Strong Cast Ensembles from past to present

[Sarah]

What in your opinion are the strongest of television ensembles?

With so many to choose from nowadays, I thought it would be interesting to discuss some of the best put together casts, past and present.

To this day, for me, the original ensemble of Dallas is the strongest. Barbara, Patrick, Linda, Larry, Jim, Victoria, Charlene, Steve, Susan and Ken....unbeatable. Not just because of my personal love for Dallas or for the cast but because Dallas, especially in the first few years just WORKED. Magic occurred when these people were brought together and I didn't see a weak link anywhere as they sparked off each other and later additions such as Omri Katz, Joshua Harris and Howard Keel also added their own unique portrayal of strong characters. They are by far my favourite cast ever.

I have also enjoyed the casts of Frasier, The Golden Girls, Cagney and Lacey, Sex and The City, Friends, Orange is The New Black and, more recently, The Haunting of Hill House and 13 Reasons Why.

Which casts do you think are the strongest from tv past and present?

 

[Ome]

LOST.

A great cast they brought together the lives of characters from all corners of the world and all walks of life. Characters that would not normally associate themselves with each other. Characters that fought and then joined together in their quest for survival





SENSE8

Pretty much like LOST, characters brought together in very unusual circumstances and then bond in a way you wouldn't have thought possible.






Other shows off the top of my head

Prisoner Cell Block H
One Tree Hill
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Dexter
Breaking Bad
ST Deep Space Nine

 

[Alexis]

I think the cast of Will & Grace was pretty strong. Obviously the four leads but also the recurring characters they brought in. It always worked and the characters were always just the right side of crazy for the show to work.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Magic occurred when these people were brought together and I didn't see a weak link anywhere as they sparked off each other

This is interesting, because I completely agree with the beginning and the end of this sentence but I'm not sure I agree with the middle.

Not that I think any of the cast was necessarily weak, but I don't think they were all equally strong as actors. And that's something that defines a good ensemble: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Somehow, a good ensemble overcomes its flaws and even utilises them. So I suppose casting is everything.

Cagney and Lacey

Another interesting one because of one of the leads being recast not just once but twice. I really enjoy Switt and Foster's interpretations, but something definitely happened in terms of chemistry from Sharon Gless's first episode that's really difficult to explain. I don't think it's down to talent or acting ability or whatever. It's just that indefinable magic that happens when an ensemble really works.

 

[Sarah]

This is interesting, because I completely agree with the beginning and the end of this sentence but I'm not sure I agree with the middle.

Not that I think any of the cast was necessarily weak, but I don't think they were all equally strong as actors. And that's something that defines a good ensemble: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Somehow, a good ensemble overcomes its flaws and even utilises them. So I suppose casting is everything.




Another interesting one because of one of the leads being recast not just once but twice. I really enjoy Switt and Foster's interpretations, but something definitely happened in terms of chemistry from Sharon Gless's first episode that's really difficult to explain. I don't think it's down to talent or acting ability or whatever. It's just that indefinable magic that happens when an ensemble really works.

Wow thanks for this. I do agree about not all strong actors however the original for Dallas just works for me - they're like my family now and to me they portrayed different personalities within this crazy family.

Totally agree about Sharon Gless.

(Disclaimer - I did not mean ALL the cast of Frasier if you get my meaning @Mel O'Drama...)

 

[Toni]

- Dallas & Knots Landing (obviously)
- The Golden Girls
- Thirtysomething
- Sense8
- Desperate Housewives
- Battlestar Galactica (re-imagining)
- American Horror Story (most of them)
- Soap
- The Muppets

 

[Daniel Avery]

I was reminded while reading another thread that one of the better comedy ensembles of the 1990s was The Nanny. Though Fran Drescher was undeniably the lead, she surrounded herself with great characters (and character actors) and they created a great extended family. The snark between Niles and C.C. was a highlight, but I especially liked the chemistry between Drescher and Renee Taylor, who played her over-the-top mother, Sylvia Fine.

 

[Emelee]

West Wing

Rob Lowe, Moira Kelly, Dulé Hill, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, Bradley Whitford, Martin Sheen, Janel Moloney, Stockard Channing, Joshua Malina, Mary McCormack, Jimmy Smits, Alan Alda

Veep

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, Matt Walsh, Sufe Bradshaw, Kevin Dunn, Gary Cole, Sam Richardson

Modern Family

Ed O'Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould, Rico Rodriguez, Aubrey Anderson-Emmons