TV shows that spawned the most currently appearing alums

Cafe Society
1

Let’s talk shows that fling their principal actors far and wide.

I was amazed to discover one show that launched the careers of actors who appeared this month on:

Gossip Girl
Hawaii Five-O
Bones
Criminal Minds
How I Met Your Mother
No Ordinary Family
Caprica
Merlin

Can you name the original TV show?

How many of the principal actors can you identify with the series they now appear in? The answer will likely appear in the clear downthread, so don’t read any more if you want to try to figure this out on your own.

I don’t actually watch all these shows, so I used IMDB to compile the list. (I am assuming the info from there is correct)

2

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

But I can only name the cast members that it has in common with Bones, HIMYM and Merlin…and can’t find anyone from Criminal Minds who had so much as a guest shot I recognize (not that I watch CM)…

Those are, of course… David Boreanaz on Bones (plays Booth), Allyson Hannigan on HIMYM (don’t watch, don’t know character name), and Tony Head on Merlin (Uther)

3

Gossip Girl

Michelle Trachtenberg was Dawn on Buffy, plays Georgina on GG

No Ordinary Family

Julie Benz; Darla on Buffy, maternal unit of NOF

Caprica

James Marsters, who I saw two months ago at Fan Expo! :smiley: Spike on Buffy, Barnabas the terrorist on Caprica

I also knew Tengu’s three

That leaves H50 and CM to be figured out.

4

I poked around IMDB for a few minutes…

Hawaii 5-0:

James Marsters was in the pilot. Also Daniel Dae Kim, a regular, had a recurring role on the Buffy spinoff ‘Angel,’ but I don’t suppose that counts.

Criminal Minds:

Nicholas Brendon, ‘Xander’, guest-starred on 13th October. Nice to see that he’s getting work.

5

Yeah, and Tony Head was/is on Merlin.

Neat.

6

If we count cartoons, I think I can top that:

The Cleveland Show
The Simpsons
The Middle
The Defenders
The Office
30 Rock
Big Bang Theory
Rules of Engagement
Community

…and possibly more, but I figure that’s a decent start.

7

I think this would be [spoiler]SNL.

The Cleveland Show - Jason Sudeikis
The Simpsons - Harry Shearer
The Middle - Chris Kattan, Brian Doyle-Murray
The Defenders - Jim Belushi
The Office - David Koechner
30 Rock - Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Rachel Dratch
Big Bang Theory - Laurie Metcalf
Rules of Engagement - David Spade
Community - Chevy Chase[/spoiler]

8

Yup – though I’m not sure you’re right about The Office:

I was thinking of Nancy Walls. (And 30 Rock – man, that one is shooting fish in a barrel: you’ve got Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris Parnell, and Bill Hader all in the same episode with Dratch and Fey and Morgan.)

9

I came in assuming this was a different thread (one that didn’t have a presupposed answer) with the one everybody’s saying!

10

[spoiler]Heh. I just checked IMDb and Koechner beats out Walls by exactly one episode of each: 20 SNL and 7 Office to her 19 and 6. I’d call that one close enough to say we’re both right.

Can’t believe I forgot Chris Parnell! :smack:[/spoiler]

11

I hate to nitpick, but as per the OP the idea was to list actors who appeared this month on the shows in question.