Dream-Casting Roles for Stars of Canceled TV Shows

Television fans are still reeling from the bloodbath of series cancellations that took place in early May, leaving many fan-favorite actors without a job.

There’s a bright side, however, as many TV stars will surely bounce back and find other epic roles to entertain fans for years to come. While we wait for official announcements, might as well put some positive energy into the world and come up with some dream roles for some of our favorite actors to fill.

Scroll through to see some of our dream casting choices for actors from recently canceled series.

Zoo’s James Wolk

Wolk spent three seasons playing the role of zoologist Jackson Oz on CBS’ summer series, Zoo.

Now that the series has been canceled, Wolk would be a great fit on Grey’s Anatomy spinoff Station 19, which will likely need help filling the void left by the likely deaths of more than one of its firefighters, after the crew was caught in a serious skyscraper fire during the cliffhanger-heavy first season finale.

Last Man on Earth’s Mary Steenburgen

Last Man on Earth‘s cancellation devastated fans of the cult favorite comedy, which had some hope of finding a new home in Hulu, cable or another streaming service.

Should the series not move forward, Mary Steenburgen — who played Gail Klosterman on the Fox comedy — would make an interesting and compelling choice to play Bill Hader’s mother in the upcoming season of HBO’s dark comedy Barry.

Lucifer’s Tom Ellis

The CW might not have felt inclined to save Lucifer from TV death, but that does not mean it might give up on its main character.

If Matt Ryan’s Constantine is any indication that no DC Comics-inspired TV character is ever truly dead, given that his series was canceled in 2015 and the character has joined the cast of D.C.’s Legends of Tomorrow, there might be a chance for Ellis’ Lucifer to join the Waverider in the future.

Great News’ Andrea Martin

One of the best things about having Andrea Martin playing Carol Wendelson on NBC’s Great News was seeing the comedy icon on TV every week.

Martin shines in any role she tackles, from Difficult People to The Good Fight, and we think she might fit in perfectly with the cast of Netflix’s Grace and Frankie. With the titular characters now living in a nursing home, they’ll need allies (or enemies) to interact with in this new stage in their lives, and Martin would be perfect for the challenge.

The Brave’s Mike Vogel

Vogel attempted to make military dramas happen on NBC’s The Brave, which failed to gather an audience was canceled after one season.

With his good looks in tow, Vogel would fit in with the cast of ABC’s How to Get Away With Murder, either as a new adversary to Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) and/or potential love interest for one of the members of the Keating 4.

The Crossing’s Bailey Skodje

The Crossing‘s breakout star is none other than 9-year-old Bailey Skodje. Her performance as Leah has elevated her to come a pivotal character in the short-lived ABC sci-fi drama.

Skodje told PopCulture.com exclusively she dreams of one day making an appearance on Netflix’s Fuller House. We think Skodje would make great friends with Max Fuller (Elias Harger).

Quantico’s Priyanka Chopra

TVLine first thought of this casting choice, and I honestly haven’t stopped thinking about how perfect this would be. Priyanka Chopra made history by being the first South Asian actress to lead a network television drama with Quantico. After convoluted storylines and showrunner changes, the series was canceled after three seasons, leaving Chopra to roam free to other projects.

Seeing Chopra introduced as Batwoman in the upcoming Arrowverse crossover event this fall would pretty much guarantee a spinoff series… please?

Kevin (Probably) Saves the World’s Jason Ritter

Jason Ritter knows how to warm audiences’ hearts with his performances on Kevin (Probably) Saves the World and Parenthood.

Ritter would fit in great with the cast of NBC’s This Is Us. Toby (Chris Sullivan) will be facing some serious health (or depression issues) in the upcoming season, and who better than Ritter to help him and his new wife Kate (Chrissy Metz) through it.

Lea Michele

Lea Michele needs to stop denying her destiny and join Ryan Murphy for the next American Horror Story installment.

After the end of Glee, Michele worked with Murphy one more time on Fox’s Scream Queens. She then jumped over to ABC for short-lived comedy The Mayor. Now that she is again free, the newly engaged actress should rejoin former Scream Queens co-star Billie Lourd for the next season of FX’s anthology horror series.

Scorpion’s Katharine McPhee

Katharine McPhee is done with CBS’ Scorpion, and is now a Broadway star herself, much like her character from Smash Karen Cartwright always dreamed of being.

We know the cast of the NBC musical drama is busy with other projects, but a Smash reunion TV movie needs to be made, at least for the few outspoken fans that are still asking for it.