When it comes to booking well-known performers for guest roles, TV producers hope the fault isn’t in their stars.
Guest stars can bring attention to a new or struggling TV show, breathe new life into a long-in-the-tooth staple or indicate a change in direction for a series seeking to reinvent itself.
They also can ruin an episode by failing to deliver (Justin Bieber in “CSI”), relying on schtick (Betty White in “The Middle”), sucking all the air out of the room (Prince in “New Girl”) or just being themselves (Kim Kardashian in “Last Man Standing”).
Be it a time-tested veteran or a flavor-of-the-month pop star, a guest star is a calculated risk, but in the go-big-or-go-home world of television, it’s a risk that producers have taken (and will continue to take) with aplomb.
Here’s a short list of just a few guest stars you can expect to see this fall:
Tyne Daly, 68
Latest role: She will play Mrs. Plank, Lily Tucker-Pritchett’s stern teacher, in the fourth episode of ABC’s “Modern Family,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Show refresher: A mockumentary of a blended, multigenerational family in Southern California, “Modern Family” recently won its fifth Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. It returns for its seventh season at 9 p.m. EDT Sept. 24.
Past shows: “Cagney & Lacey,” “Christy,” “Judging Amy,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Burn Notice”
Star power: Ms. Daly won six Emmy Awards and a Tony Award and was a 2011 American Theatre Hall of Fame inductee.
Star connections: Her brother is actor Tim Daly, and she was once married to actor Georg Stanford Brown.
Bruce Springsteen, 64
Latest role: He will portray a mortuary owner on Netflix’s “Lilyhammer,” according to Deadline Hollywood. Netflix has not announced the series’ Season 4 debut or details about the episode.
Show refresher: Steven Van Zandt, guitarist for Mr. Springsteen’s E Street Band, stars as Frank “The Fixer” Tagliano, a former mobster-turned-informant. At Frank’s request, the Federal Witness Protection Program relocates him to Lillehammer, Norway.
Past shows: Mr. Springsteen has an IMDB acting credit for his 2014 music video “Hunter of Invisible Game.”
Star power: He has won 20 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award and two Golden Globes.
Star connections: He has performed and recorded with Mr. Van Zandt since the early 1970s.
Krysten Ritter, 32
Latest role: She appears in the Season 2 premiere of NBC’s “The Blacklist” at 9 p.m. EDT Sept. 22.
Show refresher: Ex-government agent Raymond “Red” Reddington (James Spader) has been one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives. He brokered a deal with the bureau to help uncover terrorists, so long as he works with new FBI profiler Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone).
Past shows: “Don’t Trust the B**** in Apartment 23,” “Breaking Bad,” “Veronica Mars”
Star power: She has received a few minor awards, but her characters’ cult status gives her star status. She’s also a former model for both Elite Model Management and Wilhelmina Models.
Star connections: She is not related to the late John Ritter and is in a romantic relationship with actor Brian Geraghty.
Kyle Massey, 23
Latest role: He portrays a neglected child named Macky in the new Fox drama series “Gotham,” which debuts at 8 p.m. EDT Sept. 22.
Show refresher: “Gotham” tells the story of DC Comics’ legendary city before the arrival of Batman.
Past shows: “That’s So Raven,” “Cory in the House,” “Dancing With the Stars”
Star power: A former Disney network star, Kyle also sings and performs rap as one-half of The Massey Boyz.
Star connections: His brother is actor Christopher Massey, who is also his rap duo partner. They were friends with Bristol Palin, and the trio once planned to star in a reality series together.
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