History PlayingAgainstType / LiveActionTV

* Creator/Zooey Deschanel as Kelly Kilmartin on ''Series/{{Physical}}'', playing both TheRival to Sheila in the real world and the voice in Sheila's head as her mental state declines. Notably, the part had her [[DyeingForYourArt go blonde and ditch her signature bangs]] in favor of EightiesHair. Deschanel [[https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/zooey-deschanel-tired-likable-physical-new-girl-jonathan-scott-1234795927/ said]] that she deliberately sought out the part because she felt that her {{typecasting}} in [[ManicPixieDreamGirl quirky romantic heroine]] roles had reached IAmNotSpock levels, especially given that she was now a 43-year-old mother of two, and wanted to play a character who wasn't as likable or heroic.

* Creator/PaulineQuirke, known for her comedic fat lady role in ''Series/BirdsOfAFeather'', literally turned heads in her role as a serial killer in a crime drama called ''The Sculptress''.

** John Fiedler, the original voice of [[WesternAnimation/WinnieThePooh Piglet]], played fast talking morgue attendant and informant Gordon "Gordy the Ghoul" Spangler.

* The documentary ''Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle'' managed to do this with an actor in his iconic role -- namely, Creator/AdamWest, best known as the 60s TV Series/{{Batman}}, reading lines from ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'', which is about as far as you can get from the 60s series and still be Batman.

*** Stewart also played a pretty skeevy informant in an episode of ''Series/{{Castle}}'', and ''another'' serial killer (who dismembered his victims with an electric turkey carver) in several episodes of ''Series/{{NCIS}}''.

*** More accurately, after playing the badass role consistently, playing Rick {{Series/Castle}} is a much different role, playing a mystery writer and police consultant, leaving the badassery to Beckett.

** ''Series/CriminalMinds'' had French Stewart as a serial killer. Bad [[Film/InspectorGadget1999 Gadget]]! Bad, ''bad'' Gadget!
*** Stewart also played a pretty skeevy informant in an episode of ''Series/{{Castle}}''.

* Creator/KieferSutherland is best known for playing the international law-breaking, human rights-abusing black ops agent and [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush Bush-era]] conservative power fantasy [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique Jack Bauer]] on ''Series/TwentyFour''. In ''Series/DesignatedSurvivor'', he plays officially Independent but clearly progressive HUD secretary turned emergency President Tom Kirkman, a BadassPacifist and liberal dream president.

* Creator/KieferSutherland is best known for playing the international law-breaking, human rights-abusing black ops agent and [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush Bush-era]] conservative power fantasy [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique Jack Bauer]] on ''Series/TwentyFour''. In ''Series/DesigmatedSurvivor'', he plays officially Independent but clearly progressive HUD secretary turned emergency President Tom Kirkman, a BadassPacifist and liberal dream president.

** Inverted with Creator/JamieBamber, who played a NiceGuy rather than a villain--DS Matt Devlin. In fact, most of his roles have been varying versions of [[NiceGuy Nice Guys]], but he has a handful of these moments too, all very effective:

*** His most recent example is his role as the murderous DepravedHomosexual Sam in Series 2 of ''Series/InnocentUK''.

* Creator/NickOfferman has made a career of this since playing Ron Swanson in ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'', either subverting or playing with his [[RatedMForManly malnly]] heterosexual image. Among other notable roles he has played a bisexual baker on ''Series/WillAndGrace'', a gay obstetrician on ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'' and a CrazySurvivalist who is essentially "Ron Swanson but gay" in ''Series/TheLastOfUs''.

* ''Series/CobraKai'': Creator/{{Peyton List|1998}} is a Disney Channel alumna, and mostly played nice girls from fairly well-off socio-economic backgrounds. In ''Cobra Kai'', her character (Tory) is a jealous, aggressive, vindictive, violent bitch from TheWrongSideOfTheTracks.

** Jackson Rathbone played a janitor suspected of murdering a number of young men [[spoiler: and the janitor's ''female'' split personality who was the actual killer]]. He was [[GoMadFromTheRevelation absolutely brilliant]]. It almost makes you cry when you see what he was reduced to in ''Literature/{{Twilight}}''.

* In most of her sitcom roles, Charlotte Ritchie tends to play the "normal" one, and generally projects an air of such wholesomeness that on ''Series/{{Taskmaster}}'' there was a running gag about her auditioning as a [[ExcitedKidsShowHost children's TV host]]. And then there's [[Series/FeelGood George]], who is actually a schoolteacher, but also loves weird fetish pornography and kinky rough sex (sometimes involving fake moustaches).

* Eric Peterson, famous for the series ''Street Legal'', spent most of his career playing wise, smarter characters. Contrast his role as the cranky, short tempered, yelling at butterflies Oscar Leroy on ''Series/{{Corner Gas}}''.

** ''Series/CriminalMinds'' just had French Stewart as a serial killer. Bad [[Film/InspectorGadget Gadget]]!! Bad, ''bad'' Gadget!

* Dianne Wiest, more usually known as the sweet, motherly type (for just a few among many examples, consider: the preacher John Lithgow's wife in ''Theatre/{{Footloose}}'', the mother in ''Film/TheLostBoys'', and conservative senator Gene Hackman's wife in ''Film/TheBirdcage''), instead gets to appear as the wonderfully menacing, insane, and monstrous Evil Queen in ''Series/TheTenthKingdom''. As she put it herself in the behind-the-scenes featurette, "It's quite delicious really. I get to kill anybody who gets in my way, so you'd better stay away from me. Otherwise you might end up dead."

* Otto Hightower of ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'' appears as a significant departure from the roles which made Creator/RhysIfans famous--especially as the role sees him as a straight-laced ManipulativeBastard (even more than Rasputin from ''Film/TheKingsMan'', as he is still mostly a LargeHam in that).

* Music/RickSpringfield played a shock rocker possessed by Satan in ''Series{{Supernatural}}'', whereas musically in real life he's best known for his pop-rock hit "Jesse's Girl".

* Eion Bailey is usually a JerkWithAHeartOfGold or DeadpanSnarker (often both at once). He plays a {{Yandere}} in an episode of ''{{Series/Stalker}}''. His role in ''Series/BandOfBrothers'' is a bit against type as well - Webster being a CulturedWarrior who doesn't do much snarking.

* Pauline Quirke, known for her comedic fat lady role in ''Series/BirdsOfAFeather'', literally turned heads in her role as a serial killer in a crime drama called ''The Sculptress''.