31 Actors Who Starred In 10 Episodes Or Less Of A TV Show, But Absolutely Made The Most Of It

Pedro Pascal joined Game of Thrones during Season 4 and made a lasting impression on fans while bringing Oberyn Martell to life. I mean, how could you forget the horrific way Oberyn died?! Even though he was in less than 10 episodes, Pedro's performance stuck with us until the very end of the show.

Number of episodes he appeared in: Seven

Bella Ramsey appeared as Lyanna starting in Season 6 until the final season. Honestly, she absolutely stole every single scene she was part of from the very first time she stepped onscreen. It was hard not to root for Lyanna, and it was even harder to watch her time on Game of Thrones come to an end.

Number of episodes she appeared in: Nine

One of the most notable guest stars in the history of Criminal Minds, Aubrey Plaza first appeared during Season 11 and made her last appearance during Season 15. Her work as Cat Adams is nothing short of mesmerizing, and it's still talked about to this day.

Number of episodes she appeared in: Four

In literally just a few episodes, Barb became one of the most talked-about Stranger Things characters. To this day, I'm still not over how her story ended and she made a lasting impression on the show during Season 1.

Number of episodes she appeared in: Four

Andrew Scott completely knocked it out of the park when he was introduced as the Priest during Season 2 of Fleabag. In less than 10 episodes, he became a character we couldn't stop talking about. His work on the show earned him several award nominations and he won the Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2020.

Number of episodes he appeared in: Six

Cicely Tyson's work on How to Get Away With Murder remained a triumph until the very end. She arrived during Season 1 as Annalise's mother and with each episode she guest-starred in, she completely stole the show. For her work on the show, Cicely was nominated for five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, the most by any actor in this category so far.

Number of episodes she appeared in: 10

Elaine Stritch brought her brand of humor to 30 Rock from Season 1 until the final season. This was also Elaine's last major acting role before her death in 2014. Her work as Colleen earned her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2007, and she was nominated four other times.

Number of episodes she appeared in: Nine

A lot of famous actors have appeared on Law & Order: SVU over the years, but Carol Burnett's appearance during Season 10 as Birdie might be one of the most memorable. Seeing Carol, known for her comedy, pivot to drama was amazing and her work even earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2009.

Number of episodes she appeared in: One

Another memorable guest star on Law & Order: SVU, Robin Williams amazed, and creeped out, fans as Merritt Rook during Season 9. His work in this episode makes him one of the most well-known guest stars on the show to this day.

Number of episodes he appeared in: One

Carey Mulligan appeared in one of the biggest Doctor Who episodes ever, and her performance continues to be talked about. "Blink" brilliantly introduced us to the Weeping Angels and Carey truly carried an episode that had very little of the Doctor in it.

Number of episodes she appeared in: One

Sterling K. Brown always delivers an incredible performance in everything he does, and one of his best performances is in "The Box" from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. A perfect episode of television, Sterling does a lot in an episode that is confined to an interrogation room. It's one of the greatest episodes of the series, and it earned Sterling an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2018.

Number of episodes he appeared in: One

Before Friday Night Lights made him a household name, Kyle Chandler appeared in one of the biggest Grey's Anatomy episodes of all time and kept coming back for more appearances. In fact, Kyle's work as Dylan in the post–Super Bowl Season 2 episode earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2006.

Number of episodes he appeared in: Four

Mandy Moore guest-starred in arguably the biggest season finale in Grey's Anatomy history when she played Mary in the two-part Season 6 finale. Mandy's work in this episode has made her one of the most memorable guest stars on the show to this day.

Number of episodes she appeared in: Four

All of these years later, I still believe that "Into You Like A Train" from Season 2 of Grey's Anatomy is a perfect episode of TV, and it's 100% thanks to the amazing work by Monica Keena and Bruce A. Young. The two of them made Bonnie and Tom two of the most memorable patients on Grey's Anatomy in just one episode.

Number of episodes they appeared in: Monica appeared in two episodes and Bruce appeared in only one

Carrie Fisher left her mark on every TV show or movie she appeared in, and that is certainly the case with Catastrophe. Her work during three seasons of this hilarious and underrated series was amazing and quick-witted. Carrie even earned a posthumous Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her appearance in Season 3.

Number of episodes she appeared in: Six

Prince made his memorable guest appearance in one of the best post–Super Bowl TV episodes in recent memory. Prince appeared has himself during this Season 3 episode and he helped Jess work up the courage to tell Nick that she loves him.

Number of episodes he appeared in: One

A notable guest star on Glee, Gwyneth Paltrow appeared in several episodes as Holly Holliday throughout the show's run. She guest-starred in both Season 2 and Season 5, and delivered memorable moments in every episode. Her work in her first episode "The Substitute" earned her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2011.

Number of episodes she appeared in: Five

Nathan Lane hilarious guest-starred as Cam and Mitchel's BFF Pepper throughout the show's entire run. His hilarious work on the show earned him three Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, and rightly so.

Number of episodes he appeared in: 10

Christina Applegate appeared as Amy, Rachel's "other" sister, and made the role something Friends fans will never forget. Her work on Friends earned her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her first episode, and she scored a nomination for her second appearance too.

Number of episodes she appeared in: Two

Krysten Ritter's performance as Jane was not only mesmerizing, but it's also rare that a TV character's death has a lasting impact, especially on a show filled with so much violence. Jane's relationship with Jesse is something we'll never forget TBH, and Krysten was able to create a memorable character in less than 10 episodes.

Number of episodes she appeared in: Nine

A guest star who literally helped change television, Laura Dern notably appeared in "The Puppy Episode" of Ellen as Susan, the woman whom Ellen comes out to and has feelings for. To this day, Laura says that one of the "greatest gifts" of her career was being in this episode.

Number of episodes she appeared in: One

Before he became a household name thanks to Moonlight, Mahershala Ali starred on several TV shows including Luke Cage. His work as Cottonmouth during Season 1 was extraordinary as he brought this larger-than-life Marvel character to TV.

Number of episodes he appeared in: Six

The cast of Schitt's Creek was one of the best ensembles on TV; so when a truly unbelievable guest star showed up, it made everything even more spectacular. Victor Garber appearing as Clifton Sparks, Moira's former co-star from Sunrise Bay, and it made the final season of this iconic television series so incredible.

Number of episodes he appeared in: One

Season 2 of The Vampire Diaries is a pretty flawless season of television, and one of the best guest stars in this jam-packed season is Lauren Cohan as Rose, a vampire who has been running from Klaus. In less than 10 episodes, Lauren created one of the most memorable characters on The Vampire Diaries, which is pretty impressive.

Number of episodes she appeared in: Six

In just one season, Bill Paxton made John Garrett, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who joined Hydra, one of the most complex villains on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. His work on the show continued to be celebrated until the final season, and he accomplished so much in less than 10 episodes. This was also one of Bill's final memorable roles before his death in 2017.

Number of episodes he appeared in: Six

An underrated and phenomenal series, The End of the F***ing World knew how to make an impact with very few episodes, and Naomi Ackie's awardworthy work as Bonnie proved it. Arriving in Season 2, Naomi stole every scene she was a part of and every word she spoke was mesmerizing.

Number of episodes she appeared in: Seven

Until the very last episode of Gilmore Girls, I hoped that Adam Brody would show back up as Dave, and he and Lane could be together. He only appeared in Season 3, but Dave Rygalski made a lasting impression on every Gilmore Girls fan and it's all thanks to Adam's adorable and dorky performance.

Number of episodes he appeared in: Nine

My motto is that Linda Cardellini truly makes every TV show she appears in better, so it's no surprise that her work on Mad Men was so widely celebrated. She mostly appeared in Season 6 as Sylvia Rosen, a housewife whom Don Draper falls for. Linda's work on Mad Men even earned her an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2011.

Number of episodes she appeared in: Nine

Paul Rudd lent his hilarious comedic talents to Parks and Rec for less than 10 episodes, and he made every single moment count. Paul mainly appeared in Season 4 as Bobby Newport, Leslie's opponent while she's running for city council. Every time he was onscreen, you couldn't help but laugh, and he was such a fun and iconic guest star.

Number of episodes he appeared in: Six

Renowned singer and actor Rosemary Clooney truly left it all on the table when she appeared on ER during Season 1. She was the biggest guest star to appear on the show at the time — literally, she was in Episode 3 — and it was amazing to just watch her perform. Her work as Mary on ER was also one of her last acting roles before her death in 2002. And, just the fact that one of her few acting credits is in ER with her nephew George Clooney is reason enough to celebrate this role.

Number of episodes she appeared in: Two

Psych had some incredible guest stars during its run, but none were as memorable as Cary Elwes. Cary's role as Pierre Despereaux, international art thief, was hilarious and simply iconic. He appeared throughout the show starting in Season 4; and every time he popped up, you just knew it was going to be an iconic episode.

Number of episodes he appeared in: Four