Fall TV: Veteran actors, new shows

Where you’ve seen him: “Home Improvement,” “Toy Story”

Character on the show: Allen plays Mike Baxter, a man’s man -- he works for an outdoor sporting goods company and even drives a pickup truck -- surrounded by women.

Character similarities:“Home Improvement’s” Tim the “Tool Man” Taylor is back, just a little older, and surrounded by daughters this time.

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Video: Watch a sneak preview of ABC’s ‘Last Man Standing’ with Tim Allen  (Jason Merritt / Getty Images)

Where you’ve seen her: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”

Character on this show: Bridget, a marked woman on the run from the cops, steals her twin sister Siobhan’s identity after discovering she is missing. Gellar plays both sisters.

Character similarities: Gellar’s Buffy had a knack for transforming desperation into determination in watery-eyed moments that prefaced major vampire butt-kicking. It seems like Bridget is in no short supply of the same sort of “I’ve got no choice” speeches, but she follows up with action scenes that feature more guns and less supernatural camp. Get a sneak peek here.  (Andy Kropa / Getty Images)

Where you’ve seen her: The funnywoman, pictured in the center, spent years fighting type after her “Married With Children” persona Kelly Bundy. But Applegate went on to become a raunchy comedy staple in “The Sweetest Thing,” “Anchorman” and “Hall Pass.” She also earned Emmy and Golden Globe noms for her role as mean-girl-turned-nice-girl-thanks-to-amnesia in the ABC comedy “Samantha Who?”

Character on this show: Applegate will play a dry-witted wife whose busy life is interrupted by the arrival of a baby.

Character similarities: Applegate has the comedy thing down pat and it’ll be fun to see her tackle a role where she plays a mom trying to recapture her prime of life. “30 Rock’s” Will Arnett and “SNL’s” Maya Rudolph co-star in the NBC show also produced by Lorne Michaels, which will compete to harness the same brand of comedy that’s kept his other two shows going. Watch a preview here.  (Evan Agostini / Associated Press)

Where you’ve seen her: “Saturday Night Live”

Character on the show: Rudolph plays Ava, a self-centered co-worker and best friend to Reagan (played by Christina Applegate).

Character similarities: Rudolph has played a lot of characters on “SNL,” but maybe not one has been as self-absorbed as Ava.  (Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images)

Where you’ve seen her: “Will & Grace,” “The Starter Wife”

Character on this show: Messing plays Julia, a casting director looking for the perfect actress to play Marilyn Monroe for a Broadway musical.

Character similarities: Best known for her comedic chops on eight seasons of “Will & Grace,” Messing’s turn on “Smash” could show a more serious (not zany) redhead.  (Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images)

Where you’ve seen her: She’s been playing the wife/ex-wife of Larry David on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Character on this show: Hines will play a suburban housewife on the ABC comedy.

Character similarities: Comedic timing? Early glimpses of “Suburgatory” show Hines in a drastically different role than the one embodied by her “Curb” character. Whereas she’s tough and dry on “Curb,” she’s the picture of brightness in “‘Suburgatory.” However, on both series, Hines is no doubt in charge.  (John Sciulli / Getty Images / City of Hope)

Where you’ve seen him: He made a name for himself as Dawson Leery in “Dawson’s Creek” and somehow hasn’t been able to put that behind him. He recently played Dr. Joe Briggs in “Mercy” after a few movies sprinkled in with some guest starring roles.

Character on this show: Van Der Beek will play James Van Der Beek! Yes, he’ll still be the “Dawson’s Creek” star but also the best friend to Chloe (Krysten Ritter), a scheming Manhattanite who is clashing with her small-town roommate in the ABC comedy.

Character similarities: Well, he may not be Dawson but he’s definitely still himself, or a snarkier version of himself, who exploits and bashes his previous melodramatic character’s fame. Watch a preview here.  (Michael Buckner / Getty Images)

Where you’ve seen her: Best known for her film work, Ricci has starred in “The Addams Family,” “Sleepy Hollow” and “Speed Racer,” among many others.

Character on this show: Ricci will star as Penelope, one of the stewardesses on ABC’s period drama.

Character similarities: Ricci can walk the line between odd and mysterious, a skill that will no doubt come in handy in a series that celebrates the glamour of the early days of flying.   (Chris Pizzello / Associated Press)

Where you’ve seen her: She played Donna Pinciotti, the fiery redhead on Fox‘s “That ‘70s Show,” for eight seasons and Ted Mosby’s pretentious college sweetheart in “How I Met Your Mother.”

Character on this show: Prepon will play blond comedian Chelsea Handler, whose affinity for vodka, her sharp tongue and her few boundaries have caused her escapades to become hilarious fodder in her memoirs.

Character similarities: Chelsea is much more outlandish than Donna. But it might be daunting to play a character who is also your real-life costar, since Handler will guest-star as her born-again sister in the NBC comedy. Watch a preview here.  (Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images)

Where you’ve seen him: He played star-crossed lover-turned-sage Desmond Hume on “Lost.”

Character on this show: Cusick returns to ABC as Stephen Finch, a top attorney devoted to public relations for political scandal-makers.

Character similarities: Not too many. Desmond was stuck on an island, went a little while being a castaway and acquired some supernatural clairvoyance. In “Scandal,” his character is poised to make splashy headlines for himself while managing to cover up his clients’ misdeeds.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Where you’ve seen her: “American Idol,” “House Bunny”

Character on the show: McPhee plays Karen, an aspiring Broadway star competing for the role of Marilyn Monroe in a new musical.

Character similarities: Singing her heart out is nothing new to this “Idol” runner-up and now she’ll have the chance to combine her vocal talent with her acting craft. Something we haven’t seen her do much of so far.

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Video: Watch a sneak preview of Steven Spielberg’s ‘Smash’  (Charles Sykes / Associated Press)

Where you’ve seen her: The Tony and Emmy winner played Olive Snook on ABC’s critically acclaimed “Pushing Daisies,” the good witch in Broadway’s “Wicked” and April Rhodes, the drunken alumni with a golden voice, on “Glee.”

Character on this show: Chenoweth will play Darlene Cockburn, a caustic society girl who aims to make a returning Dallas expat’s life miserable in the ABC drama based on Kim Gatlin’s book “Good Christian Bitches.”

Character similarities: Her previous casting as a sassy (but snide) pepster makes Chenoweth a shoo-in as a believable Southern mean girl. No sign of a good witch in sight. Watch a preview here.  (Casey Rodgers / Associated Press)

Where you’ve seen him: “Superbad,” “Get Him to the Greek,” “How to Train Your Dragon”

Character on the show: Hill voices Allen Gregory, 7, a precocious home-schooler attending elementary school for the first time.

Character similarities: Hill, who also created the show, is back with all the snappy dialogue fans love, but this time around it’s without the raunchiness.

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Video: Watch a sneak preview of Fox’s animated series ‘Allen Gregory’  (Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images)

Where you’ve seen her: She spent six seasons playing Dr. Allison Cameron on “House, M.D.” and appeared as a scheming activist on the sixth season of “How I Met Your Mother.”

Character on this show: Morrison will play 28-year-old bail bond collector Emma Swan, who’s reunited with the child she gave up as a teenager. The now-10-year-old boy lives in a town called Storybrooke, where fairy-tale characters live but seem to have forgotten their fantastical identities.

Character similarities: Not too many. Morrison’s new character diverges from her ethical and idealist persona on “House” and her quasi-diabolical character on “How I Met Your Mother” as she struggles with being a mom and fighting evil witches.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Where you’ve seen him: He’s been playing Det. Cyrus Lupo on “Law & Order” but made his way into the hearts of many teenage girls as bad boy Elton in 1995’s “Clueless.”

Character on this show: Sisto will play a single dad who moves from Manhattan to the ‘burbs to protect his 16-year-old daughter from the bad influences they encountered in the city, which they go on to deal with in the suburbs.

Character similarities: “Suburgatory” will take Sisto out of his dramatic comfort zone as of late, and he’ll take on a “father knows best” persona. His show will be sandwiched into ABC’s heavyweight comedy block between funny-bone-tickling hits like “Modern Family” and “The Middle.” Watch a preview here.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Where you’ve seen her: Her latest film was “Drive Angry 3D” with Nicolas Cage, and she was also in “Zombieland” with Woody Harrelson and Jessie Eisenberg.

Character on the show: She plays Maureen, one of the bunnies in the original Playboy Club in 1960s Chicago. She’s a small-town girl with a bit of a dark history.

Character similarities: She’s a tough girl in both of the aforementioned movies, and she probably needs a lot of that toughness as a Playboy bunny. She also had a darker, almost too carefree side in another of her films, “The Informers,” that could lend itself to her newest character. Watch a preview here.  (Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images)

Where you’ve seen him: “Lost”

Character on the show: Dr. Diego Soto, a geeky type who teams with the San Francisco Police in a supernatural investigation of Alcatraz prison.

Character similarities: Like the ever-helpful Hurley in “Lost,” Soto appears to be a key player in uncovering the mystery behind the island penitentiary. Whether his storyline is intertwined in the major arch of the show the way Hugo’s was remains to be seen.

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Video: Watch a sneak preview of ‘Alcatraz’  (Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images)

Where you’ve seen her: She made a name for herself as Orange County socialite Summer Roberts on “The O.C.” and she’s also the infamous roommate of the mysterious mother on “How I Met Your Mother.” But you may have also seen her in commercials for Magnum ice cream and hanging out with Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld.

Character on this show: Bilson will play Zoe Hart, a New York City doctor who inherits a medical practice in a small Southern town filled with eccentric locals.

Character similarities: None, really. Hart is a New Yorker, not a beach girl, who finds herself in a fish-out-of-water situation when she moves down South. However, the dramedy reunites her with “O.C.” producer Josh Schwartz, who is also behind the CW phenoms “90210” and “Gossip Girl,” both known for their cattiness intermixed with banter and a few good laughs. Watch a preview here.  (Dominique Charriau / Getty Images)

Where you’ve seen her: She played cheerleader Lyla Garrity in “Friday Night Lights” and the object of her crazy cohabitant’s affection in “The Roommate” thriller. She also had a few appearances on NBC’s “Parenthood.”

Character on this show: Kelly will play Eve, a Miami car thief-turned-detective in the reboot of the 1970s crime-fighting show.

Character similarities: She’s still a token pretty girl but she’ll toughen up from her previous roles in order to nab the bad guys with costars Rachael Taylor (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Annie Ilonzeh (“General Hospital”) and Ramon Rodriguez (“The Wire”). Not to worry, Drew Barrymore, who starred in the big-screen adaptations of “Charlie’s Angels,” will serve as executive producer on the show and will be on hand to share some butt-kicking tips. Watch a preview here.  (Christopher Polk / Getty Images)

Where you’ve seen them: “Napoleon Dynamite”

Characters on this show: Heder and Ramirez are back to voice the animated Napoleon and Pedro, a couple of listless misfits.

Character similarities: Produced by Mike Scully (“The Simpsons”) and “Napoleon” writers Jared and Jerusha Hess, the animated show reunites the original cast of the movie, promising awkward moments, lovably bizarre characters and cult quotability. Watch the trailer here.  (Matt Sayles / Associated Press | David Livingston / Getty Images)

Where you’ve seen him: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”

Character on this show: Reprising his role from the UK comedy of the same name, Head plays Stephen, a sex-obsessed, potty-mouthed boss.

Character similarities: Head excels at subtlety. In “Buffy,” Giles was a straitlaced librarian whose twinkling good nature and dark past danced just beneath the oh-so-British surface. In “Free Agents,” Head gets to make filthy jokes with a straight face, playing a darkly funny and very pervy Stephen. You can see his wry humor in the show’s preview here.  (Samir Hussein / Getty Images)

Where you’ve seen her: “Thor,” “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”

Character on this show: Max Black, a caustic, quippy waitress who’s had to work for every break.

Character similarities: “Two Broke Girls” puts down-to-earth smart girl Dennings side-by-side with a sunny blond heiress (played by Beth Behrs) in a three-camera-style sitcom, so expect her to play up the sassy comebacks and acerbic wit. Check out the trailer here.  (Gabriel Bouys / AFP / Getty Images)

Where you’ve seen him: You’ve seen him on two seasons of the Showtime series “Huff.” But most likely you know his voice from any one of the 485 episodes of “The Simpsons.”

Character on this show: Alex, a newly divorced (and overly emotional) PR exec who’s trying his best not to start a relationship with his co-worker, played by Kathryn Hahn.

Character similarities: Considering that Azaria has voiced half the population of Springfield on “The Simpsons,” it’ll be hard not to see bits of all of them in Alex. But this character is probably closer to Dr. Huff, another man going through a bit of a crisis in middle age. You can watch a preview of “Free Agents” here.  (Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images)

Where you’ve seen him: He played Benjamin Linus, the man we loved to hate, on “Lost.”

Character on the show: Emerson will play a crime-fighting vigilante named Finch, a shadowy billionaire who teams up with an elite former CIA agent to prevent violent crime before it happens.

Character similarities: His character in “Person of Interest” is still as eerie and enigmatic as Linus, but this time he’s supposed to be a good guy. Emerson’s pairing with “Lost” producer J.J. Abrams is sure to continue that question “Lost” fans always had about his character’s motives. Watch a preview here.  (Neilson Barnard / Getty Images)

Where you’ve seen him: He plays Lucius Malfoy, the evil wizard and shamed henchman of Lord Voldemort, in the “Harry Potter” franchise.

Character on the show: Isaacs (third from left) plays a detective who finds himself living in two different realities after a car accident with his wife and son -- his wife survives in one reality, while his son survives in the other.

Character similarities: While Isaacs is still sticking to that mystical genre, the drama that plays out in both worlds is also very human, pushing his acting chops to make a character who is perceived as crazy completely normal. He also manages to conceal his British accent. Watch a preview here.  (Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images)