They're Not Dead! They're on NBC: 11 Actors You May Not Realize Are Series Regulars on NBC Dramas

We did this a few years ago, mostly because I was a bit blown away when I found out that Jeremy Sisto — of Six Feet Under and Suburbia — had ended up on a CBS procedural, FBI, where he’s been for the last seven years. I don’t watch FBI or CSI (is CSI even on anymore?) or NCIS, so it’s often a surprise to me to learn that actors that I have not seen in years are series regulars on these shows.

That’s what happened again, this week, when I discovered that Dermot Mulroney, the guy from My Best Friend’s Wedding and Catherine Keener’s ex, has been on Chicago Fire for the last year! I had no idea, although it makes sense: All those procedurals need a Mark Harmon type, a good-looking dude with grey hair to appeal to the core audience of these procedurals.

He should not be confused with Dylan McDermott, who spent a couple of seasons on Law & Order: Organized Crime before also moving over to CBS’s FBI franchise (it’s a Dick Wolf show, so reruns are on Peacock).

The Chicago franchise on NBC actually employs a number of actors who I otherwise thought had disappeared. It turns out, for instance, that David Eigenberg doesn’t sit around waiting for spot appearances on the Sex and the City revival. He’s also a Chicago Fire guy.

She’s not there any longer, but Sophia Bush — of One Tree Hill — was on Chicago P.D. (lately, I’ve seen her playing a gay doctor on Grey’s Anatomy).

We’ve seen Oliver Platt on The Bear, but I had no idea he’s been on Chicago Med for the LAST DECADE.

Do you know who else has been collecting a paycheck for several years on Chicago Med? Our old friend, Steven Weber. These procedurals are starting to feel like the television equivalent of planned communities for older TV actors.

Longtime Law & Order actress S. Epatha Merkerson is also a longtime Chicago Med actress — she’s been there for a decade, too.

Speaking of Law & Order, that’s a show I do watch, but others might be surprised to know that that’s where Hugh Dancy has landed.

It’s also where Tony Goldwyn ended up (replacing longtime cast member Sam Waterston).

And, just this season, Maura Tierney is now a series regular:

Brett Dalton, of Agents of SHIELD fame, also spent a chunk of time on a Chicago, though now he’s a series regular on a different NBC procedural, Found. Check out that stache!