History Main / NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognize

** Played with in an episode where retired tennis champ John [=McEnroe=] is accused of murder: the killer turns out to be a guy who ''looks'' like him...also played by [=McEnroe=].
** Another episode featured "magician" and professional poser, Criss Angel. When the team suspected him early on, it seemed obvious he wouldn't be the killer. However, by the end of the episode, he had performed almost all of his signature tricks. Oh, and killed two people.
** Also played with in an episode that had Kid Rock being suspected of killing an employee who leaked his yet-to-be-released album. [[spoiler: He didn't do it, the leak was a ViralMarketing ploy orchestrated by him.]]
** "Second Chances" had 2 straight, 1 subversion, 1 aversion - It looked like Pat Monaghan from Train was the killer - it was his car that ran over the vic. [[spoiler: It was his girlfriend and the vic's girlfriend (Kim Kardashian and Creator/VanessaLachey) taking drug users off the street and insuring them for 2 years, then killing them for the life insurance, Pat was due to be the next vic]] they also interviewed La La Vazquez as a suspect, wasn't her.

** A HilariousInHindsight version. Creator/MishaCollins appears in the Season 4 opener, which was released a few months before he began Series/{{Supernatural}}. While not so obvious at the time, it's pretty easy to guess nowadays that he's the killer.

* ''Film/{{Spectre}}'' can end up as this for ''Film/{{Sherlock}}'' fans, as they are sure of the guy who played Moriarty will be one of the bad guys.

* ''Series/{{Hawkeye|2021}}'': Many viewers predicted well before TheReveal that [[spoiler:Eleanor Bishop]] would be revealed as EvilAllAlong - while [[TheHeavy Echo]] is played by [[Creator/AlaquaCox a complete newcomer]], [[spoiler:Vera Farmiga]] is an established recognizable actor, and the only other big names in the cast are Creator/JeremyRenner and Creator/HaileeSteinfeld, who play the protagonists.

* ''Series/{{Hawkeye|2021}}'': Many viewers predicted well before TheReveal that [[spoiler:Eleanor Bishop]] was the ultimate BigBad of the series - while [[TheHeavy Echo]] is played by [[Creator/AlaquaCox a complete newcomer]], [[spoiler:Vera Farmiga]] is an established recognizable actor, and the only other big names in the cast are Creator/JeremyRenner and Creator/HaileeSteinfeld, who play the protagonists.

* In an appearance on ''Series/TheTonightShow'' with Jay Leno, Dave Chappelle told a story where he was almost on the business end of a real-life version of this trope: he was picked up for a police line-up in LA, and the woman who was brought in to pick out the perp looked at him and said "Well, ''he'' looks kind of familiar..." Chappelle said his internal reaction was "I'm about to go to jail because I've been on TELEVISION!"
* Creator/JohnMulaney once had a joke on this trope. Where he just wanted the victim on Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit to say "Is that Creator/DeanCain?" during the line-up as he was playing the rapist in the episode.

* ''Series/BreakingBad'', of all shows. Walt and Jesse are going to meet a super-mysterious drug dealer to handle their bulk amount of meth at a fast food restaurant and the manager asks them if they're doing well. Gus Fring's actor is Creator/GiancarloEsposito; not hugely famous at the time, but prolific enough that they wouldn't have cast him as a minor one-scene character.

* ''Series/BreakingBad'', of all shows. Walt and Jesse are going to meet a super-mysterious drug dealer to handle their bulk amount of meth at a fast food restaurant and the manager asks them if they're doing well. Gus Fring's actor is Creator/GiancarloEsposito; not hugely famous at the time, but prolific nonetheless.

** Justified in that the book, at least, makes the point that [[spoiler:Smiley, Control, all of them knew deep down that Haydon was the traitor all along, but couldn't bear to acknowledge it to themselves explicitly]], so the audience's state of knowledge mirrors that of the characters.

* ''Creator/JohnMulaney'' once had a joke on this trope. Where he just wanted the victim on Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit to say "Is that ''Creator/DeanCain''?" during the line-up as he was playing the rapist in the episode.

* When it comes to the ''Series/TheBlacklist,'' having Creator/JamesSpader as your main character means your show isn't afraid to throw around some star power. But when the episode centers around unmasking an unhinged Russian criminal, and it just so happens that [[Creator/PeterStormare an actor instantly recognizable for playing unhinged foreign characters shows up in the episode]], it's a good bet [[spoiler: he's more than the injured prison guard he initially claims to be.]]

* ''Series/BreakingBad'', of all shows. Walt and Jesse are going to meet a super-mysterious drug dealer to handle their bulk amount of meth at a fast food restaurant and the manager asks them if they're doing well. Gus Fring's actor is Creator/GiancarloEsposito, not hugely famous, but prolific nonetheless.

* In ''Film/TheBoneCollector'', a film starring Creator/DenzelWashington and Creator/AngelinaJolie, the killer is [[spoiler: the guy played by Leland Orser]] -- a character actor whom you might have seen in several other movies (like [[spoiler:''Alien: Resurrection'', ''Se7en'' and ''Very Bad Things'']]). This makes it easy to peg him as the killer, although his screentime before his big speech is probably around 20 seconds.

* It doesn't take long to figure out that any character portrayed by Creator/HugoWeaving in ''Film/CloudAtlas'' is a Bad Guy, from the father-in-law that has no problem engaging in the slave trade, to the professional assassin, to even a WitchDoctor version of the devil himself. And then there's the BattleaxeNurse. Then there's Creator/HughGrant, who pulls this along with [[PlayingAgainstType Playing Against The Type]].

* Cleverly done in ''Film/SleepyHollow1999'', where the main character, already investigating a crime, is introduced to the town's most important men and the audience is already looking for the guilty among them. They are all played by "vaguely famous" actors: former Maigret (and later [[Film/HarryPotter Dumbledore]]) Creator/MichaelGambon as the leader, Creator/JeffreyJones from ''Film/{{Amadeus}}'' and ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'' as the reverend, [[Creator/IanMcDiarmid Ian]] "[[Franchise/StarWars Palpatine]]" [[Creator/IanMcDiarmid McDiarmid]] as the doctor; Creator/MichaelGough, formerly Batman's butler and a usual in Burton's films, as the notary; and Creator/RichardGriffiths from ''Film/NakedGun2'' (and later Uncle Vernon) as the magistrate. The guilty party is... [[spoiler:A conspiracy among all of them!]] But wait: [[spoiler:the real villain behind the ghost is the leader's wife, played by Creator/MirandaRichardson.]]

* In ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'', pre-release marketing materials indicated that a minor character, a "Resistance soldier named Alex", an apparently-inconsequential role, would be played by noted British actor Creator/MattSmith (of ''Franchise/DoctorWho'' fame), and when questioned, the film's production team played coy with what his role entailed. In the film, he is revealed to be [[spoiler:the HiddenVillain, the T-5000 / Avatar of Skynet, who sets the plot rolling by infecting John Connor with a virus that turns him into a Terminator, and appearing as the avatar of Genisys in the third act]]. The film even clues viewers in with FiveSecondForeshadowing, slightly zooming in on him acting shady before TheReveal.

* Come on, as if you didn't know that [[spoiler:Creator/AlanTudyk]] would play something better than just an architect]] on ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}''.

* In ''Film/HotFuzz'', ''all'' of the supporting cast are famous actors, [[spoiler:and [[EverybodyDidIt all of them did it]]. Especially well-versed Tropers will note that all of them are also known for playing villains at one point or another, according to the commentary.]]
* In ''Film/{{Twisted}}'' (2004), [[spoiler:Creator/SamuelLJackson is playing the protagonist's foster father and mentor. Naturally, given the types of role Jackson usually plays, he's the killer.]]
* Cleverly done in ''Film/SleepyHollow1999'', where the main character, already investigating a crime, is introduced to the town's most important men and the audience is already looking for the guilty among them. They are all played by "vaguely famous" actors: former Maigret (and later [[Film/HarryPotter Dumbledore]]) Creator/MichaelGambon as the leader, Creator/JeffreyJones from ''Film/{{Amadeus}}'' and ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'' as the reverend, [[Creator/IanMcDiarmid Ian]] "[[Franchise/StarWars Palpatine]]" [[Creator/IanMcDiarmid McDiarmid]] as the doctor; Creator/MichaelGough, formerly Batman's butler and a usual in Burtons's films, as the notary; and Creator/RichardGriffiths from ''Film/NakedGun2'' (and later Uncle Vernon) as the magistrate. The guilty party is... [[spoiler:A conspiracy among all of them!]] But wait: [[spoiler:the real villain behind the ghost is the leader's wife, played by Creator/MirandaRichardson.]]

* Used in character in the movie ''Film/LastActionHero''. Daniel warns Arnold Schwarzenegger's Jack Slater that he should not trust his friend John Practice because Practice is being played by Creator/FMurrayAbraham, notorious for being typecast in bad guy roles, among them the one where "[[Film/{{Amadeus}} he killed Mozart]]." So when Practice betrays Slater:

* In ''Film/TheBoneCollector'' with Creator/DenzelWashington and Creator/AngelinaJolie the killer is [[spoiler: the guy played by Leland Orser]] - a character actor whom you might have seen in several other movies (like [[spoiler:''Alien: Resurrection'', ''Se7en'' and ''Very Bad Things'']]). This makes it easy to peg him as the killer, although his screentime before his big speech is probably around 20 seconds.
* In ''Film/KissTheGirls'', sharper viewers probably wondered why did they bother to cast [[spoiler:Creator/CaryElwes]] in such a minor role... until the final reveal.
* ''Film/KnivesOut'' is another work that tries to avoid this via AllStarCast, but the fact that the one member of the family who only gets a few cameos in the initial RashomonStyle flashbacks is played by [[spoiler:Creator/ChrisEvans]] might set off alarm bells. There's no way they'd hire that actor for a minor role...
* The Creator/ClintEastwood film ''Film/BloodWork'' had this problem; [[spoiler: Jeff Daniels got second-place billing on the box and in the posters, yet appeared to be nothing more than a minor comic relief character. It isn't very difficult to figure out that he is the killer.]]
* Steve Guttenberg's character turns out to be the killer in ''Film/{{Cornered}}''
* In ''Film/{{Wolf}}'' (1994 movie by Creator/MikeNichols), the main character played by Creator/JackNicholson thinks he's the wolfman behind the murders. The real murderer was [[spoiler:Creator/JamesSpader.]]
* Partially averted in ''Film/StateOfPlay'' (the American film): A number of characters are played by recognizable actors but [[spoiler:Creator/BenAffleck]] is too famous, too good-looking and too underused to not be important in the outcome. [[spoiler: Also, he spends the whole plot being way-too-ready to sacrifice his career, mostly because by doing so he expects to avoid jail.]]

** Justified in that the book, at least, makes the point that [[spoiler:Smiley, Control, all of them knew deep down that Haydon was the traitor all along, but couldn't bear to acknowledge it to themselves explicitly,]] so the audience's state of knowledge mirrors that of the characters.
* ''Film/NancyDrew'' features a seemingly jolly lawyer played by Creator/BarryBostwick. It turns out he was the murderer of an actress from the 80s.
* It doesn't take long to figure out that any character portrayed by Creator/HugoWeaving in ''Film/CloudAtlas'' is a Bad Guy, from the father-in-law that has no problem engaging in the slave trade, to the professional assassin, to even a WitchDoctor version of the devil himself. And then there's the BattleaxeNurse. Then there's Creator/HughGrant, who pulls this along with [[PlayingAgainstType Playing Against The Type]].
* In ''Film/OxfordMurders'' you may recognize [[spoiler:Creator/BurnGorman from ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' and ''Series/GameOfThrones'']] but that's a red herring to distract you from [[spoiler:Dominique Pinon from more successful ''Film/{{Delicatessen}}'', ''Film/{{Amelie}}'' and ''Film/MortadeloYFilemon'']]. [[spoiler:He is a second red herring to some extent, anyway.]]
* ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'': The BigBad of the conspiracy is portrayed by the biggest-name actor to be freshly added to the roster. [[spoiler:Creator/RobertRedford, in case you were curious.]] There are still a fair few big-name actors besides the spoiler; it's just that most of them were in roles that had been established beforehand, while [[spoiler:Redford]] hadn't really been seen before.
* ''Film/WonderWoman2017'': There's no way they'd hire [[spoiler:Creator/DavidThewlis]] to play just a minor [[spoiler:British]] commander who disappears after a couple of scenes. Sure enough... (it helps that his most notable roles tend to be either quirky/mysterious mentor figures or AxeCrazy villains, and he sure wasn't the former in this one).
* The director of ''Film/TheAlphabetKiller'' deliberately made use of this trope to make the audience question who the killer might be by casting male actors who have played killers in other films.
** Creator/CaryElwes starred as the serial killer Casanova in ''Film/KissTheGirls''.
** Creator/MichaelIronside, who plays Wagner Police Captain [[AlliterativeName Nathan Norcross]], has played villains in numerous roles throughout his long career, including his roles in ''Film/{{Scanners}}'' and ''Film/TotalRecall1990''.
** Creator/CarlLumbly, who plays Paige's therapist Dr. Ellis Parks, did voice work as the villain "Stalker" in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond''.
** Bill Moseley played Otis Driftwood in ''Film/HouseOf1000Corpses'' and ''Film/TheDevilsRejects''.

* ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'': [[spoiler: The moment Creator/MattDamon makes a cameo, [[FaceHeelTurn something]] [[ASimplePlan can be expected to go awry.]] ]]
* In ''Film/GoneGirl'', the credits at the beginning include Creator/NeilPatrickHarris. Early in the movie, they talk about Amy's ex and show a picture of him. Guess who it is? Yep; Neil Patrick Harris. Gee, I wonder if he'll be involved somehow. [[spoiler: Subverted in that he didn't actually do it, but was, in fact, a pawn in Amy's master plan.]]
* In ''Film/ShootToKill'', a killer on the run whose face we never saw has done a KillAndReplace on an outdoorsman and is hiding among a group of hikers. They're ''all'' played by recognizable character actors known for playing villainous or otherwise unpleasant guys in action movies, including Frederick Coffin (''Film/HardToKill'', ''Film/IfLooksCouldKill''), Creator/ClancyBrown (''Film/{{Highlander}}''), Anthony Robinson (''Film/DirtyHarry'', ''Film/{{Cobra}}''), etc., making it difficult for the audience to guess the villain's identity until about halfway in, with each hiker given subtle clues that could be interpreted as sinister or suspicious. [[spoiler:It ends up being Clancy Brown's character.]]
* ''Film/RideAlong'' subverts this. Creator/LaurenceFishburne gets an AndStarring nod in the opening credits, and he is a pretty big name actor. That he doesn't appear among the police force is a pretty big give away that he's going to be the main antagonist of the film, a man that no one knows the face of. However, he actually doesn't make ''any'' appearance until he reveals himself as the villain, and he has no prior connection to either of the main characters, so there's no real twist to be had.
* In the 2016 film version of ''Series/DadsArmy'', the plot of which involves a German spy in Walmington-on-Sea, would anyone be really surprised to see that the spy is played by [[spoiler: Creator/CatherineZetaJones, who's only the biggest name in the cast]]? That they are ''also'' a CanonForeigner, and would thus be immediately suspected anyway, makes it feel like the casting is a deliberate wink to the audience.
* Sidestepped in ''The List of Adrian Messenger'', in which a bunch of big names are unrecognizable in heavy makeup.
* In ''Film/GetOut2017'', while those behind the [[spoiler: body stealing]] are never in doubt, it seems fishy that Stephen Root would only show up as a party guest in one scene...[[spoiler: and indeed, he's not only in on it, but he's also the one receiving Chris' body]]
* In ''Film/MenInBlackInternational'', with heavyweights Creator/ChrisHemsworth and Creator/TessaThompson playing the leads and Creator/EmmaThompson's Agent O firmly established as the series' BigGood, it was pretty much assured that the one remaining big name, Creator/LiamNeeson, would at least be involved with the bad guys in some capacity from the moment [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil the first trailer dropped]]. [[spoiler:True enough, Neeson's Agent T turns out to be TheMole in the MIB's London branch and therefore TheManBehindTheMan for much of the plot up until the finale where he turns into the FinalBoss. Plus the ObviouslyEvil {{Jerkass}} Agent C is far too obvious in his antagonism to be the real enemy, which makes T's role even more blatant from the outset.]]
* ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu'': Who do you think the BigBad is? The obvious RedHerring {{Jerkass}} played by a lesser-known actor who doesn’t even have a page on this wiki? Or [[spoiler:the guy played by Creator/BillNighy, one of the biggest stars in the cast.]]
* ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan:'' The team find a private Ryan, but he turns out be a different Ryan than the one that they want. Later, they find another Ryan, who is played by Creator/MattDamon. Aha!
* In ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'', pre-release marketing materials indicated that a minor character, a "Resistance soldier named Alex", an apparently-inconsequential role, would be played by noted British actor Creator/MattSmith (of ''Franchise/DoctorWho'' fame), and when questioned, the film's production team played coy with what his role entailed. In the film, he is revealed to be [[spoiler:the HiddenVillain, the T-5000 / Avatar of Skynet, who sets the plot rolling by infecting John Connor with a virus that turns him into a Terminator, and appearing as the avatar of Genisys in the third act]]. The film even clues viewers in with FiveSecondForeshadowing, slightly zooming in on him acting shady before TheReveal.

* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonVsPhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' makes an effort to hide this. In the second case, you have to question a whole mob of witnesses at once. One of them happens to be voiced by [[spoiler: Carina Reeves, who played Fiora in ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'']], and they did it. However, said character only starts having fully-voiced dialogue once it becomes clear they're the murderer, before they only had slight VoiceGrunting, making this harder to spot.
* ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'' begins with you in control of three characters: The Hero with the SwordOfPlotAdvancement, one of his closest friends... and an ObviouslyEvil DirtyCoward who abandons you to save his own skin within the first five minutes. Predictably, [[KarmicDeath he ends up fleeing into a horde of enemies, cue scream and fade to black]]. But upon realizing that his Japanese voice actor is ''the'' Creator/NorioWakamoto, it should be obvious his part in the plot isn't over yet...

** "Second Chances" had 2 straight, 1 subversion, 1 aversion - It looked like Pat Monaghan from Train was the killer - it was his car that ran over the vic. [[spoiler: It was his girlfriend and the vic's girlfriend (Kim Kardashian and Vanessa Minnillo) taking drug users off the street and insuring them for 2 years, then killing them for the life insurance, Pat was due to be the next vic]] they also interviewed La La Vazquez as a suspect, wasn't her.

** Featured a star from the Canadian TV series ''Series/TheEleventhHour''. His guest shot was overhyped in CTV commercials, making it obvious he was the killer when he failed to show up almost until the end. But then, CTV does this a lot. Cynthia Nixon's appearance on an episode of ''[[Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit Law & Order: SVU]]'', for another example.

* Averted in ''Film/{{Se7en}}'', where [[spoiler: Creator/KevinSpacey's name is absent from all promotional material as well as the opening credits so that his appearance as John Doe towards the end would be a surprise. Unless you recognized his voice when he calls the detectives before his appearance.]]

* Subverted by the all-star cast (John Gielgud is credited ninth!) in ''Film/MurderOnTheOrientExpress1974''. [[spoiler: And then DoubleSubverted because they ''all'' did it]].
** Also applies to [[Film/MurderOnTheOrientExpress2017 the 2017 Kenneth Branagh version of the story]], in which most of the main cast ranges from currently famous to legendary.

* ''Film/NonStop'': [[spoiler: Averted - the only "name" in the cast other than Creator/LiamNeeson is Creator/JulianneMoore, and she isn't behind the killings on the plane.]]
** This is even further averted with the DVD release of the film, which has a blatant case of the rising star Creator/LupitaNyongo as an AdvertisedExtra, even though early in the movie it becomes obvious that she is just a very minor character with little effect on the plot, and is even used as ''Foil'' to other more interesting characters (many of whom are played by no-name actors).

** Averted in one episode, where it turns out [[spoiler: Xander Berkeley]] DIDN'T do it for the first time in his career.

** Sometimes it's deliberately averted. Several episodes had recognizable faces as Mike's clients, including [[Film/PulpFiction Frank Whaley]] and [[Series/YesDear Jean Louisa Kelly]], so when [[DearJohn Jere Burns]] shows up as a client, you don't suspect him. [[spoiler:Turns out he's the guy behind the organization that burned Mike.]]

** Aversion: Creator/WilWheaton appeared on an episode, bearded, homeless, and crazy. Not recognizable (unless you saw the guest star name at the beginning) ''or'' guilty.

* Averted on ''Series/TheCloser'': [[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Connor Trinneer]] plays one of the suspects but is quickly cleared within the first scene he appears in.
** Played straight with [[AmoralAttorney Philip Stroh]]. Attorneys are relatively few and far between on this show (mostly because Brenda is very good at [[ManipulativeBastard convincing]] the suspects that [[BlatantLies they don't need one]]), so when one not only shows up but is also played by Billy Burke, you kind of assume he's gonna be important. [[spoiler: Stroh turns out to be his serial raping client's much more evil accomplice, and eventually becomes Brenda's ThatOneCase.]]

* This is generally averted on ''Series/CriminalMinds'', which makes frequent usage of character actors as supporting characters, but rarely has them turn out to be the Unsub, except in the cases where a well-known actor is cast specifically to play a major villain whose identity is shown from the beginning of the episode. Other times while the actor may be well known, the killer's face isn't seen until his arrest.
** Most notable subversion was in "The Performer", where Gavin Rossdale's character, musician Paul "Dante" Davies, was suspected as the killer for the entire episode. [[spoiler:It turned out to be a superfan with the help of his manager, who was using the murders as a way to promote his album.]]
** Played straight in :
*** "L.D.S.K.", where Detective Lassiter of Series/{{Psych}} fame briefly pops up as an ER nurse who gives the agents directions. [[RetroactiveRecognition About eight months before Psych premiered]].
*** "Paradise", where 'Creator/WilWheaton is introduced among a series of hotel workers being interviewed.
*** "Uncanny Valley", if you've paid attention to the credits. Jonathan Frakes was billed to appear in the episode but doesn't appear until the end when the team figures out that [[spoiler:he's the one who induced the case's [=UnSub=] to kidnap women in the first place because he took away her dolls]].

** Creator/AaronPaul had the honor of sidestepping this trope because he was cast as a suspect in "The Popular Kids," an episode in Season 1 that preceded his big break in Series/BreakingBad by about three years.

* ''Series/{{Elementary}}'': In just the course of one season of 24 episodes, roughly half involve examples of reasonably well-known actors and actresses as the only recognizable potential suspect, with the majority of those being played straight by them performing the crime.
** Avoided in "Blood is Thicker" which featured Casey Biggs, who played Damar on Deep Space Nine. Possibly because he's not all that recognizable without the Cardassian makeup.
** In ''Rat Race'', [[spoiler: Molly Price, who played a large role in Series/ThirdWatch as well as numerous other tv shows and movies, showed up very early in the episode as a secretary. She did it.]]

** ABC averted the trope in their promotional announcement of Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s guest appearance on the show, which outright stated that his character would be ''cleared'' of murder (and there was no ExactWords twist of him being wrongly cleared: he really was not the killer).

** Averted by an episode in which [[spoiler:D.B. Sweeney]] is a murder suspect. It turns out [[spoiler:his wife did it]].

* ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' was usually pretty good at averting this trope... whenever a famous guest star appeared, he/she was either a relative of the victim (like Creator/RobinWilliams, Creator/MarciaGayHarden or Creator/TerryOQuinn), or his identity as the killer was made intentionally clear from the beginning and the episode actually focused on the detectives' attempt to ''prove'' that he was guilty (like Creator/ElijahWood, Creator/SteveBuscemi or Creator/ChrisRock).

* ''Series/TheInside'' was pretty bad about this for its short run. [[Series/{{Lost}} William Mapother]], [[Film/KillBill Michael Bowen]] [[Film/{{Aliens}} Jenette Goldstein]], [[Film/DieHard Hart Boecher]] and [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Amber Benson]].... [[spoiler: Averted in one episode, where master of scary characters [[{{Series/Damages}} Zeljko]] [[Series/TwentyFour Mother]] [[{{O}} Frakking]] [[Series/{{Heroes}} Ivanek]] is an innocent nice guy who just doesn't know how to defend himself properly. The killer? [[Series/ICarly Jennette McCurdy]].]]

* Averted in an episode of ''Series/{{MASH}}'' where someone had been sending nasty letters to headquarters about Colonel Potter. It seemed to be Charles at first but it turned out to be some random guy named Joe who was never on the show before that episode.

** [[spoiler: Averted]] in "Mr. Monk and the Red Headed Stranger," with one of the series' first advertised guest stars. In it, Music/WillieNelson gets accused of shooting his road manager by an [[IncrediblyLamePun Eye Witness]] who couldn't have possibly done it because she is blind. [[spoiler:She isn't and she did it.]]

** Averted in the episode "Murder in a Minor Key", where guest star [[TeenIdol Shaun Cassidy]] not only didn't do it but [[ActorAllusion was the one to solve the crime.]]

** Creator/LeslieNielsen guest starred on the show twice, playing different characters. [[spoiler: His first appearance is an aversion, as he is never even suspected; the second time is a subversion, as he has motive but is ultimately revealed to be innocent.]]

** Frequently averted in this series where the guest cast is in alphabetical order to not give the audience any clue: [[spoiler:Creator/YvonneDeCarlo , Creator/RobertLoggia , Creator/PatrickMacnee and Creator/VeraMiles]] are all red herrings; [[spoiler:Creator/MiltonBerle]] has a one-scene guest star appearance; while [[spoiler:Creator/JoseFerrer, Creator/MartinLandau and Creator/CesarRomero]] are the victims.

** The series averted this in their adaptation of ''Appointment with Death''. When one sees that the victim's husband is played by Creator/TimCurry, one starts to suspect him only to have his son being played by Creator/MarkGatiss and John Hannah playing their doctor friend.

** The series largely averts this by having a habit of guest stars as innocent characters and usually having two or three recognizable but not super-famous character actors in guest roles. It can be played straight, though...

** Double subverted in a different episode guest-starring Creator/RachaelLeighCook as an old flame of Shawn's who agrees to go on a date with him...the same day he is taunted by a [[CriminalMindGames clue-leaving serial killer]]. [[spoiler:Cook ends up nearly being a ''victim''; the killer turns out to be played by Ally Sheedy, who the viewer had not seen yet, and didn't even realize until later had been hiding in nearly every scene of the episode.]]

* The episode "Requiem" of the [[SoOkayItsAverage not so overwhelming]] British series AnnaLee featured [[Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway Greg Proops, who was just gaining fame in GB]], as a slimy music journalist. Guess who was the bad guy. [[spoiler: He didn't kill the victim, but drove her to suicide]]

** [[spoiler:Averted]] in the second season: Ambitious rich guy played by [[spoiler:Steve Guttenberg ''(Police Academy, 3 Men and a Baby, Cocoon)'']] was behind [[spoiler:an evil deed that corrupted the real murderer behind the story arc]].

** The same show averted it with the episode ''And Then There Were Fewer''. The suspects were mostly recurring characters, aside from the first victim and a new character played by Music/AshleyTisdale. It turned out the culprit was [[spoiler: Diane, a recurring newscaster. Ashley Tisdale's character was, in fact, a victim.]]

* [[LiveActionTV Series]] having their own pages.
** ''NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognize/LawAndOrder''

* We could fill this page entirely with ''Franchise/LawAndOrder'' examples. It's pretty much S.O.P. for L&O shows: if the feature guest star isn't the defense attorney, the victim, or the first suspect, he's the perp. On ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'', though, it's often obvious who the killer is right from the start as the show is about how the detectives will catch them, rather than whodunnit. It's now being [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in the Law and Order promos.
** In earlier episodes like "One" and "Jones" and later ones like "Major Case" and "Family Values" we know the killer from the teaser, but usually we don't.
** In an episode of ''Law And Order: Criminal Intent'', Creator/StephenColbert plays a graphologist hired to authenticate some documents, only to find out that ''he'' forged them, ''and'' committed the original murder. This was before Colbert's show began, but he was already well-known as a reporter on ''Series/TheDailyShow'' and for ''Series/StrangersWithCandy''.
** One episode of ''[[Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit Special Victims Unit]]'' managed to avoid this by having three well-known guest stars (Bob Saget, Chris Sarandon and Creator/CatherineBell) so it wasn't immediately obvious who the killer was.
** Yep... another ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' entry. They interview the woman who ran the prime suspect's foster home, Whoopi Goldberg (with short hair, no less). Guess who's behind the whole thing?
** A well-done example is the episode of ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' featuring Martin Short. It's never in question that he's the guilty party, and the entire episode is a battle of wits between Short and the detectives as he taunts them to prove it.
** A similar ''SVU'' example involved guest star Creator/JerryLewis. Producers must've been particularly aware of the trope this time as even the ''promos'' gave away that he did it, and indeed the crime ultimately committed by his character was done right in front of the eyes of the star detectives -- the episode's plot revolved instead around tension leading up to the crime, whether or not he was justified in his actions and [[spoiler: whether or not mental incompetence played a role.]]
** Just plain [[AvertedTrope averted]] in the episode [[spoiler:Trade]] with guest stars [[spoiler:Matthew Davis and Stephen Collins]]. Neither one of them did it.
** Averted in an original flavor ''Series/LawAndOrder'' episode, in which Creator/KevinSmith appears -- in a one-scene cameo.
*** In "An Evening With Creator/KevinSmith 2", he says that he wanted to play "the guy who leads them to the guy, who leads them to the guy, who leads them to the guy that did it". And he did.
** Also averted in an episode of ''SVU'' in which Karen Allen is the murderer's wife, but played straight in an earlier episode of the original ''Series/LawAndOrder'' in which Allen is the killer.
** In a ''[=SVU=]'' episode, [[spoiler:Eric [=McCormack=]]] played the killer[[spoiler:'s father.]] He confesses and everything!
** One ''[=SVU=]'' episode, in quick succession, had the detectives talking to Bobby Flay, Mark [=McGrath=], and Jesse Palmer, all playing [[{{Expy}} Expies]] of themselves, about halfway through the episode. However, they are all past victims of a malicious female rapist that had not reported it [[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale for some reason]]. While the actual rapist was played by the relatively unknown actress and Olympic bronze medalist, Estella Warren, her accomplice and mother, was played by none other than Series/WonderWoman herself Creator/LyndaCarter.
** Subverted: One episode of ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' featured Creator/BrentSpiner, a.k.a Lt. Cdr. Data, and Margaret Colin (who co-starred with Spiner in ''Film/IndependenceDay'') as one half of a pair of married psychologists. They were both arrogant twits, but neither of them was the killer.
** Another subversion: One ''Law And Order: Criminal Intent'' episode featured Creator/JuddHirsch and Creator/AnthonyMackie (before he became really famous). Neither character was an angel ([[spoiler:Mackie's character is based on Jayson Blair]]) but neither was a murderer.
** An inversion: One episode of ''SVU'' in which the guest star was Lewis Black as a Howard Stern-like radio DJ. He was never a suspect, but later in the episode, [[spoiler:he gets shot in the shoulder by the culprit's mother. The jury acquits.]]
*** Not entirely, as Ricky Ullman, Creator/MaggieGrace and Dana Delany were also present as [[spoiler:Perp, Victim and Shooter of Lewis Black respectively]]. It was basically Ullman's "Look at me, I'm not chained to Disney, I have range" casting reel.
** The next to last episode of the 11th season of SVU has an interesting example: While the perp is known from early in the episode, his father shows up late in the episode and is played by Creator/RaymondJBarry, who's seemingly too ubiquitous to JUST be the perp's dad. Not surprisingly, [[spoiler:the father was abusive and conspiring with his son]].
** Creator/MalcolmMcDowell deserves to be far more than the average perp when he appears on ''CI'', and indeed, [[spoiler:not only is a {{Chessmaster}} par excellence, he [[KarmaHoudini gets away with his crime in the end]]]].
** Another ''Criminal Intent'' subversion: Rip Torn guest starred in one episode as a rather cold, unfeeling, and downright unpleasant multi-millionaire who, despite being mean (and despite being portrayed by the big-name guest star), wasn't involved with the murder.
** And another: Creator/JohnGlover not only got to be creepy and suspicious in his appearance as Goren's forensic psychology mentor, he also got to be ''completely innocent''. [[spoiler:At least the first time he was on.]]
** And another: Creator/TerryOQuinn guest-starred as Gordon Buchanan, the senior vice president at a pharmaceutical company which sold a batch of HIV-infected blood incorrectly labeled as synthetic plasma. [[spoiler: The executive responsible is murdered at the beginning of the episode, but not by Buchanan, who didn't even know about the contamination.]]
** A semi-subversion in a 2010 SVU had 4 famous (from 25+ years ago) guest stars: Ann-Margaret, Jaclyn Smith, Morgan Fairchild and Susan Anton. Only one of them did it. [[spoiler: And in the show, she's no ''angel.'']]
** Yet another ''Criminal Intent'' episode; it featured Creator/DylanBaker, normally a character actor as he's been in [[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0048414/ everything]], including three different characters in the mothership show. However, the previews for the episode pointed out that Dylan Baker would be guest starring, somewhat unusual for a character actor to be promoted this way. [[spoiler:And yes, he did it.]]
** DoubleSubverted in another 2010 SVU episode, where [[Series/{{Lost}} Henry Ian Cusick]] is not only cleared early in the episode but doesn't even appear again.[[spoiler:..until the ''next'' episode, in which he ''is'' the culprit.]]
** Subverted in the SVU episode "Wet", which had David Krumholtz[[note]]from ''[=NUMB3RS=]'' and ''Film/TheSantaClause''[[/note]] as an AbsentMindedProfessor who grow poisonous mushrooms and was obsessed with water right seemed like a slam dunk as a perp. Plus it also had Rosemary Harris (who played Aunt May in the ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' movies) as a RichBitch who ran the charity where the victim was given the poisoned mushrooms. Add to that the special guest ADA for the episode was played by Paula Patton from ''Film/{{Precious}}'' and the defense attorney was played by Michael Boatman from ''Series/SpinCity''. Yet none of them was the kill, however, one of them came off as worse than the actual murderess, and was responsible for her behavior.
** The SVU episode Mask, which has Creator/JeremyIrons as a sex addict turned psychologist who specializes in treating them...[[spoiler: turns out to be a good guy who helps the main characters after some plot dithering, and also turns out to have NOT committed the terrible crime that he thought he had 20 years ago, namely raping his daughter in a combination of alcoholic blackout and irresistible impulse (it turned out to have been her best friend, and it was consensual, but his daughter, a lesbian, was also in love with the girl and never forgave her father for breaking her heart.]]
** Subverted in the SVU episode Angels: [[Series/ArrestedDevelopment Will Arnett]] plays a guy involved in a child sex tourism ring, but he's not the main perp. He's not even a pedophile, just a trafficker.
** Played with in the ''Criminal Intent'' episode "Malignant". Stephen Tobolowski, a character actor who is recognizable enough to qualify for this trope, plays a pharmacist who, it turns out, has absolutely nothing to do with the drug-delivery hijacking/double-murder that opens the episode except peripherally. That said, it turns out that he's scamming his customers by watering down his drugs, thus quadrupling the money he's making on each drug shipment.
*** One of the perps arrested for the original crime is played by [[spoiler: Creator/PaulWesley, credited as Paul Wasilewski (his birth name).]]
** Subverted in "Torch." Oh look, Creator/BradDourif is in this episode. His character? A scientist called in to analyze the crime scene, with no prior connection to the case. And this [[spoiler: raises the possibility the fire was really an accident and helps the suspect ''avoid'' prosecution]].
** In the ''Criminal Intent'' episode "Cherry Red," Paul Dooley and Dennis Christopher play father and son for the third time. The detectives suspect [[spoiler: Christopher's character, a state public administrator, killed a young woman named Kate Finoff to cover up his murder of an elderly woman whose assets he stole.]] Turns out [[spoiler: he only killed the elderly woman; his dad killed Kate Finoff to cover up his son's crime because he, a "sick man," didn't want to be left alone with nobody to take care of him.]]
** Semi-subverted in SVU season 12 episode "Disabled." Singer/actress Jill Scott plays the sister of a quadriplegic rape victim. While Scott's character had nothing to do with the rape, it was discovered that she was physically abusing her sister.
** Subverted in another ''SVU'' episode, "Father Dearest", where the SerialRapist/killer is ''not'' Creator/EricClose's character, despite of course having been presented as such for the first 2/3 of the episode, but a vengeful former colleague played by Creator/JamesVanDerBeek.

* The episode "Requiem" of the [[SoOkItsAverage not so overwhelming]] British series AnnaLee featured [[Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway Greg Proops, who was just gaining fame in GB]], as a slimy music journalist. Guess who was the bad guy. [[spoiler: He didn't kill the victim, but drove her to suicide]]

** Frequently averted in this series where the guest cast is in alphabetical order to not give the audience any clue: [[spoiler:Creator/JohnAstin and Creator/RobertLoggia]] are both red herrings; [[spoiler:Creator/MiltonBerle]] has a one-scene guest star appearance; while [[spoiler:Creator/JoseFerrer, Creator/MartinLandau and Creator/CesarRomero]] are the victims.