"Spin City" is one of the best-but-often-forgotten sitcoms in TV history. Mostly remembered as Michael J. Fox's last primetime series, few ever mention that "Spin" was actually a very funny show, with a rich cast of characters and brilliantly talented actors.
The sitcom about a New York City mayor and his staff was created by Gary David Goldberg, of "Family Ties" fame, and Bill Lawrence, a 30-year-old writer who'd penned scripts for "Friends" and "The Nanny." Lawrence would go on to create "Scrubs" and "Cougar Town."
Whether you're a fan of the Michael days or prefer the later Heather Locklear/Charlie Sheen years, there's no denying the talent that radiated from the show's stars. Take a look at the cast of "Spin City," then and now.
[Photo gallery: See the stars of "Spin City," then and now.]
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Michael J. Fox as Mike Flaherty
Canadian-born Michael J. Fox started acting at 15 and spent the first few years of his career doing bit parts in Canadian TV and theater before landing some U.S. TV gigs, including guest spots on "Trapper John, M.D." and "Family." But it was the part of lovable, buttoned-up Republican Alex P. Keaton that put Michael on the map. He went on to become a major movie star in the "Back to the Future" trilogy, "The Secret of My Success," and "Bright Lights, Big City." Fox made his small-screen comeback in 1996 as Mike Flaherty on "Spin City," a part that earned him three Golden Globes and an Emmy.
Michael J. Fox: Now
Two years into his run on "Spin City," Michael revealed to the world that he had Parkinson's disease. He retired from the show and from acting in 2000 and dedicated his life to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, committed to finding a cure for the affliction. But Michael hasn't completely abandoned Hollywood. This summer he played a recurring role on Season 5 of "Rescue Me" and previously had done guest spots on both "Scrubs" and "Boston Legal."
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Heather Locklear as Caitlin Moore
Heather Locklear had already starred in three successful TV shows ("Dynasty," "T.J. Hooker," and "Melrose Place") before signing on to "Spin City." When Michael J. Fox announced his illness in 1999, producers created a new character, Caitlin Moore, to help share his workload. Locklear stayed with the show after Fox left and continued to work with Charlie Sheen for the duration of the series' run.
Heather Locklear: Now
After "Spin City" ended, Locklear tried her hand at another series. "LAX" was not as successful as her previous shows, lasting only 11 episodes. To add insult to injury, her marriage to Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora ended the following year, and news spread that he was dating her best friend, Denise Richards (who, just to add to the soap opera quality of it all, was recently divorced from Heather's former costar Charlie Sheen). But don't cry for Heather: These days she's starring in the re-imagining of "Melrose Place" and is dating her fellow cast-mate from the original series, Jack Wagner.
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Charlie Sheen as Charlie Crawford
Having acted in such notable films as "Platoon," "Wall Street," and "Eight Men Out," Charlie Sheen was a movie star when he was cast to replace Michael J. Fox on "Spin City." And even though he only played Charlie Crawford for two seasons, Sheen made his mark on the sitcom world. Within a year he was cast as Charlie Harper on "Two and a Half Men."
Charlie Sheen: Now
Charlie has been on "Two and a Half Men" for seven seasons, playing a character loosely based on his own real-life bad-boy image. The show is so successful that it's already been renewed through 2012. For those who'd like to see Charlie back on the big screen, you won't have to wait much longer. Filming has begun on "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps," slated for an April 2010 release.
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Barry Bostwick as Mayor Randall M. Winston Jr.
In 1972, Barry Bostwick got his start in his Tony Award-nominated role as the original Danny in Broadway's "Grease." Three years later, he was cast as Brad alongside Susan Sarandon's Janet in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Bostwick became somewhat of a cult hero from that film and continued acting, including his work on an early '80s series called "Foul Play" (based on the Goldie Hawn/Chevy Chase movie) and the miniseries "War and Remembrance." But it wasn't until he was cast as Mayor Randall M. Winston Jr. on "Spin City" that Barry entered the mainstream consciousness.
Barry Bostwick: Now
After "Spin City" Bostwick was cast in recurring roles on "What I Like About You," with Amanda Bynes, and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," playing Oliver Gates. Most recently, he has done guest spots on "Ugly Betty" and "Nip/Tuck" and played Mr. Bradley in "Hannah Montana: The Movie." He currently has three films in production, including "It's a Dog Gone Tale: Destiny's Stand" and a movie being made as part of G-Star School of the Arts, a high school where professionals work with students on productions.
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Alan Ruck as Stuart Bodnek
While he's clearly remembered for his role on "Spin City," Alan Ruck is more readily identified as Ferris Bueller's best friend, Cameron Frye, who, as the passive teen, was willing to (mostly begrudgingly) follow Ferris on any adventure. On the other hand, his "Spin City" character, Stuart Bodnek, was an aggressive and sleazy guy.
Alan Ruck: Now
As he had been between "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off" and "Spin City," Alan Ruck is still a steadily working actor. He's appeared in such films as "Cheaper by the Dozen" and "Ghost Town." He's made TV appearances on "Medium" and "Ghost Whisperer." And, in 2007, Ruck became known to a new generation of teen pop culture aficionados when he joined the cast of "Greek," playing Dean Bowman.
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Richard Kind as Paul Lassiter
Few actors ever get cast in a hit sitcom, and even fewer have two going simultaneously. From 1992 to 1999, Richard costarred with Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as the mildly annoying gynecologist Mark Devanow on "Mad About You." Then, in 1996, he was cast as the mildly annoying press secretary Paul Lassiter on "Spin City." When "Spin" took off, Richard appeared less regularly on "Mad," but the characters were so similar that TV audiences were still getting killed with “Kind-ness.”
Richard Kind: Now
Since leaving "Spin City," Richard hasn't slowed down for a minute. With more than 100 film and TV acting credits to his name, he seems to pop up in everything. Richard does it all, from films like "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" (directed by his buddy and the best man at his wedding, George Clooney) to TV shows like "Scrubs" and the Broadway show "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." Currently, he can be seen as the down-on-his-luck brother in Joel and Ethan Coen's "A Serious Man."
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Michael Boatman as Carter Heywood
Michael Boatman was no stranger to primetime when he joined the cast of "Spin City." He'd been a series regular on "China Beach" for three seasons and on Tom Arnold's "The Jackie Thomas Show" during its 18-episode run. But it was the role of Carter Heywood, the openly gay head of minority affairs, that earned Michael five NAACP Image Award Best Supporting Actor nominations and won him a GLAAD award for Best Actor.
Michael Boatman: Now
Like his "Spin City" costar Richard Kind, Michael also caught sitcom lightning in a bottle. While on "Spin City" he was also a regular on the HBO comedy "Arli$$." After both shows went off the air in 2002, Boatman hit the TV show guest appearance circuit on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Grey's Anatomy," and "Hannah Montana." He's also a horror writer, with a 2007 collection of short stories called "God Laughs When You Die" and a 2009 novel, "The Revenant Road." He returned as a series regular just last month when "Sherri" premiered; he plays Sherri Shepherd's love interest, Dr. Randy Gregg.
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Connie Britton as Nikki Faber
Connie Britton started as a young actress in the Courtyard Playhouse production of "The Early Girl" in New York City, but her first high-profile gig was in the sleeper hit film "The Brothers McMullen." She joined the cast of "Spin City" when the series premiered in 1996, but after Michael J. Fox left the show, her character was written out of the series.
Connie Britton: Now
After leaving "Spin City,” Connie appeared on other primetime shows, including "The Fighting Fitzgeralds" and "The West Wing." In 2004, she costarred as Billy Bob Thornton's wife, Sharon Gaines, in a football movie called "Friday Night Lights." Two years later, actor-director Peter Berg created a TV series based on the film. Connie joined the cast, reprising her role (now renamed Tami Taylor). The series had a roller-coaster ride of a road for many years, but thanks to an outpouring of support from fans, the show just hit the small screen for the fourth season.
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Alexander Chaplin as James Hobert
Before "Spin City" Alexander Chaplin had not done a lot of professional acting. After attending Julliard School, he was cast in a series of "ABC Afterschool Specials" directed by John Rubinstein and then made his film debut as Bobo in "The Basketball Diaries" with Leonardo DiCaprio. The following year he got the part of speechwriter James Hobert on "Spin City." He left the show the same year as Michael J. Fox.
Alexander Chaplin: Now
Alexander’s post-"Spin City" career has not been as illustrious as the success of his first show might have indicatated. He's done a few less-than-successful movies, including "Alma Mater" and "Dog Gone Love," and he's made appearances on "Scrubs," "Numb3rs," and, most recently, "Ugly Betty."
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Jennifer Esposito as Stacey Paterno
Jennifer Esposito was only on "Spin City" for two seasons, but the role of New York City Mayor Randall M. Winston Jr.'s secretary Stacey Paterno took her from indie films like "Kiss Me, Guido" and the slasher movie "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer" to mainstream success.
Jennifer Esposito: Now
After a string of BFF roles in such romantic comedies as "The Bachelor" and "The Proposal," Jennifer landed parts in the high-profile film "Crash" and on the edgy Dennis Leary series "Rescue Me." She became equally famous for her personal life when she suddenly married actor Bradley Cooper and then divorced him less than a year later. But she put the spotlight back on her career when she joined the cast of the short-lived-but-much-loved sitcom "Samantha Who?" alongside Christina Applegate. Esposito hit the gossip columns again a couple of weeks ago when it was announced that she was engaged to the cougar-hunting "Age of Love" reality TV star and tennis pro, Mark Philippoussis.
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Talk About It: What were your favorite "Spin City" moments?
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