TV's Best Recurring Guest Stars From The Mandalorian, Succession, This Is Us, NCIS: LA, South Park And Other Shows

They're the TV characters who, when they occasionally show up, you know something interesting/big is about to go down and/or you are indisputably about to be entertained. They're more than scene stealers, yet don't appear often enough to be considered mainstays.

What they are, as the headline above says, are TV's Best Recurring Guest Stars.

Who are the characters that you always relish seeing pop up on a favorite show, maybe a handful of times a season? The familiar faces that signal to you that an episode might be extra-meaningful, or that a B-story might have added teeth to it?

The TVLine staff put its collective head together and compiled this list of more than 20 recurring guest stars from current shows that reliably put a smile on our face... or frankly get us worrying about what a main character is about to be put through. (Heaven help Blue Bloods' Frank Reagan when Archbishop Kearns has a bee in his vestment!)

Our list also includes Larry David's well-coiffed Curb Your Enthusiasm foil, The Conners' irascible grandma, a sassy Ted Lasso twosome, Succession's mercurial mom, a greatly entertaining Good Fight lawyer, Mando's trusty mechanic and more than a dozen others.

Check out our picks, then chime in with your own favorite guest stars 1) from CURRENT shows who 2) ONLY APPEAR A FEW TIMES per season (at most)!

The pubescent kids of Netflix's gross-out animated comedy never want a visit from David Thewlis' shame-inducing apparition, but we have to admit: We kind of love him. Yes, his job is to make everyone feel awful about their unspoken desires, but Thewlis' classy British accent makes it all sound charming, and we always enjoy the tiny peeks we get into his regular, non-wizard life. Thankfully, with all the perverted shenanigans going on at this school, he'll never run out of people to shame.

Each and every time Archbishop Kevin Kearns surfaces in a B-story, we are glad to see Keach again... and yet we worry about what crisis of Catholic conscience will undoubtedly befall Commissioner Frank Reagan. (The duo's Season 12, Episode 12 debate about what if anything gleaned from the rite of confession can be used to right a wrongful incarceration was a doozy, and culminated in a sweet reconciliation between the old friends.)

As Nigerian pharmacist Chukuemeka, Tambi never fails to make us laugh as he cowers to his domineering girlfriend Kemi and ever-present mother Ogechi. Even when Chukuemeka presents his antiquated views on gender norms in conversation, Tambi delivers those lines with a boyish charm and infectious smile that make it impossible to dislike his character.

Whenever family matriarch Bev pops her head into 714 Delaware St., you know there's going to be drama. Whether she's belittling Jackie for any number of life choices or putting power of attorney Darlene at odds with the rest of the family over finances, the 94-year-old continues to take pleasure in her ability to stir up trouble, all while Parsons delivers one liners as sharp as she did back in Roseanne's heyday.

Larry David has had many foils across 11 seasons of his HBO cringe comedy, but it's always a special treat when Ted Danson pops in to shake his head at Larry's latest antics. The Cheers star has been a handsome thorn in Larry's side since the very first season, and their frenemy energy only escalated when Ted started dating Larry's ex-wife Cheryl. As long as Larry keeps humiliating himself over trivial details, we hope Ted will be there to judge him for it.

For one, the 60something Shipp — aka TV's OG scarlet speedster, and who was more than a guest star during Seasons 1 and 2 as Henry Allen — looks damn great in his supersuit, thank the airbrush-sculpting gods. But more importantly, his involvement in a storyline typically means the stakes are high, and as such Earth-90's Flash/Jay Garrick has figured into many a turning point (and saved the occasional day) in Barry Allen's own superheroic adventures.

Of all the colorful recurring personalities to cross over from The Good Wife to The Good Fight, Preston's quirky Elsbeth Tascioni is unquestionably our favorite. While we never know what to expect from the scattered lawyer, we do know that we can always count on Preston to deliver a memorable performance befitting her character's unconventional approach to... well, pretty much everything.

Any time a member of the Adams Foster clan visits the spinoff, you can count on there being family drama, spilled secrets and hilarity. Over the past three seasons, Callie and Mariana's mamas and siblings (not to mention their significant others and in-laws) have all made memorable appearances at The Coterie. (Even the ever-busy Noah Centineo filmed a short message as Jesus for his sisters.) But we're particularly fond of the check-ins from Stef and Lena (played by Teri Polo and Sherri Saum), who bring a warm familiarity and a much-needed dose of wisdom every time they come to town to see their daughters.  

Giancarlo Esposito's Moff Gideon appeared a bit too regularly in Mandalorian Season 2 to meet our criteria, so instead this vote goes to Sedaris' Mos Eisley mechanic. Long before we learned that she once dated a Jawa, Peli Motto had been established as an undeniably specific part of this expanded Star Wars universe. Rocking a ratty nest of curls and trading pointed banter with her pit droids, she was instantly someone we could rely on for laughs, as well as someone to entrust with the Child (though her recent "petting zoo" comment gives us pause).

It's no coincidence that the nine episodes Kirby has appeared in over the course of the Amazon hit's first three seasons rank among the series' best. Simply put: Where his Lenny Bruce goes, romantic fireworks with Rachel Brosnahan's titular comic follow. Even series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino did not anticipate Kirby's Lenny to take off the way he did. "We never intended for Lenny to be as important as he is," she recently admitted to TVLine. "He's only been in a couple episodes a season... [but] he's such a presence."

TVLine once opined at length about NCIS: Los Angeles having one of TV's deepest and best benches of recurring characters. And while Arkady will always have his superfans, if pressed to single one out right now, we'd go with Paladino's CIA officer Vostanik Sabatino. For one, if he shows up/expresses interest in a case, you know that Callen & Co. have just stepped in it or are about to. But also, Sabatino's banter with Callen and Sam  is endlessly entertaining.

A character from the original series that carried over to its first spinoff, Ghost's former adversary Simon Stern has become an unexpected, somewhat unwilling steward for Tariq St. Patrick's interests. Is his concern nothing more than financial self-interest cloaked in a kindly gaze? Is the nightclub Svengali actually starting to like James St. Patrick's enterprising teenage son? When Simon is around, the questions — and one-liners — abound.

The very juxtaposition of Davidson's gangly Pete with his traditionally handsome, Boy Scout of a brother brings a certain comedy. But beyond that, each time Pete shows up (like a bad penny), it throws John a fun curve ball (if not also pulls him into a deadly drug sting). Add in DeLacy, already a scene stealer on DC's Stargirl, as Pete's equally manic girlfriend Chastity, and you have a reliably zany one-two punch.

Kyle's parents may loathe their stinky houseguest, but nothing gets us in the holiday spirit quite like the arrival of this festive little turd. As soon as we hear him "Howdy ho!"-ing his way up the toilet, we just know we're in for a merry Christmas — and a great episode of television. Just thinking about his sweet rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," sung in that childlike voice as he floats aimlessly around the bowl, is enough to bring a tear to our eye.

Juicy revelations and harsh truths about the Roy family tend to come out each time Walter's Caroline Collingwood puts in an appearance; whenever this show stages a wedding, we can assume Caroline will come armed with barbs and backhanded compliments for her family members, each one more effortlessly cutting than the last. Caroline is perhaps Succession's most inscrutable character, and Walter always leaves us wanting more time with her. (Though we're sure Caroline's kids would disagree!)

The fact is, Beach could be on this list for any number of his guest-starring runs, including on The Rookie (where his appearances as the late Jackson West's police commander father alas may now be far fewer) and SEAL Team (where he has recurred as Chaplain Walker). As many a showrunner has told TVLine, the guy simply makes everything better. And while you may not like what S.W.A.T.'s Leroy has to say about Hondo's scrutiny of his parenting of Darryl, Beach gives the ex-con riveting layers in such a way that you always hear him out.

Whether she's flirting with Ted or getting gal pal Stinky— err, Rebecca, to come out of her shell, Sassy is a breath of fresh air whenever she resurfaces on the Apple TV+ charmer. And in Season 2, she brought with her her equally delightful daughter Nora, who rightfully deemed Mum's BFF a "Boss Ass Bitch."

Whenever Breckenridge shows up as Kevin's ex-wife Sophie (and she does seem due for a farewell-season appearance),  it means the hapless-in-love actor either going to bare his soul or make a really bad decision — super entertaining, either way. Sophie is fun, smart and complicated all on her own. But then you add in Kevin, who never quite recovered from The One That Got Away, and their scenes together become a must-watch. (Psst... he's gotta end up with her... right?)

The extremely in-demand, Emmy-nominated teen actress still manages to squeeze in at least one or two appearances per season as Paige, who revels in her ability to perturb the boy genius by outsmarting him in any number of ways. In that sense, the character reminds us more of Penny than Amy (give or take a few IQ points).