp) was born in USA but parents are from Zimbabwe. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/14 "2015-07-13T05:45:59Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > I can think of three----Andrew Lincoln, the Gov and Lenny James. Michone (sp) was born in USA but parents are from Zimbabwe. Lauren Cohan was born in the U.S. but moved to the U.K. while still a child. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/15 "2015-07-13T07:21:28Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Lauren Cohan was born in the U.S. but moved to the U.K. while still a child. Good pull by you. ---
**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:** [July 13, 2015, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/16 "2015-07-13T12:26:37Z")
[The Equalizer](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088513/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_29). Edward Woodward was the only regular. He was British, but played an American. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/17 "2015-07-13T12:31:15Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > I know some of the shows mentioned are “American” but Game of Thrones and Reign don’t take place here, so Im not sure why viewers would be surprised so much of the cast is not from here. cos it’s $hundreds of millions of HBO, aimed at firstly a US cable market. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/18 "2015-07-13T13:11:56Z")
**Alfred Hitchcock Presents** had only one regular, IIRC… ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/19 "2015-07-13T14:28:37Z")
Going back a few years, the Showtime series \*\*\*Brotherhood \*\*\* was about two brothers in Providence, Rhode Island. One is supposed to be a mobster and the other is supposed to be an honest politician. The bad brother was played by Jason Isaacs, an Englishman. The good brother was played by Jason Clarke, an Australian. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863/20 "2015-07-13T14:34:21Z")
There were several English and Scottish actors among the tough guy “American” bikers in _ **Sons of Anarchy** _- most notably Charlie Hunnam and Tommy Flanagan. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-tv-show-with-no-americans-in-starring-roles/724863.md?page=2)