Top 10 TV Roles That Were Written for Actors
#10: Ike Barinholtz as Morgan Tookers “The Mindy Project” (2012-17)
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Barinholtz originally joined “The Mindy Project” on staff as a writer. But, knowing that he also wanted to continue acting while writing, Mindy Kaling offered to try and find a place for him on the cast. Apparently, Kaling was so impressed with Barinholtz after one week in the writers room that he didn’t even need to audition. She wrote him into the second episode of the show as Morgan Tookers. And it didn’t take long before he grew into a fan-favorite character. Can you even imagine “The Mindy Project” without Morgan? We’re glad we never have to.
#9: Liza Weil as Paris Geller “Gilmore Girls” (2000-07)
It’s unthinkable to imagine “Gilmore Girls” without one of its best characters, Paris Geller, but believe it or not, this character wasn’t originally part of the show. Liza Weil actually first auditioned to play Rory. Thankfully, for all of us hardcore Paris fans, she didn’t get the part. But the show’s creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, wasn’t done with her yet. She created the role of Paris specifically for Weil to be a part of the show. And what would “Gilmore Girls” be without Rory’s arch nemesis turned best friend? She is hands down one of the best characters on the show.
#8: Phyllis Smith as Phyllis Lapin “The Office” (2005-13)
“The Office” is well known for its hilarious ensemble cast, but not every member of the Dunder Mifflin family was a part of that initial ensemble. Phyllis Lapin, later Phyllis Vance after she marries Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration, was written into the show just for Phyllis Smith. Smith was actually working with the casting director before she joined the cast herself. The story goes, she was reading lines opposite the actors who came in to audition and the producers loved her so much that they decided to give her her very own character on the show.
#7: Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon “The Walking Dead” (2010-)
Hardcore fans of the original zombie apocalypse comic books all know that Reedus’s character, Daryl Dixon, does not appear in the source material, but rather was invented solely for the TV series. Reedus was auditioning for the role of Merle Dixon, another character created for the show, when the show’s producers decided that Merle needed a brother. Daryl was a fan-favorite character from the very beginning. In fact, fans love this character so much that there was even a massive outcry for the comic book creator, Robert Kirkman, to write him into the books. He didn’t, but we can see why so many wanted him to.
#6: Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate “Parks and Recreation” (2009-15; 2020)
April Ludgate is easily one of the best characters on “Parks and Recreation,” and considered a huge part of the show’s success. Well, believe it or not, she was not originally a character in the show. Her existence is owed to Aubrey Plaza. Apparently her audition was so odd that it compelled the creators to create a role for Plaza just so she could bring that same energy to the show. Though Plaza previously had some success in stand up and improv, she was actually experiencing a lot of rejection for acting roles before “Parks and Rec.” Thankfully, show creator, Michael Schur, recognized her unique genius.
#5: Terry Crews as Terry Jeffords “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (2013-21)
This is a unique one because this time it was the show creators that impressed the actor, not the other way around. Dan Goor and Michael Schur wrote the role of Terry Jeffords with Terry Crews in mind. But Crews was already looking at possibly participating in several other shows at the time. But when he received a personal call from the creators, Crews enjoyed the fact that they had specifically named the character after him and jumped on board. Can you even imagine what would have happened if Crews said no? What other actor could possibly play a better Terry than Terry? And he’s not the only member of the Nine-Nine to have a role tailor made; Gina was invented just for Chelsea Peretti.
#4: Maude Apatow as Lexi Howard “Euphoria” (2019-)
Many of the actors on this list got their roles by performing so well during their auditions for other characters that the show creators wrote in entirely new roles just for them. In this case however, Maude Apatow didn’t even have to audition to get the role of Lexi. As showrunner Sam Levinson himself said, the role was always hers. They had previously worked together on the Sundance hit film “Assassination Nation.” And when Levinson was casting for “Euphoria,” he already knew that Maude was her perfect Lexi. Suffice it to say, he was right.
#3: David Hyde Pierce as Niles Crane “Frasier” (1993-2004)
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Did you know that Frasier wasn’t originally supposed to have a brother? If you were a fan of the show “Cheers,” you know that the Frasier character claimed to be an only child. And when he got his own spin-off, that was how things were meant to stay. At least until the show’s casting director discovered a picture of David Hyde Pierce. He thought that Pierce and Frasier actor Kelsey Grammer looked so much alike that it was decided that Frasier would now have a brother. That’s right, Pierce got the role off of just his photo.
#2: Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel “Glee” (2009-15)
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We all owe Chris Colfer a big thank you for being the reason Kurt Hummel even exists. When he first auditioned for the show, he had his eye on playing Artie. Though he wasn’t quite right for that role, creator Ryan Murphy decided he still needed this kid in his musical dramedy. Colfer had mentioned during his first audition that he once played Kurt in a production of the “Sound of Music,” and thus history was made. Murphy requested Colfer come back and audition for a new role named Kurt. Only after Colfer blew him away again did Murphy tell him that the role was invented just for him.
#1: David Schwimmer as Ross Geller “Friends” (1994-2004)
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Similar to the Terry Crews situation, the show creators had to fight for Schwimmer to take on the role of Ross Geller. Creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane had written Ross with David Schwimmer in mind, but by the time they got around to casting “Friends,” Schwimmer had decided to only act in theatre from then on; he was done doing TV shows after a particularly bad experience. According to Crane and Kauffman, they practically had to beg him to come on board. Thankfully, Schwimmer eventually agreed, because he was the perfect Ross. Good thing they didn’t have to pivot to someone else.
