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Dark Matter (2015) @sopuli.xyz
SatyrSack @feddit.org

Sci-Fi TV shows just recycle the same group of actors

After finally getting into sci-fi over the past few years, I have recognized many faces appearing in several different series. So I searched IMDb for the the sci-fi shows that I have watched, copied down the names of the case, added them to a spreadsheet, and counted how many of these TV shows that each of these actors appeared in.

Here are the ten actors who appeared in the most number of TV shows:

  1. Mike Dopud: 9
  2. Brian Markinson: 7
  3. Thomas Kopache: 7
  4. Aleks Paunovic: 6
  5. Erick Avari: 6
  6. Majel Barrett: 6
  7. Paul Lazenby: 6
  8. Roger Cross: 6
  9. Scott MacDonald: 6
  10. Zak Santiago: 6

Shows included in data:

  • Babylon 5
  • Battlestar Galactica
  • Caprica
  • Continuum
  • Dark Matter
  • Eureka
  • Star Trek
  • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
  • Star Trek: Discovery
  • Star Trek: Enterprise
  • Star Trek: Picard
  • Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation
  • Star Trek: Voyager
  • Stargate Atlantis
  • Stargate SG-1
  • Stargate Universe
  • The Expanse
  • The Twilight Zone
  • The X-Files
  • Warehouse 13
  • Westworld
3 comments

  • I'm guessing you don't realize that, for budget reasons, most sci-fi shows are filmed in Canada. There are only just over 40 million people in Canada. That's about two major US metro areas or less. So the pool of actors is much smaller. Not all the actors will be Canadian, but studios are not going to fight to get work visas for minor characters. And I'm sure part of the tax breaks they are getting rely on them employing a certain amount of Canadians in the cast and crew. Also, counting Majel Barret is cheating. She's a good actor, by also Gene Roddenberry's wife.

    • You might also notice that #7 here is a stunt double. Probably easier to get your name on many franchises that way than by being a "traditional" actor.

  • A more common term for these actors are "character actors".

    For example you've limited your search to sci-fi, but I know Thomas Kopache appears in Psych as a father, in West Wing as a military General & Last Week Tonight as Catheter Cowboy.

    So yes, but it isn't just sci-fi.