# TV Actors successful in sitcoms and dramas **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575 "2012-03-02T20:10:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [March 4, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/61 "2012-03-04T18:20:21Z")
Harry Morgan on Dragnet and M_A_S\*H Tom Bosley on Happy Days and Murder She Wrote Joe Mantegna on Criminal Minds and The Simpsons (voice of Fat Tony) Valerie Bertinelli on One Day At a Time and Touched By An Angel ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/62 "2012-03-04T23:47:55Z")
Has anyone mentioned John Lithgow yet? 3rd Rock (comedy) and Dexter (drama) ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/63 "2012-03-04T23:56:15Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Mark Sheppard did not play a bad guy on _Battlestar_. Amoral, maybe, but not bad. > > And he is frakking hilarious in person. Someone brought him a beer at a Dragon\*Con panel and he handed it off to his co-panelist stating, “No, I’m allergic to alcohol. I break out in handcuffs.” (Apparently he’s something like 20 years sober.) His characters always seem to be in varying shades of gray. He seems to be very rarely an outright good guy or an outright bad guy. I think the only thing that ties his characters together is he usually plays someone who only does things in his own best interest. Which some times means helping the good guys even if he’s a bad guy. I think the closest he’s come to being an outright good guy is in Doctor Who, and even for a while there we were misled into thinking he was bad. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/64 "2012-03-05T00:13:33Z")
[Edie Falco](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004908/) played Carmela Soprano (in The Sopranos) and Celeste Cunningham (30 Rock). I haven’t seen her in Nurse Jackie but I imagine her role there is also a far cry from Carmela Soprano [Amy Ryan](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0752407/) was Beatrice ‘Beadie’ Russell (on The Wire), and Holly Flax (The Office). ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/65 "2012-03-05T00:36:10Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > His characters always seem to be in varying shades of gray. He seems to be very rarely an outright good guy or an outright bad guy. I think the only thing that ties his characters together is he usually plays someone who only does things in his own best interest. Which some times means helping the good guys even if he’s a bad guy. I think the closest he’s come to being an outright good guy is in Doctor Who, and even for a while there we were misled into thinking he was bad. I haven’t actually seen his appearances in Dr Who, and have only seen about two episodes of BSG, but every other show I regularly watch seems to have him appear in at least one episode as a bad guy or at least, as you say, someone who only does things in their own interest, usually opposed against characters who are trying to help people. Seriously - pretty much all the shows I’ve regularly watched over the last few years will have Mark Sheppard show up playing Badger from Firefly but under a different name. (Tricia Helfer usually has an episode as a hard-arsed bitch too). Hence my impression of him having this defined role. In Leverage, for example, he’s morally gray in some ways, but he’s against Our Heroes, and some of his actions cross over the line into bad guy territory. For example, getting the Leverage crew incarcerated is just his job; choosing the worst possible prisons to send them to is unabashed sadism. And he uses Nate’s son’s death against him. All _after_ he knows that they’re helping people. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/66 "2012-03-05T01:22:12Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > In Leverage, for example, he’s morally gray in some ways, but he’s against Our Heroes, and some of his actions cross over the line into bad guy territory. > > For example, getting the Leverage crew incarcerated is just his job; choosing the worst possible prisons to send them to is unabashed sadism. And he uses Nate’s son’s death against him. All _after_ he knows that they’re helping people. Hmm, he was set up as pretty bad in his first appearence, where he seemed perfectly happy to let the innocent stable owner go to jail. “We’re insurance men, Nate. We don’t care about who’s guilty and who’s innocent. We care about who _pays_.” ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/67 "2012-03-05T15:30:03Z")
> [@RadioWave](#): > > Ed O’Neill was in Married with Children and Modern Family. He was also in HBO’s John From Cincinnati and was the original choice to be Al Swearingen in Deadwood. You missed out a series which I liked, but never made it to dvd or even the torrents: LA Dragnet. Ed was the star though they kind of put him into the background in the later parts of it. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/68 "2012-03-05T15:43:57Z")
I haven’t read the entire thread (sorry) - has Hugh Laurie been mentioned? great range from a twit in British comedies to bastard on House. ---
**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:** [March 5, 2012, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/69 "2012-03-05T15:47:41Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Hugh Laurie started out in comedy, though not sitcoms per se, before starring in _House._ (Love love love _Jeeves and Wooster_ with Stephen Fry as the former and Laurie as the latter.) > [@well\_he\_s\_back](#): > > I haven’t read the entire thread (sorry) - has Hugh Laurie been mentioned? great range from a twit in British comedies to bastard on House. Yes he has. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/70 "2012-03-05T16:19:46Z")
How about David Schwimmer, best known as hapless Ross on the sitcom \*\*\*Friends, \*\*\*but a hard-ass Army lieutenant in the WW2 series _ **Band of Brothers.** _ ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/71 "2012-03-05T16:22:59Z")
Did anyone already mention Jack Klugman, star of the comedy _ **The Odd Couple and of the medical/police drama Quincy?** _ Or Buddy Ebsen, of \*\*\*The Beverly Hillbillies \*\*\*and _ **Barnaby Jones** _? ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/72 "2012-03-05T16:23:52Z")
[Jere Burns](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0122716/) was in 90 episodes of Dear John and is now in the FX drama Justified. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/73 "2012-03-05T23:10:49Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > I camed up with a whole new list overnight, although some of them have since been mentioned. > > Tim Reid (WKRP in Cincinnati/Simon & Simon/Frank’s Place) I thought I was the only person that remembered Frank’s Place. I loved that little one season show SO much! ---
**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:** [March 6, 2012, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/74 "2012-03-06T00:17:32Z")
**Psych** has a few actors that have been in Dramas: Dule Hill (West Wing), Tim Omundson (Deadwood), Corbin Bernsen (LA Law), Maggie Lawson (Party of Five). ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/75 "2012-03-06T01:28:46Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > **Psych** has a few actors that have been in Dramas: Dule Hill (West Wing), Tim Omundson (Deadwood), Corbin Bernsen (LA Law), Maggie Lawson (Party of Five). Maggie Lawson was on Party of Five? Wow, I did not know that. I only ever watched the show when reruns were up on OnDemand a few years ago, but they only showed part of the series and must not have included ones with her. ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/76 "2012-03-06T16:06:14Z")
Andy Griffith - AGS & Matlock William Shatner - TJ Hookers, Star Trek, and I would argue that much of his recent TV work is very comedic, but, not on a sitcom. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/77 "2012-03-06T16:12:23Z")
> [@tullsterx](#): > > William Shatner - TJ Hookers, Star Trek, and I would argue that much of his recent TV work is very comedic, but, not on a sitcom. _Bleep My Dad Says_ may have been a lousy sitcom, but it was a sitcom all the same. 🙂 ---
**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:** [March 6, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/78 "2012-03-06T20:53:46Z")
> [@tullsterx](#): > > Andy Griffith - AGS & Matlock > William Shatner - TJ Hookers, Star Trek, and I would argue that much of his recent TV work is very comedic, but, not on a sitcom. He was so funny as The Big Giant Head on 3rd Rock From The Sun ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/79 "2012-03-06T20:59:33Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > He was so funny as The Big Giant Head on 3rd Rock From The Sun So funny he got an Emmy nomination for it, even. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/80 "2012-03-07T01:15:13Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > _Bleep My Dad Says_ may have been a lousy sitcom, but it was a sitcom all the same. 🙂 But it wasn’t successful. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575.md?page=5)