Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie had a sketch comedy show called “Bits of Fry and Laurie”, they were both regulars on “Black Adder”, and then the title characters in “Jeeves and Wooster”.
Steve Carell and Ed Helms, both now on “The Office”, both were regulars on “The Daily Show”, but I’m not sure if it was at the same time.
Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker were only on one show together. (LA Law) But it looks like they’ve done a ton of sappy made for TV movies and after school specials. I think they’re married in real life, too.
Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch co-starred on F-Troop and later, on the Saturday morning kiddie show The Ghostbusters.
Stuart Margolin was James Garner’s buddy on both The Rockford Files and The New Maverick.
And wasn’t Don Knotts a semi-regular in the later years of Andy Griffith’s Matlock?
Oh, if we’re counting variety shows, another obvious one would be Dick and Tommy Smothers. If we’re not, they’d be a less obvious example.
The Smothers Brothers Show (1965) was a situation comedy. It did not do well.
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967) was popular and acclaimed but too controversial for the network.
The Summer Brothers Smothers Show (1970) was a low-rated summer replacement series.
The Smothers Brothers Show (1978) was an unsuccessful attempt to revisit the 1967 series format without the satirical edge.
Fitz and Bones (1981) was a light drama about a TV news team. It bombed.
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1988) appears to have been their final attempt at a TV series, having obviously run out of titles.
Yes. Don’t ask how I know that.
Michael Conrad and Charles Haid on the short-lived “Delvecchio” and “Hill Street Blues”
And he was Mr. Suzanne Pleshette.
Ricky Tomlinson & Sue Johnston: Brookside & The Royale Family.
Victoria Wood and pretty much everybody. Specifically Julie Walters, Duncan Preston and Celia Imrie. Maybe Anne Reid as well. The first two were in Wood and Walters (as the title suggests), with all five being in Pat & Margaret, Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV (Anne Reid probably doesn’t count here as she was just in one episode) and dinnerladies. Probably missed a few specials and the like there. All of 'em were in various episodes of Victoria Wood, but I can’t be arsed to peg down which episodes had which actors in 'em.
Technically true, in that they were both in both shows, but it kinda stretches the meaning of “played opposite each other”. They had basically one scene together on Lost, and weren’t even in the same room with each other, and I don’t recall them having much direct interaction on FF either.
Anyway…
Has anyone mentioned Balthazar Getty and Ron Rifkin both being regulars on Alias and Brothers & Sisters yet? Also Patricia Wettig, regular on B&S, recurring on Alias, though I don’t think she was still on when Getty was added to the cast.
Here are some actors/actresses who played the same role in multiple TV shows. If that counts.
Nancy Walker played Ida Morgenstern in 4 episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show with Valerie Harper as her daughter. then when Rhoda spun off she continued to play her mother.
Cloris Leachman and Lisa Gerritson played Phyllis and Beth on the MTM show and Phyllis.
Most of the Leave it to Beaver cast went on to star in Still the Beaver
Ditto Brady kids in The Brady Bunch and The Brady Bunch Hour
Police comedy The Job was created by Denis Leary and Peter Tolan. It starred Leary, Lenny Clarke, Diane Farr and Adam Ferrara who all starred in Rescue Me also created by Leary and Tolan. Nice to have friends.
We counting sequel trees?
6 Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman
Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi
Dukes of Hazzard and Enos
etc. etc.
Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner on both The Simpsons and The Tracey Ullman Show.
Victoria Jackson and Jan Hooks were on SNL and The 1/2 Hour Comedy Hour. I’m still a little freaked out by how much they disliked each other.
Eliza Dushku and Amy Acker on Angel and Dollhouse.
Hank Azaria & Yeardley Smith: The Simpsons & Herman’s Head.
And the Brady Brides, and the Bradys. (Plus the Christmas TV movie, but that’s not a series, so I just mention it for posterity.)
Add Alexis Denisof to this one
And Denisof and Alyson Hannigan (Mrs. Denisof) in “Buffy” and “How I Met Your Mother.”
Garry Walburg appeared in 12 episodes alongside Jack Klugman on The Odd Couple as poker playing buddy Speed before getting a featured role on Quincy, M.E. as Lt. Monahan.
This is probably cheating but Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders played opposite each other in French & Saunders, Let Them Eat Cake, Jam & Jerusalem, Girls On Top, and The Comic Strip Presents films.
Are we counting actors who have played the same characters where the shows were not spin-offs? Because if we are, there’s Alan Rosenberg and Debi Mazar on Civil Wars and L.A. Law.