Guess Who’s Coming to TV? 24+ Stars Making Special Appearances on Fall Shows (PHOTOS)
Familiar Faces in Fresh Places
There’s no shortage of fun cameos this season as guest stars pop up in different shows, either for brief scenes or longer storylines. Some are pulling double duty by appearing on different shows, while others are taking a quick break from their own. See the stars who will be stopping by your favorite returning fall shows.
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Dr. Ken
Margaret Cho
Role:The stand-up comedienne and former All-American Girl stops by as Ken’s sister, Wendi, a successful doctor/host of a medical show on TV.
Airs:Fridays, 7:30/7:30c on ABC
black-ish
Amber Rose
Role: The model and hip-hop artist (and wife of Wiz Khalifa) will appearing as Charlie’s (Deon Cole) former flame, Dominique.
Airs:Wednesdays, 9:30/8:30c on ABC
Castle
Adam Baldwin
Role: Firefly fans will rejoice when Baldwin returns to Castle as Detective Ethan Slaughter, the cop with a quick temper and questionable morals.
Airs:Mondays, 10/9c on CBS
Z Nation
A ton of stars are dropping by Syfy’s own zombie apocalypse series.
Anthony Michael Hall
Role: Hall, a vet of Awkward and Psych will play Gideon, a management trainer and the leader of a group of survivors from a corporate retreat-turned-cult.
Missi Pyle
Role: Most recently seen on Another Period, Pyle plays Bernadette, a distracted young woman who shows the Z Nation team a long-forgotten Air Force base.
Gina Gershon
Role: Currently on Amazon Prime’s Red Oaks, the actress will appear as La Reina (“The Queen”), the wild leader of the Zeroes.
Doug Jones
Role: The Falling Skies actor plays a New Mexico local named Scully who has a secret that will put Murphy in peril.
George R.R. Martin
Role: A zombie version of himself
Read More: Details about the casting news and characters
Airs: Fridays, 10/9c on Syfy
Elementary
John Noble
Role: Known for his roles in Sleepy Hollow and Fringe (where he played a different kind of dad), Noble will be appearing as Sherlock’s (Jonny Lee Miller) father, Morland.
Read More: Details about Noble’s casting
Airs: Thursdays, 10/9c on CBS
The Mindy Project
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Role: The HitRECord on TV host plays a Real Housewives producer and Mindy’s (Mindy Kaling) husband in the season premiere’s alternate reality storyline. Levitt will also be popping up on Todrick to collaborate with the YouTube star for a second time on a music video.Garret Dilahunt
Role: Schulman & Associates will be hiring the Hand of God star’s old-fashioned, sexist (and slightly racist) doctor when Mindy goes on maternity leave this season.Kunal Nayyar
Role: Raj Koothrappali takes a backseat as Nayyar drops his Big Bang Theory character to play Sendhil, a successful hedge fund manager who Mindy’s parents believe will make the perfect husband in an arranged marriage.Airs: Tuesdays on Hulu
Empire
An amazing who's who of musicians and guest stars will be stopping by the Empire studio during the second season. Here are the ones we know so far, along with some role descriptions.Kelly Rowland
Role: The former Destiny’s Child singer will appear as Lucious Lyons’ (Terrence Howard) mom during the show’s second season flashbacks. First Look: Kelly Rowland on EmpireMarisa Tomei
Role: The Oscar winner for My Cousin Vinny will pop up as Mimi Whiteman, a lesbian venture capitalist (and billionaire) who wants to invest in Empire.Other Guest Stars
- Chris Rock – Former criminal partner from Lucious’s cast, and a fellow inmate
- Ludacris – Corrections officer at Lucious’s prison
- Adam Rodriguez – Potential love interest for Cookie
- Vivica A. Fox – Cookie’s oldest sister on episode 8
- Mariah Carey - Little is known about her role, but she won't appear as herself
- Lenny Kravitz
- Alicia Keys
Doctor Who
Maisie Williams
Role: Winterfell is coming to the TARDIS. Little is know about the character, but we do know the Game of Thrones star will be greeting Peter Capaldi’s Doctor as an old friend.Alex Kingston
Role: As the Doctor's wife, River Song will return for the Christmas special later this year to meet her husband’s latest reincarnation for the first time.Plus: 8 Things to Expect This Season
Airs: Saturdays, 9/8c on BBC America
Madam Secretary
Morgan Freeman
Role: Oscar winner and executive producer Freeman will step in front of the camera for the show’s second season premiere.Madeleine Albright
Role: The former Secretary of State will be meeting with fictional politicians when she guest stars along with Freeman.Airs: Mondays, 10/9c on ABC
Jane the Virgin
Britney Spears
Role: Things will be getting toxic this season when the pop superstar plays herself and drives Rogelio de la Vega (Jaime Camil) crazy as his in-show nemesis.Ke$ha
Role: The “TiK Tok” singer will be playing Jane’s next door neighbor, Annabelle, a musician who isn’t exactly “baby friendly.”Airs: Mondays, 9/8c on The CW
The Good Wife
Margo Martindale
Role: BoJack Horseman’s resident character actress will be joining the show as a top campaign operative. She will be working for Peter Florrick’s potential presidential campaign.Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Role: The Supernatural actor will be hunting for leads (instead of demons) as the firm’s new investigator.Airs: Sundays, 9/8 on CBS
How to Get Away With Murder
Famke Janssen
Role: The X-Men actress will be joining the show for a multi-episode arc as (per speculation) a defense attorney who can go head-to-head with Annalise.Airs: Thursdays, 10/9c on ABC
Fresh Off the Boat
Shaquille O’Neal
Role: Eddie Huang’s favorite basketball player will be making an appearance in the show’s third episode.
Airs: Tuesdays, 8:30/7:30c on ABC
Haven
William Shatner
Role: The Star Trek star will be touching down in Haven, Maine, and his character will play a pivotal role with the potential to impact the fate of the town...and its Troubles.Airs: Thursdays, 10/9c on Syfy
Grey’s Anatomy
Joey Lauren Adams
Role: Adams’s character will be vying for the same Chief of Surgery position as Dr. Bailey (Chandra Wilson), especially as Dr. Avery’s (Debbie Allen) favorite.
Airs: Thursdays, 8/7c, ABC
black-ish
Tyra Banks
Role: When she’s not hosting FABLife and judging America’s Next Top Model, Banks will play a version of herself—but one who’s also Dre’s best friend.
Airs: Wednesdays, 9:30/8:30c on ABC
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Archie Panjabi
Role: The former Good Wife actress picks up a badge and gun for her turn as Lieutenant Thakurta, a Staten Island cop looking to romance Detective Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio). Boyle will also get another admirer in the form of 24‘s Mary Lynn Rajskub.
First Look: Archie Punjabi Gets Flirty on Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Airs: Sundays, 8:30/7:30c on FOX
The Blacklist
Paul Reubens
Role: The former Pee-Wee Herman portrayer will reprise his role as Mr. Vargas in multiple episodes.
Airs: Thursdays, 9/8c on NBC
Nashville
Steven Tyler
Role: You won’t want to miss a thing when the Aerosmith frontman makes his appearance on the country music soap.
Airs: Wednesdays, 10/9c on ABC
Bones
Betty White
Role: The Jeffersonian will be getting another squintern in the form of Dr. Beth Mayer, one of the world’s most experienced forensic anthropologists. (Brennan, of course, will not be happy.)
Airs: Thursdays, 8/7c, FOX
Mom
Emily Osment
Role: The Young and Hungry actress will appear on multiple episodes as a streetwise drug addict who Christie (Anna Faris) and Bonnie (Allison Janney) try to help get sober.
Ellen Burstyn
Role: The legendary actress will stop by the show as Bonnie’s (Allison Janney) birth mother in the Season 3 premiere.
Read More: Details about Burstyn’s casting
Airs: Thursdays, 9/8c on CBS
Arrow
Matt Ryan
Role: NBC may have cancelled Constantine, but Ryan’s character will be briefly resurrected for a guest appearance on Season 4 of Arrow—presumably to share his knowledge of the Lazarus Pit.
Read More: Matt Ryan's Magical Return to Arrow
Airs: Wednesdays, 9/8c on The CW
Castle
Kelly Rowan
Role: The O.C. star will play an university dean dealing with the death of a student.
Airs: Mondays, 10/9c on ABC
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