Where You've Seen The Cast Of Avenue 5 Before

After a few decades of relative quiet on the space exploration front, it's exciting to see how many missions NASA has on the horizon, from a renewed push for lunar exploration to the long-term Mars missions. Although the idea of space tourism once seemed like a fantasy, with the advent of private space companies like SpaceX, the idea that humans could one day take an interplanetary journey doesn't seem quite so far-fetched anymore. But don't start saving up for mai tais on Mars just yet. if we learned nothing else from the pandemic, it's that getting trapped on a cruise ship is the next closest thing to hell on Earth — or in the case of "Avenue 5," hell in space.

Not unlike the HBO documentary "The Last Cruise," "Avenue 5" imagines a world where the maiden voyage of an interplanetary cruise ship goes terribly awry, leaving its passengers trapped in a purgatory of organized entertainment, continental breakfasts, and bad vacation fashion. Seamlessly weaving the looming existential dread of floating badly off-course through space and a comedy style that falls somewhere in between "Doctor Who" and "The Office," the series is one of the best shows in its genre and features a cast that will look familiar to fans of sci-fi and comedy. Settle in with a Judder Juice and let's take a closer look at where you've seen the cast of "Avenue 5."

As the crew and guests aboard "Avenue 5" contend with the challenges of their unexpected flight path, they rely on the competent leadership of Captain Ryan Clark, played by Hugh Laurie. The English comedian and actor behind Captain Clark is the child of an Olympic gold medalist and was following in his dad's footsteps as a rower when his plans fell through after contracting a serious case of mononucleosis, commonly known as glandular fever, according to PBS. To fill the void, Laurie joined the Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, known commonly as the "Cambridge Footlights," an amateur Cambridge student sketch comedy club known for producing talent like Douglas Adams, John Cleese, Emma Thompson, Olivia Colman, and Stephen Fry. It was through the Footlights that Laurie met Stephen Fry, who would later become his comedy partner for many years, his best friend, and godfather to Laurie's children.

Although Laurie was famous in the U.K. for his comedy sketch show "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" as well as his work on "Blackadder," he would become a household name in the United States for his iconic role as the eponymous Dr. Gregory House on "House." In the series, Laurie used an American accent that was so flawless many Americans were stunned to learn he was actually British. Laurie's many TV credits include the role of Sen. Tom James on "Veep," Dr. Eldon Chance on "Chance," Major de Coverley on "Catch-22," and a number of guest appearances over the years. He also has plenty of film credits including "Tomorrowland" and "The Man in the Iron Mask" as well as an extensive voice acting resume.

Suzy Nakamura plays Iris Kimura on "Avenue 5," the very serious and focused personal assistant and fixer for nightmare billionaire Herman Judd (Josh Gad). With her flat, serious demeanor and neat business look, Kimura is often the unsung hero working behind the scenes to keep everyone on board the vessel alive. Chicago native Nakamura got her start acting in grade school. She joined a Chicago Asian-American theater company called MinaSama-No in the 1980s and went on to become the first Asian-American woman in The Second City, joining the Second City Touring Company and The Second City Detroit, which she co-founded. Nakamura's film credits include "Deep Impact," "Malibu's Most Wanted," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," and "Evan Almighty," just to name a few. Her many television appearances through the years include the recurring role of Beverly Andolini in the short-lived Tom Selleck sitcom "The Closer," Sam Seaborn's assistant Cathy on "The West Wing," Principal Holland in "10 Things I Hate About You," and the wife of Dr. Ken (played by real doctor-turned-comedian Ken Jeong) in "Dr. Ken."

British actor Lenora Crichlow got her start alongside Billie Piper of "Doctor Who" fame in "Bella and the Boys," a 2004 British coming-of-age story about kids living in a children's home. She went on to appear in a handful of British TV shows including the police procedural "The Bill," the medical drama "Casualty," and the teen LGBTQ dramedy "Sugar Rush." In 2007, Crichlow appeared in the "Doctor Who" episode "Gridlock" as a substance-using expectant mother trapped in the never-ending gridlock of New New York's underground highway. Starring as Annie Sawyer in the popular series "Being Human," she played a ghost whose roommates are a vampire and a werewolf. In 2013, the actor appeared in an episode of "Black Mirror" ("White Bear") as an amnesiac woman who finds herself on the run in a "Purge"-like setting while bystanders record her plight with their phones without lifting a finger to help. Crichlow has also appeared in a number of other American and British programs including Will Arnett's "Flaked," the police procedural "Deception," the Cristin Milioti-starring "A to Z," and the Maggie Lawson and James Caan-starring "Back in the Game."

Josh Gad plays Herman Judd, the super-wealthy face behind the Judd travel empire. After his luxury liner gets kicked off course on its maiden voyage, the privileged, eccentric Judd finds himself having to make significant unexpected adjustments to his lifestyle while working with the ship's crew to keep everyone calm so his brand doesn't tank. Josh Gad's recognizable timbre will be familiar to fans of Disney's "Frozen" franchise as the actor provided the voice for lovable snowman Olaf, but the actor has been acting professionally since he was in college in the early '00s. Gad's first television appearance was in a 2005 episode of "ER." In 2007, he became a main cast member on the sitcom "Back to You," playing a young Pittsburgh news director.

He went to work as a regular correspondent on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" in 2009 before portraying Elder Cunningham in the Broadway production of "The Book of Mormon" in 2011. Gad's extensive voice acting resume includes "Bob's Burgers," "South Park," "Star Wars Rebels," and "Sofia the First," just to name a few. He has also starred in a number of TV shows including "The Comedians," where he portrayed a fictionalized version of himself alongside Billy Crystal and Larry Charles, and "Wolf Like Me," a romantic dark dramedy in which he plays a widower dad who falls for a quirky werewolf named Mary (Isla Fisher).

Sci-fi veteran Ethan Phillips quite appropriately plays famous astronaut and first Canadian on the moon Spike Martin on "Avenue 5." Trekkies will likely recognize the actor for his role as Neelix, Voyager's often annoying but lovable Talaxian morale officer and chef, on "Star Trek: Voyager." An NYC native, Phillips started gaining notoriety on television as part of the "Benson" cast, playing Governor Gatling's press secretary Pete Downey for five seasons. Through the 1980s and early 1990s, Phillips acted regularly on the small screen, appearing in popular primetime dramas like "Hart to Hart," "Hunter," and "The Twilight Zone."

Like many "Star Trek" actors, he appeared in another "Trek" series before landing the main cast role as Neelix, appearing as the Ferengi Dr. Farek in an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and would later play a Ferengi on "Enterprise." He also appeared in the non-canonical "Star Trek" fan mini-series "Star Trek: Of Gods and Men" along with Trek veterans Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, Garrett Wang, and Alan Ruck, among others. Throughout his career, Phillips has worked steadily as a character actor, showing up in films like "The Purge: Election Year" and dozens of TV shows with avid followings like "Bones," "Criminal Minds," and "Arrested Development."

Zach Woods has built his acting career on playing awkward or neurotic corporate types like Avenue 5 Head of Customer Relations Matt Spencer. The New Jersey-born actor has acted in a number of web series and videos including the "Awkward Boy" series and a couple of CollegeHumor videos. Beginning in Season 6 of "The Office," Woods played awkward corporate plant Gabe Lewis. From 2014 through 2019, the actor was a main cast member on HBO's Emmy-nominated Mike Judge comedy "Silicon Valley," appearing as Pied Piper tech executive Jared Dunn. He voiced characters for "The LEGO Ninjago Movie," "The Simpsons," and "The Angry Birds Movie 2" and appeared in the 2016 "Ghostbusters." He also played Hollywood animal trainer Lee Duncan on "Drunk History," giving a pep talk to famous canine Rin Tin Tin, and had guest appearances on shows like "Veep," "The Good Wife" "Better Things," "Kroll Show," and "The League."

Every cruise ship needs a Karen or two, and "Avenue 5" has one of the most powerful Karens of all, complete with a futuristic take on the classic "I need to speak to your manager" haircut. The Karen in question is portrayed by the formidable comedic actor Rebecca Front, whose work on "The Thick of It" won her a BAFTA in 2010. Front's extensive British television career includes narrating "The Catherine Tate Show" and appearing on episodes of "The Wrong Mans," "Midsomer Murders," and "Outnumbered." She played the aristocratic Lady Whitworth in the 18th-century historical drama "Poldark" and appeared as Anna Mikhailovna Drubetskaya in the 2016 BBC production of "War & Peace." "Doctor Who" fans may recognize the actor for her work as Colonel Walsh in "The Zygon Invasion," where she appeared alongside her "The Thick of It" co-star Peter Capaldi. Front also appeared as a series regular on "Humans" in the role of a synth named Vera. She can also be found playing Queen Victoria in an episode of "Drunk History."

Heading up Judd Mission Control is no small feat, especially when it means balancing corporate policies and government bureaucracy along with the scientific complexities of space tourism. Fortunately, Avenue 5 is in the mostly capable hands of Rav Mulcair, played by Nigerian-born British actor Nikki Amuka-Bird. Originally a stage actor, Amuka-Bird has worked extensively in theater, performing with the Oxford Stage Company, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the Royal National Theatre, among others. She has been acting on screen since 1999, appearing in a few roles on the British medical drama "Holby City" through the early '00s.

Amuka-Bird has performed in a number of British TV shows and films including the medical drama "Casualty" and the "Doctor Who" spinoff series "Torchwood." In 2008, she played Alice Busang on "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency," a series about a woman-owned detective agency in Botswana. She went on to play Detective Chief Inspector Erin Gray on the Idris Elba-starring "Luther" from 2011 through 2013. Amuka-Bird returned to the Whoniverse in the 2017 "Doctor Who" Christmas episode "Twice Upon a Time," appearing as "Glass woman" Helen Clay.

Epitomizing everything that's terrible about social media is the "Avenue 5" talk show host Dawn Djopi played by Lucy Punch. When guests appear on her show to gin up public support for the folks aboard Avenue 5, they are forced to compete with often offensive Twitter-style hot takes and participate in ridiculous challenges to capture the public's — and Dawn's – frustratingly short attention spans. The London-born Punch first appeared on television as Queen Stephanie in TNT's "The New Adventures of Robin Hood," a 1998 action show in the spirit of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys." In 2005, she played evil stepsister Hattie in the Anne Hathaway-starring fantasy "Ella Enchanted." Punch was also a cast member on the short-lived NBC series "The 10th Kingdom," which imagined a fairy tale realm with nine magical kingdoms and a portal to Manhattan. She later appeared as Esmé Squalor in the Netflix fantasy "A Series of Unfortunate Events." Some of her other notable roles include appearances on "Kroll Show," "Robot Chicken," "The Conners," and "Gossip Girl."

No good Karen would be complete without a put-upon husband who invariably ends up doing damage control. For Karen Kelly, that hero is the good-natured Frank, played by Andy Buckley. Like his character Frank, who loves nothing more than hosting a cooking show from his ship cabin, Buckley also has a secret skill — one that earned him a place on the Stanford Men's Golf Team, according to an interview with Boston Magazine. According to the Wall Street Journal, Buckley majored in political science but decided to pursue acting after college. Throughout the 1990s, he had small roles on a handful of TV shows including "China Beach," "Silk Stalkings," and "Melrose Place."

While he was working full-time as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch, Buckley landed the role of Dunder Mifflin CFO David Wallace on "The Office," revealing on the podcast "Office Ladies" that he continued to work full-time as a financial advisor while acting on the series. Since then, Buckley has landed regular roles on a few shows including the teen drama "The Lying Game," the CBS spy-fi "Scorpion," the Hulu series "Casual," and "Shameless." He has also guest starred on a number of TV dramas and comedies including "9-1-1," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," and "Dirty John."

Good live entertainment is important on any cruise ship. But it's even more crucial when the voyage is set to last for an indefinite number of years, which is why it's so fortunate that the guests aboard Avenue 5 have the "Funniest Man in the Universe" Jordan Hatwal — even if his performance occasionally gets interrupted by a floating casket orbiting the ship. Jordan is played by Himesh Patel, a British actor with plenty of his own experience as a musician and singer. According to the Los Angeles Times, the gifted performer even taught himself to play guitar as a kid.

From 2007 through 2016, Patel played Tamwar Masood on the British soap opera "EastEnders," appearing in 566 episodes during his time on the series. In 2019, he played singer-songwriter Jack Malik in the Beatles-themed Danny Boyle musical romantic comedy "Yesterday," which found his character waking up after an accident to find himself in a world where no one knew of the Beatles. The following year, he played the character Mahir in the mind-bending Christopher Nolan spy-fi action thriller "Tenet." Patel's hot streak continued in 2021 with his role as journalist Phillip Kaj in the popular Netflix film "Don't Look Up." From 2021 to 2022, Patel played Jeevan Chaudhary in the series "Station Eleven," which deals with theatrical performers in the wake of a deadly apocalypse.

If we learned nothing else from "The Love Boat," it's that cruise ships have the potential to generate some serious drama, especially with passengers like Mia and Doug, who booked the trip to work on their marriage, which appears even more damaged after they realize that her pregnancy timeline doesn't fit with Doug's paternity. Doug is played by comedian Kyle Bornheimer, who got his start on television as a fairly ubiquitous commercial actor, appearing in ads for everything from AOL to Imodium. After years of minor roles on shows like "Monk," "Weeds," and "The O.C.," Bornheimer was cast in the lead role as Sam Briggs in the short-lived CBS sitcom "Worst Week," a U.S. adaptation of the British series "The Worst Week of My Life." From 2014 through 2021, the actor played Sgt. Teddy Ramos on "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." He would also play Jack Briggs in the Hulu series "Casual." Bornheimer has also had brief appearances on a number of shows through the years including "Arrested Development," "Better Call Saul," "Modern Family," and "Jericho."