Best ensemble cast?

Always thought that Alton Benes did more than one show.

If anything it does show how impactful some of the
one time performances were.

 

Kelsey Grammar, if he could be considered "recurring" and not "regular," has got to be at the top of that list.

 

If not Valerie Harper.

 

For one-time Seinfeld guests, for me, Mr. Bookman the library cop tops the list by a mile or three.

As for 1-hour ensemble casts, I'll go with West Wing, St. Elsewhere, LA Law, NYPD Blue and maybe, just maybe, Lou Grant ... for half-hour shows it's M*A*S*H, Seinfeld, Taxi, Cheers and NewsRadio

 

But the point is that it developed into an ensemble show. Note that they stopped opening and closing with Jerry's standup after the first two seasons.

 

Kruger from Kruger Industrial Smoothing was just great.

 

Plenty of shows develop into ensemble shows. My point is that doesn't preclude them from the discussion.
'Cheers' developed into an ensemble show.
The Alex character was intended to be the focus of 'Taxi' but it didn't stay that way.

'Seinfeld' very quickly became an ensemble show. By the end of the first full season, the four characters are of equal importance and prominence.

 

I still contend that Seinfeld was the overwhelming draw and the glue that kept the show together. No, it wasn't a deal where every time he wasn't on screen, the other characters would ask "Where's Poochie? until he returned. But he's still the name. To me, an ensemble cast is one where you could throw everyone's names into a bingo ball cage and determine the order of credits randomly and it wouldn't seem off. I know having the name is a unfair leader, but you'd be hard pressed to call Seinfeld "that Julie Louis-Dreyfus show" or "that Jason Alexander show". But it's also not a point I'll die on my sword for.

 

Totally agree. Anyone wanting to exclude Seinfeld from "best ensemble cast" just isn't paying attention.

 

Julie Kavner played Rhoda's sister and was in several Woody Allen movies. Harry Shearer was very good and I think he had something to do with "This is Spinal Tap".

 

Nahh, disagree. "Seinfeld' was a quartet, and a pretty structured quartet, plus Newman.

Give me "Hill Street Blues," for starters. Big ensemble cast, every episode.

"Soap" was genius ensemble work, too.

No idea what you mean by "excluse," though. Is that a new word?

 

So four people can't be an ensemble?