While Younger was just a little TV series that started on TV Land and blew up to become hugely popular, it began with a pretty stellar cast. Hilary Duff may have been arguably the most recognizable name, but chances are that fans recognize other cast members from projects they have been in as well.
Some actors have been in the business for decades, some have lengthy resumes in the theater world, and one is even married to another huge TV star. Many of the actors from the show have also already gone on to star in other projects, like Duff, who has been confirmed to star in the How I Met Your Mother spin-off series, How I Met Your Father.
Sutton Foster (Liza): Bunheads
Sutton Foster was known mainly for her extensive Broadway work prior to landing the lead role on Younger, having appeared in huge plays like Little Women, The Drowsy Chaperone, Young Frankenstein, Shrek the Musical, and Violet.
On television, her most notable credit outside of guest appearances in several series includes a lead role on the short-live ABC comedy-drama Bunheads from 2012-2013.
Hilary Duff (Kelsey): Lizzie McGuire
Without a doubt, Hilary Duff's most recognizable previous role is the title character in the series Lizzie McGuire, which helped her rise to teen idol status in the early '00s.
Since then, she has appeared in many movies, from Agent Cody Banks to Cheaper by the Dozen and its sequel, and A Cinderella Story. She also played Sharon Tate in the 2019 movie The Haunting of Sharon Tate, which she executive produced. And, as previously noted, Duff has been tapped to play a lead role in the upcoming spin-off series, How I Met Your Father.
Debi Mazar (Maggie): Entourage
Acting since the '90s, those of a younger generation will recognize Debi Mazar as Shauna from Entourage while those who saw the iconic film will recall her as Sandy in 1990's Goodfellas.
Her movie resume, however, is extensive, with films like So I Married an Axe Murderer, Empire Records, and Return to Babylon. Mazar's list of TV credits are just as long, including main roles in Civil Wars and L.A. Law in the '90s, Working (1998-1999), That's Life (2000-2002), and Extra Virgin (2011-2015).
Nico Tortorella (Josh): The Walking Dead: World Beyond
Prior to appearing on Younger, Nico Tortorella starred in the horror movie Scream 4, and they also played a crucial part in the Fox crime drama The Following, starring Kevin Bacon.
However, Tortorella is best known for a role they secured recently, while still filming Younger, as they now star on the latest The Walking Dead spin-off series, The Walking Dead: World Beyond. They may have only started acting in 2009, but they have quickly become a rising star.
Miriam Shor (Diana): Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Not only did Miriam Shor - who had one of the worst first dates on Younger when an Instagrammer catfished her to get a photo of her expensive purse - star in the film adaptation of the rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, but she also appeared on stage in the musical itself.
Acting since the '00s, she has had mostly small parts but for main roles in a few short-lived TV series like Then Came You (2000), Inside Schwartz (2001-2002), Big Day (2006-2007), Swingtown (2008), GCB (2012), along with a five-episode arc in Damages and in six episodes of The Good Wife.
Peter Hermann (Charles): Blue Bloods
Married to Law & Order: SVU's Mariska Hargitay, Peter Hermann is another actor from the show with Broadway credits to his name. He met his wife while acting in a guest appearance on SVU, one of many such guest roles he secured over the last two decades on a long list of shows.
Hermann got his start on television in the world of soap operas and is most notable for his role as Dr. Michael Burke on Guiding Light, which he played from 1997-1998. He currently stars in the series Blue Bloods.
Molly Bernard (Lauren): Chicago Med
Playing one of the characters fans would most want to be friends with, Molly Bernard doesn't have as long and extensive a resume as the others from the cast, but she has made her mark in the industry. Her most notable other role is a recurring one on Chicago Med as Elsa Curry.
Bernard also had a recurring role on Alpha House (2013-2014) as Angie Sullivan and in Transparent (2016-2017) as a young Shelly Pfefferman.
Charles Michael Davis (Zane): The Originals
Before (and during) his role on Younger, Charles Michael Davis spent five years playing Marcel Gerard on the CW series The Originals from 2013-2018.
Fans might also recognize Davis from a role he's in now, as Special Agent Quentin Carter on NCIS: New Orleans. Behind Duff, he has the second-most Instagram followers of all the cast members.
Laura Benanti (Quinn): The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Laura Benanti is another Broadway star, having appeared in plays like Gypsy and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. When it comes to television, Benanti might be recognizable as Alura and Astra in Supergirl and the TBS comedy The Detour.
Nowadays, fans might recognize Benanti from her recurring role as First Lady Melania Trump on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Tessa Albertson (Caitlin): November Criminals
Tessa Albertson, who played one of the least likeable characters on Younger, portrayed Alex Faustner in the 2017 movie November Criminals, a role that saw her work with rising young stars in Hollywood, Chloe Grace Moretz and Ansel Elgort.
She might also be familiar to those who saw the 2008 movie Phoebe in Wonderland, where she played Alice, and from Shrek the Musical, where she was the teenage Fiona.
Phoebe Dynevor (Clare): Bridgerton
Fans were delighted to see Phoebe Dynevor in this series, instantly recognizing her from her breakout role as Daphne Bridgerton in the massive hit Netflix series Bridgerton. While Clare wasn't the best match for Josh, Dynevor was a great addition to the cast.
She was also in Snatch, the crime drama that appeared on the Crackle streaming service from 2017 to 2018.
Michael Urie (Redmond): Ugly Betty
Michael Urie's best-known role was a leading one of the ABC dramedy Ugly Betty from 2006-2010, a character who was very similar to that of Redmond.
Alongside a long list of theater credits to his name - including, most recently, Brian in Grand Horizons at the Hayes Theater and Hamlet in the Shakespeare Theatre Company's run of the play of the same name in 2018 - he has mostly had small guest roles on shows from Modern Family to The Good Wife and Hot in Cleveland.
Dan Amboyer (Thad/Chad): William & Catherine: A Royal Romance
Dan Amboyer has a regal look to him, so it's no surprise he secured the role of Prince William of Wales in the movie William & Catherine: A Royal Romance, where he worked with such well-known actors as Victor Garber and Jean Smart.
Fans might also recognize the actor who played one of Kelsey's most questionable boyfriends (and his twin) from the short-lived spin-off of The Blacklist, The Blacklist: Redemption, where Amboyer played Dan Pool/Trevor.
Chris Tardio (Enzo): The Sopranos
Appearing on four episodes of The Sopranos, Chris Tardio portrayed the character of Sean Gismonte. He also had a recurring role on Showtime's Ray Donovan as Danny Bianchi.
One of the funniest characters on Younger, Tardio has had small roles in a laundry list of series, including Sex and the City, NCIS, Bones, Lie to Me, Justified, Daredevil, and, most recently, Pose.
Jennifer Westfeldt (Pauline): 24
There's a long list of places fans might recognize Jennifer Westfeldt from. She was in six episodes of 24 in the recurring role of Meredith Reed and three episodes of Grey's Anatomy as Jen Harmon. She also had a lead role in the series Notes from the Underbelly, which aired from 2007-2010.
In the film world, Westfeldt is best known for Kissing Jessica Stein and Friends with Kids, both of which she also worked on behind the scenes, including directing, producing, and writing the latter.