20 Best Ensemble Casts In TV History

It’s often said that film is a director’s medium and television is a writer’s medium, but it’s arguably just as much of an actor’s medium. TV actors have much longer to develop and understand their characters than movie actors or stage actors, and they have years to create an on-screen dynamic with their co-stars. These are the best TV casts of all time.

20

Freaks & Geeks

It’s impressive how many huge stars were cast in Freaks and Geeks before they became famous. A few years after this pitch-perfect teen dramedy was canceled, Linda Cardellini, Jason Segel, Seth Rogen, Busy Philipps, James Franco, and Martin Starr would all become big names. They were all perfectly suited to their roles in Freaks and Geeks.

19

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

The characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are so lovable and well-rounded that they could sustain a regular teen drama without the gimmick of fighting monsters. Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Buffy as a badass action hero, but also as a vulnerable teenager grappling with the foibles of growing up. Her co-stars — Alyson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendon, Charisma Carpenter, Michelle Trachtenberg — all bring the same emotional realism.

18

Friends

The humor of Friends is a bit too mainstream and lightweight for some comedy fans, but there’s no denying that the six-piece ensemble is full of great actors. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer each bring their own unique personality and comedic energy to the table, and the chemistry between them gels beautifully.

17

Lost

The mystery-box storytelling might’ve been what sparked discussions around the water cooler, but the true key to Lost’s success was its endearing ensemble. Matthew Fox is the straightforward hero everyone wants to root for, Evangeline Lilly is the femme fatale shrouded in mystery, Josh Holloway is the jerk with a heart of gold, Jorge Garcia is the comic relief, and Dominic Monaghan is the lovable rockstar.

Over the course of Lost’s six seasons, that ensemble kept expanding to incorporate newcomers like Michelle Rodriguez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ken Leung, and Henry Ian Cusick, and they all fit into the cast seamlessly. Michael Emerson made for one of the most iconic villains in TV history as Ben Linus.

16

Taxi

Almost every cast member in Taxi would go on to become a beloved icon: Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito, Tony Danza, Carol Kane, Christopher Lloyd, and even performance-art madman Andy Kaufman. These incredible actors brought their comedic personas to life, but also imbued a surprising amount of humanity into their characters.

15

Six Feet Under

The cast of Six Feet Under understood the assignment when it came to capturing Alan Ball’s unique tone. The series is a sobering drama reckoning with humanity’s collective mortality, but it’s also a pitch-black comedy. Actors like Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy, and Lauren Ambrose nailed this combo; their characters felt deeply human, but they were also darkly hilarious.

14

Derry Girls

Lisa McGee wrote characters that felt like people you know in real life in her classic sitcom Derry Girls. Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, and Dylan Llewellyn are all fully believable as chaotic teenagers, and they’re surrounded by scene-stealing supporting players like Tommy Tiernan as dry-witted Da Gerry, Leah O’Rourke as bookish, sycophantic Jenny Joyce, Siobhán McSweeney as tyrannical, cold-hearted Sister George Michael.

13

Mad Men

The genius of Mad Men’s casting is that all the actors feel like they could’ve come from the 1960s setting. They’re not modern actors cosplaying as people from the ‘60s; they could’ve been ripped straight from that era. Jon Hamm and John Slattery share Cary Grant’s suave charisma. Christina Hendricks shares Marilyn Monroe’s irresistible charms and fierce self-assuredness.

12

Cheers

Cheers marked a watershed moment in sitcom history. Every TV comedy since Cheers has been trying to recapture its magic. The special alchemy of Ted Danson’s coolness, Shelley Long’s pretentiousness, Rhea Perlman’s biting wit, George Wendt’s dry-humored misery, John Ratzenberger’s warm affability, Kelsey Grammer’s pompousness, and Woody Harrelson’s naive charms combined to create a comedic tour-de-force.

11

Breaking Bad

Bryan Cranston blew audiences away with his turn as Walter White in Breaking Bad. This former dorky sitcom dad proved that he was also one of the greatest dramatic actors in the world. And he’s backed up by strong supporting players: Anna Gunn as the long-suffering spouse; Aaron Paul as the tortured young criminal wracked with guilt; Giancarlo Esposito as television’s greatest villain.