United States Of Al: Where Else You’ve Seen The Cast

Chuck Lorre, the man behind such iconic sitcoms as Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory, is involved as an executive producer of this new sitcom. And while it might not have made the list of the best new shows so far to be released in 2021 and has been heavily criticized by the public for the lack of authentic representation, it has been renewed for a second season.

When viewers were watching the show, there might have been a few who were wondering about where they may have seen some of the actors from. Although some projects might not be as familiar to fans, a few of the cast members were actually part of pretty big shows in the past.

10 Adhir Kalyan (Awalmir/Al): Rules of Engagement

Although he had only begun acting since 2004, Kalyan has got quite a lot of projects behind him. Kalyan might seem familiar to fans because he was on another hit sitcom, Rules of Engagement, which aired on the same network back in 2007-2013. He was a recurring character from season 3, playing Timir “Timmy” Patel, after which he joined the main cast for seasons 4-7.

He also had recurring roles on the fifth season of Nip/Tuck, the Ryan Murphy medical drama that had a long list of great guest stars, and had small roles in the movies Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Up in the Air. Fans might also recognize him from the Fox sci-fi crime drama Second Chance.

9 Parker Young (Riley): Imposters

Young captured the hearts of viewers and became one of the most likable characters on Imposters. He played Richard, the swindled love interest of con artist Maddie on the Bravo series, which aired for two seasons in 2017 and 2018. But fans might also recognize him from roles in ABC sitcom Suburgatory and Fox sitcom Enlisted.

If not from his television work, it might come as no surprise that Young’s chiseled good looks also landed him many modeling gigs: he has appeared in ads for brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein.

8 Elizabeth Alderfer (Lizzie): A.P. Bio

Alderfer has a recurring role on the NBC series A.P. Bio as Lynette, starting from the second season. The series started airing on NBC and then switched to the network’s streaming service as an exclusive series, where it remains one of the best comedy series on Peacock. A fourth season is forthcoming.

She was also in the Netflix comedy series, Disjointed, where she played Olivia, an employee at a dispensary and the love interest of the main character. Alderfer has also done work in commercials: she might look familiar from the General Electric ads as the character named Sarah.

7 Dean Norris (Art): Breaking Bad

The most well-known actors on the series, Norris has amassed a pretty impressive resume over his 25-plus-year career in the business. But his most recognizable role by far is that of Walter White’s brother-in-law and DEA Agent Hank Schrader on the massively popular series Breaking Bad. He had some of the most memorable quotes on Breaking Bad.

Norris did go on to star in another series, Under the Dome, and had a cameo appearance in the Breaking Bad prequel series Better Call Saul. He also simultaneously stars in the TNT comedy-drama Claws as a mob boss named Clay “Uncle Daddy” Husser.

6 Farrah Mackenzie (Hazel): Utopia

The youngest cast member of the series, Mackenzie is just getting started in the business. The teenager might look familiar, however, from her role on the TV series Utopia, where she played Alice. Based on the British series of the same name, the show streamed its first season of eight episodes on Amazon Prime Video but was canceled.

Only acting since the early 2010s, Mackenzie has had small roles on shows like Workaholics and Stuck in the Middle, and in movies like Ascension. She also appeared in the TV movie Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love, where she played Stella Parton.

5 Kelli Goss (Vanessa): The Ranch

Goss has had some notable roles, including a recurring role in the Nickelodeon series Big Time Rush from 2010-2013 and in the CBS daytime soap opera, The Young and the Restless from 2013-2015.

But the role she would most recently be recognizable from is as Heather Roth in the Netflix original comedy The Ranch, where she acted alongside Ashton Kutcher.

4 Brian Thomas Smith (Freddy): The Big Bang Theory

Smith had another role as a boyfriend who seemingly got in the way in The Big Bang Theory. On that series, he was Penny’s least intelligent ex-boyfriend Zack Johnson, who, in one of the most touching moments from the series’ final season, asked Leonard if he would donate his sperm so he and his wife could have a baby together.

He has had minor appearances on a long string of TV series, however, including Two and a Half Men, Happy Endings, The Neighborhood, and 9-1-1: Lone Star. He also had the prestige of working with two Hollywood A-listers, Al Pacino and Annette Bening, in the movie Danny Collins.

3 Hayden Crawford (Shawn): Magic Camp

In one of his first acting roles, Crawford appeared on a pretty popular kids show, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn, which was about quadruplet siblings, all with their own unique personalities. He played the character of Dooley in 13 episodes from 2017-2018.

Aside from that, Crawford has had many small guest roles in shows like Adam Ruins Everything and Schooled. He also appeared in the 2020 movie Magic Camp, which starred Adam Devine, Jeffrey Tambor, and Gillian Jacobs, as the character Vic. The movie, which streams on Disney+, is known for its great soundtrack.

2 Susan Ruttan (Mrs. Foster): L.A. Law

A veteran acting who has been in the business since the ’80s, Ruttan is most known for her role as Roxanne Melman on the popular drama L.A. Law, which she played from 1986 through to 1993. Ruttan received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the role.

But the role that really put her on the map was that of the dry cleaning archrival of George Jefferson on the ’70s and ’80s sitcom, The Jeffersons. From movies to television, however, Ruttan hasn’t slowed down and has consistently had small roles in various projects through the decades. Some of her most recent include episodes of Mom, Bob Hearts Abishola, and Shameless.

1 Rachel Bay Jones (Lois): Modern Family

Mostly acting on stage, anyone who has seen Dear Evan Hansen will recognize Jones for her role as Evan Hansen’s mother Heidi, which earned her a Tony Award back in 2017. On-screen, she has a few television credits, mostly in only single episodes of the series.

She did, however, have a three-episode arc on Modern Family – another show that has been accused of overusing sitcom tropes – as Farrah Marshall, which might be where she seems familiar from. She was also in six episodes of God Friended Me as Susan, six episodes of Panic as Sherri Nill, and one episode of Grey’s Anatomy as Carly.

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