Why Do Shows Recycle Guest Stars?

By Jenni Hammitt

June 16, 2009

lawandorder

One of my pet peeves is when television series reuse guest actors. It is one thing to bring a character back for another story line. It is another to bring back an actor to play a different role. I know soap operas do it all the time, but prime time shows should really know better.

My gripe is that they bring back a person and they expect us to forget that we saw them before as a different person. The worst offender in this the Law and Order franchise. I will be the first admit, I’m pretty much over Law and Order at the moment. I liked it. I really did. Now I just want “Classic” to fade away. I do sometimes enjoy SVU, but lets be honest folks and just start calling it the Olivia and Stabler hour. Criminal Intent…Goren and Eames weeks are my guilty pleasure. I can’t even stomach the off weeks. I’m just amazed at how a series monopoly could get so sloppy with their casting.

It was one thing when they were rotating guest stars from L&O Classic, SVU and Criminal Intent. Yes it was kind of confusing when reruns of the episodes with the dad from Family Ties all aired around the same time: “Wait, I thought he was doctor that killed his girlfriend’s ex-brother in-law after convincing her niece she was molested…oh no that was on SVU.” Then there is the male nurse who let conspired against his employer and let the man die on Criminal Intent, who turned out to also be a rapist on SVU. I get it. They play a good bad guy. Lets use said actor to the fullest extent of the law.

However, I have caught them bringing back villains from seasons past and recasting them as new villains…or in some cases recycling victims. This recently really hit home with me. I forgot it was a non Eames/Goren week and made the mistake of flipping on to Criminal Intent on a Wheeler…whatever Goldblum’s character is week…and I saw a very familiar face. It was Arija Barekis. She is a great actress who never gets enough screen time or credit (you may remember her from FOX’s short lived gem The American Embassy). I pains me to see her relegated to the victim on Law and Order Criminal Intent.

Then I remember something…she was on Criminal Intent before. Now I get that she isn’t a huge A-List actress, but she has been successful. Not everyone knows her by name, but most loyal viewers will recognize her. That is because she played Logan’s girlfriend on the Criminal Intent episode that usher Chris Noth’s return to the Law and Order franchise. Sure she was made to look less pretty that time around…and sported a horrible accent. However, how could most fans totally forget that?
This is just more proof Law and Order needs to hand in its badge. Using tired old storylines, a revolving door of main cast and moments where suspension of my disbelief is stretched to the limit is enough. Thinking the viewer is too dumb to notice your recycling is another.