TV Look-Alikes: The Flash, Star Trek, Friends, Brady Bunch And More

Boy Meets World

In the very meta "Eric Hollywood," Will Friedle's dimwitted character gets cast in a popular sitcom — Kid Gets Acquainted With Universe — starring Ben Savage Sandwich. ("Say, maybe you've heard of his brother, Bread Sandwich?") Rider Strong (Shawn), Danielle Fishel (Topanga), Matthew Lawrence (Jack) and Lindsay Ridgeway (Morgan) also play their characters' Hollywood doubles, who are all parodies of the actors themselves.

How I Met Your Mother

MacLaren's most dedicated patrons all had lookalikes — Lesbian Robin, Mustache Marshall, Mexican Wrestler Ted, Fertility Doctor Barney — but best of all was Stripper Lily, the exotic Russian dancer who wound up married to Lily's clingy high school sweetheart Scooter. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Bored now? On the contrary, we were bored never during Buffy's "Doppelgangland" episode in Season 3. Thanks to a bit of magic gone awry, Willow wound up casting two shadows in Sunnydale, one of which belonged to her vampire counterpart, a snarky dominatrix who our heroine presciently noticed was "kind of gay."

The Walking Dead

If anything could possibly be weirder than bumping into your dead ringer, it would have to be bumping into your undead ringer, right? So you can imagine Michonne's reaction when, after being separated from her friends following the Governor's Season 4 assault on the prison, she happened upon her zombified look-alike.

Seinfeld

In the sitcom's classic "Bizarro Jerry" episode, Jerry, George and Kramer were as stunned as their counterparts Kevin, Gene and Feldman to realize that Elaine had traded in her old friends for a new group that was exactly like them... save for one thing: The carbon copies couldn't abide some of their gal pal's quirks.

The Young and the Restless

Y&R shrink Emily was taken aback upon discovering in 2009 that wiggy patient Patty had undergone an extreme makeover to resemble her. But really, she shouldn't have been surprised. Jack, Lauren, Phyllis, Katherine, John... almost everyone in Genoa City has at some point had a double.

The Brady Bunch

"Holy mackerel!" exclaimed Peter upon coming face-to-his-own-face with his bespectacled look-alike, transfer student Arthur Owens (played by Christopher Knight), in 1974's "Two Petes in a Pod." Before you could say, "Here's a wacky plan that's sure to backfire!" the doubles had set up dates that were destined to live in wholesome infamy.

Supernatural

Shapeshifters would go on to assume Dean and Sam's likeness multiple times over the show's run — who can blame them for wanting to look pretty? — but it's the first time that's the most memorable: In Season 1's "Skin," Dean fatally shoots his doppelgänger after the shifter's killing spree lands the real Winchester on the police's Most Wanted list.

Friends

In Season 2's "The One With Russ" episode, Ross was too busy hating on his look-alike — and sound-alike and act-alike — rival for Rachel's affections to notice that they were, as Monica put it, as "different as night and... later that night." Wait, if he couldn't stand Russ (played by David Schwimmer), does that make him self-loathing?

Fringe

"Over there," Olivia Dunham (aka Fauxlivia aka Bolivia) also worked for Fringe division, but was a bit more spice than sugar. In Season 3 of the sci-fi series, she knocked out the real Olivia during a visit to our universe, and then dove into a relationship with Peter — even conceiving and eventually birthing his baby, a son named Henry! Talk about your complicated Father's Day card inscriptions.

Gotham

As Season 2 came to a close, viewers got their first glimpse of Subject 514A, an Indian Hill "experiment" who bore an uncanny resemblance to Bruce Wayne, the boy billionaire who would briefly befriend him. Impervious to pain, the look-alike's reason for being was shrouded in mystery until it became clear that he was a key to the Court of Owls' grand plan to rule Gotham.

Star Trek

Long before Fringe or The Flash dabbled in multiverse doppelgängers, this seminal sci-fi series gave us the well-loved "Mirror, Mirror," whose surprises included a goateed Spock, sexual predator Sulu and, back on our Enterprise, a feral Uhura.  

The Flash

Double vision was in bountiful supply once Team Flash decided to brave Earth-Two, where Barry is less fleet on his feet and is wed to pistol-packing Detective Iris West-Allen. On the less-fun side, Earth-Two's Caitlin (aka Killer Frost), Ronnie (Deathstorm) and Cisco (Reverb) are allies of the nefarious Zoom.

With the multiverse can of worms thusly cracked open, #DCTV would also Xerox Harrison Wells, Laurel Lance and others.

The Adventures of Superman

Considered to feature one of TV's first "evil twin" twists, this 1953 episode found Clark Kent wondering if he had been sleepwalking, after a streetwise wiseguy (played by George Reeves) gets plastic surgery — and takes diction lessons! — to pose as a thieving Man of Steel.

Bonanza

Through its 431 episodes, this NBC Western was no stranger to doppelgänger tales — including a Season 5 outing in which Little Joe gets KO'd and has his identity assumed by a look-alike Army prisoner (played by Michael Landon). 

Gilligan's Island

Nobody believes Gilligan when he claims that a Russian spy (played by Bob Denver) has arrived on the island — and that he's a dead ringer for Skipper's first mate! The castaways really should have been less skeptical, seeing as both Mr. Howell and Ginger would meet their own look-alikes during the series' run! 

I Dream of Jeannie

When Dr. Bellows urgently sent away Major Nelson to work on a top-secret project, he somehow thought that he could/should swap in a Russian spy look-alike to keep both Jeannie and Roger in the dark. The real Tony returns just in time to keep the fake from making Jeannie his bride!

Wonder Woman

When Diana Prince got wind that a toymaker (played by Batman's Frank Gorshin) had been enlisted by baddies to create robot doubles of noted scientists, the craftsman unleashed his greatest creation — an android double of Wonder Woman! [Cue semi-carefully directed fight sequence with sloppily swapped-out doubles.]

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Having an LMD made in her image midway through Season 4 was actually not the first time that Melinda May got "duped." Rather, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Agent 33 aka Kara Palamas was brainwashed by Hydra and outfitted with a nifty "photostatic veil" that allowed her to pass herself off as the good guys' biggest badass!

The Bionic Woman

Not once but twice, the titular Jaime Sommers was dogged by Lisa Galloway, a Southern belle whose face was changed through plastic surgery so that she could infiltrate the OSI (and, in her first mission, attempt to kill Oscar). Almost comically, Lisa would again and again nearly be found out by her nasty Virginia Slims habit!

Broad City

At first, Ilana was excited to meet her doppelgänger Adele, played by Arrested Development's Alia Shawkat — and even a little turned on. (Yes, the two had sex.) But Ilana eventually got weirded out by the resemblance, and cut ties for good when Adele revealed she doesn't smoke weed... an unforgivable sin in Ilana's world.  

Parks and Recreation

When Pawnee merged with its rival town Eagleton, the parks department gang was forced to work alongside their "doubles," including Sam Elliott as a yoga-loving, vegan version of Ron Swanson, and Billy Eichner as Donna's counterpart Craig. (Sure, the latter two didn't look alike, but they bonded over a shared love of Scandal.)

The Vampire Diaries

When you consider that Nina Dobrev played three completely different characters on The Vampire Diaries, can you really blame her for throwing in the towel early? We're still not sure how she survived the Season 5 episode where Elena, Katherine and Amara finally came face to face... to face.

Xena: Warrior Princess

Though Xena technically had four doppelgängers, they weren't too keen on hanging out in a group. Thankfully, Season 3's aptly titled "Warrior... Priestess... Tramp" found an excuse to get at least three of them together in one room.

Charmed

Not that it really matters, but did we ever find out why the evil queen in Paige's storybook looked exactly like her in that Season 4 episode? (Also, is this where ABC got the idea for Once Upon a Time?)

Smallville

You can't have Superm-... er, The Blur... without his Bizarro self, which the CW drama did with its Season 7 opener, where Clark (and a confused Lois!) had to confront his evil, handsy opposite. (The CW's Supergirl of course also mimed the malicious mimic territory with its own "Bizarro" episode.)

Alias

Nope, Francie doesn't like coffee ice cream. The deadly doppelganger of Sydney's rooomate was discovered thanks to a dollop of dessert, in one of the first of the spy drama's increasingly wackaoodle twists. 

Orphan Black

We hesitated to include clones in this head count, since by their very nature they are look-alikes. But no way could Sarah Manning have ever predicted that she would meet multiple, distinct versions of herself — all played by the Swiss Army knife that is Tatiana Maslany.

The Rookie

Eric Winter and Melissa O'Neil played dual roles in the Season 4 finale, as the amused team realized that a nabbed drug dealer (rightly nicknamed "Dim") and his girlfriend (aka "Juicy") were, quite improbably, dead ringers for Officers Bradford and Chen.