There are some TV shows that make fans cry at pretty much every scene, and Parenthood is high up on that list. It's impossible not to get sucked into the story of the Braverman family as they go through life and support one another (while driving each other nuts because, hey, that's family).
Parenthood is known for its large cast of characters and since the Braverman clan is so huge, it makes sense that they would interact with a lot of other people. Many great actors guest-starred on the TV drama over its six seasons, and some were better than others.
Zachary Knighton
Zachary Knighton played Evan Knight on Parenthood and appeared in five episodes. Fans of Happy Endings will recognize him as Dave.
Evan is going to be the headmaster of Chambers Academy, the school that Kristina (Monica Potter) and Adam (Peter Krause) are starting, and he also sleeps with Julia (Erica Christensen). He's a nice, smart person, but he doesn't leave as big a lasting impression as some of the other guest stars.
David Denman
David Denman's character Ed may be a guest star on Parenthood, but he plays a pretty big and important role on the show as he falls in love with Julia.
Julia's friendship with Ed involves some flirtation and even a kiss, and it's one reason why her marriage to Joel (Sam Jaeger) starts falling apart, although it's a bit of a chicken/egg situation as she grows closer to him because Joel has slipped away. Ed is nice and pretty funny, but he's not the most memorable of the guest stars, even though his presence on the show does change a lot of things for Julia.
Minka Kelly
Tami Taylor may be inspiring on Friday Night Lights but Minka Kelly's character, Lyla Garrity, is also a fan favorite.
That's why it was exciting for FNL fans to see the actress guest star on Parenthood as Gaby, the behavioral therapist who works with Kristina and Adam's son Max (Max Burkholder), who has Asperger's. Gaby is one of the best guest characters on the TV drama as she's really amazing at her job and helps Max so much, and she also creates tension in Crosby's (Dax Shepard) life as the two sleep together when he's still in love with Jasmine (Joy Bryant). If it weren't for some of the other guest stars, she would be ranked much higher.
Rosa Salazar
When Julia meets Zoe, the girl who runs the coffee cart at her law firm, she immediately thinks that Zoe should let her adopt her baby. It's a bit of a weird storyline because Julia honestly figures that baby should be hers, and it's hard to imagine someone actually doing that.
Rosa Salazar is one of the best guest stars on Parenthood as her character has such a powerful role. Julia and Joel really go through the ringer as Zoe doesn't seem super committed to the adoption process. Some fans felt that this was an upsetting storyline as it seemed obvious that Zoe would never give Julia the baby, so the character isn't ranked higher.
Tavi Gevinson
Haddie (Sarah Ramos) and Lauren might not be as well-known as some of the most popular couples on TV, but they totally should be, as they are so sweet together.
Tavi Gevinson is best known for creating the online magazine Rookie and so it was really fun to see her guest star on a TV drama like this one. She does an amazing job portraying Haddie's girlfriend from college, and it's moving to see Haddie's parents support and accept her.
Betsy Brandt
Betsy Brandt's Sandy is Hank's (Ray Ramano) ex-wife and the mother of his daughter. She's not one of the best moms on TV as she's a bit neurotic and way too controlling, but she does love her daughter and tries to give her a good life.
It's fascinating to watch Sandy interact with Hank, as she slowly realizes that he has definitely changed and grown up a lot since their marriage. She's one of the best guest stars on the show and her scenes with Sarah (Lauren Graham) are also pretty funny because they're so awkward.
Hayden Byerly
Hayden Byerly looks very familiar to fans of The Fosters who know him as the lovable kid Jude. He also guest-starred on Parenthood as Micah Watson, an adorable and sweet kid who becomes friends with Max as they go to the same school.
He's one of the best guest stars as he brings a lot to the role. He tries his best to help Max and is very kind to him, which isn't true of their classmates, so it's a really big deal.
Michael Emerson
Michael Emerson fans love him from Lost and he also played Andy on Parenthood, a guy who runs his own business where he brings reptiles and insects to birthday parties.
He's one of the greatest actors to guest star on the show as Andy has Aspergers, and it's good for Kristina and Adam to see an adult who has a thriving career and is doing well. They want to believe that can happen for Max, so this interaction is really meaningful for them.
Rose Abdoo
When Kristina goes through chemo for her cancer, she meets a lovely, wonderful woman named Gwen Chambers.
Rose Abdoo plays this character, and Gilmore Girls fans will recognize her as Gypsy. Gwen makes such an impact on Kristina as she helps her through her treatment and recovery. When Gwen passes away, it's heartbreaking, and Kristina honors her friend's memory by naming her school after her. She's one of the better guest stars as she brings so much emotion to the show.
Tyson Ritter
Parenthood is one of the best family dramas and one reason for this is because the guest characters are so good. Tyson Ritter is the best guest star on Parenthood, hands down, as his character, Oliver Rome, is absolutely hilarious.
Crosby and Adam meet Oliver as he and his band start recording at their business, The Luncheonette, and Oliver gives them a really hard time. He's the definition of a diva and while he does have some talent, his attitude makes it impossible for anyone to want to work with him. The brothers' storylines at their workplace would be dull if not for this character.