ListNook

ShaunTrek Mar 25, 2026 +68

*Lost* was massive, and while we've seen some of the stars have decent careers after no one became a **star**.

68

Alaseheu Mar 25, 2026 +15

Micheal Emerson is probably the most successful of the "hey I know that guy" guys on lost. He got to star in his own successful show and now always has a villain role lined up in something. Almost like a milder version of Giancarlo Espositos career.

15

ShaunTrek Mar 25, 2026 +2

Yeah. Him and Terry O'Quinn were the ones I was thinking of. Ok careers before, maybe slightly better careers after, but never took off.

2

Any_Mushroom1209 Mar 25, 2026 +9

Honestly, Lost's cast was too eclectic for anyone to have a chance to break big. Holloway was the only possibility, but I think he just got stuck being on B- level shows. If he got luckier I could see him having a different career.

9

karmagirl314 Mar 25, 2026 +19

Evangeline Lilly got into the LotR and Marvel franchises.

19

mike10dude Mar 25, 2026 +4

She pretty much retired too But than she got offered the hobbit and decided that that it was too big to turn down

4

XxCloudSephiroth69xX Mar 25, 2026 +10

Evangeline Lilly had major roles in Ant Man and The Hobbit trilogy. But I don't think she's really carried a film on her own.

10

logicaldrinker Mar 25, 2026 -10

Ian Somerhalder

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jdessy Mar 25, 2026 +11

He had a decent career, he certainly didn't really become a huge star. He had The Vampire Diaries and that's great but that's really all he's done.

11

logicaldrinker Mar 25, 2026 -6

He was a huge deal among girls in my high school and it was not because of Lost

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jdessy Mar 25, 2026 +9

But he's not someone I would call a star. He got one more successful TV show which, again, great, better than most TV actors, but I wouldn't say he's recognizable outside of TVD and he hasn't gotten a strong role since TVD ended nearly a decade ago now. He just does his winery business and that's it. He never made it bigger than that.

9

logicaldrinker Mar 25, 2026 -3

Aight. In my view, even though his career has dropped of sharply in the last 10 years, it peaked with Vampire Diaries, during which time he was bigger than in his breakthrough role in Lost, and he was a teen idol. So imo it seems to fit the bill of post show success.

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jdessy Mar 25, 2026 +5

I also would argue he didn't get TVD just because of Lost. There were years in between from his appearance on Lost to getting TVD, so I think it's more that he got one season of Lost, then looked for more work, and then got TVD separately, and that became a hit, and then he dropped off of acting. That's less of Lost helping to launch his career and more that he got a one season role on Lost that certainly helped get his foot in the door but he got TVD separately. If anything, TVD was his real breakthrough role, not Lost. He just didn't became a star. Most people who didn't watch TVD wouldn't know who Ian Somerhalder is at all. ETA: And I'm saying this as someone who ended up watching the last season of Lost BECAUSE I was also watching TVD at the time and it intrigued me to go watch Lost in the first place.

5

logicaldrinker Mar 25, 2026 +24

Sopranos? I know many of them have had roles and even leading roles, but I'm not sure anyone has maintained star status after the end of the show. I might just be uneducated about it though

24

ShaunTrek Mar 25, 2026 +14

This is a good answer. Edie Falco and Michael Imperioli still work, but outside of Nurse Jackie 20 years ago, neither has done too much of note. I think Gandolfini was on the verge of maybe hitting it big, but we'll unfortunately never get to know.

14

slinkocat Mar 25, 2026 +11

Wasn't Michael Imperoli in White Lotus?

11

rocketscientology Mar 25, 2026 +8

Yes but as part of an ensemble cast, and his family’s storyline wasn’t really the main one. Still did a fantastic job, but I probably wouldn’t call it a star role (that was probably Jennifer Coolidge).

8

mjknlr Mar 25, 2026 +4

Jim would have had a *great* career thereafter. Damn shame.

4

thatisnotmyknob Mar 25, 2026 +1

I think alot of the supporting cast don't have much range outside of "wiseguy".

1

Any_Mushroom1209 Mar 25, 2026 +25

This is honestly the norm. We think of the few exceptions like Clooney, but the vast majority of popular shows raise their cast to "bankable TV actor" status. Like Anderson and Duchovney. This makes sense. There are only so many "careers to be launched.' Clooney and Denzel were top 10 movie stars in the world. That's a very short list of people.

25

logicaldrinker Mar 25, 2026 -8

Not sure what your point was about Gillian Anderson and Dave Duchovny but they both went on to have very big leading roles after X files. Californication was huge for a few years, and Gillian Anderson has too many to mention.

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Any_Mushroom1209 Mar 25, 2026 +14

I'm saying their careers weren't launched into the stratosphere like Clooney. They followed a typical TV star path - they continued being TV stars.

14

nightshde Mar 25, 2026 +9

Stargate SG-1 - There were the few already established actors on the show but it didn't really boost theirs or anyone else's career.

9

Alaseheu Mar 25, 2026 +7

Sci-fi is almost a whole nother beast. You can be a huge "star" for sci-fi or horror and never have to worry about your next paycheck, but you'll probably never be a household name.

7

ibmnumber3 Mar 25, 2026 +5

Yea I agree with this sentiment. Scifi is such a niche type of TV genre that it is crazy rare for even the biggest lead role actors/actresses to be successful outside of the genre. Let alone make it to "star" level. Like you said tho doesnt rule out a good, long, and steady career for them either in the genre or on the fringes of it w small roles in the MCU/DCU and such. Thinking actors/actresses from shows like BSG, SG-1, Expanse, Farscape (one of my personal favs, not necessarily a world-renowned fav), Firefly/Serenity (Fillion is arguable as he has had a solidly successful career, but would put him just short of the "star" label), etc.

5

opisska Mar 25, 2026 +5

I'd say Morena Baccarin is reasonably successful? Not really a big star to be sure, but basically like Fillion?

5

Voltae Mar 25, 2026 +3

Tudyk has become a very successful voice actor, but that's another example of "not quite a STAR".

3

tryagainlater63 Mar 26, 2026 +1

Fillion has never not worked after Firefly so he has had a great acting career. There are so few stars.

1

inksmudgedhands Mar 25, 2026 +10

Sex and the City was huge but the actors never went beyond that show. That was where most of them peaked. Beverly Hills 91210 was a massively popular among the younger set. None of the actors became afterward. Shannen Doherty had a minor hit with Charmed for a couple of years. But, again, none of them became massive stars. Mutphy Brown was water cooler must watch during its height. Again, no one became a movie star after the show went off the air.

10

warlocktx Mar 25, 2026 +13

Candace Bergen was a well established actress before MB

13

KimJongEeeeeew Mar 25, 2026 +5

Yeah but it didn’t launch her on to anything more than being Candace Bergen that everyone remembers from Murphy Brown.

5

Unabashed-Citron4854 Mar 25, 2026 +5

>Sex and the City was huge but the actors never went beyond that show. I disagree about Sex in the City. Sarah Jessica Parker got a ton of leading actress movie roles during/after that show. Dudley Do-Right, Family Stone, Failure to Launch, Smart People, Did You Hear About the Morgans?, etc. Family Stone is the only one of those that is decent, but she was definitely a Hollywood A-Lister for a while.

5

LynnButterfly Mar 25, 2026 +1

Some of the Beverly Hills 91210-stars had a bit of to populair problem. Jason Priestley talked about this a lot. He was either seen as Brandon or as Jason Priestley himself. It was not until Call Me Fitz that a really shook that label off. After that Private Eyes was a big succes. now he is on Wild Cards and new spin-off of Private Eyes is in the making. I would say Brian Austin Green did very good, Luke Perry had good run but people expected more of him I think.Tiffani Thiessen was already household name and stayed that way. On the point of Charmed, that was far from a minor hit, the budget was wel a bit more minor though. Kathleen Robertson also seemed to hit a bit snag at first.

1

whatsupeveryone34 Mar 25, 2026 +3

I think NCIS is probably a bad example due to the fact that all the stars on that show ended up getting paid big for just being on that show. Not to mention spinoffs. CSI definitely had more actors come and go and was not as long lasting so that is a better example.

3

Jarita12 Mar 25, 2026 +3

A lot, tbh. I think TV and movies were strictly split til maybe early 2000s when a couple of movie stars broke the mold and went to TV (24 with Kiefer Sutherland is a good example). Sre, you had rare examples as very early on, Michael Douglas or then George Clooney. But I guess it also depends on how they handle to cross over from TV to big screen and if they have IT. Today, you have it other way around - successful actors go to TV (or mostly stream or cable) to do some real acting, often produce it and everybody benefits from it. But maybe...Lost? I think the only person who got sort of successful carreer in more profilic stuff was Evangeline Lilly and even she kept saying like how she wants to end with acting and kept coming back. She appeared in two major franchises and some good movies.

3

ekWatson_ Mar 25, 2026 +2

One thing I can think of is Canadian shows. While there were exceptions (Heated Rivalry, Schitt's Creek, Kids in the Hall, etc.), many others are not well known in the States, so the actors on those shows rarely became household names here.

2

slinkocat Mar 25, 2026 +2

Degrassi The Next Generation is a funky one because it launched Drake and like nobody else.

2

ekWatson_ Mar 25, 2026 +1

That’s pretty much the only thing that show was known for in my opinion.

1

batsofburden Mar 25, 2026 +1

nina dobrev started on there

1

danok1 Mar 25, 2026 +1

SCTV launched: John Candy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Rick Moranis, Harold Ramis, and Martin Short. Probably took all of Canada's allotment for 20 years.

1

ekWatson_ Mar 25, 2026 +1

I know that one. I’m talking about shows that aren’t popular here (Corner Gas, Little Mosque on the Prairie, The Republic of Doyle, etc). Name one actor from those shows who appeared in a lot of American stuff that aren’t either background roles or Hallmark movie roles.

1

sweetpeapickle Mar 25, 2026 +2

Meaningful is kind of up to that actor. Just because one doesn't go into big films does not mean the actor wanted to go that route.

2

LiveFromNewYork95 Mar 25, 2026 +2

The original run of Scrubs launched careers, the main cast is definitely recognizable, but did any of them launch in a *meaningful* way? They kinda followed the same path, they got other TV shows, big guest spots on other shows, some movie roles but all kinda in the vein of "Is that ______ from Scrubs?" I think they remained the cast of Scrubs not a star who started on Scrubs. To the point that there's two separate ad campaigns on TV right now (that started before the Scrubs revival) where the actors from Scrubs are pretty much playing their Scrubs roles without saying it. (Braff and Faison for T-Mobile and Chalke for deodorant or something) The only one close is Dave Franco on that one season of Franken-Scrubs.

2

warlocktx Mar 25, 2026 +1

Zach Braff has had a successful 2nd career as a TV director

1

Rebloodican Mar 25, 2026 +1

Sarah Chalke found a pretty successful and consistent role at Rick and Morty but the rest is correct.

1

dantemanjones Mar 25, 2026 +2

Chalke was in more than twice as many episodes of Scrubs as R&M, is more recognized for it, and live action actors are viewed as bigger stars than voice actors. I'd rate it as a slight downgrade at best, and not evidence of her career having launched.

2

spinereader81 Mar 25, 2026 +2

Northern Exposure.

2

ChelsMe Mar 25, 2026 +4

I feel like most women in shows in the 2000s straight up stopped working after their seven-season leading stint, or just do like a few episodes role in another show 5 years after But I guess the network dramas I watched werent that HUGE… ouat, rizzoli and isles, castle, actually greys anatomy and scandal and htgawm outside of viola who already was viola coming in… maybe even house… people do like 7 seasons and then kinda fade away

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ShaunTrek Mar 25, 2026 +4

Yeah, I feel like the answer to this question is actually "Most of them."

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slinkocat Mar 25, 2026 +1

Raising Hope maybe? Garrett Dillahunt, Cloris Leachman and Martha Plimpton were all pretty well established before the show. Shannon Woodward has had a solid career and Lucas Neff hasn't done a whole lot of high profile work since that show, although in looking him up I saw he was in American Primeval recently.

1

BrothelWaffles Mar 25, 2026 +5

Was Raising Hope even really that big? I thought that was more of a "hidden gem" type show. I don't think I've ever actually met anyone in real life who's seen it. It was an amazing show, don't get me wrong, but I don't remember it being nearly as popular as some similar "blue collar slice of life" shows, like Malcolm in the Middle or My Name is Earl.

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jdessy Mar 25, 2026 +1

I love Raising Hope, but I'd agree, it was a hidden gem show that more people need to see in general but not one people would know right off the bat.

1

BrothelWaffles Mar 25, 2026 +1

Malcolm in the Middle. Bryan Cranston eventually starred in Breaking Bad, but that wasn't until years later. I think the only other notable thing any of them really did after the show was Christopher Masterson having a few cameos on That 70s Show.

1

ShaunTrek Mar 25, 2026 +2

And Cranston didn't get Breaking Bad because of Malcolm, he got it because of his guest spot on The X-Files in an episode that Vince Gilligan wrote.

2

jdessy Mar 25, 2026 +1

In the same vein as CSI/NCIS, I'd throw out Law & Order, just because that franchise is still going after 25+ years but really, beyond a couple of actors who were known before their time on L&O, I would say most never made it big outside of that. Or, at the very least, any careers weren't launched solely due to L&O. Obviously, I'm not talking about the guest starring roles, but most of those are still also circumstantial (they had an episode of L&O and then their careers exploded down the line not connected to their L&O stint, though maybe there's a rare example).

1

LynnButterfly Mar 25, 2026 +1

Yeah, Law and Oder did cast a lot of already known names via other series actors for a lot of their majors roles. You might think of Angie Harmon, but her breakthrough series was Baywatch Nights really. I think S. Epatha Merkerson did really have her breakthrough role on Law and Order, but she play Van Buren role for so long too. She is now leading Chicago Med for many years and off course she is big in the theater as well. Chris Noth also launched a more serious career via Law and Order.

1

growsonwalls Mar 25, 2026 +1

Grey's Anatomy is a good example. It was great, steady work, but no one has ever broken out as a huge star.

1

ShaunTrek Mar 25, 2026 +2

Heigel came close, but torpedoed her career. Sandra Oh probably got a boost from it, but she's still not a 'star' star.

2

jdessy Mar 25, 2026 +2

I mean, I'd argue Katherine Heigl and Patrick Dempsey got some relatively well known film roles after Grey's took off, though probably more Katherine than Patrick. Katherine, at one point, was one of the biggest romcom stars in the mid to late 2000s. However, other than that? In such a large cast, it is surprising there haven't been more to make it big. I thought about mentioning this myself if not for Katherine Heigl technically counting as someone who did explode after Grey's started.

2

opisska Mar 25, 2026 +1

Isn't the problem in Grey's not having ever .. ended?

1

jdessy Mar 25, 2026 +1

Oh, it's still going on for sure BUT most of its OGs have left already so 95% of the cast now is a lot newer. They've had a lot of rotating cast members, probably at least a dozen but probably a lot more just on the main cast, so the fact that not many of them have broken into larger roles? That's the surprising part.

1

nicolasknight Mar 25, 2026 +1

How i met Your mother? hear me out: Yes, the last 2 seasons. nuf' said. No argument from me. BUT: the show is a household name. With a spin off and 10 years later still gets talked about. Now, let's look at the careers of all the main cast, most of them are barely doing anything. Jason Segel is the only one i can think of with anything meaningful in the interval and even then it's only the last couple years. Alysson Hannigan was ALREADY established I will give you that and NPH does quite a few things and is a nerd darling but no career spring boards i can think of. As for Ted? one weird indie movie and.... Maybe it's just he hasn't been in my area of interest and he is a HUGE person in... producing? Writing? But i certainly haven't seen him in anything else. Edit: Cobie Smulders had a bit part in the Marvel movies, yes. A bit part and one TV show.

1

dantemanjones Mar 25, 2026 +3

Agree, other than Jason Segel. Jason Segel had Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I Love You Man, and The Muppets in a short span in the middle of HIMYM's run. His career definitely shot up from before the show. But then he didn't do much notable again until the last few years. Radnour hasn't really done anything notable, he's a musician and just does small roles otherwise. Hannigan was bigger before the show. Smulders did more stuff after than before, but never became big. NPH's most famous roles, by far, are HIMYM and Doogie. He's done other stuff before and after to various levels of fame, but it didn't launch him.

3

LynnButterfly Mar 25, 2026 +1

Chris Pratt breakthrough series was Everwood BTW.

1

warlocktx Mar 25, 2026 +1

Friends - no one from the main cast has had much of a film career. The women have been pretty successful on TV, but not the men. Matthew Perry starred in multiple one-season-only sitcoms. Big Bang Theory - two of the women had semi-successful follow up sitcoms. Kaley Cuoco has had success in streaming. Jim Parsons mainly does theater. None of them has done significant film work.

1

jdessy Mar 25, 2026 +7

....I'm not sure whether you're trying to make a joke about Friends or not.....because trying to call Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox just "TV actresses" is such a slap to the face for their film careers, ESPECIALLY Jennifer.

7

warlocktx Mar 25, 2026 -2

have either of them made starring or memorable films? A scan of Aniston's filmography shows some pretty unmemorable films and not many starring roles OP's post called out Clooney, Denzel and others as examples who have gone from TV roles to film superstardom

-2

jdessy Mar 25, 2026 +6

....literally yes? Scream is one of the biggest horror franchises in the world. Courteney is the only one to have starred in all of them. You think horror, one of the first franchises to pop into your head would be Scream. And Jennifer had some really prolific work in the 2000s. You had to be there at the time with how much she was in the news and how well known she was. Bruce Almighty, Along Came Polly, The Break-Up, Marley & Me, Just Go With It, The Bounty Hunter, We're The Millers, He's Just Not That Into You, all extremely successful films, all made tens to hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. There was a time you couldn't escape Jennifer Aniston from the news, and not just because of her stuff with Brad Pitt either. She's A-List, and that did happen after she started on Friends. I have magazines from the 2000s that have Jennifer Aniston in them in some capacity.

6

daegamebday1 Mar 25, 2026 -2

The main character of New Girl went on to be in the movie Elf.

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ajd660 Mar 25, 2026 +2

Elf came out way before New Girl started.

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daegamebday1 Mar 25, 2026 +1

yeah but i didnt see it until recently

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Plotnikon2280 Mar 25, 2026 -11

Buffy the Vampire Slayer immediately comes to mind.

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slinkocat Mar 25, 2026 +10

Sarah Michelle Gellar was huge for a while. Alyson Hannigan was in American Pie and How I Met Your Mother, David Boreanaz has been in starring roles on TV pretty much continuously since Buffy. They didn't hit Clooney heights but I'd say they were stars.

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neonTULIPS Mar 25, 2026 +3

Yeah Buffy definitely gave us some great tv stars! David Boreanaz has consistently been on TV for sooooo many years now, and Sarah and Alyson’s careers have been pretty good by tv standards too! Seth Green also did some great stuff and is super successful as a voice actor on animated shows now.

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slinkocat Mar 25, 2026 +1

Totally forgot about Seth Green as well!

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ShaunTrek Mar 25, 2026 +6

No one became huge, but Buffy launched the career of pretty much everyone involved except for Anthony Stewart Head. Boreanaz was literally just a guy they found on the street.

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What are some examples of popular shows that didn’t really help launch any of the cast’s careers in a meaningful way?

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