# Oddest/ most interesting connection to a role featured on a different show **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 7, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949 "2014-11-07T03:50:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [November 7, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/21 "2014-11-07T22:01:07Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > Nathan Fillion in Castle dressing as a space cowboy for Halloween. > His daughter tells him to [move on](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q3pdj9p6yI). > > Obvious hint of Firefly. There were plenty of Firefly references - [10 "Firefly" References On "Castle" That You May Have Missed](http://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/10-firefly-references-on-castle-that-you-may-have-missed) ---
**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:** [November 7, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/22 "2014-11-07T23:02:50Z")
Two stick in my mind and both touch on James Garner. I used to get a kick out of when Jim Rockford would climb into a Maverick to escape or chase someone…It wasn’t a regular occurrence, but it did happen. The other was when he was playing Grandpa on “Eight Rules…” and he would make some reference to wanting to get home to watch reruns of the Rockford Files. For that matter, I seem to remember “Eight rules…” doing a dream sequence with John Ritter and Three’s Company… ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/23 "2014-11-08T00:34:32Z")
Courteney Cox did a 3-episode guest stint on _Scrubs_. Ken Jenkins, who starred as Dr. Kelso on _Scrubs_, plays Cox’s father on _Cougar Town_. In an episode of _Cougar Town_, Jules (Cox) and her dad met the actual character Ted from _Scrubs_, played by Sam Lloyd, who was spooked by how much they looked like the mean doctors he used to work with. Later in the episode, or maybe a different episode, a bunch of actors from _Scrubs_, including Zach Braff as a pizza delivery guy, showed up in brief cameos, freaking Ted out even further. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/24 "2014-11-08T02:57:45Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Jack Riley/Mr. Carlin had another great appearance: at some point he not ended up in the psych ward at St. Eligius in Boston (aka _St. Elsewhere_) but convinced another male patient that he [the other patient] was Mary Richards from _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_. > Betty White had a recurring role as a naval medical officer and was on that episode; when the patient saw her he mistook her for Sue Ann Nivens (her character on _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_). > > Jack Dodson, who played Howard Sprague on _The Andy Griffith Show_, played one of the hospital’s administrators. In one episode he had to undergo emergency surgery and while under anesthetic referred to Andy and getting a haircut from Floyd (though I don’t think Howard and Floyd were ever on the show together- could be wrong). St. Elsewhere had all sorts of weird casting notes and shoutouts. The character of Coolidge was actually from the earlier series White Shadow. In one episode Coolidge saw who he thought was a fellow graduate of Carver High School, played by Shadow’s Timothy Van Patten. In another, five members of the old Steve Allen Show showed up as the parents of various doctors. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/25 "2014-11-08T06:55:38Z")
Peter O’ Toole playing Henry II in two very different films should count. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/26 "2014-11-08T10:10:04Z")
Seemingly for no reason whatsoever, Burgess Meredith played The Penguin on an episode of The Monkees. No dialog, no screentime with any other characters. He’s just present at a banquet or something. As the main action is happening there are occasional cutaways to him laughing his Penguin laugh. On the topic of 60s Batman, surely there are some examples among the “window cameos” that frequently happened whenever Batman and Robin were scaling the outside of a building. Do we have any 60s Batman experts here? ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/27 "2014-11-08T11:06:52Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Which they lampshaded by titling the first such episode “Brother From Another Series.” Being pedantic, I’m not sure that counts as lampshading. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/28 "2014-11-08T14:17:10Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Jack Dodson, who played Howard Sprague on _The Andy Griffith Show_, played one of the hospital’s administrators. In one episode he had to undergo emergency surgery and while under anesthetic referred to Andy and getting a haircut from Floyd (though I don’t think Howard and Floyd were ever on the show together- could be wrong). In one episode Howard bought the building Floyd’s shop was in and immediately hiked the rent. They got in a big fight and Floyd left town. Andy helped them compromise, Floyd came back and all was well. ---
**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 8, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/29 "2014-11-08T14:47:34Z")
In **Arrested Development** , one character refers to Michael Bluth derisively as “Opie.” The narrator, Ron Howard, says that she “had gone too far and she had best watch her mouth.” When someone mentions Andy Griffith, Howard makes sure to indicate that they respect him too much to make fun of him. And, of course, there was Barry Zuckerkorn (Henry Winkler) jumping over a shark . . . [More here.](http://www.11points.com/TV/11_Brilliant_Arrested_Development_Shout_Outs_To_Its_Actors'_Past_Roles) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/30 "2014-11-08T15:14:48Z")
Ben Vereen as E. L. “Tenspeed” Turner was one of the lead characters of _Tenspeed and Brown Shoe_ in 1980. He returned to that role in the series _J. J. Starbuck_ in 1988 when the lead character suddenly acquired a partner. His character was only written into the series because the main character J. J. Starbuck (Dale Robertson) was hurt in an accident (as was Robertson in real life) and it wouldn’t have made sense for him to do some of the things he did in the series alone. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/31 "2014-11-08T15:33:39Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > In **Arrested Development** , one character refers to Michael Bluth derisively as “Opie.” The narrator, Ron Howard, says that she “had gone too far and she had best watch her mouth.” > > When someone mentions Andy Griffith, Howard makes sure to indicate that they respect him too much to make fun of him. > > And, of course, there was Barry Zuckerkorn (Henry Winkler) jumping over a shark . . . > [More here.](http://www.11points.com/TV/11_Brilliant_Arrested_Development_Shout_Outs_To_Its_Actors'_Past_Roles) AD also had a few episodes in which the family tire of Zuckerkorn’s (Winkler) incompetence and hire a new family lawyer - played by Scott Baio (who played Chachi on Happy Days.) On a episode of the 1960s British spy parody series **the Avengers** - “Death at Bargain Prices” - Emma Peel goes undercover as a sales clerk in a department store. Scenes in the toy department show Dalek action figures (from **Doctor Who** ) for sale at the counter. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/32 "2014-11-08T15:40:34Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > On the topic of 60s Batman, surely there are some examples among the “window cameos” that frequently happened whenever Batman and Robin were scaling the outside of a building. I’d say the oddest/most famous one is Werner Klemperer as Col. Klink. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/33 "2014-11-08T15:54:25Z")
How has no one mentioned the good time had by all when David Duchovny appeared on _The Larry Sanders Show_ leading to Garry Shandling’s appearance on _The X-Files_ yet? **Garry Shandling** Do you dress on the right or the left? **Fox Mulder** Wh… huh… what do you… **Garry Shandling** Look, I play a character, I need to find his rudder, his center… **Fox Mulder** I guess mostly to the left. **Garry Shandling** _Mostly?!?!_ ---
**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 8, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/34 "2014-11-08T16:34:13Z")
There was the _Community_/_Cougar Town_ crossover. Abed on _Community_ mentioned getting a role as an extra on _Cougar Town_ but having to bolt due to a bathroom emergency. He was later show in an [episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWfJYJMrYa0) of _Cougar Town_ being the world’s worst extra, ending with him hurrying away in the background. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/35 "2014-11-08T17:07:07Z")
Kramer was Murphy Brown’s secretary in a Seinfeld episode. ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/36 "2014-11-10T18:39:19Z")
Neil Patrick Harris (as Doogie Howser) on the episode of Roseanne where she has breast reduction surgery. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/37 "2014-11-10T21:44:27Z")
Paul Buchman finally got rid of his bachelor apartment in one episode of _Mad About You_. At the very end, he goes to the apartment to talk to the guy he’s been subletting it to: Cosmo Kramer of _Seinfeld._ And of course the waitress at Paul and Jamie’s favorite restaurant is Ursula Buffay, twin sister of _Friend_’s Phoebe. Going back to the days of shoulder pads and big hair, an episode of _Remington Steele_ guest-starred Tom Baker. I remember that vividly, because at the time, _Doctor Who_, at least in America, was an obscure British sci-fi show that aired at 10 o’clock on PBS. Someone at \*Remington Steele \*must have been a fan, though, because in the episode Baker wore a trench coat and a long striped scarf. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2014, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/38 "2014-11-10T22:09:00Z")
Jaime and her best friend Fran once went into Central Perk and had an encounter with Phoebe, thinking she was Ursula the waitress. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/39 "2014-11-10T22:45:22Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > I’d say the oddest/most famous one is Werner Klemperer as Col. Klink. Who also appeared on _The Simpsons_ as an authority figure for Homer. Conan O’Brien tried to get Klemperer to reprise the role for his show, but he had no interest, though did tell them he was a big fan of the show. OTOH, Conan’s contest to find/salute to Whitman Mayo’s Grady was a thing of beauty and a perfect coda to Mayo’s career. I can’t quickly google it, unfortunately, but I’m sure it’s on the net somewhere. ---
**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 10, 2014, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949/40 "2014-11-10T23:05:15Z")
On The Big Bang Theory, there was an episode where they were trying to find a replacement for their trivia team, and Raj suggested they use the girl from “Blossom” b/c she had a PhD in Neuroscience. Mayim Bialik, who does have that PhD, was Amy Farrah Fowler on the show. (I can’t remember whether she was already a cast member or not when Raj said that) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-most-interesting-connection-to-a-role-featured-on-a-different-show/703949.md?page=3)