The show Bless This Mess was canceled after two seasons in 2020, but audiences can still enjoy its reruns. Following the lives of Mike and Rio, a couple from New York that inherits a farm in Nebraska and subsequently decide to remain there, the sitcom had plenty of fun and adventure in store.
While they adjusted to their new lives in a small town, they met several memorable members of the community. With all the characters played by familiar actors like Dax Shepard, Lake Bell, and David Koechner, audiences are bound to have seen them in other films and TV shows over the years.
David Koechner - Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby
David Koechner played one of the pit crew members in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Will Ferrell's film about a NASCAR driver that suffers several setbacks in his career and personal life that must learn to overcome the obstacles in his way is well-known among audiences, and certainly a favorite for Will Ferrell fans.
It's pretty cool that Koechner had a part in the memorable film, especially as one of the crew members; though he didn't have the impact that Glenn did (as Glenn pretended to die to give Ricky extra motivation prior to a race), Koechner was still included as part of the crew that came back to Ricky's side when he needed them most.
Lake Bell - Home Again
2017's Home Again starred Reese Witherspoon as Alice Kinney, who moves back home to Los Angeles with her daughters to be closer to her mom and to start her own interior design business.
Lake Bell plays a client of hers, and a nightmare client at that, as she misleads Alice and frequently takes advantage of her. Alice eventually stands up to her and quits, having had enough of Bell's treatment of her, which included disregarding Alice's design suggestions.
Ed Begley Jr. - St. Elsewhere
Ed Begley Jr. played Rudy in Bless This Mess, who was a resident of Rio's and Mike's barn. However, in the 1980s, he played Dr. Victor Ehrlich on St. Elsewhere. Victor may have been a talented doctor, but he tended to annoy those around him.
Like Thomas Magnum on Magnum, P.I., he also had an affinity for aloha shirts as well, with ties no less.
Martin Mull - Sabrina, The Teenage Witch
Before Martin Mull was playing Mike's father on Bless This Mess, he was the principal at Sabrina's high school in Sabrina, The Teenage Witch. Principal Kraft wasn't necessarily a favorite in the school, and he later dated both of Sabrina's aunts.
He was unfair to Sabrina and her friends, often favoring the popular kids, like Libby, over them. Neither of his relationships with Sabrina's aunts lasted either.
David Koechner - The Goldbergs
David Koechner is familiar to fans of The Goldbergs, as he plays a good friend of Murray's, Bill Lewis. Bill is a big Dallas Cowboys fan, which initially causes problems between him and Murray, but they get past that and discover that they share other things in common, and their friendship has only developed ever since.
Bill is also the father of Lainey, who was Barry's girlfriend.
Edward James Olmos - Miami Vice
Before he played the new husband of Rudy's ex-wife on Bless This Mess, Edward James Olmos was recognizable to audiences for his role as Martin "Marty" Castillo, who took over as the Lieutenant after the murder of the former Lieutenant.
He was quiet but authoritative and didn't always get along with Crockett. He was a good leader for the group, and he wasn't afraid to go against his superiors (notably his former ones in the CIA).
Dax Shepard - Hit & Run
Before he was Mike on Bless This Mess, Shepard played Charlie Bronson, who is in witness protection after testifying against his fellow bank robbers. However, he comes out of protection to take his girlfriend Annie, played by Kristen Bell, to a job interview in Los Angeles.
Their road trip is far from smooth as Charlie's former partners, U.S. Marshal Randy, and Annie's ex-boyfriend pursues them. It also tests their relationship, but they remain together despite the craziness that was their road trip, and Annie gets the job, making the road trip that much more worth it.
Pam Grier - Miami Vice
Edward James Olmos isn't the only Miami Vice alum to appear in Bless This Mess. Pam Grier plays a sheriff and store owner in Bless This Mess, but back in the day, she was Valerie Gordon, a former flame of Rico Tubbs, from New York City.
Valerie was an NYPD officer, first introduced when she came to Miami looking for her younger sister, and who would appear in a few more episodes down the line.
Lake Bell - The Secret Life Of Pets
Apart from playing Rio, Lake Bell also provided the voice for Chloe in The Secret Life of Pets. Chloe is one of the inhabitants of the building that Max, one of the protagonists of the film series, lives in, and she eats well.
She becomes a part of the search for Max and Duke in the first film. She's pretty sarcastic and is usually disinterested in anyone's lives but her own, and she made for a memorable character in the film franchise.
Dax Shepard - Parenthood
Dax Shepard played Crosby, one of the four siblings on the TV show Parenthood over the course of six seasons. Crosby was initially an irresponsible bachelor that didn't want to be tied down, but he changed over the course of the series, eventually marrying and running a business alongside his older brother, Adam.
Crosby was free-spirited and fun, and he loved his family as well as music.