In the television world, career longevity is a rarity. Typically, if you’re lucky enough to land one successful television show, your odds of landing another aren’t good. Ask Jason Alexander. Ask Roseanne. Or Jenna Elfman. Or Paul Reiser. Or Bronson Pinchot. What’s even more rare is not only landing two successful shows, but landing them a decade apart. Rarer still is being as crush-worthy an actor in his or her 30s and 40s as he or she was in their teens and 20s.
But it happens. Not terribly often, but it does. Here are 10 instances representing the spectrum of TV crushes that you might have had in the 90s and that, thanks to an ability to maintain a high profile — and good looks — over a decade or more, you may still nurse today.
Christina Applegate — “Married with Children” (1987 – 1997) and “Up All Night” (2011 – )
Mark-Paul Gosselaar — “Saved by the Bell” (1989 – 1993) and “Franklin & Bash” (2010 – )
Jennifer Love Hewitt — “Party of Five” (1994 – 2000) and “Ghost Whisperer” (2005 -2010)
Josh Charles — “Sports Night” (1998 – 2000) and “The Good Wife” (2009 – )
Claire Danes — “My So Called Life” (1994-95) and “Homeland” (2011 -)
Alyssa Milano — “Who’s the Boss?” (1984 – 1992) and “Charmed” (1998 – 2006)
Neil Patrick Harris — “Doogie Howser, M.D.” (1989 – 1993) and “How I Met Your Mother” (2005 – )
Tiffani Thiessen — “Saved by the Bell” (1989 – 1993) and “White Collar” (2009 – )
Connie Britton — “Spin City” (1996 – 2002) and “Friday Night Lights” (2006 – 2011) “American Horror Story” (2011 – )
Carla Gugino — “Spin City” (1996 – 2002) and “Justified” (2012)
