Top 250 Tv Shows Like The Parliamentarian Lady

The gripping, decades-spanning inside story of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Prime Ministers who shaped Britain's post-war destiny. The Crown tells the inside story of two of the most famous addresses in the world – Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street – and the intrigues, love lives and machinations behind the great events that shaped the second half of the 20th century. Two houses, two courts, one Crown.

Each year, hopeful singers from all over the country audition to be part of one of the biggest shows in American television history. Who will become the new American Idol?

Brazilian version of the reality game show in which a group of houseguests live together 24 hours a day, isolated from the outside world but under constant surveillance with no privacy. Each week a guest is voted out of the house until only the winner remains.

A young fresh-faced Hill staffer gets her first job in Washington, D.C. and discovering two things: 1. The government has stopped working, and 2. alien spawn have come to earth and eaten the brains of a growing number of Congressmen and Hill staffers.

Mackenzie Allen has a lot on her plate -- she has twin teenagers, a 6-year-old at home and an ambitious husband at the office, and she is about to become the first female president of the United States. Before that happens, however; Mackenzie, who serves as vice president, has to decide whether or not to go against the dying wishes of the current president, who has asked her to step down and let someone "more appropriate" fill his shoes in the Oval Office. Not only does the president want her to resign, so does the entire party that elected her in the first place. But when the moment of truth arrives, Mackenzie isn't willing to be a mere footnote in history. Instead of allowing her detractors to keep her down, she decides to trust her instincts and accept the most powerful job in the world.

In the midst of an international crisis, a career diplomat lands in a high-profile job she’s unsuited for, with tectonic implications for her marriage and her political future.

A cash-strapped young couple inherits a grand country house, only to find it is both falling apart and teeming with the ghosts of former inhabitants.

Frustrated at a new moderate Conservative government and deprived of a promotion to a senior position, chief whip Francis Urquhart prepares a meticulous plot to bring down the Prime Minister then to take his place.

Caitlyn Jenner's first public appearance since her transition included making an impassioned, heartfelt speech at the ESPY Awards about the need for understanding transgender issues and "accepting people for who they are." For her part, Caitlyn -- formerly known as Bruce Jenner -- eagerly welcomes the responsibility to educate people. Follow Caitlyn Jenner's life as a transgender woman, telling her intimate story as she seeks out her "new normal," while offering a better understanding of many of life's challenges. Most of all, Caitlyn looks forward to living for the first time as the person she feels she was born to be. The docu-series also explores what her transition means for the people closest to her, including her children and stepchildren, and how those relationships are affected.

American version of the British dating reality competition in which ten singles come to stay in a villa for a few weeks and have to couple up with one another. Over the course of those weeks, they face the public vote and might be eliminated from the show. Other islanders join and try to break up the couples.

After years away from the CIA, Elizabeth McCord is pulled back into the political arena. The newly appointed Secretary of State is tough, fair, and smart, driving international diplomacy, wrangling office politics, and circumventing protocol as she negotiates global and domestic issues, both at the White House and at home.

Mel is a local politician from a political family. When a family scandal leaves her niece, Lennox, and nephew, Ryder, without their parents, Mel takes them in. She hires Joe to become the family's male nanny, or "manny," after a Ponzi scheme leaves him broke.

Open All Hours is a BBC sitcom written by Roy Clarke and starring Ronnie Barker as a miserly shop keeper and David Jason as his put-upon nephew who works as his errand boy.

In an attempt to beautify her town — and advance her career — Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana, takes on bureaucrats, cranky neighbors, and single-issue fanatics whose weapons are lawsuits, the jumble of city codes, and the democratic process she loves so much.

President Trump is bypassing the crooked media by hosting a late-night show direct from the Oval Office. No unfair questions from reporters, no awkward photo ops with German ladies, and no bedtimes. The weekly series will have the best guests, the “hottest women,” and only the nicest of questions.

Due to a political conspiracy, an innocent man is sent to death row and his only hope is his brother, who makes it his mission to deliberately get himself sent to the same prison in order to break the both of them out, from the inside out.

A reality show contest where sixteen or more castaways split between two or more “Tribes” are taken to a remote isolated location and are forced to live off the land with meager supplies for roughly 39 days. Frequent physical challenges are used to pit the tribes against each other for rewards, such as food or luxuries, or for “Immunity”, forcing the other tribe to attend “Tribal Council”, where they must vote off one of their players.

Set in the corridors of power and spin, the Minister for Social Affairs is continually harassed by Number 10's policy enforcer and dependent on his not-so-reliable team of civil servants.

Turn-On is an American sketch comedy series that aired on ABC in February 1969. Only one episode was shown leaving one episode unaired and the show is considered one of the most infamous flops in TV history. Turn-On's sole episode was shown on Wednesday, February 5, 1969, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. Among the cast were Teresa Graves, who would join the Laugh-In cast that autumn, and Chuck McCann, longtime kiddie show host, character actor, and voice artist. The writing staff included a young Albert Brooks. The guest host for the 1st episode was Tim Conway.

A look into American politics, revolving around former Senator Selina Meyer who finds being Vice President of the United States is nothing like she expected and everything everyone ever warned her about.

The story of Queen Victoria, who came to the throne at a time of great economic turbulence and resurgent republicanism – and died 64 years later the head of the largest empire the world had ever seen, having revitalised the throne’s public image and become “grandmother of Europe”.

The West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the nation's capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. These interesting characters have humor and dedication that touches the heart while the politics that they discuss touch on everyday life.

Satirical sitcom set in the office of a UK Cabinet minister, Jim Hacker MP, who struggles with Civil Service bureaucracy and political machinations as he tries to get on with government business.

Disillusioned after a long career at Sunshine Desserts, Perrin goes through a mid-life crisis and fakes his own death. Returning in disguise after various attempts at finding a 'new life', he gets his old job back and finds nothing has changed. He is eventually found out, and in the second series has success with a chain of shops selling useless junk. That becomes so successful that he feels he has created a monster and decides to destroy it. In the third and final series he has a dream of forming a commune which his long suffering colleagues help bring to reality. Unfortunately that also fails and he finds himself back in a job not unlike the one he originally had at Sunshine Desserts.

Five people, strangers to each other, are in the wrong place at the wrong time. They witness a murder and from then on an endless tangle of adventures begins for them. Dalia, Zoumboulia, Spyros, Fotis, Angela... unite in a group, draw strength from each other and aim to deliver justice in an old and dark case... Through dangers and upheavals they will manage to reach in the truth of the case but also their own, personal truth.

Jenna Marston (Zöe Lucker) is an ambitious and committed Army Captain who's nursing a big secret... she's having an affair with her boss, Major Nick Welling (Jeremy Sheffield). It's an affair that could cost them the careers they love, but their passion proves impossible to suppress. Back on the parade ground, equal opportunity law means that the British Army now has to open its doors to 'all sorts' and Nick and Jenna find themselves managing a rag tag of raw recruits. The task of turning social misfits into a crack fighting team, ready for deployment in war zones around the world, is one that takes determination and grit. Just as Bad Girls opened the doors into the closed world of a women's prison, Bombshell lifts the lid on the British Army - a hierarchical world where men and women are thrust together, living on the edge - trained and prepared to kill...

Current affairs programme, featuring interviews and investigative reports on a wide variety of subjects.

Tory! Tory! Tory! is a 2006 BBC television documentary series on the history of the people and ideas that formed Thatcherism told through the eyes of those on the New Right. It was nominated for the best Historical Documentary at the Grierson Awards in 2006.

Cat Deely hosts the epic 'live' final of Britain's Got the Pop Factor, where musical acts R Wayne, 2 Up 2 Down and Geraldine battle it out for their own record deal and an automatic entry to the show Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice. Nicki Chapman, Neil Fox and Pete Waterman will judge their efforts, but who wins?

An experimental fusion of reality and fiction--a fly-on-the-wall look at government, filmed in and around the corridors of power in Washington. The series ventures inside the world of powerful political consultants--a world that few people ever experience first-hand. Produced on location in Washington, D.C., the largely improvised ten-episode series combines fictional characters with appearances by real-life political figures, all centered around the biggest political news of the week.

James Hacker MP the Government's bumbling minister for Administrative Affairs is propelled along the corridors of power to the very pinnacle of politics - No. 10. Could this have possibly have been managed by his trusted Permanent Private Secretary, the formidably political Sir Humphrey Appleby who must move to the “Top Job” in Downing Street to support him, together with his much put upon PPS Bernard Wolley. What could possibly go wrong?

The Kennedys is an Emmy-winning Canadian-American television miniseries chronicling the lives of the Kennedy family, including key triumphs and tragedies it has experienced. It stars Greg Kinnear, Katie Holmes, Barry Pepper and Tom Wilkinson among others, and is directed by Jon Cassar. The series premiered in the United States in April 2011 on ReelzChannel and on History Television in Canada.

First Among Equals is a ten-part serial based on Jeffrey Archer's 1984 novel First Among Equals, produced by Granada Television for the ITV network and first shown in 1986. As in the novel, the series follows the careers and personal lives of four fictional British politicians from 1964 to 1991, with each vying to become Prime Minister. Several situations in the novel are drawn from Archer's own early political career in the British House of Commons. While the novel depitcts the fictional characters interacting with actual political figures from the UK and elsewhere, this adaptation uses different names for the real-life politicians.

Crawl deep under the skin of Thatcher's Britain, seen through the eyes and experiences of a young, gay man, from the euphoria of falling in love to the tragedy of AIDS. A story of love, class, sex and money.

Former first lady and current Secretary of State Elaine Barrish Hammond try to keep her family together while simultaneously dealing with crises of the State Department and fending off the hungry DC journalist who is bent on destroying her career.

A drama about the shifting power in a marriage when the personal and political collide.

Secret State explores the relationship between a democratically elected government, big business and the banks.

The series from Neil LaBute aims to examine "the human condition and relationships through a series of conversations between 11 people", whose lives are intertwined, unbeknownst to them. Each episode takes place in a restaurant and is a conversation between two characters. One of the character's storylines then will carry over into the next episode through a conversation with a new character. That character will then be featured in the following episode. The process will continue until the final episode.

Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) was a mediocre who rose to power because of the blindness and ignorance of the Germans, who believed he was nothing more than an eccentric dreamer. But when the crisis of 1929 devastated the economy, the population, fearful of chaos and communism, voted for him. And no one defended democracy. As the dictatorship extended its relentless shadow, the leader claimed peace, but was preparing the Apocalypse.

Sixteen years ago, Jack Tanner's bid for the White House ended at the 1988 Democratic convention. Now the former congressman is the subject of a documentary film directed by his daughter Alex focusing on the toll paid by failed contenders.

A comedy television series. The series is representative of the daily life of Athenians in the early '90s.

The Rt. Hon Jim Hacker is back in office as PM, leading a coalition government confronting the greatest economic crisis in a generation.

This three-part political thriller follows the catastrophic chain of events leading up to World War I from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June 1914 to Britain's declaration of war on Germany 37 days later. This tense and gripping miniseries set among the corridors of power in Whitehall and Berlin tracks the unfolding crisis through the eyes of leading politicians and civil servants struggling to prevent the world's first global war. 37 Days unlocks the mystery of the war s origins, overturning assumptions about its inevitability, demonstrating that World War One was neither a chance happening nor was it a foregone conclusion.

A humourous and satirical journey into the world of Canadian national politics.

Following the fact-based historical book of the same name, this drama follows the rise of Cromwell as he becomes Henry the VIII's closest advisor. England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the King dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The Pope and most of Europe oppose him. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell: a wholly original man, a charmer, and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people, and implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?

The President of the French Republic, visiting Saint-Etienne in the Loire, in a striking plant dies, victim of a bomb attack. The political world is agitated: early presidential elections to be held within the next thirty-five days. There is no doubt that Philip Deleuvre, the prime minister, will run for the Elysee. But what few people know is that the leader of the government knows more things he claimed. This state causes lie back to business Kapita Simon, a former communications adviser (spin doctor) of the late president. Anxious to preserve the honor of his deceased friend and some form of political ethics, the man of the shadows has now set a goal: to find a candidate who will be able to beat Deleuvre.

Welcome to the world of Newzoids, a topical puppet animation sketch show poking fun at pop stars, politicians, sports faces and TV favourites, and depicting our most talked about famous faces in a way they have never been seen before. Imagine a world where David Cameron and Nick Clegg battle it out on Jeremy Kyle, where Ed Miliband joins Ant and Dec on I’m A Catastrophe…Get Me Out Of Here, and where Professor Brian Cox finds an extraordinary new planet in the solar system – Kim Kardashian’s backside.

Political comedy set on the campaign buses of the main parties as they battle their way through the chaos of the election campaign.

In 1930s Saskatchewan, a small town parish has a new young new pastor, Tommy Douglas. However, for all his regular duties, which include boxing lessons, Tommy sees the poverty and injustice around him which seem beyond his power to address with the pulpit. With that in mind, Douglas enters politics with the socialist Canadian Commonwealth Federation and starts a career where his steadfast idealism runs headlong into the powerful opposition of the rich and the powerful. Despite the long odds, Douglas' new calling would soon make him a leader that would transform Canada and have him hailed as the greatest Canadian of all.

An exclusive, all-access look at one of the most unique political campaigns of the 2014 mid-term elections - the improbable Congressional run of American Idol star Clay Aiken.

This thriller follows the return of a politician’s young son who was presumed dead after disappearing over a decade earlier. As the mysterious young man is welcomed back into his family, suspicions emerge — is he really who he says he is?

Come one, come all to The Circus. This real-time documentary series pulls back the curtain on the current political stories, revealing the intense, inspiring and infuriating stories behind the headlines. Key characters and events are presented in real time, as they are happening.

From executive producers Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti, CNN Original Series "Race for the White House" captures the drama of how a high-stakes presidential election can turn on a single issue and so much more.

For millions, the election of Barack Obama marked a new era of hope. This four-part series tells the story of how he tried to reshape America as told by his inner circle - and the president himself.

Comedy soap opera re-imagining the lives of the British Royal Family as you have never seen them before.

Following the success of their 2015 election comedy Ballot Monkeys, Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin (Ballot Monkeys, Outnumbered, Drop the Dead Donkey) return to Channel 4 with a six-part satire lampooning the fictional communications and social media ‘experts’ on both sides of the EU referendum, as well as taking audiences a few doors down from the Kremlin and into the imagined world of Donald Trump’s campaign plane.

Former two-term President Richard Graves embarks on a Don Quixote-like quest to right the wrongs of his administration and reclaim his legacy 25 years after leaving the White House. His enlightenment takes place just as his wife Margaret Graves decides it’s finally time for her to pursue her own political ambitions.

Favorite Son is a miniseries about political intrigue that aired on NBC in 1988 a week before that year's presidential election. It starred Harry Hamlin, Linda Kozlowski, James Whitmore, Robert Loggia, John Mahoney, Ronny Cox, and a pre-Seinfeld Jason Alexander. The miniseries was adapted from the 1987 novel of the same written by Steve Sohmer, who also wrote the teleplay.

Four women juggle love, careers, and parenthood. They support, challenge, and try not to judge each other as life throws them curveballs. Whether it is an identity crisis, a huge job opportunity, postpartum depression, or an unplanned pregnancy – they face both the good and bad with grace and humour.

In this series, the LAPD thinks it's a good idea to form a task force partnering actors with homicide detectives. A super meta half hour comedy, the show within a show within a show is as much about Hollywood as it is an action-comedy procedural. Starring Ryan Hansen and Samira Wiley as his strait-laced partner Detective Jessica Mathers, the series features a who's who of stars playing bizarro versions of themselves including Joel McHale, Donald Faison, Eric Christian Olsen, Jon Cryer and Kristen Bell.

It's the late 1960s, homosexuality has only just been legalised and Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the Liberal party, has a secret he's desperate to hide.

Surviving power struggles, betrayals and plots, Hitler's inner circle of Nazi leaders seizes control of Germany and designs its disastrous future.

As Britain is rocked by unstable political, economic and technological advances, members of the Lyons family converge on one crucial night in 2019. Over the next 15 years, the twists and turns of their everyday lives are explored as we find out if this ordinary family could change the world.

A troubled war veteran is assigned to protect a controversial politician who may be the target of a terror plot.

Max is a charismatic self-made American businessman with media outlets in London and around the world. When the self-destructive lifestyle of his 30 year-old son, Caden, spirals out of control, the devastating consequences threaten the future of the family, its empire, and a country on the brink of change.

The political stories of the day.

Set in the world of Spanish politics, Vota Juan revolves around the character of Juan Carrasco (Javier Cámara), an uninspiring Minister of Agriculture who, after finding his political ambitions awoken by a series of chance political events, decides to take part in his party's primary elections thereby giving himself a chance to eventually run for the position of President of the Government. Party intrigues, jealousy, crises... as he undertakes this none too easy task he will count on the invaluable help of his press chief, his secretary and his personal advisor. His campaign team, much like him, try to make up for their lack of experience and political expertise through a mixture of guile and a whole host of other shenanigans. Will Juan Carrasco manage to make it all the way to the top?

1945 London. Feef is seduced by a rogue American spy into spying on her own country. Her task? To uncover a Russian agent in the heart of the British Government.

The rise and fall of Fox News founder Roger Ailes, focusing primarily on the past decade in which Ailes arguably became the Republican Party’s de facto leader, while flashing back to defining events in his life.

Pianosa Island, Italy, World War II. Bombardier John Yossarian tries to fulfill his duty, maintain sanity and return home as soon as possible, but incompetence and bureaucracy constantly stand in his way.

"Family or Fiancé" follows the dynamics between engaged couples who bring their disapproving families together under one roof. The families only spend 3 days with each other, and the clock is ticking as the couples decide if they're going to tie the knot. It's a no-holds-barred look at what it's really like when the people closest to you have major issues with the one you want to marry. Serving as the voice of reason is relationship expert Tracy McMillan, who helps the couple confront their families' concerns. She works with the newly engaged couple on ways to strengthen their bond, air their differences and reveal their true selves to their families, for better or worse. At the end of the third and final day, the families are given their chance to speak now or forever hold their peace leaving the couple to make the ultimate choice — "I do" or "I don't."

Payton has known since childhood that he's going to be president. First he'll have to navigate the most treacherous political landscape: high school.

The irresistible rise and dramatic downfall of Margaret Thatcher. Her inner circle reveal how a political outsider won power and dominated British life through a turbulent decade.

Six-part documentary on the city of Muncie, Indiana - nicknamed "Middletown" after a study in the 1920s deemed it representative of middle America. The series finds that amid the great ...

How did 20th Century Europe's most liberal democracy fall into the hands of fascists? From Hitler's political scheming that turned Germany's parliament into a House of Cards, his War on Truth leading to book burning, and his scapegoating of minorities, this series explores in extraordinary detail the events leading up to the outbreak of World War II.

The minister, his mistress, and her lover the spy. The story of the woman at the centre of one of the 20th century's biggest scandals – which changed Britain forever.

A portrait of a public woman, interweaving moments from never-before-seen 2016 campaign footage with biographical chapters of Hillary Rodham Clinton's life. Featuring exclusive interviews with Hillary herself, Bill Clinton, friends, and journalists, an examination of how she became simultaneously one of the most admired and vilified women in the world.

A modern take on the 1970s political Watergate scandal centering on untold stories and forgotten characters of the time.

The incredible story of Rupert Murdoch’s influence on world events and the dramatic personal battle for power at the heart of his own family.

When James Cooper is selected to run for a seat in parliament, Asher Millan is sent to vet him for primetime. But she quickly uncovers potentially damaging secrets buried deep in his past. Secrets that will threaten to blow everything apart—his career, his marriage, even his life, and the powerful people who back his campaign.

The right to vote is at the foundation of America's democracy. But not every vote is created equal. How does the system work, and can it be fixed?

Francis Urquhart's survival at the top is threatened by the new king's populist agenda.

Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Steve James’ fascinating and complex portrait of contemporary Chicago delivers a deep, multifaceted look into the soul of a quintessentially American city, set against the backdrop of its history-making 2019 mayoral election, and the tumultuous 2020 summer of COVID-19 and social upheaval following the police killing of George Floyd.

Inside the halls of power, Boris Johnson grapples with Covid-19, Brexit, and a controversial personal and political life during his tumultuous first months as Prime Minister.

The weekly puppet-based sketch show that skewers the politicians and celebrities who need it the most. With a cast of characters from Britain, America, and around the world, no one is safe from a satirical roasting.

Six-hour documentary series focused on the President’s personal story and his vision for America, set against the backdrop of the country’s racial history. It traces his own search for identity and his role shaping a more inclusive American identity that has been under attack since he left office. Through the words of some of the people who knew him best, and through some of his sharpest critics, the film ultimately reveals the fallacy of America as a post-racial society, and confronts the work still needed to achieve a more perfect union as the work of a country, not just one man.

Urquhart aims to secure his legacy on the international stage, but faces threats both from abroad and closer to home.

Tracing the origins of anti-government extremism by examining a deadly series of historical events that galvanized far right radicals to take violent action.

Four female journalists follow every move of a parade of flawed presidential candidates, while finding friendship, love, and scandal along the way.

An exclusive look into the lives and actions of Donald Trump and the first family as they navigate his 2020 re-election campaign. Witness the raw, behind-the-scenes footage, including the last interview given by Trump as president.

Princess Georgiana is the black sheep of a fictional British Royal Family. A PR disaster, she's spent her spoilt, party-girl life plastered over the tabloids. On the back of her latest scandal her mother, the Queen, makes the unprecedented move of abdicating her Australian throne in favour of her daughter. It is hoped that giving her some real responsibility will finally be the making of her – and if it isn't, at least shipping her off keeps her 10,000 miles away from London.

The haunting story of Flordelis, an acclaimed pastor and former member of the Brazilian parliament revered by many as a saint, accused of planning the death of her own husband, and her struggle to prove her innocence.

Questions to the Prime Minister. Held weekly since 1961, Prime Minister's Questions, also referred to as PMQs, gives Members of the British Parliament a chance to question the Prime Minister in the House of Commons. PMQs takes place at midday every Wednesday at the Palace of Westminster when the House of Commons is sitting.

Preacher, populist, politician - the electrifying rise of the Reverend Ian Paisley.

If you seek for outrageous and unforgettable party, call someone who can make something fabulous and highly entertaining out of next to nothing...a Drag Queen.

Sweden is seen as one of the world's most gay-friendly nations. But the victories of the LGBTQ movement have run alongside another success story; The Sweden Democrats, a nationalist party with Nazi roots and a history of anti-gay politics, are now the second biggest party in the country. And they've started recruiting within the gay community. Being gay and a Sweden Democrat has long been taboo, but now, a new generation of conservative, openly gay men have started taking place on every political level-from the Swedish government to the European Parliament. These so-called homonationalists are anti-immigration, critical of Drag Story Hour, and want nothing to do with Pride. In "SD-bögar" ("Gay Sweden Democrats"), Erik Galli follows the Sweden Democrat's voters, columnists, and politicians-and members of Gays for Trump in the US-to understand a rising phenomenon: homonationalism.

The series will search for two ingénues to play the roles of Sophie and Sky in MAMMA MIA! in London's West End. Throughout the series, musical theatre hopefuls will be put through their paces as they navigate their way through challenges, masterclasses, and performances. Filmed against the beautiful backdrop of the idyllic Greek islands, where the original MAMMA MIA! story is set.

This three-hour prequel to the 2002 miniseries, "Trudeau", chronicles the coming of age of Canada's 15th Prime Minister and the forces that shaped his brilliant mind and fierce political will. Fatherless at 14, a thorn in the side of his Jesuit professors, the young Pierre Elliott Trudeau chafed under the suffocating pressures of the very conservative Quebec of the '30s and '40s. Iconoclast, gadfly, a restless traveler and ladies' man, he helped plant the seeds for Quebec's Quiet Revolution by challenging all of its sacred cows—including the Catholic Church and the autocratic premier of Quebec, Maurice Duplessis.

A comedy about the actors of an "on call" casting agency who are dispatched to productions in order to fulfill diversity quotas, often finding themselves cast in the roles they least expect.