# Best Cameo in a Television Series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2009, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874 "2009-11-17T03:08:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [November 17, 2009, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/41 "2009-11-17T15:07:54Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > It was Greg Morris, wasn’t it? Hardly a cameo; **The Dick Van Dyke Show** was off the air by the time **Mission: Impossible** premiered. They just cast an actor for the role, not because he was recognizable. Also, Morris did appear in another **Dick Van Dyck Show** as “Sticks” Mandalay. In any case, **The Dick Van Dyck Show** was fairly advanced in race relations for its day. ---
**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:** [November 17, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/42 "2009-11-17T15:10:56Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > In “Get Smart” ep [Die, Spy](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0587508/), Smart is teamed with Stu Gilliam. Robert Culp (“I Spy”) appears uncredited as a waiter. Johnny Carson had a cameo on an earlier **Get Smart** as a train conductor. ---
**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:** [November 17, 2009, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/43 "2009-11-17T15:11:49Z")
**Danny Thomas** on _The Dick Van Dyke Show_. Thomas was the executive producer for the series. I suspect he’d wanted to do a cameo for a long time, but didn’t want it to be obvious. Rob Petrie (Dick van Dyke) was head writer for the fictional _Allan Brady Show_, which would have been the obvious way to get Thomas on the show. I suspect no one wanted to do anything so straightforward (In fact, I can’t recall any “real life” stars who had cameos as guests on The Allen Brady Show, though I could be wrong). They did it as dream episode. But they don’t simply dream that Danny Thomas shows up – they dream of an “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”-type scenario where the alien invader, Kolak, looks _exactly_ like Danny Thomas – only with an English Accent\*. One of the best shows ever, featuring a closet full of walnuts > **["The Dick Van Dyke Show" It May Look Like a Walnut (TV Episode 1963) ⭐ 9.2 |...](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0559769/)** > > 30m | TV-G \*Your “Mary Poppins” joke goes here. ---
**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:** [November 17, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/44 "2009-11-17T19:31:14Z")
Richard Belzer in character as [Detective Munch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Munch) sitting at the bar in a late episode of **The Wire**. Jon Voight’s [24 second cameo appearance](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgtGKurXBu4&feature=related) on **Seinfeld** Wade Boggs on **Cheers**. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/45 "2009-11-17T19:57:16Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > Richard Belzer in character as [Detective Munch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Munch) sitting at the bar in a late episode of **The Wire**. I like my cameos a little more out of left field - like Richard Belzer as Detective Munch on Arrested Development. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/46 "2009-11-17T20:11:37Z")
I’m not claiming it’s the best, but one of the weirdest may be Dan Castellaneta’s cameo on _L. A. Law_, as Homer Simpson (sort of). ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/47 "2009-11-17T20:19:54Z")
Alex Trebeck on _Cheers_. Birth of “Who are three people who have never been in my kitchen?” ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/48 "2009-11-17T20:20:06Z")
Bruce Willis in Mad About You…? ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/49 "2009-11-17T20:29:58Z")
Will & Grace always had the best guest appearances, although most of them were too long to be considered cameos. How about when Elton John appeared as the head of the gay mafia. “We’ll be watching you. One wrong move and this bitch will be back!” Cher had kind of a funny scene with Jack where he thought she was actually a female impersonator and he was instructing “him” on how to do a better Cher “If I could turn back ti i i i i i me”. ---
**Author:** ![Headrush042](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Headrush042](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Headrush042)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/50 "2009-11-17T21:07:30Z")
I have a terrible TV show memory, and so can only remember things I’ve seen relatively recently. The one that sticks in my mind is Carrie Fisher on 30 Rock: Help me, Liz Lemon; you’re my only hope! Come to think of it, 30 Rock has a lot of great guest appearances. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/51 "2009-11-17T21:12:39Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > Jon Voight’s [24 second cameo appearance](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgtGKurXBu4&feature=related) on **Seinfeld** **Morbo** , this link originally went to the John Munch Wikipedia entry. I’ve replaced it with the link I assume you intended to put here. Let me know if I got it wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/52 "2009-11-17T21:18:54Z")
> [@Kylede](#): > > The opening credits of "Police Squad"always had the “special guest star” for that episode die in soome horrible fashion. Yes, I know. I just like Shatner getting shot at and missed, and then being poisoned. Funny, but I remembered it wrong. Had you asked me before I went and found the clip, I would have said that Shatner said something like ‘You didn’t think they’d get me, did you?’ I didn’t hear that in the clip. ---
**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:** [November 17, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/53 "2009-11-17T21:19:07Z")
> [@Headrush042](#): > > Come to think of it, 30 Rock has a lot of great guest appearances. I loved the Brian Williams one - [here](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/24/brian-williams-on-30-rock_n_191039.html) about a minute in or so. ---
**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:** [November 17, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/54 "2009-11-17T21:22:17Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > **Morbo** , this link originally went to the John Munch Wikipedia entry. I’ve replaced it with the link I assume you intended to put here. Let me know if I got it wrong. Oops - thanks! ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/55 "2009-11-17T21:26:31Z")
Martin Sheen on _Murphy Brown_. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/56 "2009-11-17T21:46:35Z")
Malcolm McDowell’s live-action “Hello, I’m a British person,” from _South Park_. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/57 "2009-11-17T22:06:18Z")
[Prime Minister of Canada does a cameo on a Canadian sitcom, Corner Gas.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVAKYsHo5-s) (And pokes a little fun at politicians at the same time.) On the same show, one of my favourite cameos of all time - [Kiefer Sutherland does a cameo on the same show.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwAP3wuIG2A) ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/58 "2009-11-17T23:19:16Z")
I haven’t see this episode since it was broadcast 40 years ago. But there is an episode of “I Dream of Jeannie” where at the end Major Healey says he wished he was the funniest man in the world. Jeannie immediately changes him into Groucho Marx. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/59 "2009-11-18T13:41:51Z")
Stephen Hawking’s three appearances on “The Simpsons”. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874/60 "2009-11-18T14:29:08Z")
Milton Berle as himself in _Fine Tuning_ an episode of Steven Spielberg’s 1986 show _Amazing Stories_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cameo-in-a-television-series/517874.md?page=4)