The fall television season always arrives stocked with brand new shows and bright new stars.
But it’s also a time when plenty of longtime TV pals return to our screens in very different roles. Will they continue to be must-see-worthy?
Here’s a look some of those familiar faces. We should note that the list doesn’t include William Petersen and Jora Fox (“CSI: Vegas”), or Michael C. Hall (“Dexter: New Blood”), who, indeed, are back after being away for a while but in their same old roles.
Brandy
Where you’ve seen her: “Moesha,” “The Game,” “Cinderella” and “Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business”
Her new gig: In ABC’s “Queens,” she plays Naomi, aka Xplicit Lyrics, a member of a legendary ‘90s hip-hop group attempting to make a comeback after being estranged for 20 years. Now a struggling single mother in her 40s, she’s determined to get her swagger back.
Jeff Daniels
Where you’ve seen him: “The Newsroom,” “Godless” and “The Looming Tower”
His new gig: In Showtime’s “American Rust,” he plays Del Harris, the conflicted chief of police in a Pennsylvania Rust Belt city. He struggles with an ethical dilemma after the son of the woman he loves is linked to a homicide. Another familiar performer, Maura Tierney (“ER,” “The Affair”), co-stars.
Scott Foley
Where you’ve see him: “The Unit,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal”
His new gig: In Fox’s “The Big Leap,” Foley plays Nick Blackburn, a divorced single dad and the ratings-obsessed executive producer of a reality TV dance competition. In the show within a show, contestants audition to win a role in a modernized “Swan Lake.”
Rose McIver
Where you’ve seen her: “iZombie”
Her new gig: In the CBS comedy “Ghost,” she continues mingling with the undead. McIver plays Samantha, a journalist who, along with her husband, throws caution to the wind by turning a Victorian home she just inherited into a B&B. Unfortunately, the place is inhabited by the many spirits of deceased residents who now call it home.
Daniel Dae Kim
Where you’ve seen him: “Lost” and “Hawaii Five-0”
His new gig: In the National Geographic Channel’s scientific thriller “The Hot Zone: Anthrax,” he plays FBI agent and microbiologist Matthew Ryker. The limited series takes place in 2001, just weeks after 9/11, when the U.S. was rocked by another deadly act of terrorism. After 31 years of working in TV, this is Kim’s first series lead. He stars along with another familiar face — Tony Goldwyn (“Scandal”).
Dule Hill
Where you’ve seen him: “The West Wing,” “Psych” and “Suits”
His new gig: In ABC’s nostalgic update of “The Wonder Years,” he plays Bill Williams, the patriarch of a middle-class Black family living in Montgomery, Alabama during the late 1960s. He’s a music professor by day and a funk musician by night who bemoans the fact that his awkward 12-year-old son, Dean, has yet to develop any rhythm.
Julianna Margulies
Where you’ve seen her: “ER” and “The Good Wife”
Her new gig: In the second season of “The Morning Show” on Apple TV+ she joins the cast as Laura Peterson, a veteran, well-respected anchor who comes aboard the troubled morning news program and proves to be a stabilizing force. She also serves as a mentor to the still-green Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon).